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The Circular Strategy Scanner

Become inspired with a comprehensive overview of Circular Economy strategies.

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The Circular Strategy Scanner

What is the tool about?

Use the framework to gain a comprehensive understanding of circular strategies, map current initiatives and future opportunities. The Circular Strategies Scanner is a framework developed as a contribution to Circular Economy transition methodology. The scanner provides a taxonomy of circular strategies for manufacturing companies engaging with circular economy integration and it serves to:

1) Create a comprehensive understanding of circular strategies
2) Map current Circular Economy initiatives
3) Generate ideas for increased circularity.

The Circular Strategies Scanner can be used in a workshop to describe the currently applied circular strategies for a product or service in your organisation while aligning perceptions throughout the organisation. Subsequently this mapping can be used as the starting point for a scanning of new opportunities to enhance or append additional Circular Economy strategies, thereby support the formulation of shared vision for circular oriented innovation.

The tool has been developed with manufacturing companies participating in the CIRCit project, specifically to establish a clear vision as part of the action research to set a direction for the further work with the companies.

The valuable outcome

The Circular Strategy Scanner can help you consider, map and ideate around circular strategies along the full lifecycle of your products and business operations. It provides a good framework for understanding the current strategies that you are applying in your organisation or systematically consider those that your organisation have not thought of yet.

Relevant Value Chain Layers and their Dimensions

Materials Providers
  • Organisation
    Knowledge & Skills
    Internal Communication
    Processes, Programmes & Tools
    Business Case
    Sustainability Case
    Risks & Investments
  • Strategy & Business Model Innovation
    Long-Term Strategy
    External Communication
    New Revenue Streams
    New Value Propositions
    Resources
  • Materials Innovation
    New Materials
    Smart Materials
    Updating Existing Materials
    Collaboration for Innovation
  • Sourcing & Operations
    Circular Sources
    Collaboration for Sourcing
    Industrial Symbiosis
    Operations Efficiency
    New Technologies in Operations
  • Looping
    Materials Recirculation
    Technology & Infrastructure
    Materials Information Transparency
    Value Chain Engagement
    Takeback Systems
    Testing Looped Materials
  • Policy & Market
    National & International Legislation
    Sectoral Legislation
    Market Engagement
    Market Limitations
    Market for New Materials & Business Models
    Market Insight
Component Manufacturers
Product Manufacturers
Logistics Providers
Product Retailers & Wholesalers
  • Organisation
    Leadership Commitment
    Organisational Resources
    Stakeholder Mapping
    Risk Assessment
    Training Programmes
  • Strategy & Business Model Innovation
    Organisation-Wide Strategy
    New Value Propositions
    Additional Services
    Consumer Behaviour
    Cost Structure & Revenue Streams
  • Sourcing & Operations
    Circular Product Offering
    Setting Requirements
    Buyback Programmes
    Circular Packaging
    Circular Operations
    Inventory
  • Customer Relations
    Long-lasting Relationships
    Customer Awareness
    Customer Engagement
  • Technology & Data
    Transparency
    Customer Data Collection
    Customer Experience
    Circular Solutions
    Stock and Warehouse Management
    Logistic Operations
    Product Monitoring
  • Takeback & End-of-Life Strategies
    Takeback Programmes
    Takeback Incentives
    Products, Parts and Material Recirculation
  • Policy & Market
    Market Readiness
    Value Chain Collaboration
    Sectorial Frameworks
    National & International Policies
Maintenance & Repair Services
  • Organisation
    Business Case
    Risk & Investment
    Capability Building
  • Strategy & Business Model Innovation
    Long-Term Strategy
    New Value Propositions
    Cost Structure & Revenue Streams
    External Communication
  • Operations
    Circular Resources
    Circular Operations
    Service Support
    Resource Recirculation
    Repair & Quality Control
  • Customer Relations
    Service Convinience
    Customer Capability Building
    Customer Engagement
  • Technology & Data
    Monitoring During Use
    Service Improvement
  • Policy & Market
    Market Readiness
    Value Chain Collaboration
    Sectorial Frameworks
    National & International Policies
Value Recovery Companies
  • Organisation
    Capabilities, Knowledge & Skills
    Deployment of Targets
    Value Recovery Procedures
    Environmental Feasibility Case
    Business Case
    Social Feasibility Case
    Risks & Invesments
  • Strategy & Business Model Innovation
    Long-Term Strategy
    Value Propositions
    Revenue Streams
    External Communication
  • Value Recovery Innovation
    Value Recovery Outputs
    Technology & Process Innovation
  • Operations
    Recovery Capacity & Efficiency
    Production & Quality Control
  • Technology & Data
    Resource Processing
    Resource Flow Management
  • Looping
    Recirculation of Parts & Products
    Recirculation of Materials
    Infrastructure
    Collaboration
  • Policy & Market
    Market Engagement
    Market for Recovered Solutions
    National & International Legislation
    Sectoral regulation
    Market Insight
Packaging Manufacturers

Preparation for use

It is recommended that the facilitator read and understands the article and the Circular Strategies Scanner prior to the workshop as it introduces the terminology, that you need to understand to get the full value from using the tool.

Preparation Time: 1-2 hour

Competencies involved: Business development, business innovation, sector-specific knowledge, technology, life cycle thinking.

Tool kit: Print either one big A0 of the canvas or two copies of the canvas in A3 for each group (3-5 people). Bring pens and post-its in two colours.

The steps to take

Step 1: The facilitator starts by presenting the Circular Strategies Scanner and its different sections (15 minutes).

Step 2: Do a silent brainstorm for five minutes on your organisation's current initiatives to get started. Collect and map the different perspectives of your company on Circular Economy to understand the ways in which your organisation is already circular. This can be done using post-its and apply them on the first printout of the Circular Strategies Scanner (30 minutes).

Step 3: On the second printout of the Circular Strategies Scanner or with another colour of post-its on the A0, identify the strategies that your organisation could improve on, and the strategies that represent untapped opportunities. Do a silent brainstorm for five minutes on how you might create initiatives in your organisation based on these (30-60 minutes).

Step 4: Compare, consolidate, discuss and prioritise these to set the scope going forward. This can be done by dot-voting or by using our 'Prioritization matrix' (30 minutes).

Time: 2-3 hours

Keywords

circular strategies framework; closed loop; resource productivity; manufacturing companies; innovation

Source article

Title: Developing a circular strategies framework for manufacturing companies to support circular economy-oriented innovation

Authored by: Fenna Blomsma, Marina Pieroni, Mariia Kravchenko, Daniela C.A. Pigosso, Jutta Hildenbrand, Anna Rùna Kristinsdottir, Eivind Kristoffersen, Sasha Shahbazi, Kjartan Due Nielsen, Anna-Karin Jönbrink, Jingyue Li, Carina Wiik, Tim C. McAloone in 2019
Journal of Cleaner Production 241 (2019) 118271

Can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bQh8mb

Decision level
  • Strategic
  • Tactical
  • Operational
Participation
  • Individual
  • Team
Phase of transition path
  • Explore strategic opportunities
  • Define direction
  • Develop initiative
  • Evaluate & plan implementation

Tools applied in this project

Best time to act is now

When it comes to becoming more circular, now is the right time to start! Circularity in your business helps to achieve many sustainability goals, including carbon footprint reduction. Act now and start your transition to Circular Economy today. Alternatively, get help along your transition with an Accelerator programme.

Get help to accelerate   Go Circular

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