Circular Economy

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.

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 technological base 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.

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 renewable, recyclable 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 remanufacturing, repair, update 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:

• https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv_en
• https://www.circularitydeck.com/

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:

• https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/resources/learn/courseshttp://mediambient.gencat.cat/ca/05_ambits_dactuacio/empresa_i_produccio_sostenible/economia_verda/catalunya_circular/suport-empresa/iniciat-economia-circular/formacio-i-sensibilitzacio/
• https://www.talent.upc.edu/cat/estudis/formacio/curs/300700/postgrau-economia-circular-eines-estrategies-innovacio-industrial/
• https://www.accio.gencat.cat/ca/sectors/economia-circular/

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

Funding may be needed to generate the circular transition. That's why we provide you with some links where you can find specific funding:

• http://residus.gencat.cat/ca/actualitat/agenda_dactivitats/detall/Ajuts_nuclis_130521
• http://mediambient.gencat.cat/ca/05_ambits_dactuacio/empresa_i_produccio_sostenible/economia_verda/catalunya_circular/suport-empresa/ajuts/
• https://www.accio.gencat.cat/ca/sectors/economia-circular/

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.