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Join this free online course to learn about the advantages of an inclusive circular economy. Discover how a circular economy can help us tackle the impact the linear economy is having on the planet, people, and modern businesses.
Language: English
Subtitles (auto-generated): Deutsch, English, Français, Español
Course information
Course Summary
The traditional approach to economic growth granted many parts of the world access to goods and services, which would have been unimaginable just a few centuries ago. However, this has come at a significant environmental and social cost, which could ultimately affect the habitability of our planet. It is therefore crucial to find a solution to this problem, breaking the link between resource use and consumption. The circular economy could be the best way to achieve this goal, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for business.
In this course you’ll learn about the impact the linear economy is having on people, the planet, and modern businesses, and how a circular economy can tackle these issues. You’ll discover how circular business practices create value, how technology enables a circular economy, and ultimately how SAP technology can enable systemic change.
We’re all beginners on this journey and this course probably won’t answer all questions. Rather, it is designed to provide inspiration and a space to explore the challenges you might face in implementing circular business practices. You can apply what you learned to a case study to help you understand how you can use digital technologies to make your own business more circular. You can work on the case study in a virtual team with other learners, where you can make contact with like-minded people and exchange perspectives.
Here is what some participants are saying about the course:
“This course was EXCELLENT - so well worth the time. I learned a ton … I've already recommended it to so many colleagues.” Read the original post
“Great course, inspiring speakers, great concept - my favorite course so far!” Read the original post
“I liked the suggestions of what businesses need to consider and what they could do to adopt circular economy principles.” Read the original post
“Brilliant array of speakers with their innovative solutions on how they are embracing or enabling circular economy in various possible ways!” Read the original post
“By using the examples and hearing about these from the different partners gave another angle of how SAP enables a lot of different businesses.” Read the original post
“I liked that the course addressed many different aspects … from introduction to the concept, to … customers awareness … consumption pattern .., changes in the sustainable investment landscape, to the latest technologies, circular economy models, etc etc. etc.” Read the original post
Course Characteristics
- Starting from: October 4, 2021, 09:00 UTC. (What does this mean?)
- Duration: 5 weeks with video lectures (3-4 hours per week) plus 3 weeks if you participate in the optional teamwork throughout the course
- Assessment: weekly assignments, final exam, (optional) peer-graded teamwork activities
- Final exam: November 10, 2021, 9:00 UTC - November 18, 2021, 9:00 UTC
- Course end: December 2, 2021 (or November 18, 2021, if you don’t participate in the teamwork)
- Course language: English
- How is an openSAP course structured?
Course Content
Week 1: Introduction to the Circular Economy
Week 2: The Circular Butterfly
Week 3: Circular Business Models and Drivers for Change
Week 4: Technology Enablers for Circular Business Models
Week 5: SAP Solutions for the Circular Economy
Week 6: Final Exam
Week 6 - 8: Completion of teamwork activities
Target Audience
- Anyone interested in learning how to deliver new business models for a circular economy
- Anyone interested in creating a sustainable business
- Specialists in design, product research and development, marketing and sales, sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, finance, and IT
Course Requirements
There are no prerequisites for participating in this course.
Further Content Experts and Guest Contributors
Mike Barry
Director Mikebarryeco Limited
Stephanie Benedetto
CEO & Co-Founder, Queen of Raw
Paige Cox
SVP, Head of SAP Business Network, SAP
Bridget Croke
Managing Director, Closed Loop Partners
John Gagel
Chief Sustainability Officer, Lexmark
John Holm
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, PYXERA Global
Peter Hopkinson
Professor of Circular Economy and Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy at the University of Exeter
Edward Kosec
Senior Solution Advisor, SAP
Andrew Morlet
Chief Executive Officer, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Emily Penn
Ocean Advocate and Skipper, Co-Founder of eXXpedition
Jeffrey Provencal
Founder and Managing Director, rePATRN
Bharani Sankar
Partnerships Lead, Rheaply
Edward Scott
Assistant Harvest Manager, Riverford
Daniel Schmid
Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP
James Veale
Co-founder, GreenToken by SAP
Tensie Whelan
Professor and Director, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business
Course contents
Week 1:
Introduction to the Circular EconomyWeek 2:
The Circular ButterflyWeek 3:
Circular Business Models and Drivers for ChangeWeek 4:
Technology Enablers for Circular Business ModelsWeek 5:
SAP Solutions for the Circular EconomyI Like, I Wish:
We Love Your Feedback … And Want MoreFinal Exam:
Good Luck!Teamwork Activities
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You can access all graded assignments and earn a Record of Achievement with openSAP, course reactivation option. Learn more or
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Learners
Rating
This course was rated with 4.63 stars in average from 385 votes.
Certificate Requirements
- Gain a Record of Achievement by earning at least 50% of the maximum number of points from all graded assignments.
- Gain a Confirmation of Participation by completing at least 50% of the course material.
Find out more in the certificate guidelines.
This course is offered by
Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, SAP Product Engineering
Thomas Saueressig is a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. He leads the SAP Product Engineering board area and has global responsibility for all business software applications. This includes all functional areas from product strategy and management to product development and innovation, as well as cloud operations and support.
Follow Thomas on Twitter | LinkedIn
Darren West is the product management lead for SAP’s Circular Economy solutions. His role is to work with customers, sales and pre-sales colleagues, partners, solutions teams, and product owners to expand existing and build new sustainability products, particularly those focused on circular economy topics such as “circular design”, “regenerative business” and “material passports”.
Darren works on co-innovation with strategic partners such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the World Economic Forum, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, as well as various academic bodies and global consultancies on circular economy topics. He is currently focused on the “responsible design” topic for SAP Responsible Design and Production.
Stephen Jamieson is global head of Circular Economy solutions at SAP. In this role, he leads the creation and development of digital solutions to design-out waste, keep products in use, and regenerate natural systems. In this capacity he works closely with global businesses on their transformation roadmaps, helping them move from linear take-make-waste approaches to the implementation of circular systems and sustainable business processes aligned to global impact.
As founder of the SAP Plastics Challenge, Stephen has been working collaboratively with industry, NGOs, and regulatory stakeholders to develop design-led solutions aligned to SAP’s 2030 Clean Ocean Vision.
Head of Global Circular Economy Program, SAP
Jim Sullivan, head of the Global Circular Economy Program at SAP, is responsible for ensuring SAP’s vision to ‘help the world run better and improve people’s lives’ empowers our customers to solve some of the world’s biggest planetary challenges via SAP’s collaborative network and technology solutions. Jim is an internationally recognized expert on policies and measures to combat climate change and is an avid backcountry skier, as well as a musician with multiple albums to his credit.
Solution Advisor, SAP
With a background spanning engineering, sales, marketing, and strategy, Kristen Hanel has spent her career solving interesting business problems. Currently a solution advisor for SAP, she helps Fortune 500 companies navigate their way toward sustainable procurement. Kristen has a BSME from University of Kentucky, an MBA from Louisiana State University, and recently completed a Circular Economy Fellowship and Exeter University Circular Economy Masterclass.
Mike Jordan is an education portfolio manager at SAP, responsible for customer education on a range of topics including SAP’s sustainability solutions, AI/ML solutions, and data science. He is also an SAP academic ambassador which, for a number of years, has involved him teaching Masters students data science and speaking at conferences.
Mike has long been interested in the ethical use of technology and data science to support environmental and social goals, more recently through the circular economy.
Global Director, Circular Economy at SAP
Natasha Pergl leads SAP's Circular Economy customer program to help shape the next generation of industry-standard sustainability solutions that will provide customers, NGOs, and governments with the insights and solutions needed to eliminate waste and maximise resource productivity. This is in support of SAP's 2030 Clean Ocean vision, focused on accelerating the transition to circular business models and a regenerative economy. Natasha is a member of SAP's Sustainability Council. She sailed 2000 miles as part of an all female crew to research microplastics in the South Pacific in Feb 2020.
Global Ventures Entrepreneur, SAP
Kathryn Rae is a global ventures entrepreneur within SAP Innovation & Market Making, based in Sydney, Australia. Passionate about the potential of the circular economy, she developed SAP’s Circular Economy services methodology, combining circular business models with enabling technologies to help organizations create impact at scale. Kathryn joined SAP in 2019 as an experienced innovation leader with over 20 years of experience in consulting, product development, and innovation management.
Strategic Customer Engagement SAP S/4HANA and Sustainability, SAP
Stephan Müller is a project manager at SAP, focusing on customer and partner collaboration for Climate 21 and other sustainability solutions. Prior to this role, Stephan spent many years providing consulting services for customers all around the world and co-innovating with them on new products.
Follow Stephan on LinkedIn