This article was originally published on July 1, 2015, on The Guardian’s Partnerzone for Philips, ‘What MBA students really think about the circular economy’.

The circular economy is fast changing from buzzword du jour to required reading for those entering the business world – and planning to do so sustainably. The industries involved in the circular economy are hardly limited to recycling companies and upcyclers either; a myriad sectors are working it into the way they operate, from construction companies to major IT firms.

We spoke to four students from Hult International Business School who are studying the circular economy, to get a sense of what business students today make of it…Read the four interviews on The Guardian.

Philips has set a Hult Impact Challenge for our One-Year MBA students, challenging them to define opportunities in the circular economy and develop actionable strategies that Philips can start to implement. The Hult Impact Challenge is an eight-month, hands-on project working in the real world with real companies and organizations. Choosing from an entrepreneurial, social, or corporate challenge, a team of MBA students will work with the businesses’ executives and staff to research, devise and propose the most impactful solution to a problem the company is currently facing.