The Circular Advantage: A Coursera Course Review for "Business Sustainability in the Circular Economy"

Hannah Winishut
Sep 17
5 min read

Updated: Oct 25

As the founder of Purshia Peak Strategies, I'm always on the lookout for resources that can help businesses like yours navigate the exciting, yet often complex, world of sustainability and the circular economy. That's why I recently dove into the Coursera course, "Business Sustainability in the Circular Economy," taught by Alan Pilkington from the University of London. And let me

tell you, it's a gem!

The Shifting Landscape: Why This Course Matters

The world of business is changing rapidly, with sustainability and the circular economy at the forefront. Major corporations like Caterpillar and NIKE aren't just dabbling in sustainability initiatives; they're fundamentally shifting their business models towards circularity. This isn't just a trend; it's a strategic imperative that's transforming how business is conducted on a massive scale.

So, who stands to benefit most from understanding this shift? Everyone from college students to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and large corporations exploring a circular economy transition. This course offers a compact yet powerful introduction, covering the basics, the benefits, and crucially, the biggest challenges companies face—like the intricate dance of reverse logistics to collect products for reuse and recycling.

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Key Takeaways for Sustainable Business

This course provided some truly impactful insights that are directly applicable to any business aiming for more sustainable operations:

Sustainability is a Collective Effort, Yet Complex: While sustainability is a global issue, its implementation relies on individuals and organizations. The course wisely points out that seemingly simple solutions (like "food miles") can be misleading if they only focus on one measure, leading to skewed results. This highlights the need for a holistic approach, which is where the circular economy comes in, focusing on reusing and recycling materials.
Cracking the Code of Reverse Logistics: A major financial boost for businesses lies in recovering materials and components from their products at the end of their first life. However, designing systems for this reverse logistics is far from simple. Unlike efficient outbound delivery, returns are plagued by uncertainty in quantity, condition, and dispersed locations. This often necessitates reliance on third-party logistics providers—a critical consideration for any business exploring circular models.
Beyond Environmental: The Power of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): We often hear about the environmental side of sustainability, but this course masterfully integrates the social dimension. It emphasizes that businesses have a crucial role in society through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR isn't just about giving back; it's about ensuring a happy, well-educated, and healthy workforce and community, which are essential for long-term business thriving. It also ensures that supply chains benefit all members, guaranteeing continued raw material supply in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Strengths and Areas for Growth

This course truly shines in several areas:

Case Studies Bring Concepts to Life: The course is brimming with case studies, which are incredibly powerful. They transform abstract concepts like reverse logistics challenges and third-party labeling into tangible, real-world scenarios within relevant companies. It made the learning experience incredibly engaging and effective.
Excellent Integration of Social Sustainability: For me, a significant highlight was the deep dive into social sustainability, exemplified by the examination of why Sainsbury discontinued Fair Trade certification. This encouraged critical thinking about complex social issues and how businesses can address them.
Mobile-Friendly Learning: The course's high mobile compatibility was a huge plus. You could easily consume videos and articles on your phone, and even draft short essays using voice-to-text. While I personally prefer typing, the flexibility was impressive.

If you're looking for a comprehensive, in-depth technical dive into circular economy calculations (like carbon footprinting or Life Cycle Analysis), this isn't the course for you. It's more focused on developing practical, critical thinking skills for businesses embarking on or transitioning to the circular economy. It's also quite short, serving as an excellent introduction rather than an exhaustive deep-dive.

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Applying Knowledge to Real-World Challenges

The course's case study approach means you gain hands-on experience dissecting real-world sustainability and circular economy issues. It provides unique perspectives and captures the nuances of sustainability's application in the business world, challenging students to think critically. For me, it significantly enhanced my critical thinking skills and gave me a deeper understanding of the practical problems companies face when implementing a circular business model.

This is exactly the kind of critical thinking we emphasize at Purshia Peak Consulting. Understanding these real-world challenges allows us to guide small to medium-sized businesses in identifying how sustainable practices can not only help them save money and enhance operations but ultimately boost their bottom line.

Would I Recommend This Course? Absolutely!

I wholeheartedly recommend "Business Sustainability in the Circular Economy" for anyone looking to get a solid introduction to the circular economy, including the benefits and challenges businesses face when implementing a circular business model. If you thrive on real-world context to solidify theoretical concepts, this course is tailor-made for you. It's engaging and enjoyable, making learning about this vital topic a pleasure.

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A Surprising Insight

One of the most surprising and enjoyable aspects of the course was the module dedicated to the challenges of transitioning to the circular economy, specifically the focus on reverse logistics. The case study on Nespresso and their single-use coffee pods was particularly eye-opening. Often villainized for waste, studies actually show that, for various reasons (less energy to brew, less coffee used, less waste produced), coffee pods are the second most sustainable option for coffee drinkers, behind only instant coffee. It's a fantastic example of how seemingly counterintuitive facts can emerge when you take a truly critical and holistic look at sustainability

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