Munich, 07 February 2022

As part of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2022 programme, the Circular Economy Initiative Deutschland (CEID) hosted two new side events under the heading “From Ambition to Action – The Circular Economy Roadmap for Germany and selected deep dives into Circular Business Models”. These online events focused on business models for the circular economy and the experiences of different European countries with implementing their circular economy roadmaps.

Circular business models

The side event “Circular Business Models: Overcoming Barriers – Unleashing Potentials” addressed the question of how to overcome barriers to the circular economy and unleash its potential. The CEID “Circular Business Models” working group published a report of the same name in November 2021. The research undertaken by the working group was introduced by Erik Hansen (Institute for Integrated Quality Design, Johannes Kepler University Linz), who co-led the group with Patrick Wiedemann (Reverse Logistics GmbH). The working group’s goal was to devise a scientifically based practical manual for the successful implementation of business practices for advancing a circular economy (CE). The working group identified 22 actor-specific circular business models (CBMs) and described their interaction in business ecosystems. It also outlined the existing barriers to CBMs and identified their digital and regulatory enablers. Finally, it formulated a series of concrete recommendations for decision-makers in government, industry and science geared towards accelerating system transition towards a CE.