Best Practices for Implementing a Circular Economy

Recycling is only 10% of the circular economy equation. Here’s where 90% of businesses are missing out: 1. Design for Disassembly Stop designing products just to last, design them to come apart easily. Experts build things that can be disassembled, repaired, and reused. That’s how you keep materials in the game for the long haul. 2. Material Passports Imagine if every product had a “passport” tracking what it’s made of. Experts use Material Passports to know exactly how to reuse each component. This hidden gem saves time, resources, and keeps everything in circulation. 3. Product-as-a-Service Why sell a product when you can lease it? Forward-thinkers aren’t just selling products—they’re renting them out, keeping control of maintenance and recycling. Customers get what they need, and companies keep the materials. Win-win. 4. Regenerative Sourcing Circularity isn’t just about not harming the planet. It’s about making it better. Experts use regenerative sourcing, like farming methods that actually improve soil health. It’s about giving back more than you take. 5. Industrial Symbiosis In the circular economy, companies don’t work in isolation. They collaborate. One company’s waste is another’s input. Think a brewery’s waste turning into biofuel for a neighboring factory. It’s next-level efficiency. 6. Closed-Loop Supply Chains Forget the old-school supply chain. Experts create closed loops where products, parts, and materials are cycled back into production. This means zero waste, but it also means rethinking how you handle logistics. 7. Removing Toxic Materials You can’t have a true circular economy if the materials you recycle are harmful. Experts are focusing on eliminating toxic substances from their supply chains. It’s not just about recycling, it’s about making sure what gets reused is safe. 8. Local Manufacturing Circular pros aren’t thinking global, they’re thinking local. By building products closer to where they’ll be used, companies cut emissions and create regional production loops. It’s sustainability at the local level. 9. Blockchain for Transparency Circularity is about trust, and trust comes from transparency. Experts are using blockchain to track every stage of a product’s life, from raw material to recycling. Total transparency = total accountability. 10. Biofabrication The future isn’t just about reusing materials, it’s about growing them. Experts are diving into biofabrication, growing materials like fungi-based leather or algae-based plastics. It’s cutting-edge and completely circular. The circular economy is about thinking differently. It’s about building systems where everything has a second life. Are you ready to go beyond the basics?

Kohler Co., the 150-year-old bathroom and kitchen fixtures company, and Legrand, a 160-year-old maker of electrical supplies, are overhauling new product design processes to incorporate principles such as longer durability, simpler repair and disassembly, and more recycled content. This takes cross-company collaboration and discipline at the earliest stages of research and development, said sustainability professionals for both companies who spoke recently at #Circularity25, a Trellis Group conference. “The opportunity to influence product attributes happens super early on, and oftentimes it might be before engineers are actually involved,” said Jaden B., senior sustainability analyst at Legrand. Both Legrand and Kohler have had formal programs for reducing emissions from manufacturing and use of their products for some time. In recent months, they have revised those initiatives to include considerations that extend the useful length of time products can be used. Here are four best practices their guidelines have in common: 1. Consider features early in the design process: If suggestions are made too late in development, they’re likely to be rejected and that can be frustrating. 2. Synchronize goals and processes with industry standards: Both companies look to established methodologies from organizations such as the U.S. Green Buildings Council and the International Organization for Standardization, which in March updated foundational guidance for circular product design. 3. Check progress at each design phase: Kohler uses a scorecard to track how proposed designs meet criteria related to circularity and emissions reductions at several stages during the development process. Legrand uses a similar points-based system to gauge success. 4. Take cues from customers: Legrand trains customer-facing employees to probe for information during encounters, and that data is passed along to designers where it can be married with goals. You can read more details here: https://lnkd.in/ewGPCWR8 Ashley Fahey

I’m pleased to share a new white paper "Scaling the Circular Economy for Electronics: Why Every Company Needs a Platform Strategy".  I co-authored this paper with Guennael Delorme, an expert in trade-in programs, reverse logistics and asset recovery value maximization. Electronics play an essential role in business productivity and innovation. You can’t run a company without a wide array of electronic devices from laptops to network equipment. However, most organizations still treat the retirement of these assets as a cost, rather than an opportunity to recover value. In this paper, we introduce the concept of the "circularity delta," a metric that highlights the gap between a company’s hardware spending and the value recovered from asset disposition. Traditional approaches typically recover only 10–15% of hardware spend, but by adopting purpose-built circular platforms, companies can increase recovery rates transforming IT asset retirement from a cost center into a revenue generator. We also explain the important role that digital recommerce platforms play in enabling the circular economy in electronics. These platforms connect buyers and sellers of used, refurbished, or recycled equipment, facilitate secure transactions, automate compliance documentation, and often offer value-added services such as repair and buyback programs. By implementing circular platform strategies, companies can reduce their environmental impact, comply with evolving regulations, and unlock new revenue streams. The white paper concludes that every business should adopt a platform strategy for electronics circularity, as this not only addresses environmental and compliance challenges but also provides significant financial and reputational benefits, ultimately turning electronic assets from a liability into a competitive advantage. Companies discussed in this paper include: AUCNET INC., Amazon Resale, Back Market, BidFTA Online Auctions, B-Stock, Callisto Group, eBay Refurbished, Flipkart, Jumia Group, NorthLadder, Recycle Global Exchange (RGX) , Shopee and Xianyu (Alibaba Group). There are, of course many other recommerce platforms that can be tapped. We would like to thank the Circular Fractional Network for their support as well as All Things Circular.  #circulareconomy #platformstrategy #reverselogistics #circularlogistics #innovation #ITAD #ewaste #electronics #businessmodelinovation Reverse Logistics Association

How Can Businesses Transition From A Linear To "A C I R C U L A R" Model by Embracing Recapture and Redeploy Strategies? Imagine you are a car manufacturer. You recognize that many parts of your cars can be easily reconditioned to serve in other vehicles. You set up a #Remanufacturing facility and offer to buy back old cars. By breaking them down, you extract the reusable parts and sell them again, while also recycling metals that can't be reused. This process is known as #Remanufacturing. Unlike recycling, #Remanufacturing involves intentionally designing parts to be taken out and put back through the same production cycle or into similar goods. For instance, car parts from old vehicles can be refurbished and used in new cars, or repurposed into entirely new products. The apparel industry also benefits from this model. Some clothing companies take back jeans to convert them into jean shorts, offering a fresh product from old materials. The difference between a linear and a circular company lies in designing and planning for the end of a product's life right from the start, ensuring #ResourceEfficiency and longevity. Think about the added value this brings to you as a consumer. By buying from companies that practice recapture and redeploy strategies, you contribute to a sustainable future. How can your business embrace recapture and redeploy strategies to make a positive impact on the environment? #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Remanufacturing #EcoFriendly #GreenBusiness #ResourceEfficiency #WasteReduction #InnovativeDesign

The days of "take, make, dispose" are giving way to a new era in procurement — Circular Procurement. By prioritizing sustainability, we can keep products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible, minimizing waste and maximizing value. Key strategies for circular procurement include: - Refurbishment & Remanufacturing: Extend product life cycles and reduce the demand for new resources by bringing existing products back to optimal use. - Strategic Supplier Collaboration: Partner with suppliers who are committed to circular principles, from maintaining existing products to ensuring recyclability. - Lifecycle Assessment (LCA): Understand the environmental impact from raw material extraction to disposal, enabling better decision-making. - Circular Metrics: Track key measures like material reuse and product lifespan to gauge progress and improve outcomes. Transitioning to circular procurement isn't just about reducing waste—it's about creating more resilient, innovative, and sustainable supply chains that benefit everyone. How are you incorporating circularity in your procurement practices? Share your approach in the comments! Credit: Procurement League #SustainableProcurement #CircularEconomy #SupplyChain #Sustainability