Who – the protagonists
Emma, Corporate Social Responsibility manager for Kuyichi.
What?
The Dutch denim brand Kuyichi was founded by the NGO Solidaridad in 2001 in their pursuit to improve the cotton industry.
Kuyichi aimed to ‘go beyond the hype and truly make a difference’ by striving for cleaner production practices in their supply chain and making high-quality designs.
To reduce waste and change consumer behaviour, Kuyichi took the stance not to produce seasonal garments, nor did it engage in sales promotions or discounts.
Why?
In Kuyichi’s 2021 sustainability report, Emma set out the company’s sustainability strategy.
Kuyichi planned to produce future-proof denim and the three key focus areas were production, such as increasing transparency and supporting good labour practices, materials, including growing the use of organic, recycled or low impact fibres; and environmental impact, aiming to further reduce water and chemical usage during the production phase.
The adoption of a circular business model was high on Emma’s agenda as well, but a lack of time and resources had been a barrier. Emma needed to convince Kuyichi’s management team that the adoption of a circular business model created value for the brand.
When?
In an effort to push towards a circular business model, Kuyichi joined a project, in 2020, initiated by social enterprise, Circular Economy, called Switching Gear that aimed to accelerate resale and rental circular business models.
Where?
Kuyichi was headquartered in the Dutch city of Utrecht.
Key quote
“We had been considering circular business models for a long time, but it didn’t really get off the ground and I hoped that our participation in the project (Switching Gear) would provide that extra push to really accelerate adoption.”
Emma.
What next?
Emma wanted Kuyichi to retain its position as a sustainability frontrunner in denim and reduce the amount of Kuyichi jeans that ended up in the landfill.
Was resale the right circular strategy for Kuyichi? Could Emma convince the management team that the adoption of a circular business model created vale for the brand?
Would a resale strategy set the brand apart from the other sustainability frontrunners and drive revenue growth, or would the creation of non-financial value suffice?
On reflection, Emma wondered if she had chosen the right circular strategy or if other options, such as rental or product life extension, would have been more viable and appropriate?
On the reasons for writing the case…
Zita said: “This teaching case is part of the educational output from the Collaborative Networks for Sustainability (CONESU) project at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, which studied the role of network orchestrators in the Dutch apparel/textile industry.
“One of the collaborative networks/projects that we studied aimed to accelerate resale and rental circular business models. Kuyichi Pure Goods - the sustainable denim brand featured in this case - was one of the participants. By joining the project, Kuyichi hoped to accelerate the adoption of a circular business model as this had proved to be challenging.
“We wrote this case as it’s an inspiring story to share with students and teachers. It showcases the challenges (and opportunities) that SMEs face when trying to adopt circular business models, even when they have been at the forefront of sustainability for decades as is the case with Kuyichi.
“We hope the case contributes to students’ understanding of the circular economy (CE) and circular business models and inspires them to integrate circularity into their future careers.”
On the case writing challenges…
Zita continued: “A particular highlight was when we tested the case in a Bachelor level module on sustainable entrepreneurship, called Governance, Sustainability & Entrepreneurship, and the sustainability manager of Kuyichi was able to join us on Teams.
“She listened to the students pitch their circular business strategy recommendations for the brand and provided feedback. After the pitches the whole group engaged in a lively debate and a winning pitch was chosen. It created a real buzz in the room.”
On teaching the case…
She added: “This case makes teaching about circular business models more dynamic and energetic. Students seem to quickly take to the topic - who doesn’t own a pair of jeans? It creates a fun and engaging element to a class and the pressure cooker approach of the exercises encourages students to think quickly and creatively - the condensed time for the pitches reinforces punchy presentations.”
On how students react to the case…
She commented: “As the topic is highly relevant for students, they are very engaged in the lectures that provide background information on the fashion industry, supply chain and circularity.
“We designed a design sprint to work on the challenge in the case and students actively discussed the case topics and the circular strategies. They created a poster for their two-minute pitch. Students expressed how much they enjoyed the activity and felt they really learned about circular business models and the challenges associated with take-back, operations and economic feasibility.”
On case writing tips…
Zita explained: “While writing the case we decided to add a glossary to quickly explain possibly unfamiliar terms and organisations.
“Firstly, this provides a quick way for students to familiarise themselves with the terms and organisations addressed in the case without losing their attention (no need for phones to google terms).
“And secondly, by not explaining terms in the body of the text itself, the flow of the case narrative was enhanced.”
Final word…
Zita concluded: “When we first engaged in a conversation with Kuyichi’s sustainability manager about our idea of writing a teaching case about their journey in adopting a circular business model, they reacted very enthusiastically. We were able to conduct numerous interviews with them which very much helped in the writing of this case; we were also able to include quotes which helped bring the case to life. It really helped our writing process to have the protagonist of the case on board.
“Also, providing good supplementary material (including PPTs and videos) and an extensive teaching note to accompany the case are as important as writing the case itself. It really helps teachers to familiarise themselves with the topic and provides background for their teaching.
“We hope our case will appeal to a wide range of different educators, for example in international business, entrepreneurship, strategic management and circularity/sustainability courses.”
The case
Who – the protagonists
Emma, Corporate Social Responsibility manager for Kuyichi.
What?
The Dutch denim brand Kuyichi was founded by the NGO Solidaridad in 2001 in their pursuit to improve the cotton industry.
Kuyichi aimed to ‘go beyond the hype and truly make a difference’ by striving for cleaner production practices in their supply chain and making high-quality designs.
To reduce waste and change consumer behaviour, Kuyichi took the stance not to produce seasonal garments, nor did it engage in sales promotions or discounts.
Why?
In Kuyichi’s 2021 sustainability report, Emma set out the company’s sustainability strategy.
Kuyichi planned to produce future-proof denim and the three key focus areas were production, such as increasing transparency and supporting good labour practices, materials, including growing the use of organic, recycled or low impact fibres; and environmental impact, aiming to further reduce water and chemical usage during the production phase.
The adoption of a circular business model was high on Emma’s agenda as well, but a lack of time and resources had been a barrier. Emma needed to convince Kuyichi’s management team that the adoption of a circular business model created value for the brand.
When?
In an effort to push towards a circular business model, Kuyichi joined a project, in 2020, initiated by social enterprise, Circular Economy, called Switching Gear that aimed to accelerate resale and rental circular business models.
Where?
Kuyichi was headquartered in the Dutch city of Utrecht.
Key quote
“We had been considering circular business models for a long time, but it didn’t really get off the ground and I hoped that our participation in the project (Switching Gear) would provide that extra push to really accelerate adoption.”
Emma.
What next?
Emma wanted Kuyichi to retain its position as a sustainability frontrunner in denim and reduce the amount of Kuyichi jeans that ended up in the landfill.
Was resale the right circular strategy for Kuyichi? Could Emma convince the management team that the adoption of a circular business model created vale for the brand?
Would a resale strategy set the brand apart from the other sustainability frontrunners and drive revenue growth, or would the creation of non-financial value suffice?
On reflection, Emma wondered if she had chosen the right circular strategy or if other options, such as rental or product life extension, would have been more viable and appropriate?
Author perspective
On the reasons for writing the case…
Zita said: “This teaching case is part of the educational output from the Collaborative Networks for Sustainability (CONESU) project at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, which studied the role of network orchestrators in the Dutch apparel/textile industry.
“One of the collaborative networks/projects that we studied aimed to accelerate resale and rental circular business models. Kuyichi Pure Goods - the sustainable denim brand featured in this case - was one of the participants. By joining the project, Kuyichi hoped to accelerate the adoption of a circular business model as this had proved to be challenging.
“We wrote this case as it’s an inspiring story to share with students and teachers. It showcases the challenges (and opportunities) that SMEs face when trying to adopt circular business models, even when they have been at the forefront of sustainability for decades as is the case with Kuyichi.
“We hope the case contributes to students’ understanding of the circular economy (CE) and circular business models and inspires them to integrate circularity into their future careers.”
On the case writing challenges…
Zita continued: “A particular highlight was when we tested the case in a Bachelor level module on sustainable entrepreneurship, called Governance, Sustainability & Entrepreneurship, and the sustainability manager of Kuyichi was able to join us on Teams.
“She listened to the students pitch their circular business strategy recommendations for the brand and provided feedback. After the pitches the whole group engaged in a lively debate and a winning pitch was chosen. It created a real buzz in the room.”
On teaching the case…
She added: “This case makes teaching about circular business models more dynamic and energetic. Students seem to quickly take to the topic - who doesn’t own a pair of jeans? It creates a fun and engaging element to a class and the pressure cooker approach of the exercises encourages students to think quickly and creatively - the condensed time for the pitches reinforces punchy presentations.”
On how students react to the case…
She commented: “As the topic is highly relevant for students, they are very engaged in the lectures that provide background information on the fashion industry, supply chain and circularity.
“We designed a design sprint to work on the challenge in the case and students actively discussed the case topics and the circular strategies. They created a poster for their two-minute pitch. Students expressed how much they enjoyed the activity and felt they really learned about circular business models and the challenges associated with take-back, operations and economic feasibility.”
On case writing tips…
Zita explained: “While writing the case we decided to add a glossary to quickly explain possibly unfamiliar terms and organisations.
“Firstly, this provides a quick way for students to familiarise themselves with the terms and organisations addressed in the case without losing their attention (no need for phones to google terms).
“And secondly, by not explaining terms in the body of the text itself, the flow of the case narrative was enhanced.”
Final word…
Zita concluded: “When we first engaged in a conversation with Kuyichi’s sustainability manager about our idea of writing a teaching case about their journey in adopting a circular business model, they reacted very enthusiastically. We were able to conduct numerous interviews with them which very much helped in the writing of this case; we were also able to include quotes which helped bring the case to life. It really helped our writing process to have the protagonist of the case on board.
“Also, providing good supplementary material (including PPTs and videos) and an extensive teaching note to accompany the case are as important as writing the case itself. It really helps teachers to familiarise themselves with the topic and provides background for their teaching.
“We hope our case will appeal to a wide range of different educators, for example in international business, entrepreneurship, strategic management and circularity/sustainability courses.”
