Circle Economy
strategy
culture
Jun 2021
Story: Circle Economy
Circle Economy had grown from an activist cooperative into a mature global impact organization, but the brand still spoke with an old voice. Together we aligned culture and story through science‑based, playful co‑creation and translated the shift into a living digital brand book that works as both mirror and map.
Circle Economy
What happens when the story you tell no longer fits who you've become? For Circle Economy, that was a daily nagging. The organisation had grown from a passionate, activist cooperative into a mature, globally operating impact powerhouse. The brand, meanwhile, was still wearing its twenties. Same fire, different shoe size.
A brand only works when the culture inside and the story outside are beating in the same rhythm. Circle Economy's gap wasn't a crisis, it was growing pains. Solvable, but only if you're willing to actually listen to the organisation rather than tell it who it should be.
Listening across borders and time zones
Because Circle Economy's people are spread across continents, our work happened online before "online workshop" stopped sounding like a contradiction. We ran 23plusone sessions team by team, testing which of the 24 fundamental human drivers were alive in how Circle Economy people talked about their work, their mission, and each other.
The signal was consistent across geographies: vitality, belonging, mastery and responsibility kept surfacing. The activist fire was still there, but it had matured into something closer to craft. That's the shift a new brand story had to be able to carry.
A brand book built to be used, not admired
Instead of a PDF that lives a quiet life on SharePoint, we built a living digital brand book. Language that works in meetings, decks and hallway conversations. A visual system dynamic enough to keep up with how fast the organisation moves. Open and accessible by design, in keeping with the transparency Circle Economy actually practices rather than just preaches.
It works as mirror and map: reflects who the organisation has become, and points clearly where it's going next.
Outgrown your own brand?
If your organisation has evolved faster than the story it tells about itself, you're not alone. It's one of the most common symptoms of doing real work. Let's talk about rebuilding the brand from the inside out, with a brand book your people actually want to open.
Reach out to Kim or Alexander if you're looking for something similar