Closing the Loop: A Decision Support Framework for Circular Economy implementation to the adaptive reuse of vacant buildings in the Netherlands.

The Circular Economy (CE) in the built environment has gained ever more attention as discussions around the threats of global warming, resource scarcity, environmental impacts, and energy emissions intensify. The building industry accounts for approximately 40% of carbon emissions and reusing vacant buildings – thus slowing resource loops – is...

Sustainable business models for social innovation: The case of renewable energy cooperatives

The European Union has set its goal to produce at least 20 percent of the gross final consumption of energy from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. This ambitious measurement was taken to reduce the anthropogenic GHG emissions in order to mitigate the consequences of climate change. The economic and technical oriented strategies to...

An explorative study on business models for sustainability using STOF and stress-testing

A circular platform design for upper limb stroke rehabilitation

This project has been developed within the context of a startup company that aims to improve the problem of limited stroke recovery of the upper limb in the Netherlands. The company's value proposition consists of addressing this problem by means of artificially assisted therapy. The specific mission of this project has been to reconsider the...

Circular Business Models: A company perspective

This project aimed to research the perspective of companies on the relationship between sustainability and circular business models. This was done by first looking at how literature describes the relationship between sustainability and the circular economy/circular business models. With this as a basis, thirteen different multinational companies...

District Heating project development, a fragile business: Towards new collaboration and business models

An exploratory research into the role of business models and collaboration mechanisms in district heating project development. District heating is one of the main solutions of decarbonising the built environment, however it is only thinly researched and implemented. A generic collaboration model of district heating project development in the...

Sustainability Maturity Model: The Pilot Sustainability Agenda-Setting in Business

The Master’s programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. Sustainable development is a young, developing field in which many standards, certificates, and initiatives are spawning. Companies are expected to work on sustainable development by its customers, investors, and society in...

Extending the Loop: Developing a business model for carpet tiles

Interface is an international manufacturer of carpet tiles with a long history in sustainability. With its mission Zero, Interface wants to become the first company without a negative impact on the environment by the year 2020. Over the years Interface already made significant progress by means of product innovations and organizational changes....

Can REDD+ contribute to private sector development in sustainable fuelwood and charcoal production in Rwanda?

The expected increase in future demand of biomass feedstock in Rwanda cannot be met because of constraints at the supply side. This has a negative effect on the energy security for Rwandese in the future and the income generated for the Rwandan population involved in biomass feedstock production. There are, however, opportunities to stimulate...