Real-life case of Interface – Frontrunner in the Circular Economy

Practical circular economy applications were introducted by cases from Adidas & Parley and Umicore’s rechargeable car batteries.

Geanne van Arkel, Head of Sustainable Development at Interface, presented the company’s journey towards becoming one of the most sustainable companies in the world. The modular carpet company has set itself the very ambitious target of becoming restorative in its production by 2020. Afterwards, participants were challenged to develop a value proposition and business model for circular solutions that enable Interface Spain to contribute to the company’s global objective of having reuse and recycling options available in all regions by 2020.

Key lessons learned

From the training and case-work, six key focus points emerged for successful development and implementation of circular business models.

1. Pay attention to the diversity of teams
2. When substituting raw materials: secure the circular resource for the long-term
3. Be careful with too much data early on in the value proposition design process
4. Learn from others inside ánd outside your sector as well as from nature
5. Asset-sharing: Lease versus Buy options can become a tradeoff of care versus cash i.e. leasing can be cheaper but the asset could need more maintenance
6. Consider and involve your value chain partners from the start

The attached download provides the flow of the training program in the form of a booklet, including information on the circular economy, Value Proposition Design, circular business models and the Business Model Canvas.

If you would like to accelerate circular economy programs within your company, Finch & Beak has developed the Circular Economy Sprint. For more information, please contact Jan van der Kaaij, Managing Partner, at jan@finchandbeak.com or call +31 6 28 02 18 80.