# Narrow - How does it work?
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This approach to make things circular is called ‘narrow’, because it aims to create solutions that narrow the flow of materials going through the system. By using less material overall, we’ll have a smaller impact on the environment. We’d use less land, less energy and less water to produce stuff as well, and we’d end up with less waste too. Another way of thinking about this approach is trying to do more with less, or creating more value with the same resources.**
Putting this approach into practice can be done in a variety of ways, depending on your business or organisation. The Narrow approach makes sense if the products or services you control use a large volume of materials. For example, large-scale projects that require a lot of capital investment tend to benefit from this approach, as their impact mainly comes from the sheer volume of materials used. The Circularity Deck provides a plethora of strategies to do so and makes a distinction between three different levels of implementation.

You can put the Narrow approach into action at the product-level**, focusing on the use of less material in how a product is designed and manufactured. When your business or organisation has control over the design or production process of a product, consider these strategies:

- **Design with low-impact inputs:****During product development, select materials that require less land, energy and water to produce. For example, the use of plant-based ingredients in food production requires less land, energy and water than meat-based equivalents.

- Design lightweight products:****Products that are lighter than comparable products on the market use less material to achieve the same goal. Lighter products are generally easier to transport, too.

- Design for multiple functions:****When a product is designed for multiple functions, it can replace the need for a bunch of individual products to achieve similar outcomes. Think about how modern smartphones have eliminated the need to carry a separate camera, music player, calendar and TV.

You can use the Narrow approach on a business model-level**, when your business or organisation plays a service-focused role or procures products from other businesses in your value chain. Consider strategies like:

- **Enable and incentivise users to consume less:****Incentivising your stakeholders to be more efficient with their energy, water and material use is a great way of putting the Narrow approach into action on a business model-level. For example, educating users on how to use colder and shorter wash cycles on their washing machine will reduce both water and energy use.

- Specify the use of efficient transport logistics:****The transportation of goods can contribute significantly to the footprint of those products. Making use of lighter and more efficient transport options, such as electric vehicles or push bikes, will lower the amount of energy and materials required for transport logistics.

- Use local suppliers where appropriate:****Similarly to the use of efficient transportation methods, using local supply can also go a long way in reducing environmental footprints. Consider favouring locally made products over imported alternatives where appropriate.

And finally, the Narrow approach can be used on an ecosystem-level**, which might be relevant when your organisation plays a coordinating or influencing role in your value chain. This usually includes government or not-for-profit organisations, who could consider this strategy:

- **Maximise the use intensity of products:**
This is about maximising the degree to which the capacity of a product is used, with the aim of decreasing the total number of products in an ecosystem. Think of a car sharing model, allowing us to decrease the number of cars on the road by getting people to drive together.
