When customers operate their equipment poorly, the time has come for Product-as-a-Service. The cooling of large building complexes such as shopping centres, university campuses or offices is a case in point. In this episode, Dave Mackerness, Director at kaer, explains how Cooling-as-a-Service work. By optimising the equipment, connecting it and operating it much more efficiently, Cooling-as-a-Service can yield cost and emission reductions. This episode is the 14th in the series PaaS...

How integrated should a Product-as-a-Service proposition be in the core business? If an existing company starts a new as-a-service business, this question needs to be answered. In this episode, Rob Keulemans, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Ahrend, describes the organisational journey of their Furniture-as-a-Service proposition. After a separate start, significant elements of FaaS are now part of core processes and systems. This episode is the 13th in the series PaaS Decoded, 16...

A durable and long-lasting product is a promising starting point for circular activities. Yet organisational challenges remain. In this episode, Caroline Stern gives insights into Hilti Group's challenges when measuring and improving its circularity. It starts with logistics, spans over accounting, and includes selecting the right input data for ERP systems designed for a linear world. This episode is the 12th in the series PaaS Decoded, 16 conversations about the fine details of...

Rental and Repair business models come with the promise of superior circularity. However, it is unclear if a specific company can deliver on this promise. In this episode, Dr. Marianne Kuhlmann, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Circularity, presents insights from the first market report of UNDRESS Circularity. UNDRESS Circularity provides a framework and practical guide to determine the impact of rental and repair business models. It is a collaborative industry project led by...

Traditional reporting and accounting practices are designed for linear sales models.However, a circular product-as-a-service proposition requires a different logic and KPI. In this episode, Jonas Bulach, Project Manager Product-as-a-Service at Swiss Home Appliance Manufacturer V-ZUG, explains how V-ZUG creates transparency about the business and handles accounting challenges. This episode is the tenth in the series PaaS Decoded, 16 conversations about the fine details of product-as-a-service.

Every Product-as-a-Service needs a product in the first place. A well-designed product supports the success of the subscription proposition. The Cradle to Cradle school of thought paved the way for circular thinking in product design. Products should be designed so that their materials and components can be repaired, repurposed, or recycled indefinitely. In this episode, Nora Sophie Griefahn, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Cradle to Cradle NGO connects circular product design...

Grover is a role model for debt-based asset funding. With nearly € 2bn of debt from various lenders in multiple rounds Grover has shown a way of separating startup and asset risk. In this episode, Mitja Sadar, former Senior Vice President Finance and Head of Debt Capital Markets at Grover, gives insights into Grover’s approach. Mitja explains the various stages, pitfalls and the interrelation between the product portfolio and debt structures. This episode is the eighth in the series PaaS...

Do PaaS models reduce overall resource consumption? Enhancing circularity is one motivation for starting PaaS. But PaaS does not necessarily deliver on that promise. It requires monitoring consequences and benchmarking them with other behaviours. In this episode, Ankita Das, PhD Researcher on Circular Business Models at Circular X at Maastricht University, explains the origin and character of rebound effects. She does not stop there but shares common mitigation strategies and ways to...

When is a business model considered circular? A fund with circularity in its name must answer this question. Andrew Shannon, Partner at Circularity Partners, gives us her answer. A benchmark market method is used to examine the behaviour of the portfolio company's customers. In addition, Andrew describes how the financing challenges of PaaS businesses can be overcome. This episode is the sixth in the series PaaS Decoded, 16 conversations about the fine details of product-as-a-service.

Funding the assets is a prominent challenge for PaaS businesses. Assets have to be prefinanced, as customers only pay a monthly few. Generally, three partners can provide support: venture capital investors, banks, and strategic partners, such as manufacturers. In this episode, Lennert van Mens provides a bank's perspective on a PaaS business, including the overall business model, the cashflow design and the value generation. This episode is the fifth in the series PaaS Decoded, 16...

Running a Product-as-a-Service Business includes refurbishing products. It is not only a process in itself. It can also be another business model in itself. Philips created a symbiotic relationship between PaaS and Refurbishment. PaaS returns are refurbished and sold as refurbished products. And many more products that are not available as subscriptions can be bought as refurbished. In this episode, Boris Romero and Vincent van Lamoen from Philips give us insights into the refurbishment...

Consumers are looking to adopt a circular economy, based on renting and buying second-hand. Anna Balez, founder and CEO of Lizee, shares her insights about consumer preferences with us. Customers demand solutions for their problems. Subscriptions can be one solution, but they are not the only one. This interview looks at the differences between renting and second-hand from a customer, operations, and company perspective. This episode is the third in the series PaaS Decoded, 16...

Never run out of ink - that is the promise of HP Instant Ink. This promise attracts millions of customers worldwide. Shuchir Bhatia, Global Product Manager for HP Instant Ink takes us on a journey to discover how HP runs this proposition on a global scale. Shuchir explains why HP chose a Pay-per-Month over a Pay-per-Use (or Pay per Page) plan and how the ink and the printer play together for HP Instant Ink. Connectivity is key, also for fraud protection. Additionally, we get insights into...

In this episode, Bert van Son, founder and spokesperson of MUD Jeans, presents the Lease-a-Jeans proposition. Launched already in 2013, this proposition is a key instrument for closing the loop. Bert shares the reasoning behind the proposition and explains major elements of it, like the one-time fee as a means to improve cash-flow. Moreover, we address key aspects and challenges of the circular economy , like the use of non-virgin material, the role of taxation on resources and labour, and...

This episode features Patrick Peter, Director at phiyond by adelphi. Patrick presents how phiyond supported Korozo in creating transparency about its level of circularity. The starting point was the change in the regulatory landscape. Patrick and his team needed to gather and process circularity data to meet upcoming reporting standards. He shares how the reporting effort triggered the ambition to improve the circular share. The episode concludes with the needs and opportunities for companies...

This episode features Calle Medin, Vice President Sustainability at Husqvarna Group. Calle presents a process Husqvarna set up in 2019 to promote circular business ideas. The starting point is the strategic ambition of the management board. Calle and his team defined focus areas and decision criteria. He shares the different motivations of employees to submit ideas and how the selection committee was staffed. The episode concludes with reflections on the implementation of the ideas and...

This episode features Angela Hultberg, Global Sustainability Director at Kearney. She discusses the critical role of circular economy strategies in achieving sustainable business practices. She emphasizes the necessity of rethinking business models, products, and services from the ground up to integrate circularity effectively. Angela highlights the challenges of changing consumer behaviors and the importance of collaboration within and outside organizations to foster a circular economy. She...

This episode features Alexander Shevelov from Würth Group discussing their journey and strategies in integrating sustainability into business processes. Würth's approach is all about integrating internal and external stakeholders into the process, listening to their needs and giving them ownership. The conversation delves into the role of sustainability ambassadors, having top-management support and involving external partners. People: Alexander Shevelov, Strategy & People Lead...

Many investors and companies struggle to balance profit and impact. Should we go for one at the expense of the other? Or can we combine the two? And if so, how do we translate this ambition into tangible goals and make them work in day-to-day operations? In this episode, Axel Berger, Chief Sustainability Officer at Haniel, shares how Haniel has profit and impact targets.

What do you do if you need to solve a problem you are not familiar with? You learn new skills. Or you ask for help. It’s the same for companies testing a new proposition. So, you have to decide what are the things you do internally and what are the things you ask others for support. In this episode, Robert Klauer tells us how vaude – a German outdoor equipment manufacturer– split the work for running its renting proposition.

At running events, drinks are typically provided in disposable cups. That is a significant amount of waste. SCC events, the Berlin Marathon and Berlin Half-Marathon organizer, wants to change that. So they partnered with Cuna Products, Remondis, and WWF to pilot a reusable cup. Collaboration is essential to move towards a circular economy. This episode sheds light on the implications for the users, the product, the logistics, and the pricing. Thanks to Michael, Head of Operations at...

From time to time, ingenious people sit in the laboratory and discover new technology, find new insights about how the world works, or how to improve the status quo. But how to turn that into practice? There might be plenty of possible applications in multiple markets. You cannot start with everything at the same time. How do you evaluate these options? How do you make a choice? In this episode, Juni, co-founder of mujo labs, shares her story about leveraging the benefits of algae to provide...

What is the best legal entity to start a sustainable business? The way an organization is set up defines its modus operandi. Whether money is a means to an end or an end in itself is decided at that early moment. In this episode, Élie, co-founder of Commown, shares the rationale and details of running an organization as a cooperative in collective interest.

What does it take to reduce packaging waste? Re-usable packaging in e-commerce starts with customer information, checkout adaptations and needs to tackle a fundamental question: How does the packaging return? In this episode, Doris, founder of Hey Circle describes the steps necessary to switch to re-usable packaging.