About this session
Circular economy leadership is not simply about asking employees to recycle more. It requires leaders to rethink how products, resources, assets and value move through the business and to identify where the existing operating model allows useful value to disappear prematurely.
Participants begin by understanding the strategic logic of circularity.
They examine how preventing waste, extending useful life, recovering products and materials and redesigning ownership or service models can influence cost, resilience, customer value, supply dependencies, risk and innovation.
The question is not simply 'How can we be more sustainable?' but 'Where can we retain more value while reducing unnecessary resource use and waste?'
The session then moves into organizational diagnosis. Leaders map a selected process, product, asset system or value chain and identify where materials, capacity, products or economic value are being lost.
They explore circular strategies such as reduction, maintenance, reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, sharing, service models, return systems and material recovery according to the realities of the business.
The final challenge is leadership. Circular redesign often crosses functional boundaries and may require procurement changes, supplier participation, new customer behavior, different incentives, reverse logistics, new data or altered commercial models.
Participants learn to build the business case, align stakeholders, establish governance, pilot the change and measure whether the intervention is producing both operational and circular value.
What your people take away
- Connect circular economy principles with business strategy, resilience and value creation
- Diagnose where resources, assets and economic value are being lost across the current operating system
- Select circular strategies according to the real process, customer and commercial context
- Lead cross-functional process and value-chain redesign
- Build the business case, stakeholder alignment and governance required for implementation
- Pilot and measure circular initiatives before deciding whether to scale, adapt or stop
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Lead the Circular Business OpportunityA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Lead the Circular Business Opportunity: connect circularity with business value, use the core circular principles and define the system & ambition.
- Connect circularity with business value
- Use the core circular principles
- Define the system & ambition
Covers 3 of 4 points in Lead the Circular Business Opportunity.
60 minutes
Circular Economy Leadership EssentialsA focused introduction for leaders who need to understand the business logic of circular economy and identify one meaningful opportunity for process or value-chain improvement.
- Linear vs. circular business models
- Circular economy leadership
- Business value and sustainability
- System boundaries
- Resource and value leakage
- Circular strategy options
- Leadership dependencies
- Circular Leadership Opportunity Map
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Lead the Circular Business Opportunity.
90 minutes
Lead a Circular Business OpportunityThe extended session moves from strategic circular principles into current-state diagnosis, opportunity prioritization, process redesign, stakeholder alignment and an initial leadership case for implementation.
- Strategic circular ambition
- Resource and value flow mapping
- Circular hotspots
- Circular strategy ladder
- Future-state process redesign
- Suppliers and partners
- Cross-functional governance
- Business-case logic
- Change requirements
- Pilot design
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Lead the Circular Business Opportunity and Diagnose the Current Resource & Value System.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Lead the Circular Business Opportunity, Diagnose the Current Resource & Value System and Redesign the Operating Model & Value Chain.
Full day
Circular Economy Leadership & Process Redesign LabA hands-on full-day leadership workshop covering all four modules. Participants analyze a real or realistic business process, identify where resources and value are being lost, design a circular future state and build the leadership, business-case and implementation logic required to move forward.
- Module 1 — Lead the Circular Business Opportunity
- Module 2 — Diagnose the Current Resource & Value System
- Module 3 — Redesign the Operating Model & Value Chain
- Module 4 — Build the Business Case & Lead the Transition
- Circular Strategic Question
- Resource & Value Flow Map
- Waste & Value Leakage Review
- Circular Opportunity Prioritization
- Circular Strategy Portfolio
- Future-State Process Design
- Supplier / Customer / Partner Map
- Circular Governance Map
- Business Case Review
- Change & Adoption Plan
- Circular Pilot Design
- Leadership Action Plan
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Lead the Circular Business Opportunity
Every length- Connect circularity with business valueParticipants examine circular economy through the lens of business value rather than treating it as a stand-alone sustainability initiative.
- Use the core circular principlesParticipants work with three broad principles: prevent unnecessary waste and pollution, keep products and materials circulating at useful value and identify opportunities to support regenerative systems where relevant.
- Define the system & ambitionLeaders clarify whether the challenge concerns a process, product, service, site, asset system or wider value chain and define what sits inside and outside the current scope.
- Set the leadership questionParticipants convert a broad sustainability ambition into a leadership question such as where value is being lost, which dependencies create strategic risk or which business processes could retain products or resources at higher value for longer.
Diagnose the Current Resource & Value System
90 minutes and longer- Map how value moves through the businessParticipants map major inputs, activities, products, assets, outputs and end-of-use pathways across the selected system and identify how long useful value remains inside the business.
- Find waste & value leakageLeaders examine where unnecessary material use, rejects, downtime, premature replacement, underused assets, excess packaging, one-way logistics or poor recovery systems allow value to disappear.
- Identify strategic dependenciesParticipants identify suppliers, technologies, capabilities, infrastructure, customer behavior and contractual arrangements that influence whether the system can become more circular.
- Prioritize the circular hotspotsNot every inefficiency deserves the same leadership attention.
Redesign the Operating Model & Value Chain
3 hours and longer- Choose the right circular strategyParticipants compare strategies such as prevention, reduction, maintenance, reuse, repair, redistribution, refurbishment, remanufacturing, sharing, recovery and recycling according to the specific operating challenge.
- Redesign the business processLeaders translate the selected strategy into a future-state process covering activities, ownership, information, assets, decision points, maintenance, returns, recovery and handoffs.
- Align suppliers, customers & partnersMany circular models depend on behavior outside the immediate organization.
- Design the governance & accountabilityCircular transformation can fail when sustainability, operations, procurement, finance and commercial teams each own only one piece of the system.
Build the Business Case & Lead the Transition
Full day only- Test the business caseParticipants examine cost, investment, revenue potential, operating complexity, resilience, customer value and capability requirements alongside the intended resource and waste outcomes.
- Examine trade-offs & unintended consequencesA circular intervention should not be assumed beneficial simply because one visible waste stream falls.
- Lead adoption & changeParticipants identify which teams, leaders, suppliers or customers need to work differently and what may prevent the change from being adopted in practice.
- Pilot, measure & make the scale decisionLeaders define a proportionate pilot and establish the evidence required to determine whether the intervention should scale, change or stop.
Tools and materials
- Circular Strategic Case Canvas
- System Boundary & Ambition Map
- Resource & Value Flow Map
- Waste & Value Leakage Review
- Circular Opportunity Prioritization Matrix
- Circular Strategy Portfolio
- Circular Process Redesign Canvas
- Circular Governance Map
- Circular Business Case Canvas
- Circular Pilot Designer
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Circular Economy Workshop
How long is Circular Economy Workshop?
Circular Economy Workshop runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Lead the Circular Business Opportunity: connect circularity with business value, use the core circular principles and define the system & ambition. A 60-minute session covers Lead the Circular Business Opportunity in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Diagnose the Current Resource & Value System. A 3-hour session adds Redesign the Operating Model & Value Chain. A full-day session adds Build the Business Case & Lead the Transition. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Circular Economy Workshop be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Circular Economy Workshop?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Circular Economy Workshop to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.