How do you integrate circular economy thinking into your corporate culture and values?

Circular economy is about "future-proofing" your company and putting people and planet truly at the center of your efforts. That is only possible if we commit to systems change. At the same time its our chance to find meaning and purpose. I am speaking 100% from my own experience

Start by defining your circularity vision and goals. What benefits and opportunities do you aim for? How do these align with your values and purpose? Establish measurable criteria and a communication strategy to track and convey your progress. A well-defined vision and goals will inspire and engage employees, customers, partners, and investors.

One of the most important premises is thinking about the product or service to be responsible and renewable during all lifecycles. This mindset needs preparedness and general consciousness elevation.

Integrating circular economy thinking into corporate culture and values begins with cultivating a mindset of sustainability across all levels in the organization. This includes educating employees about the principles of the circular economy and their key role and insights in its implementation. Fostering innovation in the production that speaks durability, repairability, and recyclability is key, along with redesigning the supply chain to minimize waste and promote recycling. Companies must set clear sustainability goals, measure progress transparently, and incentivize employees for sustainable practices. I believe is a holistic approach that aligns values with actions, promoting a sustainable and circular business model.

A process that should never be done alone, but before you start get your team write down and share what they believe your vision and goals are, then draw up new ones together, keep everyone engaged because fresh perspective is often exactly the creative juice we need.

Basically the company has to answer clearly-why do they want to become more circular- and to know what is their role and position in the system. I would integrate system thinking somewhere here in the first part. In our brochures and processes we start with the system sensing.

Practical Goals set with Intention: Top management to set sustainability- related goals against something measurable (e.g. capital/operating expense, waste disposal tonnage, energy/water utilisation etc). Empowerment and Accountability: Close the knowledge gap of stakeholders with related circular economy courses. Bring knowledge to stakeholders, across the organisation, to let them have a say in driving circular economy. Openness: Conduct stakeholders' consultation with clear communications plan to get feedback on the infrastructure gap and pain-points. Top management to provide the right tools to get job done. Eliminate confusion with long term Consistency: Communications to stakeholders have to be consistent with goals and vision.

Define KPIs, monetary and non-monetary incentives linked to the principles of cradle to cradle(C2C) so all your products and services you design and produce can be truly recycled (upcycled), imitating nature's cycle with everything either recycled or returned to the earth, directly or indirectly through food, as a completely safe, nontoxic. Credit to McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) for the C2C

Next, evaluate your current circularity status and identify gaps. Examine the circularity of your products, services, and processes. Assess your material, energy, water, and waste management. Analyze collaboration with stakeholders and incorporation of circular principles into governance, strategy, and operations. Identifying strengths and weaknesses will guide your action plan, helping prioritize efforts effectively.

This collaboration with stakeholders is a very important part, to prevent siloing the view to only the observed company and extend the barriers - opportunities definition within the supply-value chain also. Maybe there is a space to add the next step, which is... Assess the system capacity for circularity- where one would assess barriers and opportunities and low hanging fruits within their value chains

During the assessment stage, defining a boundary based on geography, your access and influence in your value chain is essential. It is often recommended to start small and expand. It is equally important to understand your core expertise and to leverage them. This can help you make a decision on the role you want to play in the circular value chain. Eg: As a retailer, if your expertise is in supply chain management, you can focus on managing the supply chain for product recalls while letting your partners handle the processing of the recalled products.

I believe this assessment must consider the current flow of circularity within a company, i.e. products, services, and processes. We must analyse the resource usage, material flows, energy consumption, water management, waste generation etc. The stakeholder engagement and collaboration must be real in order that the circularity principles are integrated into the business model flow. Furthermore, circularity needs to be part of the vision and governance structures, provoking decision-making at the highest levels, shaping as a whole the business strategy, and guiding the day-to-day operations.

Staff turnover is a problem, because people don't feel needed, appreciated or valued. This is the time to inspire people to participate. Give people projects and time to create solutions to problems and then provide them a magical experience of collaborating and being part of the new eco business strategy. You will surprised that not only will you find circular solutions but you can build circular communication. One where people truely are part of something bigger.

Going from a linear to a circular business model can create friction and resistance, if you don't do it carefully. Working with a phase-in period for your circular business model and phase-out for your linear business model can ease the change for the impacted stakeholders. It's also a perfect way to test your new value proposition and see whether this more circular business model/product is viable. If not, it's best to change the approach early on, instead of going all in (and potentially going bankrupt).

Step three involves crafting and deploying circular solutions to tackle identified gaps and meet your goals. Utilize circular design thinking for products, services, and systems. Embrace circular business models that benefit customers and society. Leverage circular technologies for resource efficiency and recovery. Address obstacles impeding your circular transition. Implementing these solutions enhances competitiveness and generates positive outcomes.

This stage should also include mapping the incentives (along with challenges) for each stakeholder to follow our circularity solutions. Keeping appropriate incentives for each stakeholder will serve as a necessary push to move from the status quo.

Circular economy strategies require thinking beyond business models and even value chains. They need to map entire business systems, identify input sources; end-of-life collection intermediaries; re-processing partners; and off-takers from sometimes altogether-different industries. Companies need to perform valuation of various waste streams; on-board and build capacity and alignment among missing ecosystem partners; and work together to sync up joint business and materials planning for circular economy strategies to work well. Regulators and sector developers may need to step in to address market failures, tip incentive structures, and build momentum and critical mass.

Applying circular design thinking to products, services, and systems is not an easy business, and must involve the entire revision of the lifecycle of the production, emphasising durability, repairability, and recyclability. It means adopting circular business models like product-as-a-service or sharing platforms that prioritize long-term value over disposability. Overcoming barriers often will mean involving an strict regulatory compliance culture in the supply chain. By developing and implementing these circular solutions, organizations not only reduce environmental impacts but also gain competitive advantages and contribute positively to society through sustainable practices.

There has never been more open source, sharing platforms and stories, don't hesitate to look at what people are doing globally with your product, or materials, speak to technology experts and let them come and present their ideas (this costs you nothing) and creates a sharing inspiring environment in which innovation can explode.

As Hans had mentioned testing the real world solution is a muat. For that-the mindset of experimentation, we found, could be crucial. I would add the experiment-redo-pilot-redo-deploy :)

Circularity is a more human way of running businesses and organisations. It's the way how it could be. A culture of circularity is a culture of "collaboration, community and innovation"". Management needs to enable a shift in the culture from "ego" to "eco".

Step four involves educating and empowering your workforce to adopt circular practices. Raise awareness and understanding of the circular economy among employees, customers, partners, and investors. Cultivate a culture of learning, collaboration, and experimentation. Provide training, tools, and incentives to support circular behaviors. Recognize and reward circular achievements and contributions. These efforts build a circular mindset and capacity within your organization.

Exactly what harald had mentioned. The corporate culture has to focus on curcularity. Awareness is just awareness, while education is only knowing if not applied. We need to foster behavior and habits that stem from culture of the company. So... In the future we might have the hr criteria-circular or... Responsible mindsetted :)

While educating the people, it is essential to first make them aware of the significant problem of our resource-intensive economy on society and the environment. The best way to foster innovation is to empower your people. Create platforms for people to share solutions to the problems associated with resource efficiency.

Raising awareness and understanding of the circular economy among various stakeholders requires state of the art corporate education and communication. Companies can perform trainings workshops, webinars, and give away informational materials to inform employees, customers, partners, and investors about the benefits and principles of circularity. Providing training and the right tools is vital to support circular economy, with insightful education programs and access to resources that facilitate sustainable practices. We should measure performance metrics, or even apply financial incentives, motivating everyone to participate in and support circular initiatives.

It is evident that education wields immense power in shaping individuals' mindsets and beliefs. By integrating regenerative principles into the curriculum and fostering critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and practical application, educational institutions can effectively cultivate a regenerative mindset among future entrepreneurs. Embracing these practices not only prepares students for the challenges of tomorrow but also empowers them to drive positive change in the world. As we pave the way for a more sustainable and regenerative economy, education stands as a cornerstone in shaping a brighter future for generations to come.

"Circular KPIs and impact" have to be included in the incentive packages of CEOs. I have experienced that this was a game changer in a big multinational company. However, monitoring will soon be replaced by "self accountability & drive". People will drive the change as this is the bigger purpose we strive for together.

Step five involves monitoring and enhancing your circularity performance. Track and assess circular inputs, outputs, and impacts. Utilize data and feedback to guide decisions and actions. Communicate circular performance and impact to stakeholders through reporting and disclosure. Be vigilant in identifying and capitalizing on new circular opportunities and addressing challenges. This ongoing process ensures continual improvement and alignment with circular objectives.

The insights gathered from performance monitoring should be shared throughout the value chain, creating transparency and promoting stakeholder ownership of the circularity solution.

I can think of the following: Monitor resources use and consumption, waste generation, and the environmental and social impacts of circular projects. Data is essential for making accurate decisions and actions. Regular evaluations will help identify areas for improvement and innovation. Sustainability reporting should be transparent and made within the international recognized standards, such as the GRI and SBTi reporting frameworks. Companies can create new industry associations, research plans and networks to remain proactive to evolve the national circular economy landscape.

Step six involves sharing and learning from circular economy best practices. Highlight and celebrate your circular successes and stories. Collaborate with other circular leaders and pioneers to gain insights. Engage with circular networks and platforms to contribute and learn. Advocate for circular policies and standards to drive systemic change. Sharing and learning from best practices amplify your impact and expedite your transition toward circularity.

We can do this through several channels and ways: Case Studies, Annual Reports, Media and PR, Awards and Recognition, Partnerships, Joining Circular Networks, Attending Conferences and Events, creating Collaborative Projects and providing Workshops and Trainings.

"Systems thinking" is the key to an efficient circularity solution. Leveraging tools like systems mapping can help to understand the drivers for each stakeholder and develop the best incentives to ensure transformation.

Circular economy is not a goal in itself, it's an action roadmap and can become a culture. Together with regeneration - it's the thing we should be doing. In our households, families, communities and businesses.

Make it compelling for people to live a culture of everyday circularity. The field of behavioral insights and economics offer approaches such as (i) articulating personal and social risks and costs as consequences of weak stewardship; (ii) creating baby steps and small wins so circularity principles become actionable and micro habits can form; (iii) designing interventions that are easy and fun to take up; and (iv) celebrating wins publicly to inspire others to follow suit.

Keeping the idea of circular economy as a holistic approach, aiming to create a more sustainable and regenerative system by minimizing the residual waste and the continual depletion of resources. products, materials, etc, maximizing value through all available strategies, i.e. re-thinking, re-educating, recycling, refurbishing, and sharing.

It's crucial to always prioritize the ultimate objective of the circular economy, benefiting both collaborating organizations and the environment at large. Embracing circular practices not only fosters environmental preservation but also yields numerous advantages for organizations, society, and the economy as a whole. Ultimately, one essential truth must be emphasized: Moving towards a circular economy means rethinking old habits, embracing innovation, and creating sustainable solutions for generations to come. The imperative for widespread adoption of sustainable business practices is no longer merely a preference but an absolute necessity for safeguarding our environment's future.