Tools to design circular strategies, products, and policies.
A curated archive of frameworks, methodologies, and implementation tools - gathered from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, WBCSD, academia, and the Circular Economists community.
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Showing 39 of 39 methods
Seed & Ideation
Butterfly Diagram
Visualises the continuous flow of materials through technical and biological cycles, defining the canonical model of a circular economy.
- Explaining circular economy concepts
- Executive presentations
- Systems thinking workshops
9R Framework (Refuse, Rethink, Reduce…)
Ranks circular strategies from highest to lowest value retention, from refusing materials to recovering energy.
- Prioritising circular interventions
- Policy design
- Strategy workshops
Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
Design philosophy treating all materials as nutrients in safe, perpetual biological or technical cycles.
- Material selection
- Product certification
- Long-term R&D
Circular Business Model Canvas
Maps how organisations create, deliver, and capture value through circular and regenerative systems.
- Designing circular business models
- Strategy sprints
- Startup ideation
Value Hill Strategy
Visualises product lifecycle stages to identify strategies for retaining value across pre-use, use, and post-use loops.
- Value-chain framing
- Strategy alignment
- Workshop diagnosis
Material Flow Analysis (MFA)
Quantifies the pathways and stocks of materials through a defined system to optimise resource efficiency.
- Regional/system mapping
- Resource efficiency
- Policy input
Biomimicry / Learn from Nature
Applies biological principles and natural ecosystems as design inspiration for circular products and systems.
- Inspiration sessions
- Early ideation
- Regenerative design
Regenerative Thinking
Shifts corporate strategy from minimising harm to actively restoring and renewing natural and social ecosystems.
- Strategy alignment
Circular Business Design Guide
Visual canvas templates that help map lost value and design new circular business models.
- Product design sprints
- Strategy alignment
Circular Brainstorming Guide
Uses targeted 'How Might We' prompts to generate, sketch, and vote on diverse circular product concepts.
- Ideation workshops
- Cross-functional teams
- Concept generation
Building Teams Guide
A structured framework to assemble, align, and organise interdisciplinary circular design teams.
- Strategy alignment
- Stakeholder engagement
Brand Promise Worksheet
Aligns circular innovation attributes with customer values to construct a resonant brand narrative.
- Strategy alignment
- Stakeholder engagement
Circular Flows Worksheet
Guides teams through mapping product components across biological and technical loops to identify value retention.
- Product design sprints
Concept Selection Guide
Screens and prioritises diverse circular ideas based on viability, technical feasibility, and systemic impact.
- Product design sprints
- Strategy alignment
Create Your Narrative Guide
Constructs corporate storyboards linking circular innovations to financial and strategic business drivers.
- Strategy alignment
- Stakeholder engagement
Embed Feedback Worksheet
Helps teams plan how to collect data and user feedback to test early circular prototypes.
- Product design sprints
Imagine New Partnerships Guide
Helps teams find and structure cross-sector collaborations to improve value chain efficiency.
- Strategy alignment
- Stakeholder engagement
Insides Out Activity
Guides teams through deconstructing physical products to analyse material composition and recovery opportunities.
- Product design sprints
Interventions Worksheet
Reviews linear value chains to pinpoint high-impact intervention areas for circular business model integration.
- Strategy alignment
Inspiration: Digital Systems
Draws on agile software thinking to inspire iterative, feedback-rich circular business models.
- Strategy alignment
Product Journey Mapping Guide
Traces multiple post-use lifecycles of product components to design effective recovery loops.
- Practitioner reference
Rapid Prototyping Guide
Create rough, rapid prototypes to test circular concepts before going to market.
- Product design sprints
Service Flip Worksheet
Helps teams transition physical products into circular Product-as-a-Service business models.
- Product-as-a-Service shifts
- New revenue models
- Strategy workshops
Smart Material Choices Worksheet
Maps product components against decision trees to evaluate circularity and identify safe alternative materials.
- Material substitution
- Eco-design reviews
- Packaging teams
User-Centred Research Guide
Guides teams through interviewing and observing value chain actors to identify core circular system needs.
- Product design sprints
Startup & Launch
Define Circular Challenges
Maps organisational, economic, and systemic obstacles to isolate core challenges before circular design projects.
- Strategy alignment
Circular Buy-In
Maps internal and external stakeholders to develop tailored communication strategies and secure project alignment.
- Stakeholder alignment
- Change management
- Project kickoff
Circular Force Field Analysis
Identifies drivers and barriers to facilitate the implementation of circular strategies within change management.
- Strategy alignment
Launch to Learn Guide
Designs and executes real-world marketplace pilots to measure circular performance and manage risk.
- Strategy alignment
Growth & Scale
Circular Business Case Calculator
Integrates circular value drivers into NPV calculations to quantify the financial worth of sustainability investments.
- Investment cases
- CFO conversations
- Pilot business cases
Eisenhower Matrix (for Circular Priorities)
Prioritises circular opportunities by mapping resource impact against feasibility for strategic implementation.
- Product design sprints
- Strategy alignment
Maturity & Optimization
Doughnut Economics
Defines a safe and just operating space between social foundations and planetary ecological ceilings.
- Policy framing
- Strategy narrative
- Systems education
Circular Transition Indicators V4.0
Universal, industry-agnostic framework to measure corporate circularity alongside climate and nature impacts.
- Corporate reporting
- Cross-business comparison
- Board updates
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Quantifies environmental impacts across a product or service's full lifecycle, from raw materials to end of life.
- Hotspot analysis
- Eco-design decisions
- Claims & compliance
Circular Toolkit for Policymakers
Step-by-step methodology for governments to prioritise sectors and design circular economy policy roadmaps.
- Practitioner reference
Continuous Learning Loops Worksheet
Processes pilot data through flowchart matrices to inform product optimisation or scaling decisions.
- Strategy alignment
- Measurement & reporting
CTI: Fashion & Textile Guidance
Tailors the CTI framework to apparel, offering specific metrics for circular design and regulatory compliance.
- Measurement & reporting
Global Plastic Waste Guideline
Outlines eco-design strategies and regulatory rules to eliminate plastic waste across product lifecycles.
- Packaging redesign
- Plastics policy
- Compliance
Organisational Design Worksheet
Helps leaders restructure teams and workflows to eliminate silos and enable circular operations.
- Strategy alignment
- Stakeholder engagement
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Unlock instant access to 40+ methods to start, build, and accelerate in the circular economy.
A working library for circular practitioners.
The Circular Economists is an online & offline community of founders, entrepreneurs and corporate change makers, building a world without waste.
We empower individuals to become circular economists, making the circular economy part of their careers and professional development.
We curated the methods, frameworks, and implementation tools that move organisations from linear to circular economy.
This library mixes foundational frameworks - the Butterfly Diagram, the 9R hierarchy, Doughnut Economics - with the practical worksheets and calculators teams use day to day.
Have a method we should add? Get in touch.