**Where do I come from?**

I come from a family of entrepreneurs - entrepreneurship was practically in my cradle, which I left behind as quickly as possible for a business degree at WHU - Otto Beisheim School.

However, by playing a decisive role in setting up NetMoms, a portal for mothers with children up to 14, I somehow remained true to the topic. At the age of 21, I was still pretty young as the Head of Monetization there, some people thought. But I dispelled their scepticism through pragmatism, hard work and new approaches. From there, I moved on. First to Shanghai, then to Mexico City, and finally to co-found the second company focusing on B2B return-services in Berlin.

With Bertelsmann came the corporate experience. In the Marketing and Retail Executive Board division, I understood processes and working methods of large organizations and built up my own e-commerce division on this basis.

But Berlin and my own StartUp were stronger. More precisely, logistics, customer service and sales. Later, the curated shopping provider Modomoto, where I became COO for more than 200 employees. I explicitly avoid comparisons with childcare facilities. But it made me similarly happy, this responsibility over all customer-facing processes and departments for 3 brands in 7 countries. This shapes my understanding of business models to this day.


**What drives me?**

I am never satisfied. Every process, every customer experience and every product is fundamentally questioned by me. Is it relevant? How can it be improved? What's the way forward? Smart business models, forward-thinking and high-quality products fascinate me.
I find it hard to stand the opposite. I have turned my interests and convictions into my profession, and I am passionate about helping my customers. As a consultant and as a partner. Value-driven management is important to me in all of this, also because I have experienced myself what happens when this is lacking. It makes me happy to lead a company sustainably, to see colleagues grow and to make a difference together.

Sailing, means of transport from the 70s with at least two wheels or water under the keel, and my family are the second big part of my life, despite all my enthusiasm for business.


**What is my strategy?**

To experience, to understand, to identify the core and to develop something sustainable out of it, which we believe in together.

### Vita

- Managing Partner & Corporate Strategy, K'UP
- Chief Operating Officer, Modomoto Curated Shopping
- Pre-Seed Business Angel E-Commerce & Service StartUps
- Freelance Consultant Digital Business Models, L.13
- Executive Assistant Marketing & Retail, Arvato Bertelsmann and Head of E-Commerce Arvato Medienfabrik
- Co-founder and Head of Cooperations & Monetization, NetMoms GmbH
- Bachelor of Science Business Administration at WHU


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### Challenge
The IT consulting and software development company Novatec needed a new brand identity in order to stand out from the competition in a very homogeneous market and to clearly communicate its strengths to the world.

### Strategy
K’UP developed a new brand strategy for the IT consulting company Novatec based on new target customer profiles and thus ensured that the brand was consistently customer-centered. With "the perfect flow", a new brand promise was defined. This and the corporate design that was also developed, Novatec clearly stands out from the otherwise homogeneous competitive environment. 
In addition, K’UP developed a recruiting strategy with the goal of becoming attractive in the employee market for experienced employees in consulting, as well as a communication strategy, on the basis of which a new website was designed. The implementation of which was accompanied by an agency K’UP steering.



**Agile ways of working are supported by a corporate culture that makes the customer part of one's team from the very beginning.**


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Novatec – Preparing a med-size IT consultancy for the future

**Where do I come from?**

I couldn't imagine a career as a lawyer; instead 'something with people' ,so I started in HR, where I worked passionately for over 15 years in various - operational and strategic - roles. In my last role as EMEA Head of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Olympus, I introduced numerous modern HR tools with the goal of improving the Employee Experience and organizational effectiveness and developing the company culture. With a systemic coaching training, I learned an additional perspective with new methods and developed as a consultant.


**What drives me?**

Work should be fun and offer room for personal development! I firmly believe in that. That’s what I want to work for - creating impact. So - I joined K'UP as a partner in January 2021 and started building up the organizational development area; I advise our clients on how to create effective organizational design and a resilient corporate culture and make companies a "great place to work". Corporate and brand strategy cannot be effective without cultural and organizational development; in turn, an inspiring workplace can only be developed in the context of corporate strategy and brand. What else drives me? Creating value together with a great team. Bringing inspiring people together.

I love living in Berlin, love the mountains and like to eat well, fat and a lot!


**What is my strategy?**

My strategy is: listen, understand, get inspired, inspire, get going, have fun!

### Vita

- Partner Organisational Strategy, K‘UP
- EMEA Head of Organizational & Personal Development and CSR, Olympus Europa SE & CO. KG
- HR Business Partner, De Lage Landen 
- Human Resources Lawyer, E.ON Energy Trading SE
- Lawyer admission

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We know that the challenges are big and the demands are increasing: Shortage of skilled workers, pressure to innovate and change, digitalisation, a backlog of professionalisation.

 **Is your organisation up to the task?**

Although HR work has many answers to current crises, HR departments in small and medium-sized enterprises often reach their limits - especially when it comes to asserting themselves as a fully-fledged strategic partner in everyday administrative and operational work.

The reasons for this are clear: HR work has often not yet benefited from digitalisation. Efficiency has not been increased, and the corporate strategy has not been implemented. HR professionals have had to demonstrate social rather than business skills. 

 **How can new requirements be reconciled with the old range of services?**

HR departments need a tailor-made strategy and appreciation for HR professionals. Only in this way can they be sustainably transformed and create real added value.

Our clients undertake the transformation in four steps: 

We survey the status quo. 
We jointly develop the content-related priorities, the organisational set-up of the HR department and the necessary role profiles. 
We condense our findings into a simple strategy paper with an implementation plan. 
We support the actual implementation, usually in the context of development measures. 

 **What concrete measures make HR departments really effective?**

**Define clear roles.** Clarifying roles between management and HR leadership (e.g. employee focus vs. business focus), is the first step in developing together.

**Set a strategic focus.** Priorities need to be defined together with management along strategic goals. Programmes that are not priorities need to be radically cut or outsourced. 

**Make talent acquisition a priority.** A good HR department must have complete mastery of the spectrum of recruitment. This includes Strategic Workforce Planning and Employer Branding. 

**Work with data.** HR analytics can be used to translate HR-related insights into strategic decisions. Regular capacity building is essential in this process. 


 The time for change is now.
 **Strengthen your HR department and make it a true strategic partner in the company.**

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The Transformative Power of an Effective HR Department

How do you help your HR departments solve the challenges?

**Where do I come from?**

I was born in 1970, come from Hanover and have been very lucky to be self-employed all my life. This allows me to deal with what I enjoy most - brands.

My first company was a snowboard label that I founded with my brother when I was at school. During my business studies in Bavaria, I then built up a franchise sports chain and worked in marketing at adidas.

By chance, I got my first assignment for the brand relaunch of a B2B client before my exams. So shortly afterwards I founded a full-service agency in Berlin with the rotor°Mediengruppe. However, our growth got out of control with the advent of the internet and so, at the birth of our first daughter, I faced my first and last bankruptcy.

Then I had the great fortune to meet Jochen Pläcking and founded the brand consultancy kleinundpläcking with him in 2005. Not only did I have a great time with him. Jochen is still my role model in terms of generosity and forbearance. And so we have not only been able to provide strategic support for many large and small brands since then. We have also managed to permanently evolve from a pure brand consultancy.

Today, our strategy team brings companies forward comprehensively in brand, corporate, organisational and sustainability issues. This not only ensures even closer client relationships, but also gives me great pleasure. Over time, I started giving lectures on strategic brand management. I'm still allowed to do that today at WHU in Vallendar.


**What drives me?**

I not only like to be on the move, I also like to move things forward. This applies to me, my family and our company. 
Here I feel lucky every day, as one of six partners, to be able to advise our clients on brand strategy issues. 

I have also set myself the goal of abolishing the ideals of homo oeconomicus and replacing them with more sustainable value creation. I call this homo in mundum.

I know that our generation can succeed in not developing productivity at the expense of individuals or our planet. If we want to act responsibly, all we have to do is define corporate performance in terms of an equal balance of material, human and planetary added value. And if the whole thing is supposed to be fun for us consumers, then I call it RAMP.

In my home town of Potsdam, as in Berlin, I meet people every day who act in a sustainable way. That spurs me on.


**What is my strategy?**

Courage and humility.

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### Vita

- Strategic Brand Management, K'UP
- Lecturer for Brand Management, WHU Beisheim School of Management
- Head of Strategy, AM Creative
- Founder and Managing Director redor°Media Group
- Junior Marketing Manager adidas
- Graduate in Business Administration
- Savings bank clerk
- Founder Klein Schneebretter

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The use and production of light generates 5%* of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In the European Union alone, 40% ** of electronic waste is not recycled. If all EU countries' light sources were switched to LED, 51 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and 65 million euros in energy costs could be saved each year. 

**[Signify](https://www.signify.com/global)**, formerly Philipps Lighting, is a leading international supplier of **efficient lighting technology.** The company wants to significantly reduce the consumption of resources by light sources for commercial and private customers. 

With its concept **Light as a Service** (Laas), the company offers a circular lighting solution. For a monthly subscription fee, Signify takes responsibility for the lighting technology from planning and installation to maintenance. The products used are designed for easy repair and recycling and are manufactured by 3D printers to save material and weight. The use of AI in lighting management additionally reduces energy consumption and costs. Signify's LED lights are thus claimed to have a 75% *** **lower environmental footprint** than conventional products. 

With its focus on long life and reusability, Signify is not only closing product loops. With its LaaS business model, the company has an **[Impact Level 2](https://kup.id/article/die-drei-wirkungsebenen-nachhaltiger-zirkularitaet)** circularity score.


 Sources:
 *https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/why-buy-light-bulbs-when-you-can-buy-light-signify 
 **https://www.signify.com/global/sustainability/green-switch/circular-economy
 ***https://www.signify.com/global/our-company/blog/sustainability/circular-economy-in-lighting


Photo © Skye Studios

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Light as a Circular Service

Signify – Light as a Circular Service

The company **[Dr. Schnell](https://www.dr-schnell.com)** specialises in the production of cleaning agents for buildings and commercial kitchens. In 2020, the Munich-based company was awarded the Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certificate for its **ECO collection** of household cleaning agents.

The ECO products are offered as highly concentrated cleaning agents that can be extended with water itself. This reduces packaging and water consumption. The products are free of chemicals that are harmful to environment or human health. Production is powered by 100% green electricity, carried out with regional partners and recycled packaging is used to reduce the carbon footprint.

In the detergent and cleaning products industry, high water and energy consumption still have the greatest impact on the environment.*

With its **ecological and technical measures**, Dr. Schnell reduces waste by 45% and water consumption by 72%* compared to the rest of the industry, achieving a **[circular efficiency](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)** of **Impact Level 1**.


 Sources:
 *IKW | Sustainability initiative
 **Dr. Schnell Envorinmental Statement 2022 P.35

Photo © Karolina Grabowska for Pexels

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Circular Cleaning Agents

Dr. Schnell - Circular Cleaning Agents

**Where do I come from?**

I came to West Berlin from Lübeck with a few boxes and worked my way. In Kreuzberg without heating, at the Free University with sociologists and English scholars. At the University of the Arts, where I poked around in various departments and still ended up in advertising by visiting Hamburg agencies unannounced.

I was a copywriter and creative director at Springer & Jacoby and Scholz & Friends, both creative forges at the time, and later in London. Then freelance creative and lecturer.

I worked - also as a director - in Germany and England for many brands and their agencies. During that time, I had my own companies with various partners and founded an agency with Jochen Pläcking and Arne Klein, among others, which later brought us back together as partners at K'UP.


**What drives me?**

To be free for mental and real adventures. I have already achieved many goals: became a friend to my children, built wooden houses myself, written ten books (as L. van Wangger), been an award winning creative in advertising, made films, remained a (sceptical) entrepreneur. In my novels I am preoccupied with the question:
Who can we be?
Do we even have to become who we think we want to be?
Isn't that presumptuous? Do we push ourselves too far, or is that precisely what is human about us?
How can we overcome categorical, formulaic thinking?

At best, this can be indirectly applied to strategy, which often seeks formulas. But it leads to questions like: Is a company what it wants to be? Does it want the right thing? Is it capable of recognizing itself and creating meaning? Does it cross and respect the right boundaries? What do these boundaries look like? For example, do we need to create companies that act only for the non-human world? For animals, plants and the planet?
For this we need breakthrough ideas, while we are often still consuming our energy in optimizing what we have. We need to strengthen imagination and thereby release action. This is important to me.


**What is my strategy?**

Test yourself thoroughly, then amaze yourself.

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### Vita

- Partner & Business Philosopher, K'UP
- Owner and director, Thin Tank Filmproduktion
- Author of novels and short stories
- Freelance Creative Director for advertising and brand agencies Founder and Creative Director, Charlylima
- Co-founder and Creative Director, AM Corporate & Creative Strategic partnership, Weber & Soltek and Brainchild London Creative Director, Brainchild London
- Founder and Creative Director, Weber & Soltek
- Creative Director, Scholz & Friends Berlin
- Copywriter & Creative Director, Springer & Jacoby Hamburg Lecturer for Copywriting, University of the Arts (UDK) Berlin Copywriter, Scholz & Friends Hamburg
- Copywriter, Lintas
- Graduate in Communications, University of the Arts (UDK) Berlin

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Without using marketing descriptors such as Generation Z or Y, the aim here is to reflect on the Young Generation between the ages of 14 and 20. 

When we talk about the condition of this Young Generation, we must bring two aspects to the fore: 

**Society is in a transitional phase from a long-standing fixation on increasing production to a reluctant prioritization of the habitability conditions of the planet.**
 Many of the younger people already understand this, and hopefully, many of the older people do too. But the social and economic reality is still focused on increasing production - now in the guise of sustainability. 

**So, the wrong thing keeps happening, while the right thing is already obvious.** 

As if that were not enough, a lot of lip service is paid to social change by social elites, while at the same time, assets accumulate more and more in the hands of the upper decile. A minority that emerges even richer from severe social crises. The life chances of the younger generation are narrowing more and more due to this unequal distribution. Regardless of whether one considers ecological or economic prospects. 

This brings us to the second point: **The young generation has already greatly lowered its expectations of the older, responsible generations, both materially and morally, as well as ecologically.**

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Just to remind you, the ruling generations are largely responsible for today's problem status through their maximalist greed. The battle cry of the 80s "Greed is good" exemplifies this, as does the 50-year-old knowledge of Exxon and other fossil corporations of the destructive climate consequences of their exploratory bonanza. 
The emergence of dangerous clown politicians, the ranking of societies under the profitability dictate, lobbying of the wealthy for their privileges up to the democracy- 
abolition etc. All this is well known. The necessary changes are also. But they take place only in homeopathic doses, or not at all. 


So, the young generation is confronted with appeasement and empty promises - from corporations, managers, the church, teachers. And the parents. The politicians? They acted, as the saying goes, flexibly.
 The misbehavior of the supposed role models continues. They are not role models. They speak - as Karl May says - with forked tongues. They say one thing and do another. And that's what young people see day in and day out; it's the reality they follow in the digital media - their preferred access to social participation.
 At the same time, they are shaped by heroic narratives that they internalize through gaming and media worlds. These worlds are Manichean: good competes against evil, which is the only way to make it exciting. In reality, however, the often hypocritical self-contradiction of "yes", but continues to prevail, which must seem particularly questionable to them against this background. 

They must therefore assume that this compromised world is precisely what the previous generations wanted.
 The fact that this is not so, that a large part of the older generations had and has quite different ideals, is rarely an issue. History, especially economic history, is written by the victors. Only, from a planetary and also moral point of view, yes, even from an economic point of view, they are now more and more often the losers.
Their beliefs have not worked, they have ignored or even overreached a large part of the societies. And this is now so clear that, from the point of view of the young, they should step down.
 But they don't. They continue to play the game of enrichment at any price as well as the theater of self-congratulation. They pull glass ceilings up a few inches. Perhaps they practice quotas for women, but these lead women into the same capitalist dilemma of destruction in which men are already stuck. 
 The young generation sees all this. How should they react to it, that was our initial question, how should they feel about it?
 What else is there besides participation resignation or doublethink? Some of them will certainly choose these strategies of adaptation. But what do the critical ones among them do? 
 I am surprised again and again, by how few of them revolt, how many knowingly take the well-trodden path of destructive competitive thinking, although from all horns resounds: 
 We need material and planetary justice and above all moderation. It can no longer be a matter of ruining the planet and society in the struggle for monetary success. Redistribution and a change in thinking that is willing to do without are long overdue. 

**So has the young generation allowed itself to be tricked after all?**

I think it's different: On the one hand, they no longer believe in universal rights and replace them with particular claims. Within their own bubble of reference, they try to achieve their goals. Other things seem secondary. This can be called resignation, but it is probably above all pragmatism. When pragmatism becomes mediocrity would have to be clarified.
 More and more often I encounter the attitude If my normal life feels okay, average is okay for me. You have to be able to afford high goals - hero fantasies are just lived out digitally. Pragmatism - bend for success - was already the fanfare of the previous generation. So who should be surprised that the next generation is adopting it?

The younger generation strives for balance in their (working) lives. No wonder, when they have seen what careerism has done to their parents.
 But when does balance become cowardice? A courageous act is always an abandonment of balance.

Self-protection and protection of others become strategies for stress reduction. What is it worth at all to dare hard confrontations for ideals? If then I do something small, I have my compost bucket and ride my bike.
 Timidity spreads, while the few energetic environmental activists are partly already declared terrorists by the media. How would it be times not only with a school strike day but with a general strike day for the planet? Does not take place so far, because there is obviously not enough cohesion, courage, and problem consciousness for it.
 Everyone must know for himself is the new battle cry of inaction.

But everything must be constantly renegotiated and re-evaluated, right?
Actually not, because we know long ago what must happen first. But the knot just doesn't burst and no savior comes with the (light)sword to cut it.

**Everything must change so that it can remain as it is** - this well-known saying of Guiseppe Tomasi's "Gattopardo" describes the dilemma: the privileged keep their privileges and stage sham changes with which they distract the rest of society, which ultimately has to pay the price.

Some call our time the "Digital Biedermeier" others "The age of diminished expectations".
 In any case, it characterizes a young generation that lives in a permanent state of waiting for meaning under partly unpredictable circumstances and therefore doesn't want to hear any more bullshit. On the other hand, they jump at the biggest bullshit - such as aesthetic self-optimization or flexing with ostentatious luxury.
This generation remains trapped in contradictions. That's precisely why they want to feel that their counterparts will stand up for their promises even at the risk of their own failure. That is the touchstone of credibility. Only those who do not elegantly - or, in most cases, clumsily - get off the hook stand for something.

After a phase in which staging displaced reality, the Young Generation finally wants the world to become more honest, more modest, and more predictable. And that, unfortunately, also paralyzes them. Because they will not get the change without a hard confrontation - also with themselves.

Perhaps it's quite simple: **If you want to find your own truth, you have to be able to engage in conflict and endure it.** If you can't do that, you're left with the truth of others. And unfortunately, that's often not quite true.
 The new appreciation for rationality, for sound arguments, and for factual product advantages instead of emotional sales is certainly a first, decisive step on the way to the Young Generation's own truth.

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The Young Generation in the Endless Beta Phase

The UK produces over 1 million tonnes of sugar annually. About 50% of this is exported. The largest sugar producer is **[British Sugar](https://www.britishsugar.co.uk)**, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods (ABF), which is committed to consistent **waste reduction** and **resource efficiency.**

At British Sugar, waste products from sugar production are turned into animal feed, topsoil and ethanol, among other things. **This ensures growth.** The company is one of the largest British ethanol producers and has become a major supplier to the petrochemical and pharmaceutical sectors.

A third of all ABF factories have succeeded in recycling or reusing 95% of all waste*. As a result, for **every tonne of sugar produced, less than 200 grams of waste is generated.**

In terms of **[efficency](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**, British Sugar is therefore a good example of **Impact Level 1**, as they have made the production of their core product as circular as possible.


 Source: British Beet Research Organisation, Responsibility Report 2022, ABF.


 Foto © Ulleo for Pixabay

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Optimised use of resources

British Sugar | Optimised use of resources

### Challenge

Waste management, street cleaning, green maintenance, road construction: With more than 750 employees - 23 of them of different nationalities - at more than 18 locations, the **[Aachen Council](https://aachen.de)** performs central tasks of public service for the city of Aachen. In order to break down silos, manage the complexity of the multi-layered organization and motivate and retain employees, we were tasked with developing a mission statement with shared values.

### Strategy

We have developed a mission statement that clearly encapsulates the strengths of the Aachen Council. In doing so, we not only want to create identity and joy, but also a framework for action that forms a common platform for the heterogeneous organization. For the activation, we have developed three concrete phases that the Aachen Council can also use to develop its organization, its ecological footprint and its digital tools. A mixed team of Change Ambassadors accompanied the process with a lot of joy and trust and established itself as a permanent dialog tool for the management.

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A mission statement for new strength and togetherness

The Aachen Council - A mission statement for new strength and togetherness

The initiators of **[Labor Tempelhof](https://labor-tempelhof.org)** have set themselves the task of developing and implementing circular economy concepts for large concerts according to the **"Cradle to Cradle"** (C2C) principle. 

This project was put into practice for the first time in August 2022 at **three concerts at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport.** The large-scale events served as test sites to measure the climate-, environment- and resource-positive effects of C2C solutions and to test their scalability. 
 For example, 100% of the required electricity was covered by green electricity, phosphorus was recovered from sewage sludge, slightly polluted water was purified and fed into toilet flushes, and a social awareness concept was developed. The project uncovered challenges, for example, in the scalability of solutions and existing (mobility) infrastructure. The findings were published as a guidebook and made available to businesses, politicians, and event organisers.

We distinguish in three **[impact levels of circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**. The project Labor Tempelhof is an example of impact level 3 "Circular and sustainable ecosystems", as it pushes for both a systemic transformation and the development of innovative solutions for society at large, as well as involving diverse societal stakeholders (from participants to start-ups to politics and infrastructure).




 Photo © Jörg Steinmetz for Labor Tempelhof

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Concerts as Circular Testing Fields

Labor Tempelhof - Concerts as Circular Testing Fields

The Dutch smartphone manufacturer Fairphone is not only committed to **ethically fair working conditions** in the manufacture of its products along the entire value chain, but also ensures that the smartphones are made from both recycled and **recyclable materials** during production. In addition, attention is paid to reparability and thus a longer device lifespan. 

Furthermore, Fairphone has established a model in cooperation with recycling specialists, such as the French company Cadaoz, whereby old devices should increasingly enter the recycling cycle.
 As an incentive for donating the old device, the cell phone owner is issued a voucher that can be redeemed at Fairphone. According to the company, this should enable the return of 17,000 old devices in 2020. Around 40% of the devices will be refurbished and repaired for the second-hand market, while the rest will be recycled and recyclable materials returned to the cycle.

We distinguish in three **[impact levels of circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**. As an innovative business model, Fairphone is a good example of Impact Level 2.


### [Fairphone](https://www.fairphone.com/)



 Photo © Fairphone

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Fairphone - Sustainability goes electronic industry

Online mail order has been booming not just since the Covid19 pandemic: in Germany alone, the volume of shipments is forecast to increase by almost 20% by 2026*. This means at least as much growth in **disposable packaging waste**.
 The Finnish packaging specialist RePack has set itself the goal of preventing this. The idea of the start-up founders around CEO Jonne Hellgrenn: a **reusable recycling system for packaging**. Such systems have already been successfully established for glass and plastic bottles or beverage cans - why shouldn't it also be feasible for packaging?

In practice, the reusable packaging system is simple, practical and above all, circular: RePack provides online retailers with bags made of recycled polypropylene for a monthly rental fee.
 Retailers ship their goods in them, and customers return the empty packaging directly to RePack or use it to make returns to the retailer. After the return, the shipping bags are cleaned - either by RePack or the retailer directly - and are available for up to 40 additional shipping cycles. 

We distinguish in three **[impact levels of circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**. As an innovative business model, RePack is a good example of Impact Level 2.


### [RePack](https://www.repack.com/)



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*Source: BIEK; KE-Consult, Statista 2022

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RePack - Packaging rethought

As if the shortage of skilled workers and the corona crisis weren't enough, the Ukraine war is currently fueling commodity prices and inflation. With rising financing interest rates, digital investment targets are slipping out of sight. SMEs are therefore economically unsettled, especially as supply bottlenecks are likely to lead to further foreclosure of the global markets in the coming months. This will have a particularly severe impact on Germany as an export nation.
 But so far, German SMEs have discovered economic opportunities in every crisis.
 Take the climate crisis, for example: the current UN climate report from May 2022 shows why we can already expect global warming to average 1.5°C in the next four years. You don't have to be an economist to recognize that the climate crisis not only requires extreme action, but also offers enormous business potential.
 
Instead of just green washing, however, the core business should finally be rethought. Three steps can be defined for dealing with sustainability:

 **1. Gain transparency** about your use of resources and your emissions. Identify your biggest environmental levers.
 **2. Reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions**, but also close material cycles and replace resources with sustainable alternatives.
 **3. Discover circular business models** that enable you to serve customer needs in completely new ways. In this way, not only create economic value, but also build a resilient ecosystem that creates planetary and societal value.

Many CEOs complain they are overwhelmed by the number of new issues and the complexity of decisions. How can you address this complexity? How do you make sustainability real?

**Manage your business as a whole**, not through silos. See it through the eyes of a customer for whom it is a logical entity. So avoid separating organization, brand, business model, or sustainability. From your customer's perspective, your corporate identity is indivisible. Therefore, bring all those responsible for these topics in your company to the same table.

Don't just survey your current status on all four levels, but let those responsible work together to develop the potential for the coming years.
 You will see how much sustainability connects all areas, from production to sales. Plan binding proof points for the next few years with a consistent innovation roadmap. Because you'll have all areas at the table to realize these milestones together. A new mission statement and strong forward momentum will be the result.

 **Here are our most important learnings as strategists who accompany such processes every day.
Contrary to popular belief, sustainable business strategies can:**

 **·	Reduce costs** through lower material, emission, disposal or energy costs
 **·	Maximize revenues** through competitive products and credible price premium
 **·	Minimize risks** through reduced commodity price, supply or regulatory dependency
 **·	Retain customers** through long-term sustainable leasing, repair or recycling relationships
 **·	Motivate employees** with clear attitudes, organizational goals and measurable effectiveness.
 **·	Support societies** through safety, fair training and payment along the supply chain.
 **·	Regenerate Planet Earth** through air and water purification, soil enhancement, and species conservation.


It is no longer a matter of having to do everything that makes money. No, what is increasingly being done is what moves us forward sustainably as responsible companies. Whether it's "cradle-to-cradle" or circular business models: Take a completely new perspective on the offering and the associated added value for your customer.
 In the future, SMEs will think in terms of customer solutions instead of corporate products. After all, it has long been clear that we actually need mobility instead of cars. We want clean laundry instead of washing machines. Less is often more right. For example, we can offer customers cars or fashion that are brand-new, produced in a recycled state or already used.

To be able to define sustainable business models more precisely, we divide them into three different impact levels of sustainable circularity. You can read more about what these are and what they entail in our article on **[the three impact levels of sustainable circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)** nachlesen.

The modern entrepreneur does not merely act for profit, but balances material, human and planetary performance. We call this new pursuit of "Useful Performance" Ultrapreneurship.

 **Conclusion**
 Become part of the solution, especially in times of crisis. Trade in an entrepreneurial way. Re-prioritize and unleash the energy in your team to make a difference together. Discover that sustainable business models are fun and profitable.
 

 **Start doing it now!**

Have you read the examples of circular business models in our **[Blog](https://kup.id/en/up)**?
 Want to take entrepreneurial action, reset your priorities and make a difference?
 Want to see the status of your business at a glance?
 Take 20 seconds and use the free RAMP test. **[RAMP Test](https://kup.id/en/ramp)**.

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How companies can understand and benefit from sustainability

### Think everything together.

Shortage of skilled workers, climate change, corona crisis, Ukraine war, raw material prices, inflation, recession...
 How do I save my company?
 Is it enough to solve cost issues?
 How do we open up new sources of revenue?

The crucial step: remember, you are the CEO, the entrepreneur and yes, also the creative destroyer (J. Schumpeter).

 **Your first and only question: Who or what do you want and where should your company be in ten years?**

 So, especially during the recession, develop a strong vision, a picture of where you want your company to be. To do this, leave familiar paths and ask yourself what you can, want, need to do for your customers, employees and planet. Break through your silos and invite all your stakeholders into your vision to translate it into a strategy together with us and our **[CORING Process](https://kup.id/en/coring)**.

**How to transform your vision into your new mindset?**

Take advantage of the opportunities of circular business models and adopt a completely new perspective on your core business and customer promises.

Ground the constant pressure to grow, de-invest in old markets and themes, and focus on your incremental transformation.

Unleash the energy in your team to make a difference together. Balance material, human and planetary performance. In doing so, go beyond boundaries by striving for seemingly impossible goals. Do things that sustainably advance the planet and, in turn, you.
This energy is what modern entrepreneurship is all about. We call it **Ultrapreneurship**.

 **Start doing it right now!**

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Ultrapreneurship now

MUD Jeans offers a **jeans leasing model** including repair service for a monthly fee. After one year of leasing, the jeans are paid off and can be kept or traded in for a new leased pair. Returned jeans are either resold as vintage jeans or recycled to make new MUD jeans in a process that reduces the use of toxins and resources.

The business model extends the **product lifecycle** so that high value products are retained within the company, and reduces environmental impacts (e.g. water and raw material consumption) by recycling resources.

We distinguish in three **[impact levels of circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**. As an innovative business model, ON is a good example of Impact Level 2.

### [Mud Jeans](https://mudjeans.de/)



 Photo © Unsplash Maude Frederique Lavoie

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Mud Jeans - Jeans for lease

### **Where do I come from?**
It excites me how biological systems are resilient by themselves and give rise to fascinating life forms. As a scientist, I looked at such systems down to small biomolecules in a marine virus. At the same time, I became aware of the serious impact human actions have on marine ecosystems. Therefore, I switched to marine conservation in Malaysia and helped an NPO restore coral reefs. I was able to establish collaborations with local companies, reduce waste on a small island - and still had to watch coral bleaching since it was too warm for months.

Since then, my mission has been to tackle climate change at its roots in Europe. I advised companies about building science-based emission reduction strategies in the climate organization atmosfair and developed systemic transformation solutions with EIT Climate-KIC. Together with K'UP clients, I take a holistic view on sustainability: we unite business model, brand, corporate culture and planetary boundaries in the RAMP index and CORING process to create real value for society through sustainable innovation.



### **What drives me?**
To imagine how amazing a sustainable world feels: having companies that create real value for society and the environment, watching happy people in a safe environment. I want to help shape this change and create the future today together with our customers and the K'UP team. Furthermore, I love breaking mental barriers. I never thought I could dive to 40m on one breath but it was a nice vision. By the end of my Freedive Master training, I could do it - deeply relaxed, of course, and thanks to a great trainer. Transformation processes are large mental challenges: when I can help our clients to realize them, all of us can celebrate.

### **What is my strategy?**
To be relaxed, curious and deeply immersed in a system, to find promising currents and to act with a holistic view: science-based, energetic, with and for people, in harmony with nature.

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### Vita

- Sustainability Strategist, K'UP
- Sustainability Expert, futurewoman
- Business Development Manager, atmosfair
- System Innovation Pioneer & Climate Coach, EIT Climate-KIC
- Marine conservationist (Juara Turtle Project, Malaysia)
- Scientist (physics of marine viruses), MPI for Medical Research
- Doctoral Studies, B.Sc. & M.Sc. Molecular Biotechnology, University of Heidelberg

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Whether recycling economy, the "cradle to cradle" approach or the "product as a service" business model - they all have in common that they are attributed to the sustainable circularity or circular economy. And these existing approaches or business models will be followed by others.
 Because they offer solutions on many levels: For supply chain systems that are becoming more complex, for rising costs of dwindling resources, for customer loyalty and, last but not least, for the upcoming EU-wide regulations (e.g. the Net Zero program). In the future, economic activity will increasingly correlate with the extent to which value creation is decoupled from linear consumption. We show you how this can be done with inspiring examples in our Circularity **[Blog](https://kup.id/en/up)**.

In contrast to linear value chains, the model of circularity - in simplified terms - focuses in particular on the extension and intensification of product use. A product that circulates and thus remains in the economic cycle longer retains its functional value, saves resources, reduces emissions and pollution, and in turn promotes the regeneration of ecosystems.
 Innovative business models are needed to best circulate products with the functional values conveyed, to meet customer needs, and to be economical at the same time.

A company can achieve different impact for planet, society and its long-term business success with sustainable circularity. We basically distinguish three impact levels of circularity. They provide an orientation on how to approach the topic step by step:
 
 

##### Impact Level 1: First circular products and services

·	Transparency of the value chain and impacts
 ·	Resource efficient & fair production
 ·	Waste reduction
 ·	Enterprise at departmental level
 ·	Support of sustainable consumption behavior of customers

The first step is often innovation to close material loops for specific products and services that make production processes more efficient and consumer behavior more sustainable. Often, the initial focus is on a small target group.
 
 

##### Impact Level 2: Business model innovation

·	New, integrative services for a broader customer group
 ·	Preservation of product value (product life cycle)
 ·	Project involves various departments in the company

A higher impact can be achieved with innovations at the business model level, which provides new services and added value for customers beyond the physical product. Such changes are often associated with behavioral changes in the organization, such as breaking down silo thinking and increasing cross-departmental collaboration and strategic linkages between economic, environmental and social sustainability aspects.
 
 

##### Impact Level 3: Circular and sustainable ecosystems

·	Products close value, material and information loops
 ·	Inclusion of diverse societal stakeholders (politicians, infrastructure, public, other sectors)
 ·	Systemic change is envisaged
 ·	Developing innovative solutions for the broader society

The greatest impact is achieved through sustainable, circular ecosystems involving diverse stakeholders (often including policy makers as well as infrastructure). Circular ecosystems provide inclusive, sustainability-focused services to drive broad system change. This system change is often characterized by a full integration of economic, environmental, and social sustainability aspects.


 In her article **['From circular products and business models to circular ecosystems'](https://www.sgieurope.com/circular-economy/from-circular-products-and-business-models-to-circular-ecosystems/99081.article)** our partner **[Dr. Diana Born](https://kup.id/shoulders/diana-born)** delves further into circular business models.


Have you read the examples of circular business models in our **[Blog](https://kup.id/en/up)**?
 Want to take entrepreneurial action, reset your priorities and make a difference?
 Want to see the status of your business at a glance?
 Take 20 seconds and use the free RAMP test. **[RAMP Test](https://kup.id/en/ramp)**.

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The three efficiencies of sustainable circularity

Getting from A to B with an app that combines public transportation and sharing services to find the best route. That's the business model of the Finnish company MaaS Global. Mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) is a functional approach that wants to give users the same freedom that only their own car can provide: to be able to **go anywhere at any time**.

They use an open ecosystem approach that allows mobility providers to integrate and cooperate with the app. Sharing services and public transportation are displayed on the map and the fastest or cheapest way to get to the destination is calculated. With its Tripguide, Whim not only supports sharing services and public transportation, but primarily serves as a means to **get around cheaply**.
 Together with the MaaS Alliance, an international MaaS association of diverse stakeholders, they are working closely with infrastructure and policy - on a regional to international level to be able to make mobility sustainable for the wider society.

We distinguish in three **[impact levels of circularity](https://kup.id/en/article/the-three-efficiencies-of-sustainable-circularity)**. As a circular ecosystem, Whim App by MaaS is a good example of Impact Level 3.

### [MaaS Global](https://whimapp.com/)



 Photo © MaaS Global Whim

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MaaS Global - Mobility that replaces your car

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