We have already discovered two directions on the value architecture side and in this video, we'll explore the third one. In this direction, we will investigate whether eliminating or adding a step in the value chain can lead to innovative value architectures. Removing or adding a step in the value chain will have a direct impact on costs and very often on the value proposition. Eliminating a step reduces costs and therefore, the offer’s price. For example, low cost airlines don’t serve meals on board, as they are expensive and also imply cleaning costs. Another example is Beauty Bubble. This is a hair salon that has eliminated a major step in the value chain: the hair is not washed. The cut is done on dry hair, with a specific technique. Imagine the impact that this step has on the value architecture. If you don’t need water, you can set up the hair salon wherever you want: in a train station, in exhibition halls, places where there is a lot of traffic and people spend time waiting for something. The Beauty Bubble hair salon is very small, only 8m2, so there is no room to sell products such as shampoos. While hairdressers generally make a good margin by selling those products, it also takes a long time to sell them. As a result, Beauty Bubble can offer a very attractive value proposition: 10 minutes guaranteed for a haircut, for only €10. By optimizing all the steps in the value chain and eliminating washing and selling products, Beauty Bubble can offer a cheap haircut, while remaining profitable. On the other hand, adding a step in the value chain may change the offer and have an impact on costs. Let’s come back to an example that we have already seen together in direction number two: "Reducing customer hassles." Remember Safechem, the German subsidiary of Dow Chemical. Safechem sells a chlorinated solvent, which is a highly toxic chemical product that is used to degrease metals. Safechem has decided to no longer sell a product, but to sell a solution: the degreasing of metals. Remember that Safechem has developed a safety container that you can see again on this picture. Once it has passed through the cleaning machines, the used solvent, owned by Safechem, is collected in another container by the chemist, who then recovers it for reprocessing. As mentioned before, Safechem offers a closed-loop solution. If we take a look at its value architecture, we can realize that Safechem has added a step to the value chain, since Safechem recovers the solvent for reprocessing. Thus, Safechem has gone from what is called a linear economy, in which it would simply sell the product, to a circular economy, in which it takes the product back at the end of the life of the product. Safechem can then reprocess and recycle parts of the solvent. This is sometimes called "cradle to cradle economy", as opposed to "cradle to grave". Another famous example of a cradle to cradle economy is Desso, a Dutch carpet tile producer. The majority of their carpets are used in offices. From 2007, Desso has followed a cradle to cradle product design principle, only using pure materials that can safely be upcycled, meaning recycled in a way that creates more value. A lot of products recycled today end up as products of lower quality. Recycling therefore becomes undesirable and, in some cases, a waste of time and money. At Desso, the yarn from the carpet will be depolymerized into a liquid that can be used to make high-value plastic or new yarn. So Desso is saving valuable raw material with this approach. I suggest you listen to the CEO of Desso, who explains this whole process much better than I do. Please use the following link. While watching, I suggest that you think about the impact of the cradle to cradle approach on the overall production cost. As you can understand from this video, the cradle to cradle approach adds a step to the value chain: recycling or upcycling. So, this has a cost. However, this cost can be compensated by a lower subsequent cost of the raw material and therefore, result in a lower overall cost. This is exactly what happens at Desso. In 2009, eight of the ten biggest carpet manufacturers recorded considerable losses and Desso was one of them. By implementing the cradle to cradle approach, Desso’s profitability went from 1% to 9%. This also shows that an emphasis on sustainability and environmental products can actually lead to better financial profit. So, adding a step in the value chain doesn’t necessary result in an increase of overall costs. To sum up, to illustrate this direction, I used two very different examples: Beauty Bubble, as a company that has eliminated a step in the value chain, and Safechem and Desso that are companies that have added a step in the value chain. As always, you can ask yourself the following questions when exploring this direction number 10: How is this step in the value chain useful? Can you eliminate it? What will the impact be in terms of cost and therefore, price? Could you add a step to the value chain? What would the result be? Would it lower the costs? Would it bring value to the client? This was our tenth direction. Please join us for the next video on direction number 11, still on the value architecture side.