Circular economy

Xerox sees the 'green' light Copy machine-maker develops strong remanufacturing business model Its reverse supply chain activities save around € 107 million annually and divert 35 million kg of waste from landfill Xerox ventured into the managed service sector by enabling customers to lease its...

Renting and leasing means that you can use a product without owning it. This can be favourable, for example if you only need a certain tool once, or if it is a complex tool that needs a lot of maintenance, it is most likely a lot cheaper to rent or lease it than to buy it. By not buying an...

Industrial symbiosis is an association between two or more industrial facilities or companies in which the waste or by-products of one become the raw materials for another. This is usually done for both commercial and environmental reasons. It involves a collective approach to competitive advantage...

Re-used ... re-loved Office equipment and furniture finds a new home or new purpose if not thrown away Community centres and schools can make use of the equipment Valuable materials contained in the used items can be repurposed as well Office waste can be reduced by ensuring that discarded office...

Remanufacturing is the rebuilding, repairing or restoring of an end-of-life product or part to return it to like-new condition. Remanufactured products or parts should be backed by the same or similar level of warranty as new products. From a customer viewpoint, the remanufactured product can be...

Matches made in... Turntoo Clever sales models are reshaping the producer-consumer relationship with energy and resource benefits Intermediaries can design match-ups that yield good results for businesses, consumers and the environment The Dutch company Turntoo shapes business models based on new...

See-through, long-term business relationships Functional business model values long-term relationships over one-off sales Materials in old windows are retrieved and re-used as part of the scheme Customers get the latest in window technology as part of the replacement-upgrade model The German window...

As the name suggests, functional sales business models focus on adapting the function and benefits of a product or service to customer needs instead of emphasising the physical product per se. In such models, the ownership of the physical product often stays with the provider, and maintenance...

Durable products designed with sustainability considerations, or ecodesigned, offer many advantages both to the company and the environment. Ecodesign takes into account the full life-cycle of products, from conception to design and development, to construction, packaging and end-of-life...

The core goal of a waste-management system is to think of ways to improve a company's handling of non-product outputs (waste with zero or negative market value), and implement measures to minimise waste generation through more efficient use of resources or re-use of materials and to separate waste...

Changing the company business model can involve new services, products and approaches to sourcing resources and dealing with customers. The motivation could be to capitialise on a new value proposition aimed at current or new customers or to enter a totally new market niche. Some new business models...