Presentation

The circular economy is a new model of production and consumption that ensures sustainable growth over time. With the circular economy, we can drive resource optimization, reduce the consumption of raw materials and recover waste by recycling it or giving it a second life as a new product.

From TecnoCampus we want to accompany companies in their transition towards the circular economy.

The transformation towards business models and production processes based on the circular economy has to do with many areas:  

Restorative economy

Being restorative reduces deforestation and depletion of our natural resources.

Reducing carbon emissions

Reducing pollution with greenhouse gases and emissions that inevitably occur.

Solid waste reduction

Reduction of the amount and/or danger of the waste generated.

Lower capital investment and operating costs

With the implementation of circularity we save on capital investments and operating costs.

Potential to innovate

The redesign of materials, systems and products for circular use is a key requirement of the EC which represents a great opportunity for companies.

+ Shelf life

Longer-lasting products, in contrast to the rapid and planned obsolescence linked to the linear economy of “sell more, sell faster”.

+ Value

Superior value for the customer that involves maintaining their loyalty and satisfaction, as well as brand protection.

New markets

Creation of new markets for circular jobs that are starting to reflect a higher percentage.

Reduction of raw materials

Reducing the use of raw materials (natural resources), preserving them.

StartCircular program

StartCircular is the vertical program of Tecnocampus Mataró in the circular economy aimed at accompanying companies in their transformation towards circularity as well as the promotion of new entrepreneurial initiatives in this area.

The program, coordinated by the area of ​​Transfer, Innovation and Business has the support of the Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability of the Tecnocampus and is part of the strategy of the city of Mataró to promote the transition to a circular economy. It offers a whole series of activities to promote the circular economy for companies and entrepreneurs during 2022 and 2023

StartCircular program

The StartCircular program helps companies and entrepreneurs rethink their business strategy to become a more sustainable company and address social and environmental challenges with new technological and/or innovative solutions.

Various contents to bring circular economy strategies closer to entrepreneurs and companies, for the incorporation of this as a business model. 

Contents:

Life cycle analysis

In this session you will learn about the life cycle perspective and the LCC (Life Cycle Assessment) and LCA (Life Cycle Costing) methodologies, essential for the correct application of the principles of the circular economy and sustainability.

Program: 

  • General principles of LCC and LCA: description of the phases of a product's life cycle.
  • Methodological description of LCA. Scope and Indicators.
  • Methodological description of LCC. Scope and Indicators.
  • Reference standards: ISO 14040 Life cycle analysis. Principles and frame of reference. EPDs.
  • Integrated calculation tools LCA / LCC and Databases

 

How to make a customer journey map

The definition of circular business models goes through one of the key strategies in the Circular Economy: product servitization. To be able to start the path towards servitization, the business needs to be reoriented from offering products to offering solutions.

In this webinar we will see one of the tools that can be used to focus on the needs of the user or client, such as the customer journey map:

Program: 

  • Servitization in the context of circularity strategies.
  • Servitization: definition and examples.
  • Tools to define solutions for the user/client: the customer journey map.
  • Other elements that complement the tool to offer circular services

Product ecodesign strategies

Ecodesign is both a principle and an approach. It consists of integrating environmental protection criteria throughout the life cycle of a service or product. The main objective of eco-design is to anticipate and minimize negative environmental impacts (of manufacturing, use and disposal of products).

In this session you will understand what ecodesign is as a strategy to apply the circular economy and examples of application in various companies and products.

  • What is ecodesign?
  • Ecodesign application methodologies in companies. 
  • Tools for the application of ecodesign. 
  • Cases and examples of application of eco-design. 

Industrial symbiosis strategies.

Industrial symbiosis is the process by which the waste or by-products of one industry or industrial process become raw materials for another. In other words, it is the mutually beneficial exchange of waste and by-products between three or more parties, including physical exchanges of materials, energy, water and by-products between diversified groups of companies.

In this webinar we will talk about the concept and the application in the area of ​​the circular economy, in order to integrate it as a strategy. In order to be able to understand the adaptation of the symbiosis strategy and that it can be carried out in the company itself, success cases, tools and concrete methodologies will be explained during the webinar.

Program: 

  • What is industrial symbiosis and how does it apply to the circular economy?
  • Adaptation of industrial symbiosis strategies to the company. 
  • Success stories, tools and methodologies of industrial symbiosis. 

 

Waste-resource strategies.

In this session you will be able to learn about the scope of the recovery and transformation of waste for the conversion of these into resources, as well as the integration of waste-resource strategies into the business models of companies.

Program: 

  • Circuit of industrial waste and its management.
  • Management and treatment plants.
  • Flows and regulations. 
  • Challenges and new business models for waste minimization.

Accompanying programs, by sustainability and circular economy experts, aimed at incorporating the circular economy into entrepreneurial projects and companies. 

Addressed to:

  • Startups and SMEs with the desire to incorporate elements of sustainability.
  • entrepreneurs with ideas or projects linked to the circular economy.

 

 

Accompanying programs 

State: Registrations closed

Accompanying program, by the experts of the Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability of the Tecnocampus, which aims to provide individualized advice to companies, for their transition towards circularity 

The support consists of 15 hours per company and, through individual meetings and work sessions, is structured in the following points: 

  1. Diagnosis and initial location of the company: focused on understanding the operation of the company, its value chain and the product or service it offers. 
  2. Analysis and detected opportunities: based on the information collected and based on the existing circular economy strategies, the opportunities or the points where it could be affected will be identified.
  3. Action plan: the actions that could be implemented will be defined, together with the company, based on the previous results and also on the strategies implemented by the sector and the current technological state. 
  4. Monitoring of implementation

 

Addressed to:

  • Startups and small and medium-sized companies that want to incorporate elements of circularity into their business strategy

 

Important: To be able to participate in this program, it is an essential requirement to have previously participated in the training route for companies.

 

State: Registrations closed

Entrepreneur support program aimed at supporting entrepreneurs to transform their business idea into a real business project, incorporating sustainability as a competitive advantage through the circular economy.

The program consists of two phases:

  • First phase: with a focus on the creation of the business model, it consists of work sessions using the lean startup methodology, combining workshops taught by professionals and experts, to discover, prototype and validate the business model.
  • Second phase: with a focus on the strategies for the implementation of the business model and the technical and financial viability, with the help of specialist experts and the support of mentors.

Consult all the information on the program, as well as the details of the sessions, below link.

 

Who can apply?

  • Entrepreneurial people: with a business idea innovative, de basis technological and/or application of thecircular and sustainable economy.
  • Startups: newly created with business model innovative, technological and/or application of thecircular and sustainable economy in the process of validation.
More information about the program Registration

Awareness and training

 

Training route in circular economy for companies and entrepreneurs

State: Registrations closed

Training itinerary, by experts in the sector, aimed at making known the main concepts and strategies which startups and small and medium-sized companies can apply for a transition towards the Circular EconomyThe companies that participate will be able to count on expert advice to incorporate sustainability into your business strategy from an initial diagnosis.

The sessions will be taught by professionals from the circular economy and sustainability chair of TecnoCampus and experts in the sector. 

Addressed to:

  • Startups and SMEs with the desire to incorporate elements of sustainability.
  • entrepreneurs with ideas or projects linked to the circular economy.

Access our circular economy pills!

 

Pill 1. What is the circular economy 
Pill 2. Circular business models 
Pill 3. Non-financial reporting 
Pill 4. Institutional marketing 
Pill 5. How to measure circularity

Financing

 

The European Union, through the European Green Deal, made it clear that major investments are needed in all economic sectors for the transition to a climate-neutral economy and to achieve the Union's environmental sustainability goals.

To move towards this purpose, there are a number of grants and subsidies aimed at investing in the development of environmentally friendly technologies and/or implementing circularity strategies in companies:

You can access information on the rest of the subsidies at aid portal and TecnoCampus funding lines

Stay tuned because we will also organize funding days to bring you closer to the providers of this funding

Ressources

In order to be able to incorporate the circular economy into the company, first of all, a business diagnosis must be generated. This diagnosis serves to understand which areas are most important for the business, compare current performance with the desired performance or with the future and thus see the changes generated in each area. Discover the degree of maturity of your company in terms of sustainability and circularity to be able to set feasible and realistic goals and also to understand what needs to be done and in which department or process.

In order to generate this circular diagnosis, there are many tools that have been created, here are some suggestions:

The change of business model in the organisational field consists of the implementation of alternative paradigms to the neoclassical economic worldview that shape the culture, structure and routines of organisations and therefore change the way they do business regarding sustainable development, a sustainable business model is the aggregate of these various organisational aspects.

There are several circular business models that companies can leverage - separately or in combination - to drive resource productivity improvements in innovative ways that also reduce costs, generate revenue, and improve customer value and differentiation.

Some examples are:

  • Circular supplies: Companies dealing with scarce goods, in which scarce resources were replaced by completely renewablerecyclable o biodegradable resources..

 

  • Product life extension: Extend the life cycle of your products and assets to ensure that they remain economically viable. Material that would otherwise have been wasted can be maintained, or even improved, for example, by remanufacturingrepairupdate or marketing. By extending the life of the product for as long as possible, companies can keep the material out of the landfill and discover new sources of revenue.

 

  • Collaborative platform: The exchange platform model focuses on the exchange of products and assets that have a low ownership or use rate. Companies that take advantage of this model can maximize the use of the products they sell, improve productivity, and create value.

 

  • Resource Recovery: It takes advantage of technological innovations and capabilities to recover resource outflows, eliminating material leaks and maximizing economic value.

 

  • Servitization (Product as a service): Customers use the products through a lease or payment for use instead of the conventional purchase option approach. This model is attractive to companies that have high operating costs and the ability to manage the maintenance of this service and recover residual value at the end of its useful life.

In order to generate a good business transition to circularity, it is necessary, once it is clear from which point you start, to know the steps to follow and the items to consider to generate a reorganization of the business plan taking into account the various factors involved in the necessary actions.

In terms of aspects to consider, internally it is very important to know the structure of the company and take into account the human resources department, so that it is known who the employees are and their positions, obtaining information on the capabilities of each to be able to relocate them to other places or even ascend them, along with knowing each other’s leadership abilities.

You also need to set the challenges, the goals you want to achieve and the planning of how to achieve them, linking it to the Human Resources department to put the right person in each place in the project so that they are able to to do their job well, otherwise, no matter how good the strategy, it will fail.

Apart from all this, it is very important to make employees feel part of this process, as it is ultimately these that help to empower it. That is why it is very valuable to create a business culture so that they can engage in this new stage that they are embarking on.

With regard to the external environment, it is necessary to have a good knowledge of the market and consumers (current and potential) to generate a transition that is efficient in terms of real needs and that is linked to the values ​​of consumers, without losing market share. , but by winning it.

One tool that will allow you to get information about customers is the Customer Journey:

https://circitnord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/T05_Customer-Journey-Tamplate_A0_ref.pdf

Once the path to follow is clear, it is necessary to determine what type of innovation you want to carry out in order to generate the path you want to follow. Some ideas for circular innovation tools can be devised in tools such as:

In order to generate a good transition, having a knowledge base is essential to be able to choose to have a range of possible actions to carry out in the best possible way. Training is essential to improve the transition and that is why we offer you some links where you can get specific training:

If you want to choose to have a more specific training, you can contact the Chair of Circular Economics (https://catedraeconomiacircular.tecnocampus.cat/)

Once the project has been completed, an evaluation of the various indicators laid out must be generated. This will allow another diagnosis to be made which compares the company that started the process and the one that ended the transition.

In order to be able to generate a good assessment, both economic and environmental aspects must be taken into account, because in the case of circularity, sustainability is key.

Where applicable, the grant received must be justified and, therefore, the assessment must be made with the documents and steps indicated by the granting entity.

The last step in the transition to circularity is to generate a review of the results and produce the necessary changes to rectify any part of the process if needed, thus improving the methodology in question and achieving even better results.

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