Irresistible Circular Business: The Podcast Series
What does it actually look like when a company makes circularity work, commercially? We partnered with Circularity.fm to find out.
Across six episodes, we went inside Vitra, Johnson & Johnson, Whirlpool, Philips, Breitling, and Airbus to uncover the real business logic behind their circular strategies.
The result: proof that circular business models can be profitable, scalable, and worth building.
Six Companies.
Six R-Strategies.
One Argument.
The circular economy is often framed as a sustainability obligation. This series frames it differently: as a commercial opportunity. Each episode features a company that has built a circular model that pays, and an INDEED Innovation executive director as co-host to draw out the strategic lessons.
Together, the six episodes cover refurbishment, take-back, internal reuse, heritage-driven repair, and certified resale across industries as different as luxury watches and commercial aerospace.
What they share: a conviction that circular business is not a cost centre. It is a growth strategy.
The Episodes
Circular Furniture: How Vitra Circle Scales Refurb via Dealers
Rolf Keller, Head of Circularity at Vitra
Vitra buys back contract furniture, refurbishes it completely, and resells it through the same dealer network that sells new products. 60–90% CO₂ saved. 20% lower price point. New client segments unlocked.
- 90% of take-backs are paid transactions — customers receive money for furniture they no longer need
- Modular product design built decades ago is now the commercial foundation for the refurb business
- Dealers participate in the revenue model — a critical decision for adoption and scale
MedTech Recycling: Johnson & Johnson’s Waste-to-Value Model
Daniel Unger, Environmental Sustainability Manager at J&J MedTech Germany
J&J built a take-back and recycling program that solves hospitals’ waste disposal costs — and became a Unique Selling Proposition that influences which devices surgeons choose. Active in 13 countries.
- Take-back functions as a USP — it directly influences device selection at the point of care
- Hospitals receive impact reports for their own sustainability reporting
- Regulatory fragmentation is the primary scaling barrier: each country needs its own setup
Direct-to-Consumer: Whirlpool Corp’s Certified Refurb Strategy
Samantha Truesdell & Caio Doranti, Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool’s certified refurb program sells returned appliances directly through brand websites. The program already pays for itself. Direct-to-consumer preserves margin and keeps quality messaging in-house.
- Program passed break-even in its pilot phase
- Direct channel captures higher margin and controls the customer experience end-to-end
- Consumer hesitation drops sharply when warranty and certification are communicated clearly
Circular Strategy at Philips: Turning Trade-Ins Into Revenue
Patrick Lerou, Global Lead for Circularity at Philips
Philips runs a multi-strategy circular system: take-back, refurb to as-new quality at 70% of new prices, parts harvesting for supply resilience, and resale. Trade-in customers show measurably higher retention.
- Factory tours are the most effective sales tool: procurement directors who see the process become buyers
- Parts-harvesting kept Philips supplying customers during the Suez Canal disruption
- Trade-in relationships drive higher customer retention — visible in the data
Breitling Rewind: Repair as a Heritage Business Model
Aurelia Figueroa & Gianfranco Gentile, Breitling
Some Breitling watches have increased 8× in value over two decades. The Rewind program sources, restores, certifies, and resells vintage pieces — and reinforces demand for current production in the process.
- Heritage reinforces demand for new products — it’s not cannibalisation, it’s amplification
- Rewind treats circularity as a premium offer with full warranty, not a discount channel
- Breitling holds spare parts for watches built decades ago — circular foresight most companies abandoned
Circularity at Airbus: How SecondLife Cuts Waste and Costs
Nathalie Clement, Amanda Fiorillo & Bernd Schmid, Airbus Defence and Space
24,000 Airbus employees trade unused industrial assets on a digital marketplace. In three years: 160 tons of waste avoided, 1,600 tons of CO₂ saved, 150% ROI. The finance director’s case: “no bill for the bin.”
- Three-stage strategy: internal marketplace → external resale or supplier buyback → donation
- Business case was always central — framed as cost avoidance and revenue, never sustainability alone
- 800 new users per month over three years, grown entirely through internal marketing
About US
INDEED Innovation is the global design and innovation firm pioneering the circular economy. As a B Corp with 15 years in the market, we help companies build circular products, services, and systems that create measurable commercial results. The series was co-hosted by members of our leadership team.
Our Case Studies
Toilets For All
Lufthansa Technik
Covestro
Research project
Walmart
