How far have Nordic companies really come on their circular journey? In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break, we welcome Michel Bajuk, Managing Director at Cradlenet and Partner at the Nordic Circular Hotspot, and Marcus Linder, Director of Business Design at RISE. Together, they led the Nordic Circular Economy Outlook 2024, the first comprehensive study of how publicly listed companies across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are progressing on circularity.
Michel and Marcus unpack the report’s key findings, from the gap between circular intentions and real-world execution to the introduction of the Circular Business Index (CBI), a new metric tracking circular maturity. They also explore why some strategies, like \"rethink\" and \"remake,\" are underutilized despite their potential to deliver financial benefits, and how regulation is increasingly seen as a competitive advantage rather than a burden.
The conversation reveals that while 86% of Nordic companies include circularity in their strategy, only 39% have set measurable targets, and even fewer are actively executing on those strategies. The average CBI score across the Nordics is just 21%, signaling a low expected collective impact in the near to mid-term. Finland leads the region with a CBI of 25%, though the differences between countries are not yet statistically significant.
Why listen?
Whether you are a business leader, a policymaker, or simply curious about the state of circularity in the Nordics, this episode offers a practical and inspiring perspective on turning intent into impact.
Keywords: circular economy, Nordic Circular Economy Outlook 2024, Michel Bajuk, Marcus Linder, Cradlenet, RISE, Circular Business Index, CBI, circular strategies, Nordic companies, sustainability, regulation, competitive advantage, rethink, remake, CSRD
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