Start typing & press "Enter" or "ESC" to close
  • Learning Solutions
    • Learning Solutions

      Experience the power of experiential learning. The learning solutions can be tailored to your specific learning objectives for your next course or in-company training.

      • Understand the End-to-End Supply Chain
      • Supply Chain Fundamentals
      • End-to-End Supply Chain Management
      • Supply Chain Segmentation
      • Supply Chain and Market Expansion
      • Working Capital Management
      • Supply Chain Finance
      • Experience S&OP and IBP
      • Sales and Operations Planning
      • S&OP and Multichannel SCM
      • Integrated Business Planning
      • Manage Supply Chain Disruptions
      • Supply Chain Resilience
      • Supply Chain Risk Management
      • Supply Chain Finance
      • Create a Sustainable Business
      • Carbon Footprint Optimization
      • Sustainable Business
      • Circular Business Transition
      • Develop Data Literacy
      • Data Analytics in Supply Chains
  • Business games
    • Business games

      Discover the power of experiential learning. Our business games offer a life-like experience based on corporate best practices. This as close to reality as you can get!

      • Business Games
      • Discover The Cool Connection
      • Discover The Fresh Connection
      • Discover The Blue Connection
      • Discover The Triple Connection
      • Getting started
      • Education
      • Incompany training
      • Literature
      • Mastering the Supply Chain
      • Supply Chain Meesterschap (Dutch)
      • Mastering the Circular Economy
      • Inchainge Leadership Program
  • Resource Center
    • Resources

      Inchainge offers a holistic approach to learning. Discover our resources and gain free access to our Harvard-style teaching cases and whitepaper. New materials coming soon!

      • Teaching cases
      • Blogs
      • Webinars
      • Whitepapers
  • Knowledge base
    • Knowledge base

      In today’s connected world, people expect and demand easy access to accurate information. Our knowledge base is a self-serve online library with information about topics related to our business games. Learn more about the key terminology, concepts and methods from our knowledge base!

      • Alignment
      • Sales & Operations Plannning
      • Integrated Business Planning
      • ⟶ view more topics
      • Blended learning
      • Delivery formats and scalability
      • Experiential learning
      • Learning cycle
      • Flipped class room
      • ⟶ view more topics
      • Learning
      • Soft skills
      • Building (virtual) teams
      • Leadership skills
      • ⟶ view more topics
      • Supply Chain
      • Data analytics
      • Logistics footprint
      • ⟶ view more topics
      • Sustainability
      • Carbon footprint
      • Circular Economy
      • ⟶ view more topics
      • Value Chain
  • Trainings & Events
    • Trainings & Events

      Stay on top of our upcoming events, trainings and workshops. Discover how to participate in our flagship events for students, professionals and educators!

      • Trainings & Events
      • Upcoming events
      • Flagship events
      • Global Student Challenge
      • Inchainge Connect Educator Conference
      • Global PRO Challenge
        • History of the Challenge
        • Global PRO Partner
      • Global Educator Challenge
  • About
    • About Inchainge

      Celebrating 10 years of Developing Value Chain Leaders. Our game-based learning simulations are in use all around the globe and present an innovative approach to learning that puts participants at the heart of a lifelike simulation. Learn more about who we are and who we work with!

      • About
      • Learn more about us
      • Meet our team
      • Testimonials
      • Partnership
      • Become a partner
      • Partner network
      • Education associates
      • Customer support
  • News
  • Contact
What's new? Online Demo: Game-based learning solution on Circular Business Transition
  • my.Inchainge
What's new? Check out our brand new business game on sustainability, The Triple Connection!
  • my.Inchainge
  • Get a PDF file with this topic
  • The Butterfly Diagram
  • What is the Butterfly Diagram?
  • Technical Cycle: circular strategies and the R-Ladder
  • Biological Cycle: bio-inspired and bio-based loop strategies
  1. Inchainge Home
  2. Knowledge base
  3. Sustainability
  4. The Butterfly Diagram

The Butterfly Diagram

Written by: Inchainge | 2 minute read | Last updated on: October 12th, 2022
Share on:

The Butterfly Diagram accentuates the continuous flow of materials in the circular economy. Its ambition is to showcase the difference between technical and organic cycles through their ‘value circles’. Popularized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the butterfly diagram takes into consideration 3 driving principles, namely the effective use of finite resources, enhancing the utility of raw materials and minimizing waste generation.

Topics in this article
1. What is the Butterfly Diagram?
2. Technical Cycle: circular strategies and the R-Ladder
3. Biological Cycle: bio-inspired and bio-based loop strategies

What is the Butterfly Diagram?

Simply put, the Butterfly Diagram explains the various flows of materials within the circular economy. Here’s how the Ellen MacArthur Foundation illustrates the Butterfly Diagram: 

The Butterfly Diagram for Circular Economy by Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Source: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation

 

As authors Ed Weenk MSc PDEng  and Rozanne Henzen mention in their book, ‘Mastering the Circular Economy’, the diagram illustrates a system of continuous cycles in a value chain. The cycles are distinguished in two segments. Each segment is centered around the materials used to make a product: 

  • The Biological Cycle (left side of the diagram) – focuses on materials which are biodegradable  
  • The Technical Cycle (right side of the diagram) – focuses on materials which are non-biodegradable. 

The first step towards a circular economy is to segregate these two types of materials as they will require different reuse processes. The reusing phase creates loops for the resources on either side, creating a butterfly-like structure.  

Technical Cycle: circular strategies and the R-Ladder

The technical cycle consists of products which are not biodegradable. However, that does not mean that they should lose their value after use. In fact, this is where the technical aspect of product manufacturing comes into play. At its inception, the product must be put together with raw materials that can be reused, like valuable metals and polymers. This cycle requires a proper management of finite material stocks, so that after restoring the product, its components, and the materials can flow back into the cycle.  

This cycle consists of products that are maintained so that they retain their value for the longest time. It compels companies to make maximum use of limited natural resources and keep them at the peak of their utility for the longest time. This way the need to produce new products is diminished and it also maximizes the value for consumers. To get this loop right, it is essential that product manufacturers focus on the design, maintenance, and repair of the product. By ensuring better design and maintenance, the product can be rescued from early wear and tear. 

The same product can be maintained and reused. It can also have the potential of a new buyer to enhance their original value and hence, might require some refurbishments.  This loop might also require some innovative strategies to keep the business running in a competitive environment against linear alternatives. 

Biological Cycle: bio-inspired and bio-based loop strategies

Most products in the biological cycle are biodegradable, and they range from natural raw materials such as wood to edible waste, such as food. These materials are expected to enter the biosphere as compost or other organic nutrients. Their regenerative nature safely returns them to the biocycle as ‘food’ or other forms of life and are expected to generate little to no waste. In fact, the waste of one material can be reused by another.  

Ed Weenk notes, “The nature of design for the biological cycle represents a level of efficiency close to the intrinsic perfectioning of the efficiency of nature’s closed-loop ecosystem, as opposed to the impact-minimizing technical cycle.” 

Now you know

Now you know that the butterfly diagram shows how the materials a product is made of can be assigned to either the organic or the technical cycle. The technical cycle consists of raw materials that are non-biodegradable. In this cycle maximum emphasis is put into how the product is manufactured so that the product, components, and raw materials can be reused. The biological cycle consists of products that are biodegradable. The waste streams can contribute to the refurbishing of newer products.

Sources
  1. The butterfly diagram: visualising the circular economy
    https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram
  2. Mastering the Circular Economy
    https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781398602762/epubcfi/6/2[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3Dcover]!/4/2[cover]/2/2%4050:40
  3. For a true circular economy, we must redefine waste
    https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/build-circular-economy-stop-recycling/

You might want to learn more about

Sustainability v/s Circularity

The terms circularity and sustainability are often used interchangeably and that is exactly where the confusion lies. While the two concepts are not entirely different from one another – in fact, they are somewhat related – circularity and sustainability define two distinctive concepts.

Circular Economy

In this article Inchainge discusses everything you need to know about the circular economy. What is a circular economy, and why is it so important? Read more in our article and learn how Inchainge can offer you the possibly to experience the circular economy in our business games.

The Value Hill

As a product moves uphill from the manufacturing stage to the selling point, it consistently sees an increase in its value. Once it has been purchased by the end-consumer the product’s value is at its highest. However, when the product’s usability ceases it gradually moves downhill and its value begins to decrease at every step. This is the traditional lifespan of a product on the value hill. Its’ value is determined by its core benefits but only for a certain period of time. The Value Hill Business Model expands on this idea.

Dive into our
knowledge base

Alignment
  • Alignment
  • BMC Model
  • External Alignment and Collaboration
  • Integrated Business Planning
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • Sales & Operations Planning
  • Strategic Alignment
  • Total Cost of Ownership
Blended learning
  • Blended learning
  • Delivery formats and scalability
Experiential learning
  • Experiential learning
  • 70 20 10
  • Flipped classroom
  • Learning cycle
Learning
  • Learning
Soft skills
  • Soft skills
  • Building (virtual) teams
  • Leadership skills
Supply chain
  • Data analytics
  • End-to-end Supply Chain Management
  • LARG Supply Chain
  • Logistics footprint
  • Omnichannel
  • Supply Chain
  • Supply Chain Finance
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Supply Chain Risk management
  • Supply Chain Volatility
  • The Bullwhip Effect
Sustainability
  • Sustainability
  • Carbon footprint
  • Circular Economy
  • Does Green Governance drive the ride to a sustainable future?
  • Everything You Need To Know About Eco-Efficiency
  • Greenwashing: Everything you need to know
  • Is it possible to measure the Triple Bottom Line?
  • Sustainability v/s Circularity
  • The 3Ps Series: People
  • The 3Ps Series: Planet
  • The 3Ps Series: Prosperity
  • The Butterfly Diagram
  • The Value Hill
  • What are the 3Ps of Sustainability?
  • What do we know about the Triple Bottom Line?
Value Chain
  • Value Chain

Tags

Supply Chain Circularity TFC Branding HTML Clean CSS3 jQuery

Inchainge

Newsletter
Get the latest Inchainge news delivered to your inbox.
The Fresh Connection The Cool Connection The Blue Connection The Triple Connection Education Incompany training
We truly believe that going through an experience,
will result in a better understanding.
Inchainge B.V.
Emmalaan 5
3732 GM De Bilt
The Netherlands
    Follow us on:
Knowledge base
  • Alignment
  • Learning
  • Blended learning
  • Soft skills
  • Experiential learning
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainability
  • Value Chain
Resources
  • Teaching cases
  • Webinars
  • Blogs
  • Whitepapers
About
  • About Inchainge
  • Meet our team
  • Become a partner
  • Partner network
  • Education associates
  • Testimonials
© Inchainge. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Cookie policy
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT