This is about the initial steps of implementing the circular economy within your existing business.
A guide to implementing the circular
economy in your business
Looking to embrace the circular economy model but not sure
where to start? Daan
Elffers shares the initial steps that companies
can take in the first year
Daan
Elffers, Gaurdian Professional, Wed., 12 Mar, 2014
More and more people are realising the phenomenal
potential of thecircular
economy model. More than being essential to securing materials for
future generations, it's also a serious business opportunity. Being a first
mover in this process will certainly bring added benefits. But how to get
started in order to make it a successful transition?
Phase 1.
Set goals and create an action plan
Shifting
towards a circular economy requires planning. See it as a
journey. Together with your key team members, decide what you want to achieve
and draft a roadmap of how you're going to get there.
Ask questions, such as:
"What does our company stand for and how do we as a company live it?"
Then develop a working definition of a circular economy that is aligned with
your company's values and ethics.
Focus on how the company can do
more good rather than just less bad. Consider renewable energy, cleaning the
air, water and soil, protecting the world's species, increasing biodiversity,
enabling people to lead better lives. Determine the internal and external
drivers motivating your company to undertake a more systematic approach to
circular economy models and principles. Be realistic, but be bold.
Phase 2.
Educate and activate your organisation
Ensure that everyone in the
company understands its new goals and ambitions. Depending on the size and
structure of the organisation, arrange training sessions to ensure everyone
knows what it means and how they can participate. When employees are inspired,
they will be able to contribute better. When everyone in the organisation
understands the principles of the circular economy and is aware of how these
need to be integral to your core activities and operations they will be able to
contribute multi-fold, not just from a technical point of view. At first, focus
on the big picture, to ensure everyone is looking at the same picture.
Phase 3.
Innovate and optimise
Design creates the first
stirrings of desire. Core to the circular economy model is the power of
biological and technical cycles. Evaluate processes for initial improvement.
Assess which materials can be recycled, which materials can be taken back as
nutrients and which materials should be phased out. Look at ways in which
products could be designed so that they can be easily disassembled, taken back
and reused, either by your own factory to serve as raw materials or by other
business partners.
Keep in mind it's not just about
recycling, but about upcycling, where materials can be used for a higher
quality product over and over again. Explore with your R&D and other
constituencies how (up)cycling can become integral to your own activities and
how this will later benefit your clients.
Phase 4.
Engage
Start engaging your business
partners, suppliers and clients with regard to your new ambitions and actions.
Have an honest but positive approach which celebrates possibilities rather than
obstacles. Also, see what your company can do to help them deliver on their own
sustainability promise.
Be transparent about your
knowledge and ambition. Quality is central to a circular economy. When people
truly understand this, the price will become secondary. If you co-operate with
your clients and suppliers in an open manner, they will understand that you
will only move ahead when you have sufficient funds to invest in R&D and
that this depends on current income.
Set
up processes that enable you to continuously collect data, listen to users, and
evaluate variations in performance. Then make plans about how you can make the
necessary improvements to your strategy and
your products as you progress.
The community is also a vital
part of circular economy success. Many companies already working with circular
economy-inspired philosophies are using each other's products, sharing their
experiences and developing partnerships. Recognise the levers available to you
and how your company will give back.
Implementing the circular economy
framework and philosophy into your organisation can take time. However the
result will be a future of security and opportunity that you can use to
position yourself as a leader in your field. It's a new world of possibilities,
fresh discoveries and the pushing away of previously accepted boundaries. This
will bring significant benefits to all. So let people know when you take these
important steps along your journey towards abundance and they will be happy to
travel with you.
Dr Daan Elffers is the CEO of Dutch sustainability
consultancy EMG. The Netherlands was among the first countries in
the world to implement Cradle to Cradle and the circular economy on a
significant scale.
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