Hello, I am Hans Leijen

Educated as mechanical engineer, I have build a strong experience in Supply Chain & Operations Management in leading tech companies like Stork, Océ and Philips. I was always very engaged in sustainability, but it seemed not so relevant for my work. Until 2019, when I ran a pilot project for parts recovery in Philips. This was the spark that ignited a new curiosity and passion: Circular Supply Chains.

In my projects I realized that it is relatively easy to do circular pilots, but it is very difficult to scale when building on existing linear processes. I learned by doing and developed insights on how to make circular supply chains happen in practice. I discovered that we need to re-invent concepts for upgrade and repair, and that new processes and services are needed to enable reverse logistics and reprocessing of used products at scale. And unlike linear supply chain, there is no training or in-depth knowledge available yet on Circular Supply Chain Management.

My exploration of Circular Supply Chains was exciting and triggered a passion. I joined The Circular Supply Chain Network CSCN and started presenting at conferences and events. But most of all, I want to support companies in their circular journey and share my insights and learnings with supply chain professionals, business leaders and product designers.

That is how I started Chains to Circles Consultancy!