Introduction

The Circular Business research group develops and provides business modeling tools that capture multiple value creation. The group thereby focuses on eco system circularity; (cross-sectoral) collaboration within and beyond value chains is needed to close the loop.

About the research group

About the professor

dr. Kim Poldner

Kim has been a professor in the Faculty of Business, Finance & Marketing at The Hague University of Applied Sciences since 1 January 2019. She is also affiliated with Wageningen University & Research where she founded the Circular Fashion Lab. Through bringing together scientists and designers, the Circular Fashion Lab contributes to the creation of new ‘categories’ of materials previously unknown in the fashion industry, disruptive technologies that re-define textile supply-chains and inspired processes of organizing that turn competitors into comparables. Kim obtained her PhD from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and has lived and worked abroad for nine years. She has extensive research experience and expertise in entrepreneurship, aesthetics and sustainability and has written award winning case studies on sustainable fashion pioneers such as Veja and Osklen.
Before she embarked on an academic career, Kim was founder of the first eco fashion store in The Netherlands in 2005 and initiator of online platform Eco Fashion World. Her green wardrobe, including her up cycled wedding dress, was exhibited during the exhibition Wear I Am in 2017. See: www.wur.eu/circularfashion  

Additional functions

  • Chair of the research group Circular Business at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and as endowed professor in Circular Regional and Economic Development at the University of Groningen.
  • Member of the Advisory Board MBA THUAS


+31 (0)6 - 39 08 20 85
k.a.poldner@hhs.nl

LinkedIn profile

dr. Kim Poldner

The transition towards a circular economy is not so much a transition of materials and technologies, it is a transition of values.

Team

Within our research group, researchers, lecturer-researchers and students work closely with practice partners to conduct research. Together they are committed to translating the results of the research -knowledge and insights- into the practice of education and the region.


Meet our team

Team Onderzoek

Projects

Circular Fashion

The expertise of Kim Poldner is centered on the fashion industry. On this page you find an overview of her activities and key publications on this topic.
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Trashure: Design as catalyst for transitioning from linear to circular

Project goals are increasing awareness about textile consumption and specifically re-appreciating textile waste and enabling commercialization of an accessible product line that uses textile waste as primary resource.
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ReLead: Transforming leadership in the fashion industry

Designers, the creative heartbeat of the fashion and textile industry, often see themselves as the masterminds behind innovative creations, while relying on others to handle the business side and lead their teams. Unfortunately, this often translates into conventional leadership models that prioritise profits above the well-being of our planet and its people.
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News

3 July 2024

Research

Launch of the Regenerative Leadership Transformation Toolkit

Empowering creative designers with sustainable strategies for the fashion and textile industry.
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15 May 2024

Research

Book launch Laura Stevens

Recently, dr. ir. Laura Stevens and her co-authors launched the book Building Biomimicry Bridges.
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20 March 2024

Research

How celebs like Gwen Stefani wear recycled felt fashion - made in The Hague

Van der Kemp’s designs are the preliminary highlight of the Trashure project.
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Publications

Toolkit

New leadership toolkit

Embark on a transformative journey towards becoming a regenerative leader with this comprehensive toolkit.

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Whitepaper

Policy brief 2023 Circular Business Operations

Our predominantly linear economy based on a take-make-dispose model of consumption is incompatible with the finite resources available to us on Earth.

Book

Circular Economy - Challenges and Opportunities for Ethical and Sustainable Business

How can we design circular business models? How can we organize the transition from a linear to a circular economy? And how can we imagine circular futures that help us transform current realities?

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