The First Circular Business Move – First Initiative is a practical decision-making canvas designed to help organisations take their first meaningful step towards circularity.
It guides you from why change to what to do next — without requiring a full strategy, expert knowledge, or perfect data upfront. Instead of trying to “go circular” all at once, this template helps you identify one value opportunity, choose one sensible action, test it, and decide what comes next based on learning.
How to use this template
Work through the canvases in sequence. Each step builds on the previous one and is designed to be practical and lightweight.
Clarify why circularity matters now — including pressure, motivation, and relevance.
Identify opportunities where circular thinking could create real value.
Translate opportunity into one concrete, doable first step.
Design a small, low-risk experiment to generate insight before scaling.
Commit to action, identify support needs, and bring the right people along.
Each canvas includes a “Pause & capture” moment to reflect, consolidate learning, and avoid rushing ahead.
What you’ll have at the end
By completing this board, you will have:
One clearly defined first circular action
A simple test or pilot to learn from
One concrete next step within 7 days
Clarity on who needs to be involved and what support is needed
What to do next
From here, you can:
Run the test and iterate
Scale what works
Feed insights into a longer-term circular roadmap
Explore deeper tools (e.g. waste audits, circular flows, strategy or roadmap canvases)
💬 This template isn’t about being perfect — it’s about getting started.
Who is this for?
This template can be used by:
Small and medium-sized businesses
Product-based and service-based organisations
Internal teams (operations, sustainability, innovation, procurement, leadership)
Consultants or facilitators working with organisations
Teams at an early or exploratory stage of circular economy work
You don’t need to be a circular expert — this template creates clarity through doing.
