Circularity
Closing the Loop: Circular Economy as a Competitive Advantage in Industrial Markets
Megatrend Circular Economy: Driving Sustainable Industrial Value Creation
The transition to a circular economy is becoming a critical lever for sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness across industrial sectors. Companies are rethinking materials, product design, and business models to reduce waste, extend product lifecycles, and create closed-loop systems.
Schlegel and Partner supports clients with forward-looking market insights, strategic guidance, and actionable recommendations for implementing circular solutions and unlocking new business opportunities. Our clients operate across industries such as chemicals, metals, automotive, electronics, and battery recycling. We address global challenges related to advanced materials, product design, and future-proof circular systems.
Our Expertise in Circular Economy
- Circularity strategies for materials, products, and industrial processes
- Analysis of recycling technologies and competitive benchmarking
- Evaluation of cost structures and economic viability of circular solutions
- Identification of new business models and value creation opportunities
- Market analysis across key industries (chemicals, metals, automotive, electronics, batteries, agribusiness)
- Assessment of regulatory frameworks and sustainability-driven market shifts
Key Trends and Drivers in the Circular Economy
- Increasing regulatory pressure (e.g., EU Circular Economy Action Plan, Extended Producer Responsibility)
- Rising demand for sustainable materials and low-carbon products
- Resource scarcity and price volatility of raw materials
- Technological innovation in recycling and material recovery processes
- Growing importance of eco-design and product lifecycle optimization
- Corporate sustainability targets and ESG-driven transformation
- Development of secondary raw material markets and closed-loop supply chains
Selected Project and Study Topics
- Battery circularity: Benchmarking of recycling technologies, cost positioning, and company evaluation
- Circular economy in polymers: Analysis of material flows and identification of business opportunities for a global chemical company
- Polyurethane foam recycling: Market analysis, unmet needs assessment, technology benchmarking, and market entry strategy
- Impact assessment of downstream sustainability trends, corporate initiatives, and regulatory developments on business units of a major chemical company
- Identification of business opportunities and investment targets in additives for polymer recycling
- Market opportunities in the European wood recycling sector
Sustainable Chemicals: Unlocking Innovation and Profit Through Green Chemistry
Sustainability is reshaping the chemical industry – but turning ambition into profitable business models remains a challenge. This white paper provides decision-makers with a clear, structured view on how sustainable chemistry can be translated into tangible value across the entire value chain.