The Circular Toolbox aims to enable apparel brands to design and launch their own circular pilot, specifically applying a rental or resale business model. The toolbox guides apparel brands through a five-step circular innovation process, from getting sign-off from the top and putting a team together all the way to piloting the new concept on the ground.
Resources include design thinking and research tools, workshop sheets and facilitator’s guides, a podcast featuring brands that have gone through the same process and, crucially, specific guidance on how and when to use each tool.
The circular innovation process outlined in the toolbox was tried and tested by the Switching Gear project. This project guided four brands — Asket, Lindex, ETP and Kuyichi — as they developed and launched circular business model pilots. Circular business models, such as resale and rental, offer commercial opportunities for brands to innovate their business model while expanding the practical service life of clothing — allowing brands to do more with less. When intelligently designed, they can also reduce the total environmental impact of the industry.
It is an initiative of Circle Economy, made possible thanks to the support of Laudes Foundation.
-min.jpg)
Future jobs need to contribute to the circular economy if we want to achieve the ambitious goals of the Dutch Government to become fully circular by 2050. But does a circular economy offer sufficient employment opportunities for our growing population? And do we have the right skills to make the transition happen? To accelerate circularity, answering these questions is crucial. This report by KPMG and Circle Economy, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Watermanagement, researched these questions and concludes:
The Netherlands has set an ambitious goal: full circularity by 2050 and halved resource consumption by 2030. Meeting this goal will require change spanning sectors—and the textile and clothing industry, which releases 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 each year—must be prioritised. This report dives into three scenarios for a circular clothing industry in the Netherlands, analysing the employment impact of each. It explores how different strategies—ranging from a shift in consumption patterns to a prioritisation of repair to an increased focus on textile cycling—will impact the job market, and dives into the skills that will be needed to support a circular clothing industry.
Can we apply the lessons learnt from this report to other consumer goods? This briefing deep dives into the employment potential and skills needs for circular furniture and electronics sectors into the Netherlands, comparing the findings to those of Putting circular textiles to work.
Circle Economy and HIVA kick-started this research with a snapshot report in March, which presented the initial findings of the Putting circular textiles to work report.
Interested in reading more about the potential for circular textiles to have a positive impact on work and workers?
What employment benefits can the Netherlands gain from pursuing more circular consumer goods? This briefing identifies the employment potential and skills needs for circular electronics and furniture industries in the Netherlands. It builds on insights from an analysis of the Dutch clothing value chain carried out by Circle Economy and HIVA (download here), exploring the common challenges consumer goods industries face in their adoption of circular strategies.
The first regional Circularity Gap Report published in partnership with RECYC-QUÉBEC presents six scenarios to narrow Quebec's Circularity Gap.
While the world’s circularity sits at 8.6%, the Canadian province of Quebec trails behind—cycling just 3.5% of the materials it consumes. This is according to our new Circularity Gap Report Quebec, which deep dives into the intricacies of the province’s economy—pinpointing opportunities to jump start its own circular journey. The report presents circular strategies across six key sectors, and highlights how Quebec's circularity can climb from 3.5% to 9.8%, further outlining the co-benefits this transformational shift could bring. This first regional Circularity Gap Report shines a light on the power of provinces, positioning Quebec as a key agent for change and promising incubator for circularity.
This white paper details the importance of measuring circular impact and using it to steer decision making in business. Using the case study of Meerlanden, the paper shows how data on circularity can bolster profitability in business while limiting negative environmental and social externalities through two avenues: integrated profit and loss and multiple balance sheets. Next steps and recommendations are provided for companies, financiers and accountants.
There is a gap between the skills workers have today and the ones they will need to participate in a circular economy fit for the future. Without proper up- and reskilling, we risk not only leaving workers behind but also limit our ability to achieve our environmental goals.
This report lays out why vocational and educational training (VET) is a key mechanism to secure a skilled workforce that can thrive in the circular economy. It provides recommendations for governments, educators, industry and civil society, illustrating how VET can help us build circular capacities, leverage existing skill sets and diversify.
People make the circular economy go round. That's why businesses must put people first as they design circular models and strategies. This briefing lays out six ways HR professionals can shape organisational culture and build human capital for a circular economy.
HRM practices that are well aligned with circular business models will be an important precondition for sustainable and competitive organisations. HR can play a key role in developing, reinforcing and shifting the culture of organisations towards more sustainable, circular principles. By linking workers, managers, and business departments, HR professionals can:
The briefing further identifies steps HR professionals need to take to move towards truly circular HRM, ranging from understanding skills needs to rethinking performance management.
Circle Economy is actively strengthening evidence on the shift in and demand for jobs and skills in a circular economy. Our Circular Jobs Initiative defines and identifies circular jobs, analyses the environment needed to create them and maximise their societal benefits, and examines how best technology can play a positive part. We work with employers, workers, governments, multilateral organisations, education institutions and research organisations.
.svg)
