Circular Economy Education Workshops
July 24, 2024
This week I wanted to share about a gap that I see for brands pursuing a circular strategy (or even just a circular curiosity) and how I am currently addressing that gap.
When I started my business, I did not see education as one of the biggest gaps, but now that I have been working with brands and service providers, I see that until teams are brought in to create a shared understanding, very little momentum can be gained.
The efforts at brands (huge and small) who are trying to address circularity in some form or another are usually led by a sustainability team member, and their first order of business is helping their teammates and cross company stakeholders understand more about the circular economy. It’s basically impossible to get something done inside a company if you do not have support for it, but also impossible to actually implement it if team members aren’t sure what they’re trying to accomplish, why they’re trying to do it, why it’s important, who can help them, what questions to ask, what red flags to be on the lookout for, or what’s success looks like. I help lay out all of this information and empower team members to build confidence around these new and innovative programs.
I have been working on two custom education projects for two different companies, one focused on circular product design and the other on take-back programs. In both cases, I work with my key stakeholders in the company to understand what knowledge gap they are trying to address and what success looks like. For the sessions with team members, I offer a landscape analysis, an overview of the topic and then dive into specifics that relate more closely to each brand’s, size, geography, demographic, etc. I am doing both virtual and in-person sessions, sometimes getting through a lot of information in a single workshop, other times holding multiple shorter workshops over a more extended period of time. I also act as an on-demand resource to the teams, fielding questions and challenges in office hours. I love working with teams and individuals to share what I’ve learned in a straightforward and relatable way, and I always I learn from the teams as well.
Additionally, one of these projects I’m doing on my own through Molte Volte (my consulting business), and one of them is through The Untangling Circularity Podcast, leveraging the content Laura and I have been creating as the foundation of a bespoke educational offering. I’m excited about the ideas and projects arising from writing and podcasting.
My biggest aspiration in my work is to enable a circular economy, and sharing what I know with companies on this journey is a great way for me to continue working towards this goal. If you are interested in offering a custom circular education experience at your company, please get in touch. ( cynthia@moltevolte.com )
Fall Working Group: Practical Circularity for Businesses
We have updated our next coalition/working group based on feedback. We are offering 7 individual workshops on 7 circular business models:
Exploration + Overview of All Models (for those who want a high level landscape understanding)
Rental
Resale
Repair
Remanufacturing
Recycling
Design for Circularity
Our goal for each workshop is to provide participants with an understanding of how each business model plays out in the real world including key operational and financial considerations. We will also be providing resources including examples of existing businesses leveraging the different models and ask-an-expert opportunities.
These sessions are open to any companies or individuals who are already working in the circular economy and those who aspire to join the circular economy. If you are already making it happen or you’re trying to make it happen, this is for you!
The series will happen in October + November, 2024 (specific dates are in the link below).
Until next week,
Cynthia
cynthia@moltevolte.com
