VIDEO: Family businesses could be circular economy frontrunners

Simon Graham, environmental strategist at Commercial Group said he could see a huge opportunity for smaller firms, especially those handed down through generations, to take leadership with a new way of working.

“Those companies for me which have a huge advantage when looking at things like the circular economy are those that have a long-term view … and family businesses have a massive advantage because they have that generation after generation in running and understanding how a business works,” he maintained.

Graham added that SMEs often were able to be more innovative due to their size, and able to adapt quicker to change.

“A main driver has to be innovation, new ideas … in my experience, a lot of that new way of thinking comes through the entrepreneurial ideas which traditionally have come from smaller enterprises, those companies that are more dynamic and able to move,” he said.

Sponsored by FCC Environment, the interview series comprises eight video interviews in total with stakeholders from all points in the circular economy.

View all the other interviews:

The Manufacturer perspective – Unilever

The Waste Contractor perspective – FCC Environment

The Designer perspective – RSA The Great Recovery Project

The Local Authority perspective – Somerset Waste Partnership

The Brand Leader perspective – Coca Cola Enterprises

The Retail perspective – John Lewis Partnership

The Thought Leader perspective – Peter Jones

The interviews incorporate learning from our recently-published White Paper ‘Closing the loop: risk or reward’. You can download your copy here.