1. Role in Circular Economy Transition
HR supports CE by driving internal enablement, engagement and talent alignment: Comments reference “enablement and engagement,” HR’s involvement in “training,” “learning management systems,” and using CE to “attract and retain talent.” These show that HR is central to embedding CE into workforce development and company culture.
Health & Safety (H&S) ensures that circularity aligns with safety, risk and operational standards: The note “EHS (environmental health and safety): Balance asset safety with max life cycle” clearly shows that H&S professionals are responsible for ensuring life cycle extension does not compromise safety standards.
Government Affairs can amplify CE through advocacy and external influence: Comments identified that FM can help train Government Affairs by sharing case studies illustrating the importance of CE and why to advocate. This points to Government Affairs as a channel for policy alignment, public positioning and stakeholder influence.
Occupants are directly impacted by circular practices and should be educated and empowered: A comment noted: “Occupants: directly impacted by CE,” which highlights the importance of user-focused education to embed CE into everyday workplace behavior.
2. How FM Can Inspire Collaboration
Partner with HR to deliver CE training and align it with values and talent strategies: FM can co-develop internal learning content and onboarding aligned with circular goals. Notes also mention HR aligning “policy” and “compliance” with CE principles, both internally and externally.
Collaborate with Health & Safety to jointly assess risks and safe implementation: FM can ensure that life cycle extension and reuse initiatives meet H&S standards, ensuring alignment between circularity and regulatory compliance.
Equip Government Affairs with case studies and impact data to support advocacy: FM’s operational data and project success stories can empower Government Affairs teams to externally position CE as a value-driven organizational commitment.
Design occupant-facing education with CRE/FM that promotes understanding and participation: CE training for employees should include practical guidance on how to engage FM and CRE teams, enabling smoother adoption and innovation from the ground up.
3. Tools, Training and Capabilities Needed
CE-aligned training and learning management systems: Comments like “CE training and learning management system” show a need for structured internal education tools.
Policies and compliance protocols aligned to CE: Comments mention “align policies to CE,” suggesting updates to HR, safety and procedural documents to reflect circular goals.
Cross-functional communication and storytelling tools: Enablement and engagement will be supported by integrated messaging, possibly co-created with Marketing and internal Communications teams.
Employee-facing guidance on CE engagement pathways: Occupants need clarity on how to request services, return assets or contribute ideas within a circular operations framework.
4. KPIs and Metrics
Training participation and completion rates: Tracking who completes CE learning modules provides insight into awareness penetration.
Engagement indicators tied to CE awareness or retention: Notes referenced engagement, internal campaigns, and the importance of storytelling and awareness, suggesting internal feedback and pulse checks are essential.
Policy and compliance integration rate: Metrics might include the percent of organizational policies revised to reflect CE commitments.
Occupant impact tracking: This could include the number of service requests aligned with CE (e.g., reuse), participation in feedback loops or engagement in CE programs.
5. Challenges and Barriers
Lack of awareness and clarity around CE concepts: “Lack of awareness” was explicitly noted and also referred to within other departmental functions. CE is still not widely understood in many support functions, requiring foundational education.
Resistance to change and initiative fatigue: There were many comments regarding the notion of change, including the “resistance to change,” especially among internal teams unfamiliar with sustainability terminology or priorities.
Fragmentation and unclear ownership of CE among soft functions: The wide array of roles (e.g., HR, Government Affairs, H&S, Marketing, Finance) means CE ownership risks becoming dispersed, arguing the case for FM to be the common denominator and coordinate their involvement intentionally.
International Facility Management Association (IFMA) supports over 25,000 members in 140 countries. Since 1980, IFMA has worked to advance the FM profession through education, events, credentialing, research, networking and knowledge-sharing.
