Circular business models

By addressing product life extension, reuse, and the recycling of waste, circular business models can reduce consumption and minimise waste generation. They allow products to be continuously used, reused, sold as a service, and enable the sharing of products, rather than incentivizing a one-time purchase. A commonality and driving forces are data collection, digital tools, and design.

91% of Danish chemistry and plastic producing companies have strategic targets for reducing waste and increasing recyclability

91 %

1 out of 5 Danes participate in activities related to the sharing economy

1/5

In 2021, the Danish government presented an Action Plan for Circular Economy constituting a na-tional design for the prevention and management of waste towards 2032

Related facts

Featured content

Mission 30 for 2030: How to Create a Design-Driven Circular Mission

Blog post by Julie Hjort, Programme Director of Sustainable and Circular transition at Danish Design Centre. The blog post is part of a series of perspectives leading up to LOOP Forum in Copenhagen and Circular City Week in New York.

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Designing for the circular economy — the Danish way

Blog post by Ditte Lysgaard Vind, founder of The Circular Way and Partnerships Director at Lendager. The blog post is part of a series of perspectives leading up to LOOP Forum in Copenhagen and Circular City Week in New York.

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Circular Economy – learnings from Denmark and the US

Blog post by Tone Søndergaard, Director of Danish Cleantech Hub, New York, and responsible for partnerships, sustainable business expansion programs, and climate change initiatives. The blog post is part of a series of perspectives leading up to LOOP Forum in Copenhagen and Circular City Week in New York.

Read the news

Mission 30 for 2030: How to Create a Design-Driven Circular Mission

Designing for the circular economy — the Danish way

Circular Economy – learnings from Denmark and the US

Explore circular business models

Creation date: Latest first

News

Job creation and transition

+100

Sound of Green, a podcast series with insights from Denmark’s green transition

27 January 2023

From managing cloudbursts to setting up climate partnerships, we examine how Denmark has turned acute climate challenges into new opportunities. In our podcast series Sound of Green, experts convey how Danish experiences can push the needle toward global green transition. Find it on Spotify, Apple Podcast and stateofgreen.com.

News

Recycling of waste to material

+1

Danish deposit system reaches full economic circularity

25 January 2023

The Danish deposit and return system for recycling bottles and cans is now fully circular, as the non-profit system in 2023 reached zero expenses for producers and 100 percent economic circularity.

News

Living labs

+60

Danish companies obtain the most green patents

16 January 2023

Known to be among the globe's most sustainable, Danish companies are number one in obtaining green patents in both Europe and the US over the past ten years.

solutions

Buildings

+3

Retrofit for CO2 reductions

All over the world, run-down industrial areas and worn-out buildings are left empty as society and industry changes. The retrofitting of existing buildings holds great potentials. Through retrofitting we can secure significant reductions in the constructions CO2 footprint and add new energy to neigh

Perspective

Wind energy

+35

10 examples of green solutions from Denmark in 2022

Many Danish companies provide solutions that can help drive the global transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, resource-efficient society. Find inspiration in ten of the most popular green solutions from Danish companies published on our webpage in 2022.

Perspective

Wind energy

+31

10 green news stories from Denmark in 2022

22 December 2022

With a significant focus on energy transition, 2022 has been buzzing with new climate pledges and cross-border initiatives. In this recap, we serve the ten most popular news stories published in 2022.

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Meet Danish circular business models professionals

Company

Offshore wind

+7

Odense Port

Odense Port is one of Europes leading manufacturing ports within offshore wind. We have facilitated the production and load out of main components for 1.400+ offshore wind turbines.

Financial Institution

District energy

+8

Investment Fund for Developing Countries - IFU

IFU is the Danish Development Finance Institution providing risk capital for private sector investments in developing countries and emerging markets. Investments are made on commercial terms in the fo

Company

Buildings

+7

Transition ApS

Transition supports the transition to a sustainable society.

Organisation

Air pollution

+20

Danida Green Business Partnerships

Danida Green Business Partnerships (DGBP) is a development programme established under Danida. The programme brings together commercial and non-commercial partners in innovative partnerships. The obje

Research Institution

Carbon capture, storage and utilisation

+10

SDU Climate Cluster

SDU Climate Cluster is an interdisciplinary cluster at the University of Southern Denmark focusing on climate related research.

Company

Bio-based circular solutions

+34

Viegand Maagøe

We co-create the green transition. The transition relies on a combination of technologies, financing, people, and communications. This is why we are experts in advising about these topics.

Company

Circular business models

+3

JELLYFISH Agency

JELLYFISH Agency are specialists in Circular economy, Deposit systems and Innovation. We advise on circular solutions, and create sustainable and efficient business development through creative and in

Company

Buildings

+3

Nordic Waste A/S

At Nordic Waste we are specialists in biological and chemical treatment of contaminated soil and residual products from the industry etc. The purpose is to recycle the soil and residual products back

Show all partners

Explore related focus areas

Circular business models

By addressing product life extension, reuse and the recycling of waste, circular business models can re-duce consumption and minimise waste generation. They allow products to be continuously used, reused, sold as a service, and enable the sharing of products, rather than incentivizing a one-time purchase. A commonality and driving forces are data collection, digital tools, and design.

Waste management

Successful waste management utilises the potential of waste by increasing recycling and reuse of materials while limiting the amount of waste that goes to landfill. Denmark has an efficient waste management system in place and aims to have a climate-neutral waste sector by 2030.

Circular construction

The construction sector holds one of the greatest potentials for a circular transition. The sector represents an enormous potential for reducing waste and increasing recycling and reuse. A building can be designed for circularity if it is designed to be easily decommissioned, e.g. using principles of modularity and design-for-disassembly to enable higher reuse of the building materials.