Circular Leadership:
Building Collaborative Strategies for Circular FM Transition
Background & Context
The increasing focus on sustainability in the global business landscape has underscored the need for circular economy principles, which aim to eliminate waste, optimize resource use, and foster long-term value creation. The IFMA research report, “Circular FM: The Role of the Circular Economy in Facility Management”, explores how FM can play a pivotal role in driving circular economy practices within organizations. It identifies the opportunities for FM teams to lead in reducing waste, promoting resource efficiency, and aligning with broader sustainability goals.
This topic was selected for IFMA research because it highlights an area of growing importance for the FM profession—one where FM professionals can lead meaningful change while contributing to both business profitability and sustainability outcomes. The research also distinguishes the benefits of a circular economy model, which stands in contrast to the traditional linear economy model. While the linear model operates on a “take-make-waste” basis, the circular approach fosters resource efficiency and resilience, driving improved financial results that resonate with C-suite leaders.
While the report provides a comprehensive overview that raises member awareness of the circular economy in FM, the next critical question addresses how this can be effectively implemented and actioned, asking:
How can FM teams inspire collaboration across all organizational functions to transition to a circular business model?
Summit Objective
This Executive Summit seeks to address this central question by exploring how FM teams can engage various departments—Procurement, Finance, HR, IT, Sustainability, Waste Management, Health & Safety, and more—in a collaborative effort to adopt circular economy practices. The challenge is not only to implement circular economy strategies within FM but to inspire a whole-organization approach that aligns with these sustainability goals.
By positioning the circular economy as a business-driven strategy with sustainability as a byproduct, FM teams can better communicate its value to executive leadership. Additionally, the role of technology will be integrated into this discussion. Technology continues to be a critical enabler of better efficiencies and planning, offering tools to track, analyze, and optimize resource use, making the circular economy transition more achievable for organizations.
Knowledge Café Activity
To foster collaborative insights, the Summit will employ a Knowledge Café activity, based on the World Café methodology, which promotes rich, diverse input through group rotations. Participants will rotate between stations themed by different organizational departments, where they will collaboratively address key questions about how each department can contribute to the transition to a circular economy model. Each group will build on the input left by previous participants, leading to more comprehensive and multi-faceted recommendations.
Key questions for each organizational function will be:
- What role does this department play in supporting a circular economy transition?
- How can FM teams inspire collaboration with this department to maximize circularity?
- What specific tools (technology), training, or capabilities are needed to support this department’s role in the transition?
- What metrics or KPIs should be used to track this department’s progress in implementing circular economy practices?
- What challenges could this department face during the transition?