Finance for circularity and a pollution free planet

Partnering with governments to accelerate the transition to pollution free and circular economies

To tackle the challenges posed by pollution, UNEP supports stronger links between science, finance and policy. A pollution-free planet requires innovative financial strategies that support circularity, reduce waste and minimise harmful emissions. Through UNEP, financial institutions are encouraged to recognise pollution as a systemic risk that affects health, ecosystems, economic stability and long-term asset value.

The transition to a pollution-free and circular economy offers a powerful opportunity to governments to reduce environmental risks, create decent jobs, improve resource efficiency and drive innovation. It is also essential to achieving the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Global Framework on Chemicals.

UNEP works with governments, regulators and financial institutions to ensure that pollution, chemicals and waste management are fully integrated into financial decision-making and investment strategies. By combining science, policy, agreements and partnerships, UNEP helps create enabling environments to support action from financial institutions for pollution prevention, safe chemical use and circular economy transitions.

UNEP provides support through these interconnected areas:

Finance for pollution reduction and waste management: Assisting countries and financial actors in directing investment toward solutions that reduce air, water and soil pollution, manage hazardous waste and improving public health.
Finance for sound chemicals management: Supporting governments and financial institutions in aligning capital flows with the objectives of the Global Framework on Chemicals and other international agreements.
Finance for circular economy and resource efficiency: Promoting investment in circular business models and technologies that extend product life-cycles, minimise waste and reduce resource extraction. UNEP supports fiscal reforms, policy incentives and financing frameworks that shift economies from linear to circular systems.
Finance for energy efficiency: Showcasing the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency to governments, financial institutions and the private sector, enhancing resource efficiency.

Financing a pollution-free planet

Public finance and policy alone cannot deliver the transformation needed. Scaling investment in pollution and waste reduction, circularity and clean technologies requires strong public–private collaboration and enabling economic and financial ecosystems.

UNEP’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) brings the voice of the private financial sector into global efforts to reduce and manage pollution, enable the transition to a circular economy, and improve resource efficiency, including energy efficiency.

Key platforms include:

On pollution:
- Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) pollution working group: Bringing PRB signatories together to co-develop guidance that helps banks identify, reduce and manage pollution in high-impact sectors.
- Finance Leadership Group on Plastics: A forum for UNEP FI banks and insurers to shape inputs into the negotiation process of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, and help the finance sector take action on plastic pollution.
- Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) Programme: For banks or insurers wishing to support the development of an international framework for sustainable financing in the agriculture sector.
On circular economy:
- UNEP FI circular economy community of practice: Supporting financial institutions integrate circular principles into their strategies and business practices.
- Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) working group on circular economy: Engaging PRB signatories to explore how circularity connects with climate, nature, pollution, and social agendas, and develop new guidance for the sector.
On energy efficiency:
- European Energy Efficiency Financing (EEEFIN) Coalition: Supports collaboration among banks, asset managers, project developers and public authorities to increase investment in energy efficiency solutions across Europe.
- Capacity-building workshops on energy efficiency finance: For PRB and EEEFIN members to deep dive into energy efficiency financing challenges in Europe and discover practical tools to address them.

These efforts support the realignment of capital flows in line with the goals of pollution and waste reduction, sound management of chemicals, sustainable resource management and circular economic models.

UNEP’s circularity and pollution-free ecosystem

UNEP delivers circularity and pollution-free finance support through various agreements, programmes, frameworks and partnerships:

Agreements

Partnerships and Platforms:

Finance for circularity and a pollution free planet

Tópicos

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