🌀 QUICK LOOP

In one word: Circularity is …systems thinking 
Your circular hero: …Kenneth Boulding
Never again: …go karting 
Always again: …carpe diem
Last thing you reused / repaired / repurposed: …detergent bottle / washing machine / gin bottle as a flower vase

THE LOOP & LEAD QUESTIONNAIRE

1. What’s your role in closing the loop — and what drives you today?

I would say I have several hats which combined bring powerful knowledge to drive the circular transition forward. I make the bridge between the academic and the executive world, bringing the latest knowledge on circular business model innovation and helping companies innovate their business models towards circularity. Furthermore, this latest knowledge is shared with policy makers. This is for me very powerful: to be able to bridge this knowledge and be a circular transition broker gives me the motivation to keep doing what I do and enjoying the ‘marathon’ that I am running.

2. Which problem are you tackling in your current work — and why does it matter?

I tackle ‘intangible problems’ – mostly linked to lack of skills, knowledge and resources to move the needle. Many organizations, especially big corporations, face challenges that lead them to isolated efforts for circularity that aren’t scalable. The lack of long-term thinking and inability to think in systems is a major bottleneck. I help companies understand why and how to move towards circularity now.

3. What’s the biggest barrier you face today in making circularity real?

The modus of collaboration. Going circular is way more complex than continuing the classic linear way, as you are forced to find new ways of collaboration among new, maybe even competitors, and different stakeholders to recover the value of your products. Being able to think across the entire value creation network is key to become a resilient business and thrive. It is important that companies stop thinking they can do circularity on their own and start collaborating with one another.

“We convinced ourselves that it is fine to buy a shirt for 5–10 €, because we can just buy another one two months later. But the real cost is paid elsewhere.”

4. If you could solve one systemic challenge by 2030, what would it be?

Align economic incentives so that circular products become the norm. Right now, the system is upside-down. Virgin materials are often cheaper than recycled ones, landfill is cheaper than repair and designing for short lifespans is more profitable than designing for durability. As long as that’s true, circular solutions will remain niche. If incentives were aligned, a cascade of changes would follow. Companies would design for repair, modularity, and reuse because it lowers cost and risk over time. Leasing, product-as-a-service, buy-back schemes, and remanufacturing suddenly make financial sense. You wouldn’t need perfect behavior as systems would hopefully nudge the right choice by default.

5. What keeps you optimistic that we’ll get there?

I’m biased as a European citizen, but yes – I’m optimistic! The EU regulations are pushing circularity mainstream. Despite the Omnibus simplification package, the upcoming Circular Economy Act looks promising. It will help reduce dependency on critical raw materials and achieve material security. We’re getting there.