By Angélique

The circular economy is emerging as a strategic priority for French companies, driven by sustainability challenges, regulation (the AGEC law, CSR, the Green Deal, CSRD), and the pursuit of performance. According to a 2021 INEC/OPEO study, 85% of industry professionals surveyed see the circular economy as an opportunity for competitiveness.

This is reflected in a sharp rise in training dedicated to eco-design, life cycle assessment, measuring circularity, or systems thinking.

What you should remember:

  • In 2026, the circular economy is no longer a matter of choice, but of strategic adaptation: it's redefining products, business models, and key skills within companies.
  • Circulab Academy offers a top 5 of its most popular courses. Among them: an introduction to circular economy regulations and a training to start an eco-design approach.

Why get trained in the circular economy in 2026?

According to ADEME, the circular economy is "an economic system of exchange and production which, at every stage of the life cycle of products (goods and services), aims to increase the efficiency of resource use and reduce environmental impact while developing individual well-being."

At Circulab, we believe that systems thinking is the key to understanding the interdependencies between resources, actors, uses, and impacts. Getting trained means learning to spot the concrete levers to transform products, services, and business models.

In 2026, getting trained in the circular economy is essential because:

The regulatory framework is tightening

The AGEC law, the ESPR directive, Digital Product Passports: companies must now justify their impacts and anticipate new requirements.

Competitiveness will hinge on sustainability

Faced with resource tensions, investor expectations, and ESG criteria, adopting more sparing, circular models is becoming a decisive competitive advantage.

Systemic risks are intensifying

Supply disruptions, price volatility, geopolitical instability (and more), learning to map your value chain and understand your main risks to reduce and anticipate them is becoming vital.

The opportunities are real

Reduced costs, new business models (rental, reuse, upcycling...), product innovation: as you'll have understood, the circular economy is a lever for value creation, not just compliance.

Top 5 professional and certifying courses from Circulab Academy

For more than 10 years, Circulab Academy has supported professionals who want to integrate circular economy principles into their job, their business, or their strategy. Our teaching approach is based on a systemic approach, concrete tools (Circular Canvas, Partner Map, Value Chain Canvas), and real-world cases.

To let everyone progress at their own pace and according to their objectives, courses are structured around four complementary tracks:

Here's a selection of five courses particularly useful for starting or deepening a transition to the circular economy in 2026:

1 - Activate the circular economy

A free introductory online training (1 hour, self-paced) to discover the basics of the circular economy, its main benefits, challenges, and limits.

2 - Discover circular economy regulations

This 3-hour self-paced remote training module gives you the keys to understand, through concrete cases, the new obligations that directly affect you: the AGEC law, EPR schemes, the ESPR directive, digital product passports.

3 - Starting an eco-design approach with the circular economy

This in-depth, self-paced online training (15 hours) lets you move into action. It explores eco-design levers, circularity loops, impact indicators (LCA, carbon footprint...), and teaches you to balance environmental performance with technical or economic feasibility.

4 - Setting up circularity indicators

Lasting 20 hours and available online at your own pace, this program guides you through selecting, implementing, and analyzing the right circularity indicators to steer a circular strategy, a skill increasingly sought after in CSR, procurement, or production roles.

5 - Supporting the transformation to a circular economy

This is Circulab's most popular training and its most complete program: 45 hours of training spread over 8 weeks, in a synchronous and asynchronous format, with teaching support. You'll learn to analyze an ecosystem, mobilize stakeholders, and design a circular business model using Circulab's tools. Ideal if you want to build new business models and drive your company's ecological transition.

CSR and circular economy training

In addition to the programs offered by Circulab Academy, other training can provide specific insights or different approaches to circular economy challenges. Some are oriented toward design and manufacturing, others are rooted in more general academic curricula or a large-scale awareness-raising approach.

Here are a few interesting programs to know about if you're looking to diversify your learning sources:

Programs at the Cnam, schools, and universities

Many top schools (ESSEC, EDHEC, Mines Paris, AgroParisTech) and public institutions now integrate circular economy modules into their specialized master's programs, MBAs, or certificates in CSR, sustainable business strategy, and transition management.

You can also browse the Formation-Transition and Le Tournant platforms, where a wide range of programs are listed, including Circulab Academy's courses. These programs often let you cross-reference economic, legal, and environmental approaches, and dig deeper into certain steering tools.

MOOCs and online resources

To get started or build on your skills, several MOOCs are available for free or at low cost. Among them:

How to fund your circular economy training?

Getting trained in the circular economy is a strategic investment for you, and in many cases, this investment can be funded.

Your company's skills development plan

This is today the main funding path for employees. Any company can fund a Circulab Academy training through this plan, via its HR or training department. This can cover both short programs and longer certifying programs.

All Circulab Academy courses are available online and can be taken at your own pace. If in doubt, our team is available to help you identify the best funding option for your situation. Just get in touch.

In short

Getting trained in the circular economy isn't just about learning to better manage resources or reduce your environmental impact. Above all, it's about acquiring a new way of thinking (in systems, in interdependencies, in value(s)). It's understanding that yesterday's models are no longer viable, and that resilient organizations are the ones that know how to anticipate, cooperate, and transform.

In 2026, the signals are clear: constraints are becoming drivers of innovation. Societal expectations are pushing us to rethink our practices. And circular economy skills (eco-design, circularity indicators, systemic design) will be among the most sought after.

Wherever you're starting from, there's a path to help you move forward, at your own pace, with the right tools and methods.

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