The Centre for Circular Economy, affiliated with Shenzhen Technology Business School (SZTU) in China organised a circular economy workshop for the SZTU partner company WiK Group on 28 June 2022. Around 26 participants from the WiK Group, as well as, SZTU students attended the event. The workshop was led by Prof. Dr. Gordana Kierans, who teaches the circular economy to SZTU students, and supported by Associate Prof. Dr. Liu Hui from the SZTU Quality and Standards Academy.

The circular economy is gaining popularity not only in Europe but also among proactive companies in China that understand that the country’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2060 will require significant changes in the resource use and the manufacturing and handling of products.

In the morning, the workshop covered the theoretical foundation of systems thinking and the circular economy, as well as, the current regulatory frameworks in China and the European Union. After lunch, the participants enjoyed a SZTU campus tour given by Professor Liu. The afternoon session was dedicated to group exercises and applying the theory into their daily business.

Professor Kierans stated after the workshop that “It was an introduction to the future of business, i.e. the circular economy. The WiK Group is proactively shaping this transition, which is applaudable.”

WiK is a global company with HQ in Essen, Germany, and production sites in mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macedonia and at home in Germany. The circular economy is not entirely new to this company as they are using plastic retrieved from the ocean to produce some of its plastic components. Now, the production sites in China will proactively push for the circular transition.

“This workshop brought us lots of new knowledge about the circular economy and, most importantly, inspired us to reflect on our own role in the society and how we can actively change that role to reach one day – ideally - a regenerative economy.” Victor Huang, Director HR at the WiK Group China

Other workshops that SZTU offers in this area are Green Manufacturing, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and New Materials, which are required for a successful transition to the circular economy. Should you be interested contact Gordana Kierans at gordana.kierans@sztu.edu.cn.

Image and text：Gordana Kierans

Translation：Zhong Yiqi