Study Guide

Objective

Student understands how a circular economy changes the way in which value is created and how it is an indispensable part of the sustainability transformation. Student knows how circularity works for people, organisations, cities and regions. Student can apply principles of green and just economy and promote climate neutrality and resource efficiency. During this course, students are working and familiarising themselves with circular economy cases from e.g. working life, industries, or municipalities. The aim is to build up the theoretical knowledge required for Master’s Thesis.

Competencies emphasised in the course: learning to learn, ethics, proactive development, sustainable development, internationality and multiculturalism, critical and future oriented thinking

Content

- Economic and social system from a circularity and sustainability perspective.
- Circular economy frameworks and policies as well as instruments available internationally to finance circular economy solutions.
- Regional and national examples of circular economy development, e.g. industrial ecosystems, national roadmaps towards circular economy etc.

Location and time

Joint Learning events takes place online (ZOOM)

Materials

Learning Materials and recommended literature Current scientific articles and other publications.

The tutors put together a collection of material related to the content of the course in the learning environment of the course in Moodle to support the starting of the course.

Recommend orientation material, which will also be part of the course material:

2020 Circular Economy Action Plan – https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail//publication/9dc6aa01-39d2-11eb-b27b-01aa75ed71a1

Leading the cycle: Finnish road map to a circular economy 2016‐2025: https://www.sitra.fi/en/projects/leading-the-cycle-finnish-road-map-to-a-circular-economy2016-2025/#latest

Sustainable growth with circular economy business models (2022): https://www.sitra.fi/en/publications/sustainable-growth-with-circular-economy-businessmodels/

The Critical Move – Finland’s Road Map to the Circular Economy 2.0: https://www.sitra.fi/en/projects/critical-move-finnish-road-map-circular-economy-2-0/#thechallenge

The European Green Deal – Communication from the Commission (2019): https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52019DC0640%20&from=EN https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2019%3A640%3AFIN

What is a circular economy? – Ellen MacArthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview

Teaching methods

The course is implemented by joint online sessions, small group meetings during the study period, the
scheduling of which is reviewed at the start of the study period. Between meetings,
independent work is carried out according to one's own schedule or together with a small
group.

Teaching Methods
‐ Exploratory learning/transformative learning
‐ Online learning environments (Moodle and Zoom)
‐ Collaborative group working meetings, small group work and independent work
between the group meetings
‐ Independent information search and processing, and self‐assessment of competence
development
- Guest experts´ lectures

In the course, you will not only familiarize yourself with already existing knowledge, but also
create sustainability knowledge and skills through social interaction. The course is based on
independent work, but we also create space for ideas and experiences to collide and for a co‐
creative learning process that takes place in a 'mirror relationship'. This is connected to the
goal that each learner reflects and evaluates the development of his own competence and
meta‐skills during the study period, relating his development to other learners.
Being in interaction opens the possibility to approach things from many perspectives, to
create new meanings for circular economy in organization’s processes and a more holistic
understanding of things. All participants (tutor supervisors and those completing the study
course) have multidisciplinary competence based on their own history of experience and
based on a wide range of knowledge, which by bringing together new ideas and learning
experiences can be born. Working in a community enables creative work around a complex
phenomenon.

Employer connections

Students work out the circularity assessment for their own operating environment or a case company

International connections

Various international guest speakers may be invited during joint online sessions.

Completion alternatives

NA

Content scheduling

Detailed schedule is announced at the beginning of the course

Course is implemented in 3 learning cycles:
LEARNING CYCLE I
Introduction to Circular Economy and Sustainability
In this initial phase, you will familiarize yourself with the core concepts and key definitions of
the Circular Economy (CE). You will explore how Circular Economy and Sustainability are
interconnected and review various standards, regulations, and policies related to these fields,
with a special focus on the European Union context.
LEARNING CYCLE II :
Financial Mechanisms and Regional Examples
During this phase, you will delve into the financial mechanisms and strategies that support
Circular Economy development. This includes examining EU funding models, financial
incentives, and the roles of both public and private sectors. You will also study regional and
national examples to gain insights into practical applications and real-world case studies.
LEARNING CYCLE III :
Practical Application: Designing Circular Business Models
In this phase, you will explore a range of Circular Economy initiatives and methodologies,
considering the diverse approaches in this field. During this phase you will summarise all the
knowledge you gained during the course and apply your knowledge by designing sustainable
circular business models. This hands-on approach will allow you to synthesize the concepts
learned throughout the course and develop innovative solutions, enhancing your skills in
creating effective and sustainable Circular Economy strategies.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

1-2: Student
● understands main frameworks of circular economy in national and international level.
● identifies the principles of circular economy as a part of the transformation towards sustainability.
● presents at least one real-life development case of circular economy as a part of the organisation network, municipality or national level operations.
● knows the main points about how to promote circular economy as a part of the operations.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

3-4: Student
● can assess the impact of organisations’ circular economy operations or development activities on their stakeholder network and how the “industrial symbiosis” is shown in this context.
● can assess the key factors of operations, which are influencing the transformation towards sustainability in the operations
● is able to define progress measures for circular economy in the chosen organisation and the potential of those development activities.
● can propose at least one real-life example of how to improve the circular economy as a part of the organisation's operations and how this promotes the transformation towards sustainability.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

5: Student
● can apply and analyze development ideas to enhance circular economy principles in the organisation’s operations.
● can evaluate the impact of circular economy development activities in the organisation or in the chosen context
● shows knowledge of complex systems which are implementing circular economy principles as a daily basis in their operations and is able to evaluate how symbiosis is supporting the organisation network.