The circular economy: how Rzilient works

Thecircular economy is a concept that is being discussed more and more, but what exactly does this model involve? Presented as the ideal solution to reduce excessive consumption and depletion of natural resources, the circular economy is based on a scheme that resembles a loop, far from the traditional linear model.

Ecodesign, recovery, reuse and recycling are the key words of this approach.


But as pointed out in the June 29, 2021 press release from the French Association of Enterprises for the Environment (EpE), there are many obstacles to the massive development of the circular economic model.

It is these barriers that justify our overall model being circular at only 8. 6% according to Circle Economy's 2020 report.

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How does the circular economy work ? What is its purpose? Why integrate circularity in your company? Is this approach part of the ecological transition? rzilient gives you some food for thought and presents its circular economy model in the digital sector.

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What is the circular economy?

Simple definition of the circular model

What is the circular economy? Here is a simple definition of this virtuous model: 

The circular economy is an alternative to the dominant economic model which is based on thelinear use of natural resources, from their extraction to the production of waste.

According to ADEME, the circular economy is an economic system of exchange and production that seeks, at all stages of the product life cycle, to increase the efficiency of resource use and reduce the impact on the environment, without forgetting the well-being of individuals.


This model seeks above all to reduce waste and environmental impact in order to limit the carbon footprint of the company as well as of the users.

If the circular economy were to develop in the majority by 2025, there could be an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions produced in Europe. Similarly, the consumption of primary resources could drop by 52% according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (in 2015).

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The values and the 7 pillars of circularity 

How does the circular economy model work?

The value loop is created on 3 main areas: 

- theoffer of the economic actors ; 

- consumer demand and behavior ;

- waste management.

It is these 3 poles that allow for prevention and efficient resource management, provided that the 7 pillars of the circular economy are followed.

These 7 pillars are divided in the following order of optimization: 

-sustainable supply: this concerns the way in which resources are exploited and extracted.

-Ecodesign: as soon as a service or good is designed, the entire life cycle is taken into account (LCA) with a minimization of environmental impacts.

-Industrial and territorial ecology or industrial symbiosis: this is a mode of organization between companies by exchanging flows or pooling needs, which aims to optimize resources on a territory. The systemic approach is based on the functioning of natural ecosystems.

- theeconomy of functionality: possession is abandoned in favor of use; it is the services linked to the products that are sold and not the products themselves.

- Responsible consumption: the goal is to lead the buyer to make his or her choice of product by taking into account the environmental impacts at all stages of the product or service's life cycle. 

-Extending the duration of use: favouring repair, sale, second-hand donation or purchase, but also reuse or re-employment.

- recycling: the last step in the chain to reuse raw materials from waste.

The intrinsic values of the circular economy are therefore the preservation of the environment through better management of raw resources and the wish to reuse rather than create new products.

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The circular economy: the future of the ecological transition?

Turning one person's waste into another's resources seems like the perfect solution to stay within the 1.5° trajectory recommended by the Paris Climate Agreement.

The circularity model attempts to respond to the challenges of an ecological redirection; a concept that underlies the urgency of the situation and the need to quickly align with planetary limits; more than the simple ecological transition or notion of sustainable development. 

Extending the life of products, combined with eco-design, would allow a reduction of 1.70 Gt of GHG emissions and the preservation of 3.95 Gt of raw materials. However, obstacles and brakes exist.

Obstacles to its widespread development

There are many obstacles to the development of this economy: 

- Variable quality and quantity of secondary materials; 

- the geographical dispersion of the deposits of these secondary materials; 

- lack of access to information; 

-lack of incentive regulation;  

- psychological barriers and fears.

Investments in the circular economy can also be uncertain as there are specific risks associated with this approach, which are sometimes even higher.

Some psychological barriers remain. For many, the circular economy is an uncertain economic model. They don't dare to commit to it. This is partly the result of insufficient access to data.

Thanks to the Service des Données et des Études Statistiques (SDES), which measured the evolution of 11 indicators covering the 7 pillars of the circular economy, we can see which points are working, which are improving, and which are stagnating.

The 2 clusters that are approaching the circular economy goals the fastest are: 

- material productivity;

- ADEME'ssupport for companies in the economy of functionality.

The 2 that are most stagnant and far from the goals are those involving: 

- household expenses for maintenance and repair ; 

- waste sent to landfill.

These last 2 seem to be the result of psychological barriers. Consumers probably think that it is easier, faster, cheaper to throw away and buy again than to try to maintain and repair a product.


Creating partnerships is a factor of acceleration and development of the circular economy on the territories thanks to the diversity of the actors, and actresses, gathered. The challenge is to coordinate and bring together independent economic groups to benefit from complementary skills or resources.

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Circular economy in the digital sector, the rzilient approach

The carbon footprint of digital technology is no longer a secret, the industry pollutes a lot. The best way to reduce the environmental impact and to avoid electronic waste is to recondition the equipment since recycling is difficult because of the components that are complicated to extract individually.

rzilient's objective is to be fully involved in a circular economy approach in order to introduce more circularity in the digital industry.

The objectives of this circular strategy

If we go back to the pillars of the circular economy mentioned above, we see that rzilient works to have a circular approach on 6 poles of the loop: 

- Making consumers aware of the impacts of their actions; 

-Extending the life of digital devices; 

- theeconomy of functionality;

-sustainable procurement; 

- recycling and reconditioning ;  

-eco-design.

In addition to acting to reduce the environmental impact of the digital sector, rzilient's missions address the issues of corporate digital responsibility (CD R) and sobriety.

rzilient, with its position as aprivileged interlocutor in the accompaniment of companies towards a responsible digital, seeks to eliminate - in the long term - the waste emitted by the digital sector.

To do this, they rely on : 

- reuse; 

- repair; 

- reconditioning; 

- refurbishment.

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The pillars of rzilient's circular economy

The extension of the duration of use 

To fight against digital overconsumption and programmed obsolescence, rzilient focuses on reconditioning andextending the use of computer equipment.

The longer the duration of use of computer equipment, the less environmental impact it has from its manufacture and end of life. This is a first step towards a successful digital ecological transition in companies.

From the purchase, through the support, to the recycling or reconditioning, rzilient takes care of all the steps, even for the hardware that the company would not have placed.

This extension of the duration is made possible by the responsibility and the sensitization on the subject. Because buying before repairing remains the main psychological barrier to overcome.

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Sell the service rather than the product

With its many partners and services, rzilient is the ideal alternative for reducing IT waste. No need to buy a new iT fleet, it is now possible to rent or lease. The management becomes eco-responsible thanks to integrated and tailor-made services.

rzilient sells a service rather than an equipment: awareness, responsible digital implementation, maintenance and repair. The functional approach takes precedence over the possession since one pays for the performance of the service.

If we follow the typology of circular business models, the company follows the "product as a service" scheme.

E-waste is drastically reduced through this model, while customer and supplier relationships increase.

Rethinking the business model allows us to add common value to the services sold and therefore to deeply transform the linear scheme often associated with digital.

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A circular approach to continuous improvement

rzilient also contributes to the creation of new jobs thanks to the maintenance, repair and recycling of end-of-life computer equipment.

Also, the supply is done in a sustainable way with approved reconditioners.

With the implementation of a circular scheme, rzilient seeks to highlight :

- digital sobriety; 

- Corporate Digital Responsibility (CD R); 

- the importance of use before possession.

The company is in a continuous improvement process. To push this circularity business model further, it is well aware that efforts must be shared with all the players in the sector.

Honesty and transparency are the foundations of a circular economy and are the company's guiding principles. However, even though the company is very proud of the partnerships formed and the awareness of the importance of using reconditioned equipment; the most important thing remains awareness and extending the life of the equipment. 

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