Overview
Learn how reverse logistics can enable the circularity of building products and services and contribute to future-proofing your business.
The transition to a Circular Economy is increasingly urgent in the construction and built environment industries and pressure will grow on companies and individuals to find new roles within more circular and sustainable value chains. The establishment of reverse logistics for the recovery of materials provides great opportunities for new types of businesses and for value creation. They are also crucial if we want to meet circular economy objectives. This workshop will enable you to assess your product strategy in terms of circularity and specifically on the potential of reverse logistics and help you develop integrated strategies for reverse logistics within your business.
This collaborative practical online workshop is designed for architects, engineers, and professionals from all backgrounds who are involved in ensuring that the construction and management of our buildings and cities has an improved environmental impact. It provides a multi-disciplinary overview of:
- What is reverse logistics
- How it affects the design and engineering of buildings and building products
- What kinds of business and supply-chain models are required, and how value can be created by both new and existing companies
- How to measure its environmental impact in order to make efficient and effective decisions
This workshop has been designed by leading experts from top-rated universities in the fields of architectural engineering, circular business development, supply chain management, and strategic environmental decision-making. It is organized in three thematic sessions which combine short lectures and practical collaborative webinars on June 9, 16 and 23. During the interactive sessions you will meet professors and leading experts from TU Delft, KU Leuven, University of Coventry, Leiden University and RWTH Aachen. Successful examples and case-studies are presented as inspiration, and learners are invited to bring their own practical case-studies and professional concerns for discussion and teamwork (Miro board).
Reverse Logistics for Circular Building Products is the result of a two-year collaboration between leading academic experts in diverse fields, and industry experts from three European façade branch associations: VMRG, CAB Council for Aluminium in Building, Tecnalia Building Technologies.
What You'll Learn:
- To understand circularity principles required and the used in the shift towards a circular economy
- To gain insights from best practice examples
- To understand circular value chains for forwards and reverse logistics
- To define costing structures for reverse logistics
- To apply LCA strategies and scopes and see how they can help bring greater understanding of product circularity
- To use environmental impact calculations.
After taking the course you will be able to:
- Assess your product strategy in terms of circularity and specifically on reverse logistics potentials
- Develop integrated strategies for reverse logistics within your business
- Propose circular design options for your products
- Develop better products with an improved environmental impact.
Other Instructors:
Prof. Dr. Ing. Benny Tjahjono, professor of Sustainability and Supply Chain Management at Coventry University, UK. Fields of expertise: Operations Management; Supply-Chain Management; Sustainable Supply-Chain Operations; Sustainable Production and Consumption; Logistics; Modeling and Simulation; Manufacturing Systems Engineering; Information Systems Analysis/Design; Manufacturing/Industrial Management.
Prof. Dr. Ing. Linda Hildebrand. Professor for Reuse in Architecture at RWTH Aachen University. Her focus is on the production and deconstruction phases of the building cycle. It deals with sustainable construction and development of concepts and methodologies to evaluate resource efficiency. Life-cycle analysis as well as optimization of circularity are other aspects of her expertise.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Karel Van Acker, professor in Circular Economy at KU Leuven with a joint mandate with the department of Materials Engineering (Faculty of Engineering Sciences) and the Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability (Faculty of Business and Economics).
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I take home?
In addition to an enhanced multi-disciplinary perspective and greater detailed knowledge you will take a digital copy of the Reverse Logistics Canvas, a didactic tool to support you and your colleagues in brainstorming the development of new circular products and reverse logistics solutions.
How much time must I dedicate?
The webinars and workshops take three hours per week, most of the necessary course work will be done during the sessions.
How is the course organized? How will learners interact?
The webinar is 100% online, structured around interactive Zoom lectures and Miro-board workshops based on individual and collaborative work.
Details
Format: An innovative structure with three live webinar sessions (Zoom) with short lectures and collaborative workshops (Miro Board). Dates:
Week 1: Design engineering for building products for the Circular Economy
Date: Thursday June 9, 14:00 - 17:00 CEST
During the first week you will learn about the need for a circular economy for building products, the relevance of reverse logistics as a practical transition model, and the impact this will have on the design, engineering, and manufacturing of building products.
Topics we’ll cover this week:
- What is the circular economy and why does it matter?
- The product development process and how to transition to more circular alternatives.
- Inter-disciplinary, systemic thinking: Technology, Economy and Ecology.
- Reverse logistics and their role enabling the “R” strategies.
- Examples and case-studies from industry.
Week 2: Business models and value chain for a circular Building Industry
Date: Thursday June 16, 14:00 - 17:00 CEST
The second week focuses on new forms of value creation in the transition towards using reverse logistics for circular building products. You will also learn to recognize and organize costs, investments, and partnerships necessary to develop these new business opportunities.
Topics we’ll cover this week:
- The business case for developing circular reverse logistics models.
- Drivers and barriers for the reverse logistics transition.
- Reverse supply-chain organization, costs and investments for a gradual business transition.
- Working with partners and branch associations, establishing shared reverse logistics infrastructure.
- Examples and case-studies from industry.
Week 3: Environment impact assessment and strategic decision making
Date: Thursday June 23, 14:00 - 17:00 CEST
The week will focus on trade-offs between business decisions and environmental impact. It will help learners understand and analyze the consequences of certain strategic choices, and how to create a hierarchy of steps to reach more efficient and effective environmental objectives.
Topics we’ll cover this week:
- Life-Cycle Analysis, its boundaries and its relevance in the circular economy and reverse logistics transitions.
- The strategic and branding value of pursuing and achieving circularity as your company’s unique selling point.
- Making informed decisions and prioritizing high impact steps.
- Develop products with better end-of-life scenarios.
- Examples and case-studies from industry.
Assignment: During the three weeks learners will gradually complete the Reverse Logistics Canvas, a multi-disciplinary tool which allows them to understand, organize and structure the steps necessary to implement reverse logistics in their business or professional field. The final canvas will be reviewed, graded, and commented on by the course lecturers, providing one-on-one feedback for each individual learner.
Qualifications
Certificates
If you successfully complete this course you will earn a professional education certificate and you are eligible to receive 1.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Admission
This course is primarily geared towards working professionals.
Prerequisites:
None.
Contact
If you have any questions about this course or the TU Delft online learning environment, please visit our Help & Support page.
