Take the first step towards circularity and resilience with Sirris and Agoria
Viewing the transition to a circular economy as a distant prospect is not an option. Given the current economic and geopolitical situation, it is absolutely essential for your business operations.
Companies are under pressure due to a shortage of raw materials, climate impact, stricter regulations, trade barriers and changing customer expectations.
The circular economy offers a huge opportunity: it is the key to creating resilient business models and driving sustainable innovation.
The Growing Circular e-learning series, developed by Sirris in collaboration with Agoria, provides a practical guide to help you get started.
From insight to practice and strategic transformation
The series combines clear explanations, practical examples and specific tools, and comprises three steps:
- Module 1: Understand the principles of the circular economy and why they are essential
- Module 2: Develop circular products, services and business models (to be continued)
- Module 3: Gain an understanding of the strategic and organisational changes required to embed circular thinking in your business operations and value creation (to be continued)
Who is this e-learning course on the circular economy intended for, and how can you access it?
The Growing Circular e-learning series is aimed at a range of roles:
- Management
- R&D and product development
- Sustainability and operations
- Strategic and innovation profiles
The modules are entirely online and self-paced.
You can watch them wherever and whenever it suits you.
You can apply these insights straight away, establish clear connections to your business context and progress one step at a time. By combining knowledge, action and transformation, Growing Circular helps you to go beyond isolated circular initiatives. This is how you build a solid foundation for long-term circular value creation and strengthen your business’s resilience.
Get started with Growing Circular!
The three e-learning modules form a coherent and flexible learning pathway:
- Understanding the circular economy and why it is essential
- Developing circular products, services and business models
- Embedding circular thinking in your strategy, structure and day-to-day operations
The courses are entirely online and self-paced. You can learn at your own speed and apply what you’ve learnt to your own business context straight away.
Why your business should adopt a circular approach today
To mark the launch of our “Growing Circular” e-learning series, we spoke to the architects behind the programme. Agoria experts Mira Tayah and Els Fonteyne explain why circularity is the key to a future-proof technology sector.
With the Growing Circular e-learning series, Sirris and Agoria aim to help Belgian tech companies embrace the circular economy. Does this mean that circularity is still a distant concern for many companies today?
Mira Tayah: ‘It is often more of an “unknown” than a distant reality. Many companies still equate circularity solely with recycling. But in reality, recycling is a last resort, because it destroys most of the value added during production. The real turning point lies in maintaining that higher value. Interestingly, our research shows that at least 27% of our members are already implementing circular strategies such as maintenance, repair or refurbishment without necessarily labelling them as “circular”. The aim of this course is to deploy these efforts in a conscious and strategic manner, rather than leaving them to happen by chance.’
What makes circularity in the technology sector more challenging, yet at the same time more promising, than in other sectors?
Els Fonteyne: ‘The challenge is that for decades, the tech sector has been optimised for a linear “take-make-dispose” model. Changing this requires a completely new approach to design and service delivery. However, the potential is enormous, precisely because technological products are complex and high-quality. By switching to modular designs and services that extend the product life cycle, companies can disconnect their growth from the consumption of raw materials. At a time of fluctuating commodity prices and disrupted supply chains, circularity is not just a “green choice”, it is a strategy for resilience and independence.’
How does circularity fundamentally change the relationship between a company and its customers?
Els Fonteyne: ‘It turns a one-off transaction into a long-term partnership. In a linear model, the relationship often ends at the point of sale. In a circular model, you remain connected to both the product and the user. You offer upgrades, maintenance and ultimately trade-in services. This creates a continuous feedback loop that allows you to improve your product based on actual usage.’
Mira Tayah: ‘An excellent example of this is the Product-as-a-Service business model. Instead of selling a machine, you sell the performance or the result. This ensures that the interests of the company and the customer are aligned: both want a product that lasts as long as possible and performs efficiently. That builds tremendous brand loyalty.'
Could you give a specific example of a quick win that a company might identify during this course?
Els Fonteyne: ‘A key quick win is simply a shift in perspective as regards product design. Participants often realise that small changes to the design make a product much easier to repair or upgrade later on. It doesn't have to be expensive, it's all about making smarter choices at the drawing board.’
Mira Tayah: ‘Another benefit lies in identifying “lost value”. Companies often discover that they are sitting on a goldmine of used components or materials that they currently regard as waste. The course helps them to stop seeing this as a cost and start viewing it as a source of new revenue streams.’
Once a company has completed the full three-module programme, what is the biggest difference in the way they view their own product or service?
Els Fonteyne: ‘The biggest change is moving away from the “sell and forget” approach. They begin to see their product as a vehicle for value that can have multiple uses. They no longer view the end of a product’s first life cycle as a loss, but as an opportunity for a second or third life.’
Mira Tayah: ‘Eventually, they realise that circularity involves a team effort. After completing the three modules, companies realise they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. They recognise the importance of building an ecosystem with partners, such as suppliers and service providers, to keep materials and products in circulation. They switch from being product sellers to being an indispensable link in a sustainable value chain.’
