ACE Committee

Julia Koerner works with the PREVENT Waste Alliance on the financing of circular economy initiatives. A consultant with GIZ (the German development agency) and a member of PREVENT’s working group on financing the circular economy, she is an author of the study Financing Circularity Part 1. Her work aims to address the significant funding gap that exists for circular economy projects, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in low and middle-income countries. She’s also worked directly on the alliance’s study, Financing Circularity Part 1, which identifies the barriers preventing circular economy organizations from receiving adequate funding. Her work targets the systemic mismatch between the needs of circular economy (CE) organizations and the criteria used by financial institutions, with only a small percentage of funders prioritizing CE projects. As an employee of GIZ, Koerner was instrumental in commissioning and developing the financing study on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Her work with The PREVENT Waste Alliance also aligns as this is an international platform that promotes a circular economy and minimizes waste globally.