Design Talk with Dr. Sebas­tian Friess

“Circular design and the circular economy are not ideals – they are economic neces­si­ties.” A conver­sa­tion with Dr. Sebas­tian Friess, Head of the Office for Economic Affairs of the Canton of Bern.

The new status report on the circular economy in Switzer­land provides an up-to-date picture of the state of the trans­for­ma­tion. What do you person­ally take away from it – espe­cially with regard to the economic region of Bern?

The Canton of Bern is home to a large number of SMEs, many of them owner-managed compa­nies for whom sustain­able entre­pre­neur­ship is partic­u­larly impor­tant. The current figures show that it is mainly the “pioneers” who are currently investing in circu­larity, and that the topic is not yet widely estab­lished, or that the finan­cial and human resources for such invest­ments are still insuf­fi­cient. Against this back­ground, it is impor­tant that we iden­tify gaps and outline ways – also from the public side – to support compa­nies in moving further towards circu­larity.

 

What role does the Canton of Bern play in a national compar­ison when it comes to the circular economy and sustain­able inno­va­tion?

In the Canton of Bern, the strategic anchoring of circular busi­ness activ­i­ties is simi­larly devel­oped as in the Swiss average. According to the 2024 Swiss Circular Economy Status Report, 30% of compa­nies indi­cate a moderate anchoring (CH: 29%), 24% a medium anchoring (CH: 19%) and 5% a strong anchoring (CH: 8%). A compa­rable picture also emerges with regard to invest­ment behav­iour. We aim to actively shape the imple­men­ta­tion of the circular economy in the Canton of Bern and throughout Switzer­land, and to support SMEs in this process — ideally also as a pioneering canton.

 

Which devel­op­ments are you currently observing among Bernese compa­nies – are there areas where the momentum is partic­u­larly notice­able?

We see that Bernese compa­nies, for example in the food, construc­tion, mobility, medtech and MEM indus­tries, are building knowl­edge and are active partic­u­larly where they must meet legal require­ments. Other drivers include cost savings, effi­ciency gains, unstable supply chains, as well as expec­ta­tions from suppliers, customers and employees. The avail­ability of raw mate­rials is a key driver for the circular economy: how quickly supply chains can change and national borders can close in an emer­gency became clear at the begin­ning of the coro­n­avirus crisis — some­thing we had not consid­ered possible before.

Where do you see the greatest chal­lenges in inte­grating the circular economy more strongly into everyday busi­ness oper­a­tions?

Compa­nies need to strate­gi­cally consider how to align their busi­ness model more closely with sustain­ability. Once this process — which often takes several years — is completed, imple­men­ta­tion begins. The major chal­lenges are found primarily within this process: high invest­ment costs, a shortage of qual­i­fied personnel, and signif­i­cant market uncer­tainty.

 
How can regional devel­op­ment and busi­ness promo­tion concretely support compa­nies that want to posi­tion them­selves more sustain­ably and use resources more effi­ciently?

The Economic Devel­op­ment Agency of the Canton of Bern, for example, provides direct finan­cial contri­bu­tions for compa­nies’ invest­ment and inno­va­tion projects. These contri­bu­tions support compa­nies that are expanding or inno­vating their prod­ucts, markets, or processes — including circular economy projects. In addi­tion, Bernese compa­nies receive targeted, needs-oriented coaching throughout all phases of the busi­ness life­cycle from be-advanced AG. Within the frame­work of the New Regional Policy, we can also support cross-company projects (initia­tives in which multiple compa­nies collab­o­rate) that promote circu­larity. Further­more, we have jointly estab­lished several applied research and devel­op­ment infra­struc­tures in the Canton of Bern. These facil­i­ties provide tech­nology-oriented compa­nies with ideas, support, and possible points of connec­tion for sustain­able produc­tion. We also support the Circular Economy Alliance Bern, which is one of several plat­forms bringing together the various actors of the circular economy in the Canton of Bern.

In many projects, it becomes clear that trans­for­ma­tion succeeds above all through coop­er­a­tion. How impor­tant is collab­o­ra­tion between busi­ness, research and the public sector in this context?

I consider collab­o­ra­tion to be of very high impor­tance. In the circular economy, many completely new solu­tions need to be devel­oped and found. To achieve this, compa­nies need skilled researchers, imple­men­ta­tion part­ners and others who work together with them to develop these new solu­tions. And it may also require a change in customer behav­iour — some­thing that also becomes visible in new forms of coop­er­a­tion.

Digi­tal­i­sa­tion and tech­no­log­ical inno­va­tions are consid­ered impor­tant drivers of the circular economy. To what extent do these devel­op­ments influ­ence your work at the Office for Economic Affairs?

Digi­tal­i­sa­tion is already well underway in our office. For example, in economic devel­op­ment we have fully digi­talised the appli­ca­tion and deci­sion-making process for invest­ment support. Further­more, at the Switzer­land Inno­va­tion Park Biel/Bienne, we are seeing a rapid expan­sion of services and infra­struc­ture related to new sustain­able produc­tion tech­nolo­gies that can support the tran­si­tion to the circular economy.

 

Many compa­nies are standing at the threshold between good ideas and actual imple­men­ta­tion. Where do you see the greatest leverage here – knowl­edge, financing or mindset?

Our cantonal inno­va­tion support agency be-advanced reports that, very often, the optimal combi­na­tion of these factors is needed to success­fully bring an inno­va­tion to market and attract customers. Money alone will not advance the circular economy.

 

The Design Preis Schweiz once again focuses on Circular Design in this edition. In your view, what role does design play in economic renewal and sustain­able devel­op­ment?

Design is increas­ingly seen as key to economic success because it creates the oppor­tu­nity to align a company’s prod­ucts and values. In the circular economy, design plays a major role, since many aspects along the entire value chain need to be redesigned. In product design, compa­nies need durable and modular prod­ucts made from non-toxic mate­rials; in manu­fac­turing, they require new solu­tions for unused capac­i­ties; and at the end of a product’s life, they must retain valu­able mate­rials and ensure that these stay in the loop. These are major tasks that require smart, thoughtful design.

 

If you look into the future: what would you like to see change in the field of circular economy and inno­va­tion in the Canton of Bern in the coming years?

We would like to see many Bernese compa­nies daring to pursue circular inno­va­tions despite certain obsta­cles, and taking respon­si­bility for future gener­a­tions and the envi­ron­ment. We would also like to see poli­cy­making that acts thought­fully yet coura­geously. And person­ally, I would wish for a debate on the circular economy that is free of ideology. The term contains a great deal of “economy” — and thus our very foun­da­tion of life.