Nordic Circular Hotspot

SRL 5 - proposed solution(s) validated by relevant stakeholders in the area

Nordic Circular Hotspot

Multi-national network

Oslo, Oslo, Norway

ORGANISATION / PARTNERS

Natural State

BUSINESS MODEL

SCALE: Supranational

Stakeholder:

Private SectorPublic Sector

Type:

B2B - Business to BusinessB2G - Business to Government

BUSINESS MODEL FORMAT:

FACET & LEVEL

FACET:

AgricultureBio-economyBuilt EnvironmentCommunityDesignEducationElectronicsFood & DrinkHealth & WellbeingManufacturingMaritimeMaterial FlowsMobilityNetworks & HubsPlasticProcurementRecyclingRemanufacturingSupply ChainTextilesWaste Management

LEVEL:

Meso - Network, Cluster & Eco-Industrial Parks

Network, Cluster & Eco-Industrial Parks

SOCIETAL READINESS LEVEL & POTENTIAL

FUTURE POTENTIAL

ScaleableReplicableNetworkable

SOCIETAL READINESS LEVEL

SRL 5 - proposed solution(s) validated by relevant stakeholders in the area

SRL 5 - proposed solution(s) validated by relevant stakeholders in the area

CIRCULAR CYCLE PHASE

STATUS & TIMELINE

Milestone title	Date	Content
Phase 0	01/2018	Having secured funding from Nordic Innovation, the Nordic Circular Hotspot kick-started its pre-phase (Phase 0, 2018-2019) by primarily focusing on investigating what the relevant stakeholders in the Nordics wanted from a Nordic Circular Hotspot.
Phase 1	01/2020	Following this pre-phase and utilising the findings from the Nordic Circular Hotspot’s Survey and Network Map of the Nordics, additional co-funding was received from Nordic Innovation to implement the strategic development process for 2020-2030 (Phase 1), which was facilitated by Natural State from June-December 2020.
Phase 2	01/2021	Now, in Phase 2 (2021-2024), the Nordic Circular Hotspot is working on the realisation and implementation in the market by leading and learning from the circular and sustainable transition of the Nordic market in the new 20s. Its Nordic Circular Arena (to be launched in June 2021), Partnership Programme (presented in March and onboarding from April 2021), second Nordic Circular Summit (a hybrid event to be organised from Copenhagen in November 2021) as well as other events throughout the year are all being implemented and managed by 10 Managing Partners and facilitated by Natural State.
Phase 3	01/2025	Phase 3 (2025-2030) be focusing on achieving a critical mass of the circular and sustainable dynamics and transactions in the Nordic region, reaching transitional tipping points faster in all segments and sectors.

DESCRIPTION

TITLE: Nordic Circular Hotspot

CONCEPT: Multi-national network

The Nordic Circular Hotspot was initiated in June 2019 and is at present run by 10 Managing Partners from five Nordic countries plus one addition from The Netherlands. Each Partner has extensive circularity experience, knowledge and networks—locally, regionally and internationally. The first pre-phase was initiated by Elin Bergman (Cradlenet) in Sweden and Cathrine Barth (Circular Norway) in Norway when they met during the Holland Circular Economy Week (HCEW2018) in The Netherlands, which the Holland Circular Hotspot Foundation was co-organising. They were impressed with how the Holland Circular Hotspot was working and wanted to start a similar organisation in the Nordics.

CHALLENGE:

Establishing transparency and network governance for key stakeholders (managing partners, network partners and relevant external stakeholders) to ensure that value flows both tangible (i.e. money, a service, a product) and intangible (information, data, reputation) are not bottlenecked.

LOCAL LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION: Norsk

IMPACT

BARRIERS

TECHNOLOGICAL
- Too few large scale projects
- Regional service economy infrastructure
SOCIAL
- Lack of awareness
- Lack of sense of urgency
- Lack of community connection
- Lack of trust
CULTURAL
- Lack of leadership
- Company/community culture
- Limited understanding on impacts
- Willingness to collaborate in the value chain
- Operating in a linear system
- Change of mindset
- Shareholder concerns dominate corporate governance
- Resistance by key stakeholders seeking the status quo
MARKET
- High upfront investment costs
- High planning and management costs
- Limited funding
- International and geopolitical competition
- Complementary skills/services required
REGULATORY
- Circularity is not efficiently integrated into innovation policies
- Governance issues related to responsibility and property
- Lack of global consensus
- Absence of consistently applied standards and protocols

ENABLERS

SOCIAL
- More inclusive and connected communities
- Stronger personal connections
- Shared norms, values, attitudes, and beliefs
CULTURAL
- Integration of the CE concept into training and educational programs
- A creative and skilled problem-solving resource
- Preparation of future professional practices and understanding
MARKET
- Need for a long-term vision by businesses
- Knowledge of impact
- Competitive advantage for early adopters
- Functional service economy (XaaS)
- Digital infrastructure
- Valuing the services, not only the products - provided by nature
- New alliances and collaborations
REGULATORY
- Provide access to funding to encourage experimentation, innovation and redesign
- Foster the development of new technologies with the support of public authorities
- Use of circular performance indicators by governments, investors and businesses can encourage the value chain to become more circular
- Investment in education and employment services to prepare the market for the next economy
- Promote public-private partnerships to better counter and lift political barriers
TECHNOLOGICAL
- Digital technologies and engineering to support business models
- Biomimicry innovation - emulating natures strategies