Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) of policy and market-relevant product groups

The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-03 focuses on advancing the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology to support the goals of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. This grant aims to reduce environmental impacts by analyzing product environmental footprints and developing specific methods and tools for various industries. The funding opportunity is particularly geared toward Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and is scheduled to open on May 6, 2025, with a submission deadline of September 17, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The indicative budget for this call is approximately 8,000,000 EUR, with expectations to award around two grants.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and industry stakeholders involved in environmental metrics and sustainable product development. The call encourages consortia that bring together diverse stakeholders along the product value chains. Geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU countries with specific funding provisions under Horizon Europe.

Projects submitted under this call should focus on developing standardized tools, datasets, and methodologies related to life cycle assessment (LCA) and PEF, specifically for product groups such as textiles, metals, plastics, detergents, and ICT products. Expected project outcomes include improved stakeholder knowledge on circular economy benefits, reduced environmental impacts of relevant products, and enhanced use of sustainability metrics across various sectors.

The nature of support provided is a lump-sum grant, which covers eligible costs fully, with no co-funding requirement. The application process involves a single-stage submission format, with no preliminary phases required. Success rates typically range from 10% to 39% for Horizon Europe calls. Proposals are expected to generate outputs that are open access and adhere to FAIR principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable.

Overall, this grant opportunity targets the development of sustainability tools to aid industries in reducing their environmental impact through the implementation of the PEF methodology, facilitating a smoother transition toward a circular economy. Applicants are encouraged to engage actively with stakeholders and utilize existing knowledge to fill gaps in research while complying with recent EU regulations and standards.

This is a Horizon Europe call focusing on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) to support the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The goal is to reduce environmental impacts through the analysis of product environmental footprints, development of sector-specific methods and tools, and engagement of stakeholders.

The call, HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-03, specifically seeks Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and offers funding in the form of a lump sum grant. The opening date is May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 17, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The indicative budget for this topic is 8,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that around 2 grants will be awarded.

The expected outcomes of successful proposals include:

Improved knowledge for stakeholders on the value of a circular economy approach in addressing environmental pollution and pressures on biodiversity.
Development of sector-specific methods, data, tools, and guidance for assessing and communicating environmental impacts using Environmental Footprint (EF) methods.
Reduction of environmental impacts for relevant products.
Engagement of industry, public procurers, SMEs, and NGOs to enhance the use of sustainability metrics and tools.

The scope of the call includes several research and innovation activities:

Reviewing existing knowledge on LCA/PEF, identifying knowledge gaps, and developing/testing PEF category rules for selected product groups.
Assessing the added value and cost-benefit of PEF rules compared to other methods.
Performing life cycle assessment studies based on PEF to quantify and communicate environmental impacts.
Developing appropriate datasets and publicly available tools to enable PEF-compliant assessments and communications.
Developing methods to derive and support potential ecodesign requirements from PEF-compliant assessments, and assessing their socio-economic impacts.
Identifying and checking sustainability requirements in legislation, labels, and standards, and analyzing how to enhance consistency and harmonization with ecodesign requirements.
Developing guidance, training, and dissemination strategies to support the wider use of PEF.

Proposals should focus on at least one of the following product groups: home/interior textiles, final products made of metals or plastics, detergents, lubricants, paints and varnishes, polymers, selected groups of other chemicals, or ICT products. The scope should be broad and granular, using relevant classification systems and standards. Projects should adhere to the most recent EU rules and data for PEF methods and involve relevant stakeholders.

The data produced should be open access and follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria. The evaluation and award process follows the guidelines in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum.

Applicants are advised to consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and the FAQ section for detailed guidance. Support services such as the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points, Enterprise Europe Network, and the IT Helpdesk are available.

The call aims to support the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan by promoting the development and use of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. It seeks to improve knowledge, develop tools, reduce environmental impacts, and engage stakeholders in creating a more sustainable and circular economy. The call is structured around a single-stage submission process with a deadline in September 2025, and eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum.

In simpler terms, this funding opportunity is all about making products more environmentally friendly. The EU wants companies and researchers to figure out how to measure the environmental impact of different products, from textiles to electronics, using a standard method called Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). The goal is to find ways to make these products more sustainable, reduce pollution, and help businesses and consumers make better choices. The EU is offering money to projects that can develop these measurement tools, train people to use them, and ultimately reduce the environmental footprint of everyday products.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to a variety of applicants including industry members, researchers, SMEs, and NGOs. The call text specifies that proposals should bring together relevant expert groups and different stakeholders active along the value chains of the selected product groups.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (RIA) or a HORIZON Innovation Action (IA) or a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) or a HORIZON Programme Cofund Action (COFUND) under the Horizon Europe Programme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium, as the call text emphasizes bringing together different stakeholders active along the value chains of the selected product groups, including industry members, researchers, SMEs, and NGOs.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes the EU and beyond, as the circular economy action plan (CEAP) aims to stimulate the development of sustainable products in the EU and beyond. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the circular economy, environmental sustainability, and ecodesign. Specific sectors mentioned include home/interior textiles; final products made of metals, or plastics; detergents; lubricants, paints and varnishes; polymers; selected groups of other chemicals; and ICT products.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions the EU and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is variable, ranging from research and innovation actions (RIA) to innovation actions (IA) and coordination and support actions (CSA), suggesting projects from development to demonstration and validation stages are relevant.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic, ranging from €2,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to €30,000,000 for Programme Cofund Actions. Research and Innovation Actions range from €6,000,000 to €24,000,000, while Innovation Actions range from €8,000,000 to €18,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants is provided for each topic, which can be used to estimate the success rate based on the expected number of proposals.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding may be required for HORIZON-COFUND actions, as these are designed to support programmes with co-funding from other sources.

The opportunity is a Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focused on supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, specifically the circular economy action plan (CEAP) and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The call aims to address environmental impacts at a territorial level and involve civil society in fostering a circular economy. It seeks to improve knowledge on the value of a circular economy, develop sector-specific methods and tools for assessing environmental impacts, reduce environmental impacts of products, and engage stakeholders to enhance the use of sustainability metrics. The scope includes life cycle assessment (LCA) and the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. Proposals should focus on product groups such as textiles, metals, plastics, detergents, chemicals, and ICT products. The call encourages the development of datasets, tools, and training materials, with a focus on SMEs. The data produced should be open access and adhere to FAIR principles. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage open call. A consortium of various stakeholders, including industry, researchers, SMEs, and NGOs, is expected. The geographic eligibility includes the EU and beyond, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-associated countries. The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action, ranging from €2,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to €30,000,000 for Programme Cofund Actions. The call includes Research and Innovation Actions and Innovation Actions, suggesting projects from development to demonstration and validation stages are relevant.