The circular economy is a business model that replaces the traditional linear approach - take, make, waste - with one designed to keep materials, products and resources in use for as long as possible. In a circular model, waste isn't an end point. It's a design failure. And fixing that failure is where the commercial opportunity lives, through lower input costs, new revenue streams from waste, supply chain resilience, and products that earn genuine customer loyalty rather than planned obsolescence.

It sounds like a contradiction. It isn't. Degrowth, producing and consuming less (but better), drives efficiencies that linear business models systematically destroy. Less waste means lower costs. Longer product lifespans mean stronger customer relationships. Circular supply chains mean less exposure to volatile raw material prices. And there's significant capital sitting in what most businesses currently throw away. Paul Foulkes-Arellano has built his career on this thesis: the businesses that grow fastest in the next decade will be the ones that work out how to do more with less.

More than most businesses realise. And the window to get ahead of it is closing.

The EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is already in force, meaning products sold in the EU must now meet legal standards for durability, repairability and recyclability. Extended Producer Responsibility legislation is making brands accountable for what happens to their products after sale, across packaging, electronics and textiles. The EU's Right to Repair directive is being implemented across member states, reshaping how products must be designed and what customers can legally expect. France's AGEC Law, one of the most comprehensive circular economy laws enacted anywhere in the world, is already in force for businesses operating in or supplying French markets. And CSRD means large businesses must now report on circular economy metrics, which flows directly into the obligations of everyone in their supply chain.

These aren't proposals. They're live. And they're arriving faster than most businesses have planned for.

The businesses that move first don't just avoid penalties, they capture competitive advantage their slower competitors haven't claimed yet. The ones that wait pay twice: once to retrofit compliance, and again in the revenue they've already lost.

Fashion, food, packaging, drinks and footwear are the sectors where circular practices are being implemented at scale right now and they're the industries Paul Foulkes-Arellano has spent decades working across. Fashion is pioneering second-life clothing, upcycling and take-back schemes. The drinks industry has led on reusable and returnable packaging for decades. Food is tackling everything from regenerative sourcing to food-waste capital. Packaging is driving innovation in materials from agricultural waste to fully circular feedstocks.

The lessons transfer across sectors. Whatever industry you're in, someone ahead of you has already solved a version of your problem and Paul's course shows you where to look.

With the right metrics, which most businesses don't yet have in place. Module 3 of this course covers exactly this: how to assess your current level of circularity, which KPIs actually matter for circular products and services, and how to track progress in a way that means something to finance, operations and leadership. Because circularity without measurement is just intention. And intention doesn't show up on a balance sheet.

Yes and for teams facing regulatory pressure, supply chain scrutiny or client ESG questions, doing it together accelerates the impact. DEG team licences give everyone access, with the DEG Impact Report measuring what actually changes at 3, 6 and 12 months. Get in touch to find out more details

If you are part of the team's package, we're offering IRL away days with Paul for brands who want to take the work off-screen and into the room. If that's you, register your interest here and we'll be in touch when dates are confirmed.