This is me:
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6 years ago. And 2 kids ago (in case you don’t recognize me).
The city behind me is my hometown, Prague.
BTW: If you’ve never been, you should visit one day. Prague is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
I just started a job as the chairman of Prague’s circular economy committee.
My job was to advise what Prague should do to become a circular city.
Yeah, and I am smiling. That’s because I had no clue what I was getting into…
My task was to engage our key group of stakeholders. From city-owned companies to departments like urban planning or procurement, all the way to NGOs, corporates and academia.
Most of the folks have been going about their jobs for 10-20 years. Most of them were white, older men, with beer bellies and mustages.
And almost all of them were like:
“Who is this guy?”
“Why should I listen to him?”
“And what the heck is the circular economy?”
After 4 years of trials and errors, I am proud to say we’ve accomplished so much!
Billions invested in climate solutions
We sparked a REUSE revolution between citizens
Banned single-use non-recyclable packaging at all city events
Rolled out organic farming at 1500 hectares of agricultural land
Started collecting and recycling food waste as the first major city in the country
Today, I want to share my key 10 lessons that I wished I had known earlier.
Lessons that helped me move Prague from 0 to hero in circular economy.
But the thing is, Prague (despite its beauty) is a complex organization, just like any other.
You can probably apply this in your own organization or projects.
Ready? Let’s go:
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Lesson #1: Stick to your data
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Map your key material flows early on, ideally as a pre-project. It’s important to set your system boundaries.
Ask where all the resources come from, what’s their composition, and where they go after “sent for recycling.”
Lesson #2 Define priorities fast
You can’t lose time. In new jobs or assignments, all eyes are on you. With data in hand, focus on the elephants in the room. Pick your biggest material flows, biggest leakages, and biggest waste streams, and define priority areas.
In Prague, we zoomed in on mobility, food, construction, and utilities. For companies, it’s usually about their supply chain sourcing, use phase, and product’s end-of-life strategies.
Lesson #3 Create a vision
Cities are complex organizations, wildly chaotic. Without a strong vision that sets direction, nothing gets done.
When you have your priorities, ask yourself: “In an ideal situation, how should this [product / process / sector] look like in 2050?”
Lesson #4 Define actions
Setting goals in a company is like charting a course for a ship: without a clear destination, the journey is aimless.
Goals provide direction, focus, and a benchmark for success, enabling teams to channel their efforts toward achieving meaningful outcomes.
Lesson #5 Get a top-down buy in
Many underestimate the importance here. Of course, all your friends and colleagues will agree with you. But does it mean that things will get done?
Without your leadership on board, all these goals and visions are just empty words and claims. Go as high-up as possible, and win them with a strong business case.
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♻️ On my radar 1) Free support for EU-based circular projects 2) 1.5 billion opportunities for fibre recycling in the US 3) G-STAR grows cotton in a Dutch greenhouse, with awesome results 4) Meet me at London Climate Action Week (26th – 28th of June) 5) or in Madrid on the 2rd of October at the ESG Summit Europe 6) EU issues new rules on shipping waste outside our borders |
Lesson #6 Create a specialized department
This is one of the cheapest, yet most impactful solutions. If your organization has 1000+ employees, make sure you hire a circular economy manager.
Circularity is a horizontal theme, but organizations work in silos. Ensure you have a good communicator who likes networking to spread your agenda across the company.
Lesson #7 Network, network, network
Locally, nationally, and internationally – massive opportunities await. Some of my favorite networks for anyone are:
Lesson #8 Engage local stakeholders
Hand over, delegate, partner up. Don’t be afraid to let go of full control. Circular economy touches any department, from design to sales, manufacturing, or after-sales.
Give people the tools and directions, but don’t micromanage. Watch the impact grow.
Lesson #9 Procurement is the king tool
Prague manages a 4 billion EUR budget. Every cent spent from taxpayer money can feed a linear economy or circular economy. Every circular purchase creates demand for circular business models.
Become best friends with your head purchaser 😉
Lesson #10 Look for quick wins, plan for a long game
Generate results early on. Focus on the low-hanging fruits to gain trust and reputation. At the same time, plant seeds for longer, transformative projects, with longer ROIs.
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These 10 lessons work in any setting. I’ve seen it applied over and over in every consultancy project for corporates I’ve been part of.
The best thing?
You don’t need a whole report to get from 0 to hero.
Companies can spend 150,000k EUR on resource mapping.
Then another 200,000 EUR on visioning and action planning.
But going green doesn’t need to cost a fortune.
Sometimes, all you need is a good clarity call with an expert with a diverse skillset, network, and know-how about the circular economy.
That’s why I started my 1:1 Power Hours
We can talk about:
- your business idea
- your company situation
- building a circular strategy
- Setting KPIs
- developing circular business models
- networks
- communication, LinkedIn
- managing stakeholders
Or anything else you’d like.
Find out how I can help here: https://circulareconomist.org/book-11-power-hour/
And don’t take it just from me:
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That’s it for this week, see ya next Saturday!