Circular Economy: Principles & Applications
An overarching framework that combines strategies and tools to sustainably produce the things we need—using fewer materials, gaining economic and personal rewards, and allowing everything & everyone to thrive. 6 weeks
- 100% online
- 5+ practitioner talks
- Business & operational tookit
- 6 weeks / 5 hours per week
- Wide-ranging case studies
- Financial aid available
Realize the full impact of circularity
- 1
Take climate action while doing what you love
Using circular economy principles in the industry and profession of your choice - designing clothes, building houses, planes, or other beautiful products - is your quickest route to climate action. It is applicable now and offers a range of advantages over how we make stuff now.
- 2
Build your network of circular practitioners
The global community you join will be your one-stop shop for everything circular economy. From finding business associates and thought partners to relevant resources, frameworks, and data, this community is open to you forever and will keep growing with future cohorts.
- 3
A practical toolkit for every industry and function
The skills you pick up in the program will enable you to run workshops, do measurement-reporting-verification (MRV) evaluations, calculate the ROI on circular practices, and outline implementation pathways specific to your organization.
I have honestly loved every aspect of the program. From engaging class content featuring the latest climate science, to world-class guest lectures and fascinating discussions with teachers and peers, I'm really enjoying Terra.do :)
Benjamin Bolton
Sustainability Manager
Cotswold Fyre
UK
World-class Instructors and Guest Lecturers
Jannis Kempkens
Circular product & sustainable materials lead at Circology & biodegradability expert at Precious Plastic
Program Creator
Jannis is a designer and material researcher working on the intersection of design and science. He is co-founder of Circology, a circular design and material research studio supporting companies in their journey towards circularity. In his role, he is focused on the design and materiality of the products we create as well as the systems that come with them. Additionally he works with the Precious Plastic community on driving bottoms-up development of new techniques and materials for a world with less plastic pollution.
Austin Evarts
Circular Economy startup support at Urban Future Lab & Co-president of New York Techstars Chapter
Program Creator
Austin is a technology entrepreneur and startup community leader based in New York City. He currently manages programming and support for circular economy- and climate tech-focused startups at the Urban Future Lab, New York City’s longest running cleantech startup incubator. Austin is also Co-President at the New York chapter of Techstars where he focuses on community building and engagement for Techstars’ largest city hub. Austin previously co-founded and led a SaaS marketing technology business called GoChime to a successful acquisition. Austin is a longtime student of the circular economy and is excited by the intersection of innovation and positive environmental impact.
Our guest lecturers
Michelle Tulac
Ellen McArthur Foundation
Oakley Jennings-Fast
Director of Circular Economy at Smart Waste
Simran Suri
Analyst at Equal Ventures
Gene Homicki
Co-founder and CEO myTurn.com
Sydney Harris
Senior Associate at Product Stewardship Institute
Elise Motalli
Service Designer
Garr Punnett
Chief of Staff & Sustainability at Rheaply
Morgan Williams
Systems thinking and human-centered design at Meld Studios
Joseph Klatt
Operations Lead, Precious Plastic
Pranav Khanna
UN/CEFACT - Contributor - Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains : Textile and Leather Sector
Elias Stahl
Co-founder and CEO, HILOS
Exceptional peers & alumni
Our alumni come from design, product, supply chain, sales, engineering, and various other functions from a wide range of industries and they are committed to climate action. Collaborate with them as you start your circular economy and climate action journey.
The program breakdown
Week-1
Introduction + Orientation
Get to know your facilitators and fellows and understand the details of the schedule for the next weeks of this program.
What is the Circular Economy?
Get on the same page on what the circular Economy is, where it comes from and why it is so important for the future of the economy.
Week-2
Why Systems Thinking is important
To understand complex systems and find the levers that really solve problems, we will take a look at frameworks and approaches of systems thinking practitioners and how they can help us develop stronger companies within the circular economy.
Week-3
How to create circular products
Materials are producing a lot of the problems within the linear economy, which is why Circular Product Design is an important aspect of the circular economy. This class is going to show you what the different approaches to this, how they work and who's implementing them already.
Week-4
How to develop a circular business model
Let’s dive into some of the principles that drive the linear economy and how to change those in order to do business differently!
How to finance in the circular economy
No business without money. Let's take a look at how circular ventures are funded, who invests in those ventures and what role fiscal incentives can play. And for all the entrepreneurs out there: Let's find out, how we gain access to capital!
Week-5
How Policy and Regulators can enable a circular economy
Some regions, countries and cities are moving much faster towards a circular economy than others. Let's have a look at reasons for that and what regulators and policy makers can do to push circularity in their areas. Or for everyone else: how we can nudge those policy makers towards circularity!
How to measure circularity: understanding tools and certifications
How do we measure circularity? Let's take a look at tools, certification bodies and how employees can take action by getting their companies to become circular certified.
Week 6
How to implement circularity in your work and life
Let's get going and develop a straight forward plan on your actions towards circularity!
Get a primer on the circular economy, its relevance to various industries, and a detailed syllabus
Personalized and relevant instruction
The program is designed to help you find opportunities for circularity within your function or industry. The classes are focused on giving you an insight on how the circular economy works and are paired with case studies and assignments to help implement your learnings.
01
Expert lectures
Once a week, you will meet experts in an interactive small-group session for:
- Presentations on circular economy applications across industries
- Energetic Q&A with the speakers
- Discussions and debates with other cohort members
02
Action-oriented learning
Learn to apply circular principles in your work or personal life through:
- Global case studies from fashion, CPG, consumer electronics, and more
- Toolkit that allows you to conduct workshops, run evaluations and advise organizations on circularity
- Practical understanding of waste stream utilization, sustainable packaging and other concepts
03
Community of sustainability champions
Build relationships with a community of climate-concerned professionals:
- Active community of experienced professionals with unique expertise to share
- Share notes on how different industries and functions are moving on sustainability and implementing a circular economy
Pricing and expected commitment
Circular Economy: Principles & Applications
/ 6 Weeks
- 6 week duration, with 5 hours of time commitment per week
- Each class has fellows split into groups of 20-25 with extensive skills, background, and passion
- 100% online, with instructors available via Zoom, Slack and email
- 3+ guest lectures, also available for later viewing
Who is this program for?
Designers, materials researchers, supply chain managers, communications professionals, policymakers and more—transitioning to a circular economy requires everyone to join the sustainability journey. This course is for you if:
- You want to help make the company you work for more sustainable while unlocking business opportunities
- You want to become an entrepreneur within the space of the circular economy
- You’re looking for a community of design, product, and engineering professionals in circular economy
- You want to help grow the circular economy in your area through policy, activism or smart choices
- You’re already an expert working in a circular economy company.
- You don’t have the time to commit to a deep dive right now (you can always apply for later cohorts)
Circular Economy: Principles & Applications
/ 6 Weeks
- 6 week duration, with 5 hours of time commitment per week
- Each class has fellows split into groups of 20-25 with extensive skills, background, and passion
- 100% online, with instructors available via Zoom, Slack and email
- 3+ guest lectures, also available for later viewing