Circular Business
Business for the Circular Economy
What is a circular business? “A circular business is not a new type of business. A circular business agrees to be part of a resource management system. If the system does not yet exist, businesses will need to collaborate in order for the system to evolve.”
If a circular business is to survive and transition from being a linear business, it will need to think in systems. Systems thinking is a holistic approach to understanding how different parts of a system interact and influence one another within the whole. Instead of analysing individual components in isolation, systems thinking examines the relationships, patterns, and feedback loops that shape the behaviour of complex systems over time.
A circular company is future-focused, sustainability-minded and able to remain competitive while being conscious of finite planetary resources. A circular business considers both external and internal operations. It should also use the same principles for ESG reporting, including calculations for CO2 emissions.
The Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas has been a very popular tool for thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs. Here is an adaptation specifically for the circular economy. Also, refer to the Circular Rs page for additional information.
The Circular Business Model Canvas
The Circular Business Model Canvas applies the same nine building blocks as the traditional Business Model Canvas, just through the lens of the Circular Rs. For example, (1) Instead of ‘Who are our key partners?’, the approach would be ‘Who are our key collaborators?’, such as within an industrial symbiosis setting. (2) Key Activities may be a Product-as-a-Service business that relies on collaborative partnerships, such as utilising empty truck miles for reverse logistics. (3) Key resources are a static component of any type of business, yet a circular business would tend to build relationships with people and companies that share the same values and resource management goals.
Workshop for a Circular Business
All businesses will, eventually, transition to the circular economy. Until that point many will ask “What’s in it for my business?” In this workshop, we provide the business case for the circular economy, case studies and the value of the Circular Rs for your business.
We have a selection of workshops to choose from, starting with our ½ day mini-series for busy people or the deep-dive 1 or 2-day workshops.
Fact Sheets
These Fact Sheets provide insights, trends and ideas on the circular economy in Asia and across the world. They are created for our #CircularOctober campaign. For the complete list, visit the Fact Sheets page; click on the image to download.
The Knowledge Centre
Our Knowledge Centre holds an extraordinary amount of information, including research, reports and articles covering more than 50 different topics, including finance, ideas, legal, metrics and monitoring, policy and presentations, as well as images, infographics and movies
Information
Videos
