If you are a large organisation or a small business, or somewhere in between, there are tangible actions to outmanoeuvre uncertainty. A profitable future requires areas of review and reinvention. Whatever your sector - be it manufacturing, healthcare, the design industry or food and drink - from supply chains to stabilising revenues, Circular Glasgow can help you transition towards a circular future.
Reposition your proposition
5
WAYS
TO BE
CIRCULAR
There is no
one-size-fits-all, you can
start your circular
journey anywhere
1. Do business
differently
Rethink your business model: create stable revenue
There are many business model options to choose from, for
example…
- creating circular supply chains
- product as a service
- product life extension
- sharing digital platforms
- recovery and recycling
Rethink the design, lifecycle and end-of-use of your product or service to optimize usage, eliminate waste and close product loops. Embed circular principles into the fabric of the culture of your organisation through redefined working practices, policies and procedures. For example, shifting from selling physical products to offering your products as a service. Review how your organisation creates, offers, and delivers value to your broader range of stakeholders. Move towards redesigning and restructuring Product-Service-Systems from the bottom up to ensure future viability of business activities and market competitiveness. For example, pay-per-use lease, subscription models or take back strategies.
Examples
2. Embrace the fourth revolution
Think tech: disruptive technologies
Providing virtualisation, de-materialisation and greater transparency on product use, efficiency and material flows. This is about embracing the fourth revolution where digital, physical and biological technology creates new ways for producers and users to operate and implement circular strategies. From digital devices, cloud, and analytics, to robotics, 3D printing, energy harvesting and storage to genetic engineering, hydroponics or bio-energy, disruptive 4IR technologies are the single most important enabler accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
Examples
Vertical farming solutions
Data analytics for tracking waste
3D printing for construction
3. Waste not want not
Rethink resources: reduce waste and costs
Use waste as a resource. The growth potential is huge for circular waste alone – replace wasted resources, monetise wasted capacity, recover wasted embedded values or prevent wasted lifecycles. Prioritise renewable, reusable, non-toxic energy and materials. Utilise waste streams as secondary resources, while recovering unavoidable waste for reuse and recycling. While resources are in-use, maintain, repair and upgrade them to maximise their lifetime.
Examples
Take-back scheme for your product packaging
Turning leftover bread into beer
4. Innovate through design
Design for the future: generate innovative solutions
From product to engineering, creative industries to digital, design will define the future of circular. Designing for durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling keeps products, components, and materials circulating in the economy. Design also plays an important role in the creation of new systems and designing waste out.
Example
The modular sofa that fits in your car
Insulation products made from local crops and bio-materials
5. Create courageous conversations
Collaborate: access new markets
Identify and align with potential partners who can help you make this happen. Brainstorm together with colleagues, suppliers and others in your industry to create joint value. Work with academia and government to prioritise your circular economy principles. Join the Circular Glasgow Network.
Example
Changing behaviour across the fashion industry
Inspiring the next generation of circular economy leaders
"Glasgow has well and truly positioned itself as a pioneer and hotspot of the circular economy in the UK. Circular Glasgow has been at the forefront of the city’s circular journey, stimulating circular thinking within the Glasgow’s business community, identifying practical opportunities to implement circularity, and putting the city on the International stage.”
Annerieke Douma
Director of Business Development, Circle Economy
TOOLKIT
