Retailers: The Missing Link in the Circular Economy

When we think of the circular economy, the spotlight often falls on brands redesigning products or recyclers developing new technologies. Yet one group plays an equally vital — and often underestimated — role: retailers.

Retailers have always been the great connectors. In traditional commerce, they unite brands under one roof, curate categories, and compete fiercely to deliver value to customers. In the circular economy, their role is no different. They are the bridges between customer action and systemic change.

A powerful example comes from the Netherlands, where Runnersworld has transformed circularity from concept into customer experience. Since 2016, they’ve collected more than 80,000 pairs of shoes. But with The Loop, they’ve gone further: 22,000 recycled pairs are now part of the very fabric of their new Eindhoven store — counters, walls, even a running track. Customers can literally see their own contribution in the space around them.

As Danny Pormes, founder of FastFeetGrinded and Runnersworld Hoorn, put it: “We’re the first sports store in the Netherlands where customers see their own donated shoes reflected in the design.”

And as Ron Bruinenberg of Runnersworld and Intersport noted: “Given the large number of runners in the Netherlands and the limited lifespan of running shoes, this is how we can ultimately achieve the most profit.”

This achievement wasn’t the work of one player alone. The Loop was made possible through partnership: FastFeetGrinded with the world’s only shoe recycling machine, production partners Pyrasied, Swooda, and Soboçan bringing new materials to life, and Runnersworld providing the stage to show customers what circularity looks like in practice. Each plays a critical role, but together they demonstrate the system effect — circularity only scales when technology, design, and retail leadership align.

This is leadership in practice: each actor taking responsibility for their part of the value chain — recyclers with the infrastructure, brands with the product, and retailers bringing it all together. The retailer’s role is pivotal because they control the moment of truth: the customer relationship.

The brilliance of this model is its simplicity. When I buy a new pair of shoes, I can return an old pair in the same moment. Replace and return. Another “R” in circularity — and one that connects the customer directly into the loop.

That’s why at Utilitarian, we are so passionate about working with retailers. Circularity will not scale on infrastructure or brand intent alone. It will scale when the act of returning is as natural and rewarding as the act of purchasing. When retailers see returns not as an operational burden but as a relationship opportunity.

The missing “R” in circularity is relationship. And it is retailers who are uniquely positioned to unlock it.

Circularity, Made Simple.