Exploring Circular Economy Futures

Scenario Exploration System - Workshop in Brussels

Background and description: 

Scenario Exploration System - Circular economy edition

The Scenario Exploration System (SES) is an award-winning serious gaming and foresight tool designed by the European Commission's Competence Centre on Foresight. The tool allows participants to engage in systemic thinking with a long-term perspective and to explore alternative futures on specific issues and themes. The SES helps to understand what opportunities and challenges lie ahead and what they could mean for individuals, organizations, and society. Ultimately, it encourages to think and experiment with what decisions need to be taken to shape the future we want.

In order to facilitate discussions, specifically about the future of Circular Economy, the consortium of the ExPliCit project has designed a Circular Economy edition of the SES. This newly developed edition is based on four scenarios built via a foresight exercise by a core team of the consortium’s circular economy experts and foresight practitioners. The identified scenarios are:

• Scenario 1: Centralized circularity uptake, characterized by concentrated economic activity in large private and public entities as well as unrestricted growth under top-down governance.
• Scenario 2: Planned circularity loops, characterized by concentrated economic activity in large private and public entities as well as strict limits to growth under top-down governance.
• Scenario 3: Decentralized circularity uptake, characterized by unrestricted growth under a very disperse economy structured and governed bottom-up.
• Scenario 4: Localized Circularity, characterized by strict limits to growth in a very dispersed economy structured and governed bottom-up.

The Circular Economy SES involves 6 players and 1 facilitator. The players take a specific role (Established business, Policy maker, SME,  NGO, Consumer organisation, Public opinion).

The workshop

In this workshop, the four circular economy scenarios towards 2050 will be used as a basis for engaging in reflections and discussions with key stakeholders in the field about how the future of the circular economy can be shaped. Stimulated by professional facilitators, the participants will engage in a systemic reflection with an open mind and a forward-looking perspective, formulating their own contribution to the future of the Circular Economy in response to expected drivers and trends, and in relationship with the other stakeholders’ actions and responses, within the proposed scenarios.

The dynamics of the groups participating to the discussion will be captured by the ExPliCit consortium members and will feed into a report used as deliverable of the project.

The workshop will take place in-person in Brussels, at Atelier 29, Rue Jacques de Lalaing 29, 1000 Bruxelles.

Once registered or confirmed participating, it is absolutely crucial to come at the beginning and stay for the whole duration of the workshop, as we will be engaging in a role-play game. The workshop will take 5 hours. 

No previous experience in foresight, nor special preparation beforehand, is needed. 

Places are limited, please ensure your place by registering through Eventbrite or replying to katarina.haluskova@abis-global.org