Circular Economy Foundation Course

The Circular Economy Foundation Course provides learners with all they need to know to embrace the circular economy. The course also strives to develop essential skills for individuals and companies as we head towards a sustainable and circular world. There is a strong focus on embedding processes within companies to collect data and information that supports their circular initiatives.

Learners then jump straight into the Circular Rs, the building blocks of the circular economy. The next stage is to understand the past with a lens on the future. The rest of the course moves into resource management, materials, closed & open-loop systems, design and business models.

Do not be overwhelmed by the number of lessons. The lessons are short, with lots of graphics, and the tools are laid out to serve only as an introduction. In addition, each lesson can also be downloaded as a reference.   

Course curriculum

  • 1

    0. Introduction - Circular Economy Foundation Course

    • 0. Getting Started - Course Outline

    • 1. Principles of the Circular Economy

    • Video - Resource Efficiency and Sustainability

    • 2. A Guide to Establishing Accurate Documentation

    • 3. Introduction to ISO 14000 Environmental Standards

    • 4. The ISO Plan-Do-Check-Act Framework

    • Video - The Plan, Do, Check, Act Explained

    • 5. Introduction to ISO 59000 Circular Economy Guidance

    • Video - Doughnut Economics for the Circular Economy

    • 6. ISO Circular Economy Conformity Assessment

    • 7. European Sustainability Resporting Standards - E5 Resource Use and Circular Economy
  • 2

    1. The Circular Rs

    • 0. What You Will Learn - The Circular Rs

    • 1. An Introduction to the Circular Rs

    • 2. The Circular Rs - Refuse

    • 3. The Circular Rs - Rethink

    • 4. The Circular Economy - Reduce

    • 5. The Circular Rs - ReDesign

    • Video - How Technology Can Help with the SDGs

    • 6. The Circular Rs - Return

    • 7. The Circular Rs - Reuse

    • 8. The Circular Rs - Repair

    • 9. The Circular Rs - Refurbish

    • 10. The Circular Rs - Renovate

    • 11. The Circular Rs - Remanufacture

    • 12. The Circular Rs - Repurpose

    • 13. The Circular Rs - Recover

    • 14. The Circular Rs - Reprocess
  • 3

    2. The Industrial Revolution - From the Past to the Future

    • 0. What You Will Learn - The Industrial Revolution

    • Video - What Was The Industrial Revolution?

    • 1. The Industrial Revolution - Part 1 - Energy

    • Video - The Future of Energy

    • 2. The Industrial Revolution - Part 2 - Technology

    • Video - The Future of Sustainable Data Centers.

    • 3. The Industrial Revolution - Part 3 - Manufacturing

    • Video - The Future of Manufacturing

    • 4. The Rise of Consumerism

    • Video - History of Consumerism
  • 4

    3. Resource Management

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Resource Management

    • 1. Resource Depletion

    • 2. A Brief History of the Environmental Movement

    • Video - The Origins of the Environmental Movement

    • 3. Industrial Ecology and Industrial Symbiosis

    • Video - Industrial Ecology and the Circular Economy

    • 4. An Introduction to Resource Economics

    • 5. An Introduction to Natural Capital

    • Video - How to Value and Account for Ecosystems
  • 5

    4. Open and Closed Loop Systems

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Open & Closed Loop Systems

    • 1. Open and Closed Loop Systems

    • Video - How Do You Heat a City Using the Waste Heat From a Factory?

    • 2. Examples of Closed Loop Reprocessing Systems

    • 3. Examples of Open Loop Reprocessing Systems

    • 4. ISO 14009 - Guidelines for Incorporating Material Circulation

    • Video - Managing Natural Resources: Achieving More with Less

    • 5. ISO 14051-52-53 - Material Flow Cost Accounting
  • 6

    5. Materials

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Introduction to Materials

    • 1. Material Flows

    • Video - US Supply Chain - Plastic Flows (2015)

    • 2. Introduction to Sustainable Materials Management

    • 3. Chemicals in Materials

    • 4. Introduction to Cradle-to-Cradle - The Butterfly Diagram

    • Video - Introduction to Cradle-to-Cradle
  • 7

    6. Circular and Eco-Design

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Circular & Eco-Design

    • 1. What is Circular Design?

    • Video - Product Design for the Circular Economy

    • 2. Circular Design Principles

    • 3. What is Eco-Design?

    • Video - Understanding Eco-design

    • 5. ISO 14006 - Eco-Design

    • 6. ISO 14020 - Communicating Environmental Aspects
  • 8

    7. Circular Economy Business Models

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Circular Business Models

    • Video - Business Model Innovation

    • 1. Types of Circular Business Models

    • 2. Circular Businesses - Case Studies

    • Video - Connected Lightbulb

    • 1. Circular Businesses - Resource Models

    • 2. Circular Businesses - Design Models

    • 3. Circular Businesses - Material Use Cycle Extension

    • 4. Circular Businesses - Platform Sharing Models

    • 5. Circular Businesses - Product-as-a-Service

    • Video - Mud Jeans - Product-as-a-Service

    • 6. Circular Businesses - End-of-Use-Cycle Models

    • 7. Circular Businesses - Use-Cycle Models
  • 9

    8. Life Cycle Assessment

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Life Cycle Assessment

    • 1. What is a Life Cycle Assessment?

    • 2. The Four Main Stages For a Life Cycle Assessment

    • Video - Life Cycle Assessment

    • 3. Why Is A Life Cycle Assessment Important?

    • 4. The Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment

    • Life Cycle Assessment - Bert's Bees (Short Version)

    • 5. ISO 14040 - LCA Family of Standards
  • 10

    9. Environmental Product Declarations

    • 0. What You Will Learn - Environmental Product Declarations

    • 1. What is an Environmental Product Declaration

    • Video - What is an EPD?

    • 2. Why Use an Environmental Product Declaration

    • 3. Product Category Rules

    • Example 1 - EPD Barilla Dry Semolina Pasta

    • Example 2 - EPD Solid Wood Flooring
  • 11

    10. Circular Economy and Climate Change

    • 0. What You Will Learn - The Circular Economy & Climate Change

    • Video - Circular Economy and Climate Assessment

    • 1. The Circular Rs and Climate Change

    • 2. The Circular Economy, the Built Environment and Climate Change

    • 3. What Are Product Carbon Footprints

    • Video - Climate Change: Your Carbon Footprint Explained - BBC News Lesson

    • 4. ISO 14064 - Greenhouse Gases

    • ISO 14067 - Carbon Footprint of Products

    • Video - Product Carbon Footprint Labels - A Consumer’s Perspective

    • Examples of Product Carbon Footprint

    • Extending Product Use-Cycle - Business Strategies and Case Studies