Circular economy and industry in 2035
Would you like to be an agent of the profound changes ahead in industry? You are in the right place.
The Observatory of Futures is a platform for cross-disciplinary reflection between practitioners, researchers and regional stakeholders on foresight topics, helping to inform the strategic decisions of the region's manufacturers.
The theme: Industry and the circular economy in 2035
The recent proliferation of climate, health and geopolitical crises has accelerated the downgrading of the linear model of industry (rigid supply chains, vulnerable sourcing, environmental destruction) in favour of a circular logic aimed at optimising the consumption of raw materials, non-renewable energy and waste within a region.
Strongly driven by public authorities, the circular economy thus appears to be a central challenge for the industry of the future, but it still raises many challenges and uncertainties, which will be the subject of our next study.
The questions raised in this study
- What are the possible development paths for industry by 2035 in the face of this shift towards the circular economy?
- What will be the impacts of these changes on the business models and value chain of manufacturers in the Grand Est region, and how can we act to prepare for them?
- Would you like to be an agent of the profound changes ahead in industry?
The circular economy in industry: company case studies
These companies have successfully applied the circular economy to their industry.
Schneider Electric
For more than 15 years, Schneider Electric has been reflecting on the notion of the circular economy within its business. This translates in particular into new business models, renewed team engagement and a reconfiguration of value chains. An approach they consider win-win, and which notably enables them to win calls for tender thanks to a higher value-added approach that is cheaper than their competitors'.
Michelin
Michelin has chosen to base its approach on the 4 Rs strategy: renew / reduce / reuse / recycle. One of their objectives is to use 80% renewable materials in tyre manufacturing by 2050. Beyond using innovative technologies internally, Michelin wishes to leverage its R&D in other markets and enable other industries to benefit from their know-how. Work they carry out in collaboration with the industrial and academic worlds through the Corporate Innovation Board.
SEB Group
Since 2008, SEB has put in place a genuine repairability policy for its products, going against trends linked to planned obsolescence. They are now working on an offer allowing consumers to have their product repaired, outside warranty, for 20 to 40% of its value when new. Through this proposal, they hope to positively influence consumer habits and encourage them to repair their products rather than throw them away.
Vicat Circulère Group
Following the economic crisis of 2008, the Vicat company looked for new growth drivers to develop its business. Mastering and re-circularising waste flows then appeared self-evident and led to the expansion of the department and subsequently the division in charge of alternative fuels and materials. On the fuels side, they aim to reach a 100% substitution rate by 2024 by producing cement solely with energy waste generated in the regions where they operate.
Source: Pivoting towards circular industry, which models? how to accelerate? An OPEO & INEC study, 2021
Feedback and testimonials on the 1st edition of the Observatory of Futures
A proven methodology
The approach is broadly based on 3 stages, through 5 workshops (four and a half days) bringing together practitioners and researchers, along with back-office work (horizon scanning, expert interviews)
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building the foresight information base: which provides an overall vision of the system under study and of its dynamics.
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foresight exploration which consists in projecting the system into the future in the form of hypotheses and scenarios
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Identifying the directions for action (threats, opportunities, challenges, action plans) for each selected scenario.
-> Discover the methodology in detail
Key dates of the project
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Presentation workshop: 17 March 2023 at EM Strasbourg
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Registration deadline for the Observatory of Futures: 4 April 2023
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Official project start and 1st workshop: 14 April 2023
Would you like to talk with us and take part in the 2nd edition
Your contact
Nathalie Sipp
- Head of Corporate Relations Development, Grand Est,
- EM Strasbourg Business Club and Apprenticeship Tax
- 07 86 37 35 15
Ils témoignent
The discussions we had were very much structured by the foresight methodology. Workshops were organised to frame the project and to compare our ideas with those of the other participants in order to bring out new ideas. Between each workshop, the teaching researchers carried out research work, which was presented to us in order to provide the information needed to build the scenarios. I take all this thinking back with me into the company, and we hold internal workshops to prioritise the actions to be implemented; this provides tools for reflection and topics to work on with my managers regarding preparing for the future and transforming businesses.
The discussions we had were very much structured by the foresight methodology. Workshops were organised to frame the project and to compare our ideas with those of the other participants in order to bring out new ideas. Between each workshop, the teaching researchers carried out research work, which...
Franck Gentzbittel
Testimonial from Franck Gentzbittel (Bechtle AG)
The foresight approach proposed by the Observatory of Futures makes it possible to put a large number of elements on the table, which are then handled rationally in order to arrive at credible and workable scenarios. The small-group workshops were an opportunity to identify different hypotheses and to cross-check them against academic work. When tackling subjects as important and as complex as these, it is greatly appreciated to have the support of experts and to apply an academic research method. The experience allowed me to acquire methodological insights, but also to discover relevant academic work that I will be able to draw on to steer the digitalisation of skills internally.
The foresight approach proposed by the Observatory of Futures makes it possible to put a large number of elements on the table, which are then handled rationally in order to arrive at credible and workable scenarios. The small-group workshops were an opportunity to identify different hypotheses and ...
Fabrice Stephan
Testimonial from Fabrice Stephan (Schaeffler France)
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Observatory of Futures
Observatory of Futures