The view from the inside

We talked directly to businesses about their experiences.”

We wanted to find out why circular business models struggle to hit the mainstream. We have gone beyond cold statistics and talked directly to businesses about their experiences of grappling with these decisions.

We spoke to large incumbent firms experimenting with new business models, as well as smaller suppliers in circular businesses seeking to scale up. We also interviewed sector experts from industry associations, consultancies and academia, for wider perspectives on the issues. For candid insights, the twenty business insiders and experts spoke to us anonymously. Our interviewees represented large brands, retailers and small suppliers of goods and services in three key sectors: electronics, fashion and textiles, and construction products. These are three of the highest impact sectors in terms of carbon and material use in the UK, and so represent important opportunities to change how products are accessed and used. We asked our interviewees: – if they saw the carbon and economic benefits of circular business; – why circular business models struggle to scale up, despite the advantages; – how the government could help to drive innovation and develop markets for circular goods and services. We have used their responses to bring the challenges to life, and draw out common themes to recommend policies to speed up the UK’s transition to a circular economy. As we have highlighted, both the IPCC and the government’s own advisers, the CCC, have made it clear that this has to happen and soon, as an important solution to the climate crisis.