Circular Economy for Business: An Introductory Training

WHEN:  27 January 2026     I    TIME:  08:30 – 16:30 (GMT+8)   I  VENUE: Summit Galleria Cebu Hotel, Philippines  I  This event is by invitation only 

Background

Southeast Asia has committed to transition to the Circular Economy to support resilient economy, sustainable growth, and resource efficiency, through the regional 2021 ASEAN Circular Economy Framework. This is complemented by national policy and action plans in ASEAN Member States, including in the Philippines for example the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production, the Extended Producer Responsibility regulation and sustainable public procurement initiatives.

Leading businesses and other organisations in the Philippines and elsewhere in the region have started to benefit from the adoption of Circular Economy practices in sectors as diverse as hospitality, building materials, agri-food, textiles and recycling and resource recovery.

The ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA) has been launched in July 2024 to further facilitate business leadership and action on Circular Economy in support of stated Philippines and regional policy objectives. ACEBA engages businesses through advocacy, knowledge and experience sharing, provision of actionable tools and insights and networking. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has assumed the role of country lead for ACEBA in the Philippines. 

This business training of ACEBA and CCCI with support from the EU SWITCH Asia Policy Support Component (PSC) provides a comprehensive introduction and overview of Circular Economy for business and zooms in on practical ways to turn the Circular Economy ambition into practice to the advantage of business, whilst reducing impacts on environment and society.

Circular Economy: A Responsible Business and Innovation Opportunity

Circular economy takes a system’s view on the use and disposal of materials and other natural resources in the economy and society, to bring both the net inflows and net outflows of materials and other natural resources as close as possible to zero. For business, this involves taking responsibility to minimize the impacts on the environment of the use and disposal of materials, energy, water, and possibly other natural resources, in its products, services, and business operations, taking a life cycle perspective. This requires innovation in products, services and processes, towards circular value chains, that use materials and other natural resources in closed loops, efficiently and for extended use periods, whilst also capturing the benefits of renewable materials and energy. Beyond the necessity to tackle the interrelated climate, nature and pollution crises, the circular economy provides a solid platform for businesses to perform well - through cost savings, new business opportunities, and improved resilience and preparedness – and do good – for the planet and people. The practical business value of Circular Economy is evident from business cases in the Philippines and elsewhere in the region.

Making Circular Economy Work for Your Business

Circular Economy is, principally, relevant to any business, regardless of size, age, sector, location, market and ownership structure. The operationalization of Circular Economy though requires tailored approaches considering the business’ specific operating environment, the value chains it is part of, and its maturity in understanding and commitment to Circular Economy.

Recognising there is no one-size-fits-all roadmap for successful adoption of Circular Economy, ACEBA developed a flexible framework of circularity-enabling functions and capabilities to support businesses to deliver impactful circularity results for their business and for society and the environment. This covers four activity clusters:

1. Stocktake: of Circular Economy opportunities and risks, following a materiality assessment of circularity issues in the business environment and the value chains the business is part of;

2. Ambition: clarification of relevant circularity ambitions for operations, products and services, inputs and outputs, and key delivery pathways for improvement and innovation;

3. Delivery: implementation of circular solutions in operations, products and services, inputs and outputs through adaptation of good practices and best techniques demonstrated elsewhere and/or the pivoting into innovative circular solutions; and

4. Integration: mainstreaming circularity in business processes, management systems and business models and organization.

This SADI framework provides a menu for business to conceptualize, steer and plan circularity initiatives for its products and services, business processes and activities and the value chains and networks it is part of.

Training Objectives

This one-day training programme for business and industry professionals will:

1. Provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of Circular Economy for business, including its rationale, concepts and practical applications in businesses in Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia;

2. Familiarize and practice key design strategies for circular products, business processes and business models; and

3. Introduce the SADI activity menu for implementation of Circular Economy in enterprises.

The training is informed and inspired by the Circular Economy business practices and achievements in Southeast Asia, as curated by ACEBA with the support of SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component during 2023-25. Training methods will include presentations, hands on group work and participants’ reflections.

Participation

The training is aimed at mid-to-senior level industry professionals with experience in operations, product and business development, environment and sustainability, research and innovation, or related. The training is sector agnostic and will cover opportunities and challenges for Circular Economy in diverse sectors, such as agri-food, textile and garment, plastics and packaging, hospitality, building and construction.

Training Methods: This training will be interactive. Apart from speaker presentations, participants will be engaged in Q&A, hands-on group work, breakout sessions, and reflection.

Targeted Participants: The training is designed to engage mid-to-senior level business and industry professionals with experience in operations, product and business development, environment and sustainability, research and innovation, or related areas. The training is not sector-specific, and will cover opportunities and challenges for Circular Economy in different sectors such as agri-food, textile and garment, plastics and packaging, hospitality, and building and construction.

Training resource/ reference material: Primary resource for this training is the ACEBA guidebook on “Unlocking the Circularity Opportunity: Guidance to Advance Circular Business”. Participants are advised to download this guidebook in advance/ in preparation for the training.

Speakers/ Facilitators

 The training will be led and guided by ACEBA’s co-convenors:

Mr. Thomas Thomas. Founder and Chairman of ARAIBA Sdn Bhd, the successor organisation to ASEAN CSR Network (ACN), of which he was the founder and CEO. He has been involved in responsible business, CSR, and sustainability since 2004, when he co-chaired Singapore’s National Tripartite on CSR, and set the direction for business responsibility in Singapore as founder of the Singapore Compact for CSR. Thomas is also the Chair of the ISO26000 Stakeholder Global Network (SGN) since 2022. He has been active with trade unions, co-operatives, the consumer movement, and social enterprises, and also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore. Thomas holds a Master of Arts in Industrial Relations from Warwick University, UK.

Dr. Rene Van Berkel. A leading expert in circular economy, resource efficiency, and responsible business practice. Since 2023, he is an international expert, contributing amongst others, to the EU SWITCH Asia Policy Support Component, and international faculty at the School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Thailand. His 35-year career covers more than 15 years in leadership roles at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in India, Indonesia, and at Headquarters in Austria, and senior academic roles at Curtin University of Technology, Australia, and University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Dr. Van Berkel holds a PhD in Environmental Science of the University of Amsterdam, and a Master’s in Environmental Hygiene from Agricultural State University of Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Agenda