The European Union (EU) has a long history of supporting the circular economy (CE) and life-cycle assessment (LCA), with progressive policies and regulations. The EU actively collaborates with developing countries, such as China, to exchange ideas and promote capacity building. The Chinese government is supportive in adopting CE concepts and incorporating LCA in policy frameworks and standards. It becomes a trend that many venture businesses and startups are driving LCA and CE practices as their prevailing business models and inspire companies to reevaluate processes and offerings by developing novel solutions and sparking discussions on the importance of sustainability and circularity across industries. In 2022 to 2023, the amount of the initial public offerings (IPOs) by venture businesses and startups aimed at supporting CE and LCA approach in China, considerably exceeded this indicator in the EU. Based on stock exchange data and surveying the companies’ representatives, this paper compares the policies and investments currently made into the CE and LCA via stock markets. A comparison of investments in China and EU reveals market trends or a growing interest in companies that prioritize CE and LCA principles, showcasing increased recognition of their importance in achieving long-term sustainability. In discussion, authors consider that despite some caveats (not all companies go public; different companies may have dissimilar sizes and sustainability impacts; fluctuations in market conditions etc.), tracking investments provides insights into sustainability and growth in this area. The paper is aimed on analysis of current achievements and challenges of CE and LCA policies in China.