· ECOCANVAS ·
From 2012 the Circular ``Upgrade`` of the Business Model Canvas
What is the Ecocanvas for?
The main function of the Ecocanvas methodology is to structure and guide the process of design, prototyping and validation of a circular business model, taking advantage of the support of the templates and the training material available online. This design process is often complex and chaotic because it requires addressing multiple issues in parallel that are interconnected with each other. Templates and methodological guidelines help organize ideas, generate new hypotheses and fundamental conversations for the maturation of the circular business idea.
The advantage of ordering ideas with criteria and generating more points of shared reflection between the entrepreneur and his mentor, for example, or within the team promoting the idea, has to do with better fitting the different elements that make up the business. These elements are nothing more than the Ecocanvas blocks, which need to be adjusted to create a model that works and is solid.
More than 15 tools in 5 phases
The Ecocanvas methodology is based on the block-by-block construction of a business model prototype. The 15 tools (+1 for orientation) are complemented to support the entrepreneur or businessperson who wants to rethink their project or offer of products and services within the paradigm of the Circular Economy.


Depending on the needs of your company, you can modulate the tools that best serve you, let’s see some examples:
Fledgling idea for initial validation
If the idea is still “green” – pun intended .. – a quick sketch of #Ecocanvas version 0 is made first. Quickly answering the questions and filling in the blocks. Subsequently, the block that involved the most effort or another on which it is considered important to deepen is evaluated. To return later to #Ecocanvas and “correct” the blocks with their new version 1, 2 etc. What arises from the different blocks can help us in the writing of the business plans once we have validated the hypotheses.
Elaborate idea for review / improvement
If the idea is solid and we have been turning and validating them for some time, the Ecocanvas can be left aside in principle to go directly to certain specific tools according to the needs. Although it is always convenient to make the transition from the conventional Canvas to #Ecocanvas because that way it will be easier to understand where the question to be resolved is and thus have a more authentic orientation of where to go.
Established business for transformation
If the company is already working, it is convenient to start with the development of a version 1 of #Ecocanvas to see what aspects need to be improved and to have an overview of the current situation. After this overview, you can focus on the different tools depending on what you perceive to be most important.
The tools are self-explanatory, intuitive, and easy to use. You can use them right now!
