Circular Economy Business to Business Solutions

The Circular Economy in the Food Sector (CIRCULAR) Project is funded under the European Union’s Global Gateway and implemented jointly by the European Union Delegation and the Government of Sri Lanka.

CIRCULAR adopts systemic and integrated technical and social solutions to prevent food loss during post-harvest handling (from production up to wholesale) and to reduce food waste (from retail to households). The transition from a linear to a circular agri-food economy shifts focus from a “take–make–dispose” toward designing out waste and keeping resources in use for as long as possible. 

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) delivers with the implementing organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), validated investment-ready, scalable circular business models. This work includes a comprehensive mapping and analysis of key stakeholders for food systems circularity, a food waste case study covering the retail to household stages, and an overview of upcycling opportunities for co- and by-products into bio-based materials, alongside bio-waste management options such as composting and biogas production.

Focusing on Colombo, Galle, and Nuwara Eliya, IWMI and FAO will organize B2B engagement workshops and district-level consultations to co-design and validate ready-to-scale circular economy business models involving agri-food actors, technology and service providers, investors, civil society, and local authorities.