Circular Business Model Canvas: Rethinking Business for a Regenerative Economy
As the urgency of climate action and resource efficiency grows, businesses across sectors are being called to rethink the way they create value. In response, Sweden-based initiative Circular Economy.se introduced the Circular Business Model Canvas (CBMC): a practical, visual tool that helps companies shift from linear thinking to circular, sustainable strategies.
Launched in 2020, CBMC is a reimagined version of the well-known Business Model Canvas originally created by Strategyzer. It keeps the same nine foundational elements (like customer segments, value propositions, and revenue streams) but adds an essential layer: a focus on environmental impact.
The tool encourages users to ask: What effect does our business model have on the planet? Through this lens, organizations can map out how their activities support circular practices such as reuse, recycling, remanufacturing, or biological regeneration. The canvas serves not just as a strategic framework, but as a conversation starter around responsible innovation.
CBMC is designed for a broad audience: any organization with an established business idea can benefit. Whether it is an SME looking to extend product life cycles or a public institution aiming to reduce material waste, the canvas offers a structured, yet flexible way to integrate circularity into core strategy.
Though the tool can be used independently, those unfamiliar with circular economy principles are encouraged to pair it with the Swedish guide “Ta steget till cirkulär affärsutveckling” (Step into Circular Business Development), available via the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. The canvas itself can be downloaded directly from:
🌐circulareconomy.se/cbmc
The strength of the CBMC lies in its simplicity and scalability. It is available in English, free to access, and intended for global use. It is ideal for coaches, consultants, and teams engaging in sustainability-focused business development. Rather than functioning as a KPI-driven evaluation tool, it acts as a “living document”: something to evolve as businesses prototype, pivot, and grow more resource-conscious.
Despite the challenges of encapsulating such a broad concept as circular economy, the CBMC manages to strike a balance by focusing on the technical cycle (reuse, remanufacturing, and material loops) while leaving room for further adaptations.
By bringing sustainability into the heart of business planning, the Circular Business Model Canvas is helping organizations not just stay competitive, but build resilience in a resource-constrained world.
More information:
🌐 circulareconomy.se
🌐 Tillväxtverket Guide
Contact: Tobias Jansson: tobias(at)circulareconomy.se
