Circular team


What is it about?

Shifting to circularity is not a one person’s job. It requires a set of complementary expertise that only a team of different staff carrying different functions can possess.

Why is it relevant?

Setting up a circularity team is a key step in order to successfully transition to circular economy. It will support your brainstorming activities; help divide the workload amongst different staff and strengthen your overall plan.

Steps to conduct this activity

First, you may want to define who needs to be involved to make this transition a success. Roles you might need for your project are: a project lead, content expert(s), for instance your employee in charge of waste management, implementers and/or technical experts, and advisors.

When reaching out to these people, make sure you set clear expectations around what you are asking of them. Remember they may be outside of your immediate team, so you will need to be clear on the commitment required. 

Find time to get these people together. When you are in one place, discuss your roles. Questions you might ask are: 

  • Who will spearhead the initiative? 
  • Who will lead the process?
  • Who will provide expertise around best practices in circularity?
  • Who will lead implementation? 
  • Which stakeholders or advisors need to provide input along the way?
  • Who are the partners outside of our organisation that we need to engage with?
  • How will we collaborate internally? 
  • How will we collaborate with outside partners? 
  • How will we engage our key stakeholders to ensure they feel invested?
  • How will we engage our customers?

Make sure to take notes and capture your collaboration plan for everyone to reference as you move forward.