A Circular Economy Handbook

""Catherine Weetman provides multiple and nuanced insights into the business opportunity of the circular economy. Her wide-ranging research and important skills of synthesis and exemplification make this new edition perhaps the most valuable - and certainly most readable - guide to a circular economy available today."" * Ken Webster, Visiting Professor, Cranfield University, Fellow of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) * ""In response to an ever-growing set of goals, themes and voices, the circular economy has been undergoing a gradual evolution, and this handbook provides a sharp snapshot of all the things you should know about the circular economy today. It allows circular economy practitioners to explore and engage with circular business models from various entry points on their own terms, drawing both on Catherine Weetman's vast understanding of the circular economy and her humility and genuine curiosity in learning from and understanding the people that are trying to make the circular economy work out in the world."" * Tim Forslund, Senior Lead, EU Circular Economy Resource Centre & Circular Economy International Pro-grammes, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra * ""The third edition of A Circular Economy Handbook is a powerful contribution to the global circularity agenda. Drawing from a wide range of practical examples and strategic frameworks, it connects the dots between ambition and implementation. As someone deeply involved in measuring circularity and identifying system-level levers for change, I find it an essential resource for anyone working to move beyond awareness and accelerate real progress toward a more circular and resilient economy."" * Matthew Fraser, Director, Circularity Gap Solutions, Circle Economy Foundation * ""For new business models centred on outcome-based services, we believe it's crucial to start with the customer value proposition design, exploring ways to 'co-create' new value for the provider, user, customer and the wider circular economy. This new edition draws out the many benefits, and the importance of clarifying those for all involved."" * Iain McKechnie, Director of Strategic Partnerships, The Advanced Services Group, Aston Business School * ""As the discussions on circular economies become more intense, the new edition of Weetman's A Circular Economy Handbook is a timely contribution to help practitioners work through the different aspects of becoming more circular. In particular, the book's concise overview of some of the materials-related challenges to greater circularity is welcome, reflecting as it does the growing recognition of the importance of this aspect - there is no transition to an equitable low-carbon, resource-efficient society without materials. The new edition situates materials in their environmental, social, economic and, of extreme importance nowadays, geopolitical context in a thought-provoking and informative manner."" * Colin Church, CEO, Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining * ""The third edition of A Circular Economy Handbook provides an indispensable guide for navigating one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to transition from a linear to a circular economy in the face of global uncertainty. As trade disruptions, tariff threats and intensifying economic competition reshape markets, the strategies outlined in this book are more relevant than ever. The book underscores that no company can succeed in isolation - collaboration across international value networks is essential to enable circularity at scale. Particularly timely is its focus on material choices: with critical minerals now at the centre of geopolitical flashpoints, the role of design and using secondary materials becomes not just an environmental imperative but a strategic necessity for businesses."" * Patrick Schröder, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House * ""Working on circularity in Africa in the last decade has highlighted the importance of a just and fair transition to a global circular economy; Catherine Weetman shows why a new paradigm of circularity and systemic change is essential to solve the climate and biodiversity crisis and move towards more sustainable models of production and consumption. Developing further original frameworks for understanding circular concepts as well as highlighting the new thinking of others, Weetman delves deeper into how to move from theory to practice, with chapters on circular business model and strategy design and an extensive collection of real-world examples from both the Global South and the Global North. Essential reading for all who care about our collective future."" * Peter Desmond, Co-Founder, African Circular Economy Network * ""A more sustainable future depends on circularity at many levels, from communities to the economy as a whole. In this new edition, Catherine Weetman helps business navigate critical risks and sets out the compelling benefits of a circular industrial economy, which opens the door to a performance economy."" * Walter R. Stahel, Founder and Director, Product-Life Institute * ""Let's be honest, the circular economy only works if customers and citizens are on board. That's what's so great about Catherine Weetman's third edition of A Circular Economy Handbook - it completely gets this. It's packed with practical advice on how to create circular experiences that people will actually want to use, making it much easier to encourage new habits. For business leaders serious about making the circular economy a commercial reality, this book is required reading."" * Loïc Le Fouest, Customer Experience Practice Lead, Clarasys * ""This book excellently outlines both the macro context and key influencers affecting our planet and business models, with the practical solutions and actions we can use to solve them. The additional focus on behavioural interventions, key principles and systemic levers to accelerate change found in this edition is a relevant and timely build on what is already a fundamental playbook on circularity."" * Bronwen Rees, Community and Programme Manager, Design Council * ""Catherine Weetman's third edition of A Circular Economy Handbook is an indispensable resource for the next generation of business leaders. It provides a visionary yet practical roadmap for redesigning our economy, making it the perfect companion for the Applied Circular Economy course I teach at Harvard. The significant new content on digital enablers like AI and blockchain, alongside deeper explorations of customer behaviour and a just transition, captures the field's rapid evolution. Weetman provides a comprehensive, insightful, and highly actionable framework that is perfectly attuned to the complex challenges and opportunities facing businesses today."" * Manuel Maqueda, CEO, Bionomia Institute * ""Clear, actionable and inspiring - Catherine Weetman demonstrates (again and in great detail) how circular economy strategies can unlock value, reduce systemic risks, and future-proof any business. This is the go-to guide for leaders who want to move beyond sustainability talk and embrace real transformation."" * Fabrice Sorin, Head of Research and Education, Circulab * ""Catherine Weetman's book shows how circular strategies turn sustainability into real-world wins-safer, more resilient, lower-cost economies. In healthcare alone, circular strategies are already delivering; regulated device reprocessing is cutting costs, waste, and emissions while bolstering supply chains. Practical solutions like these are exactly what executives need to accelerate progress across sectors, and Weetman is bringing them all together in one practical playbook."" * Daniel J. Vukelich, President and CEO, Association of Medical Device Reprocessors * ""This third edition of Catherine Weetman's A Circular Economy Handbook offers SMEs and their partners a much-needed compass through the complexity of circular transitions. It combines clear frameworks with real-world cases that help businesses move from aspiration to ecosystem-wide flourishing. A timely and practical guide for anyone serious about systemic change."" * Christoph Hinske (Saxion UAS), Doctoral Researcher (Economics & Management), Lappeenranta-Lahti Uni-versity of Technology; Lead, Research Line Ecosystem-Wide Flourishing, FactorX Book Series (Routledge) *