Our current linear economy relies on cheap, easily available resources and fossil energy. We take, make, use and dispose, eating into a finite supply of materials and generating waste. What's more, resources and energy are getting increasingly tough and expensive to exploit. So can it work long-term? This is where the idea of a performance-based circular economy comes in. What if we didn't buy the goods themselves, but the service? What if we favored access and performance? In this model, manufacturers or retailers would remain the owners of the products. Maintenance and repairs becoming part of the deal. Even better if running costs like electricity were included. For companies, it makes sense to retain precious materials when their future availability is uncertain and when prices are forecast to rise. Premature obsolescence would be phased out, rather than designed in. Buying expensive goods up front would no longer be a necessity. It already happens with mobile phones and cars. Why not fridges, washing machines, power tools and so on. Of course, there is a wide variety of needs, of individuals, of businesses. This is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Hundreds of different solutions can be designed with tailored contracts. Variety, freedom, flexibility and frequent upgrades. Take car sharing schemes. We can either use vehicles owned by manufacturers, car sharing companies, or sign up to a local person to person network. Communication technologies mean that our world is fast becoming a platform where we find exchange services or even remarket goods. It's all about access. And it works for homes and offices too. Couldn't a contract for a number of copies, or washes from a high-end appliance, be more beneficial for both providers and users. Better service, at a better price. Companies win too. Materials extraction and production can represent up to 75% of the energy used to make goods. So if re-manufacturing were introduced at scale, it would dramatically reduce our energy needs. At systems level, this would help the switch to renewable sources. A system that works long-term by designing out waste and keeping valuable products in the loop, and maintaining or re-manufacturing them, creating jobs in the process. Shifting to a performance model is part of the solution when it comes to accelerating the transition to a circular economy. There's a world of opportunities for businesses, as well as individuals. And the shift has already begun.