Greenovation Circularity Challenge 2026

An innovation challenge supporting startups and SMEs in circular economy solutions for plastic, textile, and food waste management across India, offering a prize pool and access to follow-on funding.

The Greenovation Circularity Challenge is a flagship initiative designed to identify, support, and scale groundbreaking innovations that advance circularity across critical waste streams in India. This program, an initiative by EarthON Foundation in collaboration with Greenovation Hub and SwitchON Foundation, targets startups, SMEs, and social enterprises with solutions for plastic, textile, and food waste.

The challenge focuses on three core action pillars

• Plastic Circularity: Innovations aimed at recovering, reusing, and recycling plastic waste.
• This includes solutions for waste collection, segregation, and smart sorting technologies; mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic recycling methods; approaches for small-scale recycling of multilayer or low-value plastics; development of bio-based alternatives; promotion of reuse, refill, and circular packaging models; systems for material traceability and recycled-content verification; and models that strengthen the livelihoods and networks of waste-pickers and informal recycling communities.
• Textile Circularity: Solutions focused on extending the life of textiles and recovering value from textile waste.
• This encompasses technologies and processes for collection and sorting; fibre identification and grading; advanced fibre-to-fibre recycling and blend separation; creation of upcycled and regenerated products; implementation of repair, resale, reuse, and take-back models; development of sustainable textile materials; and application of Digital Product Passports and traceability solutions.
• Food Circularity: Innovations designed to transform food waste into economic and environmental value.
• This pillar covers post-harvest management and shelf-life extension technologies; strategies for food waste prevention and surplus redistribution; efficient organic waste collection and resource recovery systems; methods for composting, biogas production, and development of bio-based products; valorisation of food by-products; and initiatives to establish circular food supply chains and traceability.