How can businesses work with suppliers and customers to create a circular economy?

In short, businesses can work with suppliers and customers to create a circular economy in a number of ways, including: • Assess their supply chains to identify opportunities to reduce waste and resource consumption. • Collaborate with suppliers to develop more circular products and processes. • Offer circular options to customers, such as take-back programs, product-as-a-service models, and circular communities. • Think beyond traditional value chains and collaborate with other sectors, governments, and communities. • Use data and technology to track progress and optimize operations. By working together, businesses can create a more sustainable and resilient economic system that benefits everyone.

Naturally as you become more experienced you realise the interconnectedness of each part of the supply chain. We talk about achieving an optimum outcome and realistically put teams together with diversity and variety. With this mindset the ideas for reducing waste and maximising output come to the surface and the team dynamic carries it out.

It's but natural that suppliers and customers are made for each other but to creat a real time circular econonic environment,we have to focus on wastes on ground level.We may avoid the recycling stage by moving away from a waste based model.The motto is to sell a maximum number of products at a cost effective model rather than keeping waste management.

Beyond assessing your supply chain, embrace circular design: craft products built to last, with modularity for repair and upgrades, utilizing recycled or renewable materials. Consider offering them as a service, leasing, or renting to maximize lifespan and resource recovery. By closing the loop through circular design, businesses unlock a future of shared value and environmental resilience

Better the design ,look,durability,user friendly model and service quality,better would be the econony circulation. Naturally, focus should be on more innovative production.

Forget fleeting products, embrace circular champions! Educate and empower customers on their role in closing the loop. Incentivize returns, inspire co-creation, and build communities around shared values. Your loyal circular advocates will spark innovation, boost resource recovery, and pave the way for a thriving, sustainable future.

Go beyond solo acts, build your circular ecosystem! Join networks, partner with suppliers and customers who share your passion for closing the loop. Collaborate across industries, share best practices, and unlock synergies. Engage policymakers, inspire influencers. Together, we'll transform the game from linear to thriving, circular!

Designing the ecosystem is key to ensuring actual circular output and should go hand in hand with designing for circularity. Knowing what happens after the first and consecutive life cycles (which scenario's), who is responsible for which specific action and when they should do something can profoundly influence which materials, resources and business models you choose. It's all interconnected and if we want to get to circularity we should really stop considering these as separate elements and start working in multidisciplinary teams. Holistic approach. Total cost of ownership.

Use marketing channels to educate customers about the importance of a circular economy. In a marketing campaign for a sustainable clothing brand, we used storytelling to illustrate the journey of recycled materials, enhancing customer awareness and engagement with sustainable practices. Regularly audit suppliers for sustainability practices. In a global retail chain, we implemented a system where suppliers were periodically audited for their environmental practices, ensuring that our supply chain contributed to a circular economy. Partner with other businesses and organisations for waste management solutions.