Overview of case companies and their CBMs
| Type of circular business model | Scope of CBM and scale of reverse flows | Empirical data sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retailer 1: Children's clothing | Second-hand sales in local physical store | A childrenswear retailer operating a second-hand initiative introduced in physical stores in 2019. In Sweden, used garments are primarily collected and resold locally through stores, while in another European market an online resale model is operated in collaboration with a third-party logistics provider responsible for inspection, cleaning and preparation of items. The initiative currently represents around 5% of the company's total turnover, corresponding to approximately 120,000 items annually, with volumes increasing steadily |
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| Second-hand sales online | |||
| Retailer 2: Sports and fashion | Rental services in physical stores | A sports retailer operating a product collection programme for used clothing and a rental service for alpine ski equipment. The collection initiative is implemented in physical stores, where customers can deposit used products that are subsequently transported to a charitable partner for sorting, resale and donation. The collected volumes amount to more than 100 tonnes of products annually. The initiative currently generates no direct revenues for the retailer and is primarily motivated by social sustainability ambitions. In addition, ski equipment rental services are offered in a limited number of mountain resort locations, where products such as skis, boots and helmets are rented to customers and maintained locally |
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| Second-hand sales in physical stores | |||
| Retailer 3: Kitchen and home styling | Second-hand sales online | A homeware retailer operating a circular initiative focused on the resale of vintage kitchen and dining products. Customers submit items digitally for valuation, after which selected products are purchased by the retailer and resold through the online channel and selected physical stores. The assortment focuses on high-quality tableware and kitchen products from recognised brands, enabling long product lifetimes and strong second-hand demand. Volumes remain limited, however, representing less than 1% of total turnover |
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| Retailer 4: Medium-Premium fashion | Second-hand sales in physical store | A fashion retailer operating approximately 90 physical stores alongside an online channel. The company runs circular initiatives centred on second-hand resale of garments from previous collections as well as repair services. Customers sell back used garments directly in local stores, where items are assessed, purchased and primarily resold in the same store. The initiative currently operates at a modest scale, where second-hand revenue represents less than 1% of total revenue. Second-hand sales are, however, rapidly expanding as an increasing number of stores introduce the initiative. Over the past two years, the total number of sold second-hand items has grown from fewer than 10,000 to over 30,000 items |
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| Retailer 5: High-end fashion and lifestyle | Second-hand sales online | An online fashion retailer specialising in premium menswear. The company operates a circular business model centred on the resale of pre-owned garments and accessories from selected premium brands. Items are submitted by customers and sold primarily through a commission-based model, in which products are inspected, photographed and listed for resale on the retailer's online platform. The initiative still represents a small share of overall operations but is gradually expanding |
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| Retailer 6: Home electronics | Second-hand sales online | A consumer electronics retailer operating circular business models centred on repair services and the resale of refurbished electronics. Repair activities are performed by an external repair organisation handling large volumes of consumer electronics service operations. In parallel, selected used devices collected from customers are refurbished and resold through an online second-hand channel. Volumes are increasing but represent a minor part of the retailer's overall turnover, accounting for just under 5% |
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| Repair services | |||
| Retailer 7: Premium fashion | Second-hand sales in physical store | A fashion retailer operating both physical stores and an online channel. The company runs a commission-based circular business model focused on the resale of high-end premium fashion brands. Products are primarily collected in local stores but can also be submitted through a mail-in system, in which customers first send photos for evaluation before shipping items to the retailer. The circular business has expanded steadily and now accounts for more than half of the company's total turnover |
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| Second-hand sales online |
| Type of circular business model | Scope of CBM and scale of reverse flows | Empirical data sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retailer 1: Children's clothing | Second-hand sales in local physical store | A childrenswear retailer operating a second-hand initiative introduced in physical stores in 2019. In Sweden, used garments are primarily collected and resold locally through stores, while in another European market an online resale model is operated in collaboration with a third-party logistics provider responsible for inspection, cleaning and preparation of items. The initiative currently represents around 5% of the company's total turnover, corresponding to approximately 120,000 items annually, with volumes increasing steadily | Respondents: the chief executive officer (CEO), former CEO, the logistics manager, the head of stores and the line manager at the third-party logistics provider Physical observations at the central warehouse Company presentations and annual reports Podcast with former CEO focusing on circularity Company website materials |
| Second-hand sales online | |||
| Retailer 2: Sports and fashion | Rental services in physical stores | A sports retailer operating a product collection programme for used clothing and a rental service for alpine ski equipment. The collection initiative is implemented in physical stores, where customers can deposit used products that are subsequently transported to a charitable partner for sorting, resale and donation. The collected volumes amount to more than 100 tonnes of products annually. The initiative currently generates no direct revenues for the retailer and is primarily motivated by social sustainability ambitions. In addition, ski equipment rental services are offered in a limited number of mountain resort locations, where products such as skis, boots and helmets are rented to customers and maintained locally | Respondents: the logistics director, the chief operating officer (COO), the head of logistics at the charity and the chief financial officer (CFO) at the charity Physical observations at the warehouse Company presentations, annual reports and sustainability reports |
| Second-hand sales in physical stores | |||
| Retailer 3: Kitchen and home styling | Second-hand sales online | A homeware retailer operating a circular initiative focused on the resale of vintage kitchen and dining products. Customers submit items digitally for valuation, after which selected products are purchased by the retailer and resold through the online channel and selected physical stores. The assortment focuses on high-quality tableware and kitchen products from recognised brands, enabling long product lifetimes and strong second-hand demand. Volumes remain limited, however, representing less than 1% of total turnover | Respondent: the chief commercial office (CCO)r Internal company presentation on the CBM |
| Retailer 4: Medium-Premium fashion | Second-hand sales in physical store | A fashion retailer operating approximately 90 physical stores alongside an online channel. The company runs circular initiatives centred on second-hand resale of garments from previous collections as well as repair services. Customers sell back used garments directly in local stores, where items are assessed, purchased and primarily resold in the same store. The initiative currently operates at a modest scale, where second-hand revenue represents less than 1% of total revenue. Second-hand sales are, however, rapidly expanding as an increasing number of stores introduce the initiative. Over the past two years, the total number of sold second-hand items has grown from fewer than 10,000 to over 30,000 items | Respondents: CEO, the logistics developer and the business developer Company presentations, annual reports, and sustainability reports Company website materials |
| Retailer 5: High-end fashion and lifestyle | Second-hand sales online | An online fashion retailer specialising in premium menswear. The company operates a circular business model centred on the resale of pre-owned garments and accessories from selected premium brands. Items are submitted by customers and sold primarily through a commission-based model, in which products are inspected, photographed and listed for resale on the retailer's online platform. The initiative still represents a small share of overall operations but is gradually expanding | Respondent: Chief brand officer (CBO) Physical observations at the warehouse Newspaper articles and interviews Company website materials |
| Retailer 6: Home electronics | Second-hand sales online | A consumer electronics retailer operating circular business models centred on repair services and the resale of refurbished electronics. Repair activities are performed by an external repair organisation handling large volumes of consumer electronics service operations. In parallel, selected used devices collected from customers are refurbished and resold through an online second-hand channel. Volumes are increasing but represent a minor part of the retailer's overall turnover, accounting for just under 5% | Respondents: the operations and sustainability manager, the site manager at the repair company and the logistics manager at the repair company Company website materials |
| Repair services | |||
| Retailer 7: Premium fashion | Second-hand sales in physical store | A fashion retailer operating both physical stores and an online channel. The company runs a commission-based circular business model focused on the resale of high-end premium fashion brands. Products are primarily collected in local stores but can also be submitted through a mail-in system, in which customers first send photos for evaluation before shipping items to the retailer. The circular business has expanded steadily and now accounts for more than half of the company's total turnover | Respondent: Co-founder and co-owner Company website materials |
| Second-hand sales online |
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