At a time when traditional economic models are showing their limits in the face of ecological, social, and societal challenges, another path is opening: the Economy of Functionality and Cooperation (EFC).
The industrial model inherited from the 20th century, based on mass production and the logic of ownership, is now revealing its weaknesses: increasing scarcity of natural resources, rising cost of raw materials, dependency on fossil fuels. To this, a productivism logic focused on performance is added, which exerts a growing pressure on organizations and deeply changes working conditions.
Driven by the desire to break away from the logic of ownership and linear growth, the EFC invites us to rethink our business models, placing use, cooperation, and territory at the heart of strategies.
What if economic resilience depended on chosen sobriety? What if performance were measured in ways other than the volume of goods sold? Far from being a utopia, the EFC is already a concrete reality for many companies, as long as it is conceived as a genuine transformation project.
What are the levers of this fairer and more sustainable economy? What conditions are necessary for its deployment? How can we transform this innovation into a driving force for preserving life?
Agathe NICOLLE, Head of our W/Impact expertise center, deciphers the foundations, stakes, and perspectives of a fast-growing model.
Reinventing value: from ownership to use
The EFC introduces a paradigm shift: moving from a model based on selling goods to integrated services, focus on use.
With the Economy of Functionality and Cooperation, it is no longer about selling a product, but a performance, a solution answering a need
In this model, the producer keeps ownership of the goods, which changes their incentives: producing robust, repairable, and easy-to-maintain equipment becomes an economic imperative. The relationship with the client becomes continuous, paving the way for lasting loyalty and long-term dialogue.
In a logic of sobriety, this model promotes resource pooling and waste reduction linked to planned obsolescence. Beyond these environmental benefits, it deeply transforms the way value is created and shared.
Cooperation as a lever for resilience
At the heart of the EFC, there is also a less visible but equally structuring principle: cooperation. Where competitiveness has often fragmented economic ecosystems, the EFC relies on the alliance between stakeholders: companies, customers, territories, and sometimes even competitors, to create more relevant and sustainable solutions.
This approach involves users, employees, suppliers, or public partners in the offers design. It values collective intelligence, transparency, and the pursuit of shared benefit.
Anchored in territories, the EFC promotes the relocation of activities, develops specific know-how, and consolidates local value chains, thus reinforcing the economic sovereignty of territories and their capacity for adaptation in the face of crises.
From selling tires to selling performance: the example of the Michelin model
Michelin is an emblematic example of this transition. The group has, in some cases, replaced the sale of tires with rental and performance management.
With a contract based on travelled kilometres, the client pays for a service and not a product. Michelin remains the owner of the tires, ensures their maintenance, their optimization thanks to embedded sensors, and their revalorization at their end of life.
As a result: a better performance for clients leading to a strengthened trust relationship, waste reduction, and alignment between economic performance and environmental impact.
This model foreshadows what the EFC could be on a large scale: a win-win solution for companies, users, and our planet
Towards a new economic grammar
Loin d’un simple effet de mode, l’Économie de la Fonctionnalité et de la Coopération ouvre une voie exigeante, mais prometteuse. Elle oblige à renoncer à certains automatismes, à revaloriser l’usage sur la possession, la coopération sur la compétition, la proximité sur la standardisation.
It is not a marginal transformation, but a profound reinvention of what producing, consuming, and succeeding mean.
Willing supports transitions towards the EFC
At Willing, we believe that EFC represents a tremendous opportunity for organizations to rethink their models in depth. To succeed in this transition, our support is based on three structural steps:
1. Analyse before acting
Each project begins with an in-depth diagnostic phase: study of uses, understanding of consumption and organizational models, competitive benchmark. This analysis allows us to test the relevance of the EFC model in relation to strategic ambitions.
2. Validate and adjust through experimentation
We favour the POC (Proof Of Concept) approach to test hypotheses on a reduced scale before any generalization. This phase makes it possible to adjust economic, organizational, or technical parameters and to overcome resistance.
3. Deploy progressively, close to the field
We recommend a controlled scaling-up through targeted pilot deployments. It allows validation of the EFC model in various contexts while supporting the tools, practices, and governance evolutions. We act as close as possible to business lines and operational realities, following a logic of continuous adaptation to maximize the chances of success.
At Willing, we believe that innovation only makes sense if it is at the service of life. Thanks to our Willing Impact expertise centre, we support organizations that wish to combine performance, cooperation, and sustainability in their economic model.
For more information, do not hesitate to contact us.
— Agathe NICOLLE, Head of Willing Impact