From Sustainability to Circularity in Creative Leadership. Building Lasting Solutions.
Christian Vernaschi
Creative Strategy Director, Facilitator, AI Enthusiast, Lecturer | Empowering brands to lead the future with story, creativity, and technology.
When sustainability is mentioned, many instinctively think of environmental initiatives – green economies, reducing carbon footprints, and eco-friendly practices. While these are critical, sustainability as a concept is evolving. Increasingly, we are shifting toward circularity: a more holistic approach that emphasizes interconnected systems, continuous improvement, and regenerative practices.
For businesses, decision-makers, and educators alike, embracing circularity means fostering systems that are not only sustainable in the traditional sense but designed for resilience, adaptability, and long-term renewal. This shift is essential for building organizations, teams, and solutions that endure in an ever-changing world.
I’m Chris, an educator and advocate for sustainability and circularity in creative processes and systems.
Challenging the Status Quo: From Sustainable Thinking to Circular Systems
In my work as an educator and consultant, I encourage students and teams to move beyond static notions of sustainability and adopt the principles of circularity. Circular systems go beyond merely sustaining the status quo, they aim to regenerate, adapt, and evolve. This approach requires thinking critically, anticipating disruptions, and considering the lifecycle of processes, products, and ideas.
I often challenge students and teams to embed these principles by designing projects with circular solutions. When Plan A fails, as it often does in real life, they’re prompted to adapt, innovate, and propose alternatives that close the loop. This exercise fosters resilience and creativity while encouraging a mindset that values long-term impact over short-term gains.
For businesses, this mirrors the importance of embracing regenerative practices in supply chains, product development, and organizational strategies. A circular mindset transforms not just processes but also the way teams approach challenges.
Collaboration as a Cornerstone of Circularity
Circular systems thrive on collaboration, not isolation. In my teaching, I create opportunities for students to work with local organizations, adopting ecosystem approaches to problem-solving. For example, students have collaborated on projects that repurpose waste materials into art or design products with built-in recycling mechanisms.
In a business context, this collaborative spirit mirrors partnerships across industries, where waste from one system becomes input for another. Circularity flourishes when businesses, communities, and innovators work together to create regenerative systems that maximize value and minimize waste.
For leaders, fostering a culture of collaboration means recognizing the power of shared knowledge and resources. It’s about building networks that reflect the interconnected nature of circular systems.
Embedding Ethics in Innovation
Circularity isn’t just about rethinking resources; it’s about rethinking values. Both in education and business, I emphasize the importance of embedding ethical principles into the creative process. Who benefits from these systems? Who is excluded? How can we ensure long-term equity and regeneration within these cycles?
Students and professionals alike are encouraged to evaluate their work not just through an environmental lens but through social and ethical perspectives. For businesses, this means developing solutions that align with a purpose-driven mission—where success is measured not only by profit but also by positive impact.
The Impact: Circular Thinking for Lasting Solutions
By integrating circularity into their work, my students, and any professional adopting this mindset, develop deep, analytical thinking skills. They learn to "fall in love with the problem" and create solutions that close the loop, whether in material use, creative processes, or systemic design.
For businesses, this shift to circular thinking can transform operations and culture. Teams trained to think cyclically develop products, workflows, and strategies that not only sustain but regenerate, ensuring relevance and adaptability in an ever-changing marketplace. Circularity promotes resilience, reduces waste, and creates continuous value.
By integrating sustainability principles into their work, my students – and by extension, any professional adopting this mindset – develop critical, analytical thinking skills. They fall in love with problems rather than rushing to solutions, fostering a culture of curiosity and exploration.
This approach applies directly to businesses. Teams trained to evaluate long-term impact are more likely to develop products, strategies, or workflows that align with continuous improvement and recycling – not just in the environmental sense but in refining ideas and processes over time. The result is a resilient, future-ready organization.
Reflections on the Journey
For me, the shift from sustainability to circularity has been a journey of continuous discovery. Every project and collaboration pushes me to rethink my own practices, applying these regenerative principles not only to teaching but also to my life. Circularity is a mindset that values innovation, reflection, and adaptability – a framework that allows us to create systems and solutions that evolve with the world around us.
Whether you’re an educator shaping future minds, a leader guiding a team, or a decision-maker steering an organization, circularity offers a transformative approach. It’s not just about solving problems, it’s about building regenerative systems, cultures, and solutions that create value and endure.
What Steps Will You Take?
What can you do today to embrace circularity in your teaching, leadership, or business practices? Whether it’s fostering collaboration, rethinking resources, or embedding ethics into your work, adopting a circular mindset is a step toward creating a regenerative future.
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