Circularity.fm

Circularity at Airbus: How SecondLife Cuts Waste and Costs

Irresistible Circular Business How can a reuse marketplace for unused industrial assets reduce costs and waste at scale? In this episode, Nathalie Clement, Amanda Fiorillo, and Bernd Schmid from Airbus Defence and Space explain how Airbus built SecondLife, a digital platform where employees trade unused equipment. In three years, 160 tons of waste were avoided and 1,600 tons of CO₂ were saved. What you'll hear in this episode: • How Airbus structured a three-step reuse strategy: internal marketplace, external resale and supplier buyback, and donation as a last resort • Why the financial case is central: a 150% ROI over three years and €1.5 billion in asset value exchanged internally • How KPIs turned a pilot into a scalable system across the company Featured in this episode is also Heiko Tullney from Indeed Innovation as co-host. This is the final episode of the Irresistible Circular Business series, produced in partnership with Indeed Innovation, the global design and innovation firm pioneering the circular economy. People Nathalie Clement, Environmental Projects Coordinator https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-clement-mac-farlane-98081b2/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-clement-mac-farlane-98081b2/] Amanda Fiorillo, Business Digital Improver for Industrial Systems https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-fiorillo-2a83561/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-fiorillo-2a83561/] Bernd Schmid, Program Manager Transformation Space Systems at Airbus https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernd-schmid/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernd-schmid/] Heiko Tullney, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation https://www.linkedin.com/in/heiko-tullney/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heiko-tullney/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Intro 04:31 Airbus and Its Circularity Strategy 07:29 How SecondLife Started and How It Works 15:45 Getting Buy-In and Building Internal Traction 22:12 Commercial and Circular Impact 25:51 External Resale: Strategy, Buyers, and Compliance 37:05 External Commercial Impact and Donation 41:40 What Makes SecondLife Irresistible 42:55 Outro About Airbus is one of the world's largest aerospace and defence companies, designing and manufacturing commercial aircraft, helicopters, military transports, and satellites. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company generated €69.2 billion in revenue in 2024 and employs around 150,000 people across more than 180 countries. Convinced that digital technology is a powerful accelerator for sustainable transformation, Airbus developed SecondLife, an internal digital marketplace that allows employees to give unused industrial assets a new purpose rather than sending them to waste. The platform is part of Airbus's broader "Digital for Green" strategy and has expanded across all major divisions, with ambitions to eventually open to external partners. Further Links ReCommerce Playbook https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/  [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/circularity-at-airbus-how-secondlife-cuts-waste-and-costs/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/circularity-at-airbus-how-secondlife-cuts-waste-and-costs/]

Breitling Rewind: Repair as a Heritage Business Model

Irresistible Circular Business Can the value of a product increase over time instead of declining? In this episode, Aurelia Figueroa, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Gianfranco Gentile, Global Head of Heritage at Breitling, discuss how heritage, repair, and brand identity interact to create a circular model where product value appreciates over decades. The episode is co-hosted by Karel J. Golta, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation. What you'll hear in this episode: -How Breitling's Rewind program sources, restores, certifies, and resells vintage watches, and why the company treats it as a cultural mechanism that reinforces demand for current production -How Breitling frames circularity as a driver of value creation -How valuing heritage and product longevity can become business assets This is the fifth episode in the series Irresistible Circular Business, sponsored by Indeed Innovation, the global design and innovation firm pioneering the circular economy. The series showcases business practices that deliver irresistible commercial and circular results, with examples from different industries across different R-strategies. People Aurelia Figueroa, Chief Sustainability Officer https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurelia-rochelle-figueroa/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurelia-rochelle-figueroa/] Gianfranco Gentile, Global Head of Heritage at Breitling https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianfranco-g-m-gentile-275805b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianfranco-g-m-gentile-275805b/] Karel J. Golta, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation https://www.linkedin.com/in/karelgolta/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karelgolta/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Introduction 05:32 Circularity in the Watch Industry 09:30 The Role of Heritage and Product Lifetime 10:13 Appreciating Assets: Examples from Breitling's Icons 14:30 Circularity and Joy Within Breitling's Processes 18:05 The Rewind Vintage Program 21:28 Sourcing and Restoring Heritage Watches 23:18 Combining Storytelling with Sustainability 27:29 What Makes the Business Side of Circularity Irresistible 31:06 Heritage and Rewind as Brand DNA 36:45 Irresistibility and Takeaways 44:23 Outro About Breitling is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1884 and headquartered in Switzerland. Active in the luxury goods and jewelry industry, the company is known for its technical watches and chronographs, especially designs linked to aviation, land and sea. On circularity, Breitling frames its strategy as “sustainable luxury,” structured around the pillars Product, Planet, People, Process and Prosperity. Its circular-focused actions include using recycled and responsibly sourced materials where possible, reducing waste and plastics in packaging and operations, and treating long-lasting, repairable watches and heritage-oriented collections as a core sustainability lever by designing products to be maintained, serviced and kept in use. Further Links ReCommerce Playbook: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/ [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/breitling-rewind-repair-as-a-heritage-business-model/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/breitling-rewind-repair-as-a-heritage-business-model/]

Circular Strategy at Philips: Turning Trade-Ins Into Revenue

Irresistible Circular Business How can a 100+ year old linear company transform its processes to make circularity commercially irresistible? In this episode, Patrick Lerou, Global Lead for Circularity, and co-host Florian Witt, Director of Technology at INDEED Innovation, discuss how Philips built a circular system for high-value medical equipment that turns trade-ins into revenue, parts harvesting into supply chain resilience, and refurbishment into a competitive advantage. What you'll hear in this episode: • How Philips uses a three-tier triage system to maximize value from returned equipment through resale, parts harvesting, or certified recycling. • Why "seeing is believing" works as a sales strategy, with factory tours convincing procurement directors and even governments of refurbishment quality. • How the Suez Canal crisis revealed circularity's hidden benefit: supply chain resilience through self-sourced components. This episode covers the operational mechanics and commercial logic behind enterprise-scale circularity, including how to navigate fragmented global regulations and connect data points. This is the fourth episode in the series Irresistible Circular Business, sponsored by INDEED Innovation, the global design and innovation firm pioneering the Circular Economy. The series showcases business practices that deliver irresistible commercial and circular results, with examples from different industries across different R-strategies. People Patrick Lerou, Global Lead in Circularity & Chief of Staff Circular Lifetime Solutions at Philips https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklerou/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklerou/] Florian Witt, Director of Technology at INDEED Innovation https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-m-witt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-m-witt/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Introduction 04:25 How Philips Went Circular 08:00 Motivation for Circularity 12:15 Causes of Resistance and Winning Customers 19:35 Regulation Roadblocks Worldwide 22:49 Importance of Collaboration in Health Care 24:16 Circular KPIs That Prove Value 28:00 Data Insights and Supply Resilience 34:16 Designing Circular Business 40:46 Outro About Philips is a Dutch health-technology company founded in 1891 and headquartered in Amsterdam, with tens of thousands of employees operating in more than 100 countries and annual sales of roughly €15–20 billion in recent years. After decades as a diversified electronics group, it is now focused on health tech, offering medical imaging and diagnosis systems, image-guided therapy solutions, patient monitoring and connected care, as well as selected consumer health and personal care products. In its circular-economy work, Philips runs “Circular Edition” and other circular equipment portfolios that supply refurbished and pre-owned medical systems restored to “as-new” quality, along with refurbished consumer products where appropriate. The company also offers take-back for all professional medical equipment it sells directly, prioritizing refurbishment and parts harvesting, and using certified recyclers at true end-of-life to extend product lifetimes, reduce virgin material use, and avoid landfill. Further Links ReCommerce Playbook https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/  [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/] More on Philips Factory: https://www.philips.de/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/2025/202503-philips-werk-hamburg-gewinnt-nachhaltigkeitsauszeichnung.html [https://www.philips.de/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/2025/202503-philips-werk-hamburg-gewinnt-nachhaltigkeitsauszeichnung.html] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/circular-strategy-at-philips-turning-trade-ins-into-revenue/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/circular-strategy-at-philips-turning-trade-ins-into-revenue/]

Direct-to-Consumer: Whirlpool Corp's Certified Refurb Strategy

Irresistible Circular Business How do you build a successful certified refurb program for major appliances? In this episode, Samantha Truesdell, Enterprise Circularity and Climate Strategy Manager, and Caio Doranti, Global Sustainability Senior Manager at Whirlpool Corporation, explain how Whirlpool launched a certified refurbishment program for large home appliances, selling returned units direct to consumer through brand websites. The episode is co-hosted by Karel J. Golta, Executive Director at INDEED Innovation. The conversation looks at how Whirlpool evaluated circular business model opportunities and why certified refurb was selected as one of the first to execute. What you'll hear in this episode: • Whirlpool's enterprise circularity framework and the criteria used to evaluate and prioritize circular business models • How the certified refurb program works, from returned unit inspection and grading to resale through direct-to-consumer channels • The revenue case for certified refurb and how the direct-to-consumer model affects margin The episode also covers internal stakeholder alignment, pilot-phase KPIs, and what Whirlpool expects to learn as geographic coverage expands in phase two. This is the third episode in the series Irresistible Circular Business, sponsored by INDEED Innovation, the Global Design and Innovation Firm pioneering the Circular Economy. The series showcases business practices that deliver irresistible commercial and circular results, with examples from different industries across different R-strategies. People Samantha Truesdell, Enterprise Circularity & Climate Strategy Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-truesdell-08a28156/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-truesdell-08a28156/] Caio Doranti, Global Sustainability Senior Manager at Whirlpool Corporation https://www.linkedin.com/in/caiodoranti/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/caiodoranti/] Karel J. Golta, Executive Director at INDEED Innovation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/karelgolta/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karelgolta/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Intro quote 00:26 Intro 06:00 Whirlpool's Circularity Ambition 10:24 Developing the Certified Refurbished Program 13:33 Evaluation Criteria for Circular Strategies 15:30 Consumer Adoption of Circular Business Models 18:02 Deep Dive: The Certified Refurbishment Process 25:31 Commercial Benefits and Revenue Potential 28:18 Metrics and Learnings from the Pilot Phase 30:53 Building Internal Support and Partnerships 33:30 Translating Sustainability for Business Stakeholders 38:20 Making Circular Business Irresistible 41:13 Key Takeaways and Overcoming Barriers 47:26 The Broader Impact of Refurbishment 50:02 Outro About Whirlpool Corporation is a US-based global manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Through brands such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator, the company serves households worldwide, reporting around 17–19 billion USD in annual sales and operating tens of manufacturing and technology research centers across the Americas and other regions. On circularity, Whirlpool is integrating circular-economy principles into product design, use, and end‑of‑life, focusing on durability, repairability, recycled content, and recovery of materials. The company runs certified refurbishment centers that restore a large share of returned appliances for resale, helping extend product lifetimes and keep materials in use, and it complements this with initiatives such as water‑filter mail‑back recycling and take‑back of old appliances and packaging for material recycling instead of landfill. Further Links ReCommerce Playbook: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/ [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-recommerce-playbook-from-returns-to-revenue/] Whirlpool Corporation Corporate Responsibility Resource Center: https://cr.whirlpoolcorp.com/ [https://cr.whirlpoolcorp.com/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/direct-to-consumer-whirlpool-corps-certified-refurb-strategy/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/direct-to-consumer-whirlpool-corps-certified-refurb-strategy/]

MedTech Recycling: Johnson & Johnson’s Waste-to-Value Model

Irresistible Circular Business How can take-back programs move beyond compliance to become a primary sales driver and scaling mechanism? In this episode, Daniel Unger, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Johnson & Johnson MedTech Germany, and Michael Leitl, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation, discuss how J&J’s collection system solves a core operational problem for its customers: the waste management costs for hospitals. The conversation explores how their take-back program functions as a crucial sales and commercial lever. What you’ll hear in this episode: • The function of the take-back program as a Unique Selling Proposition that secures sales and influences procurement. • The major regulatory barriers that block cross-border logistics and the strategic decisions that facilitate rapid market scaling and partner adoption. • The long-term business case and vision for industry-wide collaboration  This episode covers the practical trade-offs and operational shifts required to build a financially and environmentally viable take-back business model, despite regulatory and cost constraints. This is the second episode in the series Irresistible Circular Business, sponsored by Indeed Innovation, the global design and innovation firm pioneering the Circular Economy. The series showcases business practices that deliver irresistible commercial and circular results, with examples from different industries across different R-strategies. People Daniel Unger, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Johnson & Johnson MedTech https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-unger-89220181/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-unger-89220181/] Michael Leitl, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation https://www.linkedin.com/in/mleitl/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mleitl/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:40 The J&J Collection and Take Back System 00:07:35 Hospital Motivation: Data, Costs, and Waste Reduction 00:10:59 J&J Commercial Motivation and USP 00:12:43 Scaling and Regulatory Barriers 00:19:31 Vision 2030: A Star Alliance 00:25:52 Learning from Other Industries: Value Preservation 00:32:10 Outro About Johnson & Johnson MedTech is the medical devices and technologies business of Johnson & Johnson, working across areas such as surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular care, and vision to help improve outcomes for patients and healthcare systems worldwide. It develops medtech solutions that combine biological and engineering expertise to make care more precise, less invasive, and better connected for clinicians and patients. On circularity and sustainability, Johnson & Johnson MedTech operates take-back and recycling programs for single-use devices and components that recover metals and plastics from items such as instruments, loaders, and other hardware so those materials can be reused in non-medical applications rather than going to landfill or incineration. These programs are active in multiple regions including Europe, the UK, the US, and markets such as New Zealand and Switzerland. Further Links 2026 MedTech Circularity Index: Benchmarking global industry leaders: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/circularity-index-medtech-2026/ [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/circularity-index-medtech-2026/] Refurbishment Guide: Scaling operations and circular revenue: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/refurbishment-the-ingredient-for-future-growth/ [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/refurbishment-the-ingredient-for-future-growth/] Circular Feasibility Study: Strategies to eliminate clinical waste: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-white-dot-2024-medtech-circular-economy-feasibility-study/ [https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-white-dot-2024-medtech-circular-economy-feasibility-study/] ”The White Dot” Initiative, Practical hospital circularity via ZUKE Green, INDEED, and CIRCULARMED: https://zuke-green.de/initiative-weisser-punkt/ [https://zuke-green.de/initiative-weisser-punkt/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/medtech-recycling-johnson-johnsons-waste-to-value-model/ [https://circularity.fm/medtech-recycling-johnson-johnsons-waste-to-value-model/]