Circular Business Models

We can benefit from the natural resources our world provides whilst preserving them for future generations

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A circular economy is an alternative to a linear economy. Circular Business Models keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, and recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life thereby reducing our dependency on natural resources and benefiting our social and environmental communities.

Our Circular Business Models solutions help clients across industries from global life sciences to apparel to baby products disconnect revenue generation from environmental impact creation through circular business models such as resale, re-commerce, rental, leasing, and product-as-a-service (PaaS).

Circular Economy Solutions

Unlock innovation and transform operations with our Circular Economy solutions. We help organisations adopt circular principles, turning waste into resources and creating new revenue streams. We specialise in transforming how products are made to optimise circular design & innovative material use, and transforming how products are accessed to optimise circular business models like resale, subscription, or product as a service.

Our Approach to Circular Business Models

Circular Products & Packaging: Helping you identify and incorporate circular materials into your products and packaging, reduce waste in your production operations, incorporate circular design principles such as design for disassembly and repair, and facilitating circular end of life options. Our product design experts help optimize product design for use in circular business models. Learn more about our Product Stewardship and Sustainability services and our Sustainable Packaging services.

Circular Business Models: We bring a proven approach to helping companies transform from linear to circular business models. We help our clients disconnect revenue generation from environmental impact creation. Anthesis designs and implements circular business models that resonate with end customers because they are user-centric, intelligent, on-brand, authentic, and culturally, and they resonate with CEOs, CFOs, and brand managers because they deliver measurable bottom-line value for the business and planet.

Key Services

Benchmarking
Product & Business Feasibility Assessment
Pressure Testing & Service Provider Vetting
Business Case, Impact Assessment, & Marketing Brief
Implementation Blueprint & Change Management
Communications Guidance
Financial & Sustainability Optimisation Services

Embracing the Circular Economy in Your Business

Download our comprehensive guide to embracing the circular economy and discover how to transform your business model for long-term profitability and sustainability. Lead the change, protect your margins, and build lasting customer loyalty.

Access the Guide

Case Studies

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Unlocking Sustainability Goals with Circular Business Models

The Situation One of the world’s largest global retailers recently set an ambitious circularity goal: having 100% of owned brand products be designed for a circular future by 2040. Successfully achieving this requires the development of synergistic relationships between products and systems – circularity cannot be achieved with just product or business design, but with…

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Mapping Local Plastic Recycling Supply Chains for The Circulate Initiative

The Situation Plastic recycling supply chains are often local and unique as they rely on many informal transactions driven by local conditions, traditions, and cultures, as well as local and regional infrastructure and markets. Very few existing studies on national waste flows explore the plastic supply chains in a more localised context. Recognising this need…

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Developing a Sustainable Fibre Strategy for Peak Performance

The Situation Peak Performance is a leading sports apparel brand with an ambitious sustainability agenda. The company took part in the European Clothing Action Plan, which aimed to adopt circular approaches to clothing in collaboration with 13 brands across Europe. Peak Performance worked with Anthesis, in partnership with WRAP, on the area of sustainable fibres, to…

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Developing Molecular Plastics Recycling Technologies Report for Closed Loop Partners

The Situation Closed Loop Partners is a US-based investment firm and innovation centre focused on building the circular economy. Over the last seven years, its Centre for the Circular Economy has researched, tested, and invested in solutions to tackle the urgent crisis of mounting plastic waste. In 2019, Closed Loop Partners published its report on  Accelerating Circular Supply Chains for Plastics: A Landscape of Transformational Technologies…

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Collaborative Project to Find Alternative Solutions to Pallet-stretch Wrap with Microsoft

The Situation Microsoft has committed to becoming zero waste across its direct operations, products, and packaging by 2030, including eliminating single-use plastic from its packaging by 2025. As part of this target, the company has undertaken a global effort to reduce the use of single-use plastic for servers and components within its data centre operations. The…

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Developing a Resource Footprint Tracker for WWF

The Situation World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) ReSource: Plastic was released to close a critical measurement and reporting gap on corporate plastic engagement, helping companies turn their large-scale commitments into meaningful measurable action. The initiative works with a membership group to measure their plastic footprint and to track plastic management outcomes by country. WWF selected Anthesis as a…

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Identifying Circular Value Chains for the World Economic Forum

The Situation The World Economic Forum (WEF) Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies (LCET) initiative is a collaboration between leading chemical industry players. The initiative aims to accelerate the development and scale up of low-carbon emitting technologies in the chemical industry and related circular value chains to provide a marked reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The main…

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Conducting Plastic Footprinting for a Global Food Retailer

The Situation A global food retailer has recently become a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). All signatories to the commitment are working to eliminate unnecessary plastic, innovate new packaging solutions, and contribute to a more circular economy. The food retailer, along with the other signatories, has…

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Identifying Circular and Material Changes for Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

The Situation The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed to map out companies’ need for investment to support the transition from virgin fossil-based plastics to sustainable materials and to propose a possible design of instruments to help companies overcome the economic obstacles involved. The goal was to assess the feasibility among companies, and the role…

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Developing Purpose-driven Strategy for Yorkshire Valley Farms

The Situation Through the support of Meat and Poultry Ontario’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program, Yorkshire Valley Farms (YVF) was looking to define its organisational purpose, vision, and develop a purpose-driven growth strategy to achieve its sustainability and circularity goals. Solutions Circular Business Models Impact Our Solutions Anthesis started by carrying out a series of assessments…

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Circular Business Models Benefits and Opportunities

Adopting circular business models unlocks immense opportunities for innovation, profitability, and sustainability—from optimising the value of assets and reducing waste, to decoupling growth from carbon emissions and building more resilient supply chains.

Optimising asset value

Global E-waste Monitor estimated global e-waste to contain roughly $55 billion worth of valuable recoverable materials, such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium. Also the size of opportunity to use post-consumer plastic as feedstock is large. The North American polymers market is $47 billion annually in the US and Canada alone.

Decoupling economic opportunity

To reach the Paris Commitment climate goals, we must decouple economic opportunity from carbon emissions. Doing so requires new, innovative circular business solutions, among other solutions. This presents new business opportunities. For example, the re-commerce market is projected to double in size over the next 3 years.

Strengthening supply chain relationships to build resilience

With closer material loops, a successful circular economy strategy relies on new, more integrated engagement with suppliers and customers, strengthening business resilience and security of supply.

Regenerating the natural environment

By moving to a regenerative, circular economic model, we can benefit from the natural resources our world provides whilst preserving them for future generations.