Carom’s Sustainable Business Scoring Card

1) Business model spectrum

Our economy needs to transition to incorporate practices that account for the limits of our planet. For too long, we have followed a linear approach to business by exploiting resources to maximize profits; meanwhile, the true costs, or negative externalities, not only haven’t been paid but have hidden the actual destruction wrought on Earth. To measure business models more objectively to aid in the transition, Carom has created a scoring methodology that assigns points to determine where a company’s business model falls from traditional to fully regenerative. This will provide a snapshot of where a company currently stands and the opportunity to innovate towards becoming a regenerative circular business and help us build a living economy.

2) Measures

The areas of measurement are:

  • Product design

    • This includes raw material/material sourcing, transport, supply chain, production, storage/warehousing, delivery

  • Recyclability

    • Including within sourced materials, means of production, transportation, operations, supply chain, partners, customers

  • Use of renewables

    • Fossil fuel use vs renewables in all phases of sourcing, production, transportation/delivery, customer use/disposal requirements

  • Waste generation/handling

    • Management of waste throughout (elimination, minimization, recovery/recycling, etc)

  • Resource recovery practices

    • Minimization of resource waste and recovery for other purposes

  • “Circularity”

    • The spectrum of planning for cradle to grave while eliminating what might fall outside a closed loop, eventually to full regenerative circularity

    • Goals for SDGs: net zero, carbon neutral, carbon negative, restorative, regenerative

    • Mindset (where is it for the shift?)

3) Scoring

Conventional/traditional (simply following the ‘law’) (0-20 points)

    1. Product design (0 points)

      1. Linear 

      2. Single-use mentality 

      3. ‘take/make/waste’

    2. Recyclability (0 points)

      1. Minimal to no recycling 

      2. Primarily throwaway

    3. Use of Renewables (0 points)

      1. Very limited use of renewables for production or operations

    4. Waste generation/handling

      1. No special plans in place

    5. Resource recovery (0 points)

      1. No plan for resource recovery

    6. Circularity (0 points)

      1. None evident

      2. Profit maximization/cost minimization strategy

      3. Large geographic footprint

4) Nominal (a little less bad) (21-40 points)

  1. Product design (5 points)

    1. Increased durability 

  2. Recyclability (5 points)

    1. Nominal ability to recycle

    2. Use of ‘marketing’ recycling

  3. Renewables (5 points)

    1. Some use of renewables in production 

    2. Potentially, some renewables in operations

  4. Waste generation/handling (5 points)

  5. Resource recovery (5 points)

    1. Beginning plans for resource recovery

  6. Circularity (0 points)

    1. Awareness of Circular Economy concepts

    2. Start establishing SDGs/environments and social initiatives

  1. Sustainable (Humans doing no additional harm) (41-60 points)

    1. Product design (10 points)

      1. Disassembly

      2. Reuse

    2. Recyclability (10 points)

      1. High recyclability of products

    3. Renewables (10 points)

      1. Use of renewables in production

      2. Use of renewables in operations

    4. Waste generation/handling (10 points)

      1. Reduced waste

      2. Handling multiple streams of waste

    5. Resource Recovery (10 points)

      1. Capture for reuse/re-assembly

    6. Circularity (10 points)

      1. Integration of circular economy principles into business model

      2. A better grasp of limiting geography

6) Regenerative Circular (humans do this as nature) (81-100 points)

    1. Product design (20 points)

      1. Biomimicry and nature-inspired 

      2. Products integrate into ecology and natural cycles

    2. Recyclability (20 points)

      1. Beyond recyclability

      2. Regenerative resource use

    3. Renewables (20 points)

      1. Integration of renewables across production, operations, transportation

    4. Waste generation/handling (20 points)

      1. Closed loop systems

      2. Zero waste manufacturing

    5. Resource Recovery (20 points)

      1. Full capture of resources or

      2. Regenerative end-of-live

    6. Circularity (20 points)

      1. Regenerative circular principles return resources to the earth

      2. In sync with natural cycles/systems

5) Restorative/Circular (Humans doing things ‘to nature’) (41-80 points)

    1. Product design (15 points)

      1. Certification for inputs (Regenerative, Organic, etc)

      2. Designed EOL for circularity

      3. Addresses planetary issues (climate change, habitat loss, plastics, etc etc)

      4. Recognition of ecological principles

    2. Recyclability (15 points)

      1. As fully recyclable as possible 

      2. Reuse and compostability higher

    3. Renewables (15 points)

      1. Extensive use of renewables for production

      2. Extensive use of renewables for operations

      3. Extensive use of renewables for transportation

    4. Waste generation/handling (15 points)

    5. Resource Recovery (15 points)

      1. A recovery plan in place

    6. Circularity (15 points)

      1. Regional/local transition

      2. Integrating circular principles across business models, strategies, and processes

Bonus (systemic regenerative economy member) (+10 for any)

    1. Regenerative innovation at a systemic level

    2. Culture and behavioral shifts 

    3. Global collaboration and governance of Regenerative economy principles

    4. Continuous improvement and adaptation

    5. Long-term resilience and adaptability