German Companies are yet to Leverage the Full Potential of Cross-Industry Collaboration for Scaling a Circular Economy

The transition from today's "take, make, waste" economic paradigm to a circular economy requires a joint effort from actors on all levels: governments, business, and civil society. While companies are among the drivers of the circular transformation, they find it hard to achieve a circular economy on their own. Hence, cross-industry collaboration is one of the imperatives for scaling a circular economy. Against this background, econsense, together with Accenture and the Wuppertal Institute, launched its latest study "Germany's Transition to a Circular Economy – How to Unlock the Potential of Cross-Industry Collaboration".

Based on a survey and expert interviews within the econsense community, the study finds that companies are yet to unlock the full potential of cross-industry collaboration. While two thirds of analysed industry collaborations have a high potential for scaling the circular economy, only 43 per cent of those already show a high degree of interaction. The study provides concrete guidance for companies to get started with circularity and identify the right partners for cross-industry collaboration. Specifically, the report recommends companies:

• Understand what circularity is about and map it on their own operations and processes.
• Understand the different circular business models and identify the ones relevant to each business.
• Discover areas where collaboration can help to create the needed foundation and to execute circular actions.

The three organisations econsense, Accenture, and the Wuppertal Institute actively shape the further development of the circular economy and the integration of circular principles in companies together with their respective members, customers, and partners.

The full study is available free of charge on the econsense website under the link below.