Tunç KARABAYER

Circular economy is often approached as a set of solutions: better materials, new business models, recycling technologies, efficiency improvements or regulatory compliance. I see it differently. For me, circular economy is a way to rethink how we create value, how value chains are designed, and ultimately how industrial systems work.

For years, I have worked at that intersection across industries, businesses, public institutions and international networks. My work has ranged from manufacturing and consumer goods to automotive, food, textiles, plastics, critical raw materials and more, but the underlying question has remained the same:

where is value being lost, what is preventing the system from changing, and what would need to be designed differently?

Along the way, I have built circular economy initiatives, worked with companies on new business models and transformation strategies, developed international collaborations, connected industries with technologies and expertise, and helped turn broad ambitions into concrete projects. Much of this work has also been about building the ecosystem around circular economy in Türkiye and connecting it with developments in Europe and beyond.

Today, I am bringing that experience into Circular Thinking.

Our starting point is deliberately before the solution. We look at the reality of a system, challenge the assumptions behind it, bring different perspectives into the room and follow the problem across the value chain. Circular economy remains at the centre, complemented by systems thinking and strategic foresight where they help us see possibilities that existing structures can hide.

I continue to explore these questions internationally as well, including through Future26 within the World Economic Forum ecosystem.

What interests me now is not simply making existing systems more circular. It is understanding what needs to change for better ones to emerge.

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