Circular Economy for Industry Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Sustainability Managers, Operations Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-SC-038

Before you join: Participants should have working experience in manufacturing, procurement, environmental management, logistics, product development, trade, industrial policy or related functions.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Industrial firms face rising material costs, waste-disposal liabilities, supply disruption, carbon reporting requirements and customer pressure to demonstrate resource efficiency. Circular economy practice addresses these issues by keeping products, components and materials at their highest practical value through better design, maintenance, reuse, remanufacturing, recycling and industrial cooperation. For manufacturers, traders and public agencies, the central task is to turn circular principles into commercially credible operating models, procurement requirements, investment cases and measurable results.

This course examines circular economy models used in industrial production, trade and value chains. Participants assess material flows, identify circularity opportunities, compare business models such as product-as-a-service and remanufacturing, and specify reverse logistics arrangements. They apply life cycle thinking, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 principles, material flow analysis, waste hierarchy, circular procurement criteria and industrial symbiosis methods. The course also addresses trade policy, secondary-material markets, extended producer responsibility, quality assurance and the financial case for circular investments.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings with sector cases from manufacturing, construction materials, food processing, consumer goods and electronics. Participants work with material-flow data, procurement scenarios, circular business model choices and implementation barriers relevant to their own organisations. They leave with a circular economy opportunity assessment, a prioritised action plan, a circular procurement checklist and a measurement framework that can be used to prepare internal proposals or supplier discussions.

The course is suited to professionals responsible for sustainability, operations, procurement, product development, environmental management, trade promotion or industrial policy. It is particularly useful where an organisation needs to reduce virgin-material dependence while maintaining product performance, regulatory compliance and commercial discipline.

What you will be able to do

  • Map industrial material flows using material flow analysis and circularity indicators
  • Assess circular economy opportunities using life cycle thinking and value-retention strategies
  • Design circular business models for repair, reuse, remanufacturing and product-service offerings
  • Specify circular procurement criteria for materials, products, packaging and supplier performance
  • Develop reverse logistics requirements for collection, sorting, recovery and secondary-material sales
  • Evaluate industrial symbiosis opportunities using resource matching and feasibility screening
  • Build an investment case for circular initiatives using cost, risk and value analysis
  • Produce a phased circular economy implementation plan with governance and performance measures

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Frame circular economy proposals in operational and financial terms
  • Identify credible reuse, repair and remanufacturing opportunities
  • Prepare supplier discussions using circular procurement criteria
  • Assess circular claims against material-flow and life-cycle evidence
  • Lead cross-functional circular economy implementation planning

For your organisation

  • Lower material losses and avoidable disposal costs
  • Reduce exposure to virgin-material price volatility
  • Improve supplier requirements for recycled content and product recovery
  • Create revenue options from by-products, recovered materials and services
  • Produce defensible circularity metrics for management and stakeholder reporting

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can explain circular economy principles and identify value-retention options within an industrial value chain.

  • Linear throughput risks: material scarcity, waste liabilities and supply disruption
  • Circular economy principles: narrow, slow, close and regenerate resource loops
  • Waste hierarchy applied to prevention, reuse, recovery and disposal decisions
  • Value-retention processes: maintenance, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling
  • Technical and biological cycles distinguished using the Ellen MacArthur model
  • Industrial value-chain mapping from raw materials to end-of-life recovery
  • Trade-offs between circularity, quality, safety, cost and carbon

Participants can map material flows and prioritise circular interventions using operational data.

  • Material flow analysis boundaries, units, stocks, flows and losses
  • Sankey diagrams used to visualise input materials and waste streams
  • Mass-balance checks reconcile purchasing, production, inventory and disposal records
  • Hotspot screening ranks materials by cost, volume, risk and impact
  • Pareto analysis identifies dominant waste streams and recovery opportunities
  • Baseline data requirements for facilities, products and supply chains
  • Opportunity matrix compares feasibility, value potential and implementation complexity

Participants can use life cycle thinking and selected indicators to compare circular options.

  • Life cycle stages: extraction, production, use, recovery and disposal
  • ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 principles for life cycle assessment
  • Functional units prevent misleading comparisons between alternative product systems
  • System boundaries distinguish recycled-content claims from avoided-burden assumptions
  • Material Circularity Indicator inputs: recycled content, utility and recovery rates
  • Carbon, water, toxicity and resource trade-offs in circular decisions
  • Data-quality assessment considers representativeness, completeness, consistency and uncertainty

Participants can specify product-design choices that support longer use and material recovery.

  • Design for durability addresses failure modes, maintenance access and component life
  • Modularity supports component replacement, upgrading and product configuration changes
  • Design for disassembly uses fastener choice, joining methods and material access
  • Material selection considers recycled content, recyclability, toxicity and contamination
  • Repairability scoring assesses documentation, tools, spare parts and diagnostic access
  • Standardised components reduce inventory complexity and improve recovery economics
  • Product passports record material composition, repair data and end-of-life instructions

Participants can evaluate circular business models and define their commercial requirements.

  • Circular business model patterns: access, performance, recovery and life extension
  • Product-as-a-service shifts revenue from ownership to contracted performance
  • Take-back schemes define customer incentives, collection terms and asset ownership
  • Remanufacturing models assess core return rates, inspection and warranty requirements
  • Repair services require parts planning, technician capacity and service pricing
  • Revenue architecture compares sales margins, recurring fees and residual value
  • Business Model Canvas adapted for circular value propositions and partnerships

Participants can develop procurement requirements that support circular material and product choices.

  • Circular procurement specifications define durability, repairability and recycled-content requirements
  • Total cost of ownership captures maintenance, recovery and disposal costs
  • Supplier questionnaires collect evidence on materials, traceability and take-back capacity
  • Contract clauses assign responsibilities for packaging return and product recovery
  • Supplier scorecards measure recycled content, waste reduction and recovery performance
  • Quality assurance for secondary materials addresses contamination and consistency
  • ISO 20400 guidance links sustainable procurement with governance and risk

Participants can outline reverse logistics systems and market pathways for recovered materials.

  • Reverse logistics network design covers collection, consolidation, sorting and transport
  • Return-channel selection compares retailer, depot, postal and collection-partner models
  • Sorting protocols separate reusable products, repair candidates and recyclable fractions
  • Chain-of-custody records support material traceability and customer confidence
  • Secondary-material specifications define grades, contaminants, moisture and packaging requirements
  • Market assessment identifies buyers, price references and offtake conditions
  • Extended producer responsibility schemes affect collection financing and reporting duties

Participants can screen by-products, utilities and infrastructure for industrial symbiosis opportunities.

  • Industrial symbiosis matches one operation’s outputs with another’s input requirements
  • Resource mapping captures by-products, heat, water, gases, land and logistics
  • By-product classification distinguishes usable materials from regulated waste streams
  • Compatibility screening tests volume, quality, timing, distance and treatment needs
  • Shared infrastructure options include utilities, treatment plants and transport assets
  • Feasibility assessment considers permits, contracts, liability and operational continuity
  • Symbiosis governance defines partner roles, data sharing and dispute procedures

Participants can assess policy and trade conditions affecting circular industrial activity.

  • Extended producer responsibility instruments allocate collection and recovery obligations
  • Eco-design rules influence product requirements, information and market access
  • Waste shipment controls affect cross-border movement of secondary materials
  • Tariff classifications distinguish waste, scrap, secondary materials and finished goods
  • Standards and certification reduce buyer uncertainty in recycled-material markets
  • Public procurement policy creates demand for circular products and services
  • Policy-mix analysis compares regulation, incentives, information and infrastructure support

Participants can prepare a phased circular economy action plan with governance, funding and measures.

  • Circular initiative charter defines scope, sponsor, objectives, owners and milestones
  • Cost-benefit analysis includes material savings, capital costs, revenues and residual value
  • Sensitivity analysis tests commodity prices, return rates and utilisation assumptions
  • Risk register addresses quality, safety, regulatory, market and partner risks
  • Key performance indicators track virgin input, recovery, waste and circular revenue
  • Governance routines assign decision rights, review cycles and escalation paths
  • Ninety-day action plan sequences pilots, evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Material flow analysis template
  2. Circular opportunity prioritisation matrix
  3. Circular business model canvas
  4. Circular procurement specification checklist
  5. Reverse logistics design brief
  6. Ninety-day circular economy action plan

Who should attend

  • Sustainability Managers — translate resource-efficiency commitments into operational circular economy programmes
  • Operations Managers — reduce material loss, waste costs and supply-chain exposure
  • Procurement Managers — introduce circular specifications and supplier performance requirements
  • Product Development Managers — design products for durability, repair, disassembly and recovery
  • Environmental Managers — connect waste management obligations with resource-value opportunities
  • Trade and Industrial Policy Officers — develop practical measures supporting circular production and markets

Skills and tools covered

Material flow analysisCircular business modellingCircular procurementReverse logistics designIndustrial symbiosisCircularity measurement

Tools and standards

ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, ISO 20400, Material Flow Analysis, Material Circularity Indicator

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish concepts, standards and decision methods, followed by facilitated case work drawn from industrial value chains. Small-group exercises apply material flow analysis, circular business model design, procurement criteria and industrial symbiosis screening to realistic scenarios. Participants test trade-offs through structured simulations involving suppliers, manufacturers, customers and recovery partners. Guided application planning then converts course findings into priorities, owners, measures and next steps for each participant’s organisation.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have working experience in manufacturing, procurement, environmental management, logistics, product development, trade, industrial policy or related functions. Familiarity with basic supply-chain stages, production processes and organisational budgeting is useful. Participants should be able to interpret simple operational data such as material quantities, waste volumes, purchase costs and supplier information. No prior circular economy qualification is required. Advanced life cycle assessment software, engineering design expertise, accounting certification and specialist knowledge of waste-treatment technologies are not required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need working familiarity with an industrial, supply-chain, procurement, environmental or policy function. No previous circular economy qualification or life cycle assessment software experience is required.

Bring a laptop if possible and, where permitted, a simple example of a product, material stream, waste issue or supplier challenge from your work. Confidential information is not required; anonymised figures or descriptions are sufficient.

It is designed for managers and specialists working in manufacturing, procurement, product development, logistics, environmental management, sustainability, trade or industrial policy. It is most useful for people expected to convert circular economy aims into operating decisions.

This course focuses on industrial value retention, commercial models, procurement, reverse logistics and secondary-material markets. It goes beyond environmental awareness and disposal compliance by examining how materials can retain value through products, services and inter-firm exchanges.

You can use the material flow template to identify priority losses, the procurement checklist to revise requirements, and the action plan to organise a pilot. The methods also support internal investment proposals and structured supplier discussions.

The programme contains ten linked modules delivered over five training days, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day from 08:30 to 16:30. Time is divided between instructor input, cases, group analysis, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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