eBay Expands Circular Fashion Fund to EU, Switzerland and Canada in 2026

eBay's Circular Fashion Fund opened its fourth-year cycle to the European Union, Switzerland and Canada for the first time, bringing the programme's total geographic reach to seven markets and pushing its cumulative funding commitment toward $1.9 million by the end of 2026.

Eight selected businesses will each receive $50,000 in funding, alongside structured mentoring and access to industry networks. One standout business will be named the Global Winner of the Circular Fashion Fund and will have the opportunity to receive an additional $300,000 investment from eBay Ventures. That investment, notably, is not automatic: it requires separate due diligence and is not guaranteed.

The Circular Fashion Fund builds on its established presence in the UK, Germany, Australia, and the U.S. The EU, Switzerland and Canada are the first new markets added since the programme launched in 2022. eBay is looking for businesses between six months and six years old across the US, EU, UK, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland. Applicants should use circular ideas to solve real-world problems and align with eBay's fashion business, and a drive to create a positive, lasting impact for people and planet is also a must.

Alexis Hoopes, vice president and global head of fashion at eBay, framed the expansion as a direct response to momentum already building in the space. "When we launched the Circular Fashion Fund, we set out to support the businesses turning circularity from ambition into action. Over the past three years, we've seen scalable solutions emerge in areas like textile recycling, resale and repair — but these businesses need capital and support to grow. With this expansion, we're helping more founders build the infrastructure to make circular fashion an integral part of the fashion industry."

Since 2022, eBay's Circular Fashion Fund has supported over 25 businesses with funding and mentoring, helping to unlock one of the biggest challenges facing fashion startups today: access to the right partners, introductions, and industry networks needed to scale. The 2025 Global Winner, Refiberd, is the programme's most visible proof of concept. The California-based company uses AI to identify fiber composition in garments, enabling high-precision sorting for textile recycling. Refiberd co-founder Sarika Bajaj described eBay's support as "truly transformative for our business," enabling it to scale faster and expand its reach in the circular fashion ecosystem. Bajaj joins the 2026 judging panel alongside Australian Fashion Council chair Marianne Perkovic, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, and Fashion Council Germany CEO Scott Lipinski.

The selection process runs in two regional groups. A panel of judges will shortlist 24 applicants in total: 12 from companies organized under the laws of the United States, Canada, or Australia, and 12 from companies registered in Europe, the UK, or Switzerland. Selected applicants will pitch to a judging panel online on March 31, 2026, with four finalists chosen from each group. Finalists will then compete for the title of Global Winner in May.

eBay recorded over $10 billion in gross merchandise volume from pre-owned fashion in 2024, and the Circular Fashion Fund's expansion into the EU arrives as regulatory pressure on textile waste intensifies across the continent. The European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and upcoming Digital Product Passport requirements will create new compliance obligations for fashion platforms, while textile waste regulations in France, the Netherlands, and Germany are tightening, and extended producer responsibility schemes are expanding across EU member states. For the circular startups now eligible to apply, the timing is as much strategic as it is principled.