Real investment decisions. Two paths. No labels. You choose — and discover what separates conventional capital from circular, fair, and systemic thinking.
10 scenarios for impact investors in fashion and textile supply chains
8 scenarios for developers and real estate investors
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An investment dilemma game that makes circular economy thinking real — not as a framework, but as a series of decisions every investor in fashion and the built environment actually faces.
Circular economy thinking is increasingly well understood in theory. In practice, it still loses to a cleaner IRR story, a faster exit, and the comfort of what every other investor in the room is doing. The gap is not a knowledge problem. It is a decision-making problem.
This game puts you at the moment of decision — where the conventional choice is genuinely tempting and the circular choice requires either a longer time horizon, a broader definition of risk, or a willingness to hold a more complex story. The scenarios are drawn from real investor dilemmas documented by Laudes Foundation and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation across fashion and the built environment.
You don't know which choice is "circular" until after you've made it. That's deliberate. By the end, the logic has earned its place through experience rather than explanation.
Two completely separate games, each drawing from real investor dilemmas in that sector. Fashion runs 10 scenarios. Built environment runs 8.
Each scenario describes a specific, grounded moment — a supplier pricing question, a materials specification, a fund horizon tension, a coalition invitation. The conventional option is genuinely tempting. That's the point.
Neither option is marked as "circular" or "conventional." You have to feel your way to a decision based on the logic, not the framing. Which is exactly how real investment decisions work.
The conventional choice isn't condemned. Sometimes it pays off in the short term. But the longer-term exposure becomes visible. The circular choice isn't idealised — it often requires more patience or complexity. The principle at stake is named clearly.
Your report names where you stand as an investor — your score band, your pattern of conventional choices, your circular instincts, and reflection questions for your investment committee. Two Nonprofit Builder assessments are suggested for portfolio companies.
Laudes Foundation works to accelerate a green, fair and inclusive economy, focusing on high-impact systems where climate and inequality are deeply connected. Its main focus areas are fashion, the built environment, food, and finance and capital markets.
Laudes does not just advocate for circularity in the abstract — it uses philanthropy to change the rules of the game: supporting field-building coalitions, funding market infrastructure, backing policy change, and helping investors become more active owners of the transition.
The dilemmas in this game are drawn from Laudes-supported research and initiatives including Fashion for Good, the Good Fashion Fund, and Built by Nature.
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