Start Up Boost for Circular Economy Business

Dorset-based sustainable plastics manufacturer, Circular11, has received a £21k Start Up Loan boost via SWIG Finance.

Circular11 has developed innovative processes to recycle low-grade plastic waste and convert it into low-carbon building materials for outdoor infrastructure.

In 2020, co-founders Ben Gibbons and Connor Winter, set out on a mission to transform the waste management sector and significantly reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste globally by turning end-of-life plastics into an alternative to timber building products.  

Circular11 has so far raised over £600,000 through investors and grants to set up a full-scale manufacturing facility in Dorset.

The Start Up Loan funding was used to develop two new fencing and barrier products which are now being trialled on the motorway network.

The company now has 8 employees and a range of products made from plastic that would otherwise have gone to incineration or landfill, including timber planks, fencing, furniture, and landscaping products like planters.

Their groundbreaking technology will not only reduce plastic pollution in the ocean across the globe but will also help reduce the open burning of plastic, which has toxic effects on humans and the environment.

The business works with individuals, households and communities to gather waste which can be posted or dropped off at one of their collection points.

Co-founder Ben said “SWIG finance, and Nicki in particular, made it a really easy and painless process to get the loan. It's important to us that our finance partners share similar values to us, in terms of what money should be invested in, and so we're really happy to be able to meet our fundraising needs with a company like SWIG that cares about the same things we do”.

SWIG Finance’s Business Manager, Nicki Kimberley, commented “Ben and Connor have created a fantastic business that will have a significant impact on the future of plastic waste. I was delighted to support them with their application and help them access further funding to continue developing the business”.