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Potentials and Challenges of Circular Economy as Sustainability Strategy;

 It is increasingly acknowledged that the linear ‘take-make-dispose’ economic model is reaching its limits, and initiatives to develop alternative economic models are emerging. Circular economy is currently getting a lot of attention, because it promises an industrial system that is restorative by design. Both businesses and cities are developing circular economy strategies.

However, circular economy is not without shortcomings as strategy for sustainable development. It is risky promoting a circular economy, where focus merely is on closing existing material flows and not trying to understand the dynamics of the present linear economy by questioning why we produce what, the challenge to closing material flows from the globalized, outsourced cheap production, and when and why products lose value to their users and become waste.

The course introduces potentials and challenges to circular economy from a business perspective and from an urban perspective.  Theoretically the course integrates theories about product chains, value chains, social practices, user-oriented innovation and governance.

Three types of re-design processes are proposed, which are necessary to consider when developing circular economy business models within specific institutional and regulatory contexts: 1) re-designs of products and services based on considerations about necessary changes in roles of products, users, service, infrastructure, etc. 2) re-designing value chains both up-stream and down-stream and 3) internal organizational redesign of the business organization in order to integrate environmental concerns in product and strategy development.

From an urban perspective different roles in developing and supporting circular economy are introduced: 1) Public planning, 2) Public infrastructures, 3) Public procurement, 4) Public building and construction, 5) Local business development.