(English) Best Practices

CirEko's is a business and membership organization that works independently and with a not-for-profit approach to support the transition towards a circular economy. CirEko is committed to a growing and profitable circular market to achieve the following goal: "Thriving businesses and communities within planetary boundaries". CirEko operates as an AB (svb), which means that it is a limited liability company with a specific profit limitation and is subject to specific rules.

Its mission is to connect circular business in Sweden while encouraging business transition to a circular economy.

Its concept is stated as “Knowledge, Inspiration, Development and Positioning in the circular economy through the platforms Circular Business, Circular Sweden®, CirEko Academy® and organized Business® and Knowledge Networks regionally, nationally and internationally.”

CirEko’s main methodology resorts to broad collaboration in a cross-sectoral, innovative, and long-term. Through this approach, it builds regional business and knowledge networks throughout Sweden, promoting collaboration and encouraging business and societal opportunities within the circular economy.

It also works by running different projects that work to build companies’ knowledge and resources to move towards the circular economy, often through a gender equality and diversity perspective.

CirEko shares useful resources for anyone interested in learning more about the circular economy, such as reports (e.g., from the Delegation for the Circular Economy) and knowledge sources. It also promotes the work of several circular businesses for inspiration and to promote circular business opportunities.

Finally, CirEko has its own training academy, called "CirEko Academy". Through it, CirEko develops and offers different types of training at different levels and in different forms - always with a connection to the circular economy. The training courses are carried out in collaboration with their members.

CirEko represents an innovative and inspiring practice for the ESG-UP project, as it not only connects businesses already operating alongside circular principles, but it also promotes sustainable practices through knowledge sharing. CirEko is the official circular partner in Sweden that is licensed to educate about the circular economy through the workshop “Circula”.

Courses include for instance "8 circular business steps - group training" and "the material wheel" which helps businesses identifying solutions that meet more needs with fewer material resources and thus create low-carbon and future-proof businesses. The range of courses under the “circular business steps” was also framed in a regional-centered perspective to different regions in Sweden.

Its projects also include “Circular Västmanland 1.0”, which ran from 2019-2021 seeking to lead Västmanland's companies to be placed in a better position to transition to a circular economy with the help of a support system.

Finally, they are partners in another inspiring project is “Climate Ambassador”, which targets employees in the industrial sector, especially men. Through education, it seeks to recruit more people to become climate ambassadors, acting as an inspiring and knowledgeable climate role model in their workplace who raises awareness and carries out several activities to reduce climate impact.

Resource depletion, waste management, climate change, community relations

Number of members, participants in educational activities

The main challenge to initiatives trying to replicate CirEko’s model could be the level of interest from businesses in the region and the access to funding opportunities, especially governmental and EU funds and projects. For a network to be resourceful and impactful, it requires committed members and an engaging community. Without that, replicating the collaborative approach of CirEko could be a challenge.

CirEko has been able to gather impressive support from the community and number of members, which shows how successful the model has been in Sweden. The organization also has had a presence in diverse initiatives regarding the circular economy.

Therefore, concluding recommendations might include finding the niche that is aligned with the company’s mission and main thematic area and investing as much as possible to build the right connections. Inserting the company in the right circles makes a difference. Another recommendation would be to find a mission that addresses a specific need in your community. A topic that is just starting to be explored by companies and people, and that could use the support of a collaborative initiative to encourage more impactful and meaningful ideas to emerge.

CirEko, n.d.(1) About. Available at: https://cireko.se/om-cireko/

CirEko, n.d.(2) Utbildning. Available at: https://cireko.se/utbildning/

CirEko, n.d.(3) Plattformar. Available at: https://cireko.se/plattformar/

CirEko, n.d.(4) Faktbank. Available at: https://cireko.se/faktabank/

CirEko, n.d.(5) Circular business. Available at: https://cireko.se/cirkulara-affarer/