Resource-Light Business Models Are On The Rise

From baby-clothes to software: A new support program by Impact Hub, WWF Switzerland and Reverse brings six startups of the resource-light circular economy closer to the market

Support for resource-light

On the 6th of May 2019, WWF Switzerland, the Swiss Impact Hub’s initiative “Circular Economy Transition” and the creative design agency Reverse launched a support program for companies with resource-light business models.

Over the next six months, the team, together with external experts and six selected projects, will evaluate the opportunities and challenges of resource-light circular business models in practice. Through sufficiency, efficiency and shortening of material loops, these initiatives are aiming at the lowest possible resource depletion and minimization of CO₂ emissions. During the program, the selected project’s business models are being questioned and developed further, in order to understand how established companies can integrate circular and sufficiency strategies into their business models.

The catalyzer program offers the six participating initiatives tailor-made support in the form of coaching, further development and increased visibility for potential customers. In order to stimulate healthy competition, individual participants receive additional financial support for the implementation of their innovative ideas.

For the first edition of the resource-light business models support program the following six projects have been selected:

• Miniloop – offers a rental service for baby clothes.
• Revamp it – offers a repair service for electronics and open source software.
• Grassrooted – commits itself to stop food waste and operates a non-standard vegetables distribution service.
• Sharely – offers rental services of everyday life products and consulting services in the area of the sharing economy.
• Offcut – fosters the creative reuse of materials of daily use.
• Einmachbibliothek – offers tools and methods to preserve fruits and vegetables

 

What are resource-light business models?

Provision of products and services which promote resource-light and responsible consumer behaviour striving to moderate overall resource consumption to levels which respect our planetary boundaries. Their offerings correspond to the circular activities with the shortest loops: “Avoid, Reconsider/Refuse, Reduce, Re-sell/Reuse, and Repair and thus, have the highest possible retention value. Such initiatives and businesses have been identified by the EWZ and the city of Zurich, as having a great potential to achieve the 2000-Watt society goal.

A resource-light business should apply one or more of the following activities, without being limited to them:

• Maximise material and energy efficiency (i.e. via durable design and reparability)
• Substitute with renewables and natural process
• Create value from “waste”
• Facilitate resource-light consumption (i.e. sufficiency)
• Avoid planned obsolescence
• Deliver functionality, rather than ownership
• Develop scalable solutions
• Re-purpose the business for society and the environment

For more information, contact:

Viktor Vogt

Communication Lead Circular Economy Transition

+41 77 529 66 91

viktor.vogt@impacthub.ch

About Circular Economy Transition:

Circular Economy Transition is a pioneering initiative that aims to accelerate the transition of Switzerland to a Circular Economy. It currently takes place in 5 Swiss cities – Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich.

In close collaboration with the five Swiss Impact Hubs in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich, sanu durabilitas and with the support of MAVA foundation, this initiative will contribute to driving the circular thinking for the future of business, policy-making and society through 4 main pillars.

• An Incubator for projects & startups
• Business lab for corporates and SMEs
• Community events for the general public
• Research and policy recommendations

About the WWF

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries and territories. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

About reverse

Business and design need to talk and work together, truly collaborate and learn to understand one another, without losing the strength of each discipline, that is what reverse, the agency for service and experience design, believe. Reverse is an official spin-off of the Impact Hub Zürich.

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