The Usefulness of Cleaner Production Projects as an Element of the Initial Assessment of the Circularity of SMEs in the Context of Obtaining Funds Supporting the Implementation of the Circular Economy

Anna Stasiuk-Piekarska (), Małgorzata Hordyńska and Monika Michalska
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Anna Stasiuk-Piekarska: Institute of Safety and Quality Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Management, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Małgorzata Hordyńska: Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering in Katowice, Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, 40-019 Katowice, Poland
Monika Michalska: Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Zielona Gora, 65-417 Zielona Gora, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: The authors of the article decided to verify the requirements for companies looking for sources of financing for projects that will enable them to transform the circular economy. Clarifying the requirements will allow companies to initially verify their ideas. For this purpose, an analysis was carried out of the requirements set for enterprises by committees assessing circular economy projects and allocating funds for their implementation. The analysis allowed us to identify several features that indicate whether a given project fits into the circular economy model. The article proposes a system model that can be used to prepare the company for changes towards the Green Deal (GD) by implementing the Cleaner Production (CP) strategy in the company. The implementation of a Cleaner Production strategy initiates further changes, gradually developing the company’s potential towards implementing the circular economy assumptions. This solution is much cheaper than the expensive services of consulting companies and much simpler than trying to prepare a competition application on your own, the authors asked themselves a research question: can the implementation of a Cleaner Production project be an initial action supporting SMEs in obtaining external funds (domestic and foreign) intended for the implementation of circular economy solutions?

Keywords: circular economy; cleaner production; business model; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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