Circular Business Design is a project in close cooperation with the Cycle Up Hub, in an ecosystem of sustainable organizations. We operate as a living lab in the hub and support businesses in the transition towards a circular economy. You create suitable, scalable and feasible solutions for the organization in this transition. You recognize the complexity of this transition and understand the role of the players in the supply chain. You understand and examine the success factors of best practices, but also the obstacles for (retail) organizations. 

Minor content

Fast fashion, plastic soup, meat consumption, depletion of resources. Businesses, also in retail, are affected by a changing environment and at the same time, they affect the environment. Businesses are more and more held responsible for their carbon footprint and for their impact on the environment. And some businesses feel responsible. Others pretend and use greenwashing. 

You will gain an in depth understanding of transitions, circular economy, circular business models and sustainability.

We will run our project in the first circular hub in Friesland, visit companies, talk to experts, and create sustainable solutions for (retail) organizations

Structure of the minor

This 30 EC minor is organized as a project, based in the Cycle Up Hub and at NHL Stenden. Three times a week we have project meetings in which we share knowledge about Circular Economy and work on the business cases. We invite experts for guest lectures and workshops. We organize field trips. You conduct field research and closely cooperate with the businesses. It is a Lab!

You use relevant sources, such as Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Rotmans, Klomp, Loorbach, Cavagnaro, documentaries, podcasts. We don’t prescribe literature.

We pay attention to your personal growth and your professional development. Therefore, we have coaching sessions to monitor the team work, the individual performance and the personal learning process.

Particularities

This minor is developed as a retail management specialization, but is relevant for all study programs. The minor is open to all students. The more disciplines in the minor, the better it is. Working in multidisciplinary and international teams adds so much value to the projects and the minor. The minor creates knowledge and awareness, insight and in depth understanding of circularity. It opens a network of people, organizations and businesses with ambitions in the field of circularity and sustainability. And it opens the eyes for the challenges we are facing and creates responsibility of each of us.

Examination

Design Challenge and Intervention Plan

Process Assessment