Podcast
Circularity.fm
Hosted by Patrick Hypscher · EN
Circularity.fm is the podcast about understanding, building and managing circular business models.
Most episode showcase one specific organisation that runs a circular business model or a business model in the circular economy. This can be a startup, an established SME or a business field of a corporate. Hence, interviews are both about founding and funding a circular business as well as transforming an existing linear business to a circular one, be it in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa or Australia. The podcast focuses on experiences made in this build-up and transformation phase.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Startup Collaboration: How to Build Win-Win Partnerships
4d ago00:24:58Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy Why do startups and corporates need each other, and what makes the partnership work? Florian Fehr, Managing Director of NEEW Ventures, joins Patrick at IFAT and interviews three founders: Rajiv Singhal from Grensol, Stefan Delinde from Minimise, and Gary Lewis from Resourcify about their businesses and what makes a startup-corporate partnership work. What you'll hear in this episode: • Why startups and corporates operate at different speeds, and why that difference is the point of the collaboration • Three founders, three completely different business models built around partnering with corporates • What Florian calls the "secret sauce" of a partnership that works The episode also covers how NEEW Ventures operates as both venture builder and bridge maker for EEW. This is the final episode of the series Incineration in the Circular Economy, produced in sponsoring partnership with NEEW Ventures. People Florian Fehr, Managing Director at NEEW Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianfehr/ Startup Founders: Rajiv Singhal, Grensol Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajiv-singhal-008b1b/ Gary Lewis, Resourcify https://www.linkedin.com/in/circular-gary/ Stefan De Linde, Minimise https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-de-linde/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:25 Series recap and episode plan 1:39 Meet Florian and NEEW Ventures 3:28 Why corporates need startups 5:17 Founder spotlight Grensol 12:06 Founder spotlight Minimize 17:15 Founder spotlight Resourcify 20:31 What makes collaborations succeed 23:55 Outro About NEEW Ventures is a venture builder and subsidiary of EEW Energy from Waste, one of the market leaders for thermal waste treatment in Germany. Founded in 2021 in Berlin, NEEW Ventures builds startups that use data, AI, and digital tools to create value from waste. Its portfolio includes Wasteer, which uses AI-based waste composition analysis to cut emissions and operating costs at incineration plants, and Minimise, a digital traceability platform for e-waste recycling. NEEW Ventures also runs the Circularity Hub for startups, researchers, and industry professionals, and the Waste & AI Hub (WAIH), connecting AI experts with waste industry operators. Find out more at: neew-ventures.com Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ Startups: Grensol: grensolgroup.com Minimise: registry.minimise.today Resourcify: resourcify.com One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/startup-collaboration-how-to-build-win-win-partnerships/
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Sustainability Reporting: Turning ESG into Decisions
2w ago00:55:16Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy heading textHow does ESG reporting influence how a company is financed, run, and perceived? in this episode, Fabian Böhmer, Head of Sustainability at EEW, joins Patrick to discuss how ESG reporting can serve bankability, reputation, and internal decision-making. What you'll hear: • Why the business case matters in sustainability, and what happens when ecological, social, and economic dimensions are treated as one balanced system rather than competing priorities • What CSRD, ESRS, and the EU taxonomy actually require, and the difference between treating them as a reporting burden and using them as a strategic tool • How to make sustainability work land internally with different functions: the language that gets operations, finance, and the board on board The episode also covers how green bonds and ESG-linked credit conditions are reshaping the cost of capital, and why focus matters more than completeness when reporting to multiple stakeholders. This is the fifth episode of the series Incineration in the Circular Economy, sponsored by NEEW Ventures. People Fabian Böhmer, Head of Sustainability at EEW https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-b%C3%B6hmer/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:26 A sustainability report for your private life? 04:44 The triangle of sustainability 10:23 Landfilling vs waste-to-energy 14:29 Why landfilling still wins on cost 19:21 What happens to the residues 23:09 The waste hierarchy 25:09 Bringing the three dimensions together 31:22 The sustainability report under new regulation 38:16 Communicating with all stakeholders 43:38 The financial value of a good report 48:54 Hacks for bringing colleagues onboard 52:48 Closing About EEW Energy from Waste GmbH (EEW) is one of Europe’s leading companies in the field of thermal waste and sewage sludge recovery. Today, EEW makes an important contribution to climate and resource protection and is therefore an essential part of the circular economy. At the company’s 17 current sites, around 5 million tonnes of waste per year can be used for energy recovery. More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way. Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/sustainability-reporting-turning-esg-into-decisions/
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100th Episode: Key Lessons from Six Years of Circularity.fm
2w ago00:19:13Tap to summarizeWhat are the learnings after 100+ conversations with circular economy experts? For our 100th Episode Special, Celinne de Paula from the Circularity.fm team takes over as host and interviews Patrick Hypscher on what six years of conversations with founders, investors, and professionals has taught him. What you'll hear in this episode: • The skills needed to make circular projects succeed • The overlooked levers within the circular economy • How the circular landscape has evolved since 2020 This special also covers what led Patrick to start the podcast, and what's next for Circularity.fm. Dear listeners, thanks for listening to the show! People Patrick Hypscher, Circularity.fm Founder, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Celinne de Paula, Circularity.fm Team https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinnedepaula/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:05 The Start of Circularity.fm 06:09 Patterns and Insights from 100 Conversations 09:02 Barriers and Levers for Circularity 11:55 The Evolution of Circular Economy 14:58 Personal Reflections and Future Aspirations About Circularity.fm is the podcast about understanding, building and managing circular business models. Each episode features candid conversations with managers, founders and investors, unpacking the numbers, trade-offs, and playbooks behind scalable circular models. Produced in partnership with top-tier circularity events worldwide, we bring you fresh strategies, case studies, and deal-room insights from the global stage. If you're building the next generation of resilient, low-resource businesses, tune in to Circularity.fm - where circularity meets profitability. One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/100th-episode-key-lessons-from-six-years-of-circularity-fm/
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Carbon Capture: How Waste-to-Energy Cuts CO2
3w ago00:28:31Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy How does carbon capture actually work, and what does it take to make it commercial? Jörn Jakob, Director Innovation at EEW, and Eike Diedecke, who oversees the carbon capture pilot at the Delfzijl site, share what they are learning from the pilot project. What you'll hear in this episode: • Where the CO2 in waste actually comes from, and the impact of different waste compositions • How the capture process works step by step • What needs to fall into place for carbon capture to scale The episode also covers why EEW chose the Netherlands as the first pilot site, and where the team is looking for partners on capture technology and CO2 utilisation. This is the fourth episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures. People Jörn Jakob, Director Innovation at EEW https://www.linkedin.com/in/j%C3%B6rn-jakob-124192214/ Eike Diedecke, Carbon Capture Project Leader at EEW https://www.linkedin.com/in/eike-diedecke-365703221/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:35 Meet Jörn Jakob 2:52 Why incineration plants emit CO2 4:48 EEW's approach: amine scrubbing 5:32 The CC Mobile pilot at Delfzijl 6:46 Meet Eike Diedecke: inside the Delfzijl plant 8:36 How amine scrubbing works 11:38 Why carbon capture needs so much energy 12:35 The pilot's real success criteria 15:02 What captured CO2 looks like 16:57 Back to Jörn: storage and pipelines 22:49 Why the Netherlands, not Germany 23:19 Regulation and partner search 27:23 Outro About EEW Energy from Waste GmbH (EEW) is one of Europe’s leading companies in the field of thermal waste and sewage sludge recovery. Today, EEW makes an important contribution to climate and resource protection and is therefore an essential part of the circular economy. At the company’s 17 current sites, around 5 million tonnes of waste per year can be used for energy recovery. More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way. Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/carbon-capture-how-waste-to-energy-cuts-co2/
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Waste as a Resource: How Data and AI Cut Recycling Costs
4w ago00:29:36Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy What is the value of knowing what's in your waste stream? Wasteer founder Benedict von Spankeren talks about how data and AI improve profitability and prevent dangerous accidents for waste management companies. What you'll hear in this episode: • The economic gap between recycling and waste-to-energy margins, and what this means for market entry and finding customers. • How dynamic pricing changes the business: moving away from flat fees and charging suppliers based on the actual energy value of their waste. • The difficulty of passing on carbon taxes, and why plants now need proof of exactly which supplier delivered what. The episode also discusses the challenge of getting experienced crane operators to actually use new technology on the floor. This is the third episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures. People Benedict von Spankeren, Founder at Wasteer https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedict-von-spankeren/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:46 The Rest of the Rest 02:43 Founding Wasteer at New Ventures 05:57 Where Wasteer Stands Today 07:07 Waste Analysis and Steering 09:40 Waste as a Resource 11:07 Waste-to-Energy vs Recycling 13:34 Cultural Resistance and the 99% Myth 17:40 Transparency Down the Value Chain 19:26 Pricing, Gate Fees, and CO2 Taxation 24:35 Calculating the ROI 28:35 Outro About WASTEER is a Berlin-based AI software company that helps waste treatment and energy-from-waste plants analyse incoming waste streams in real time. It uses camera and sensor data to detect contaminants, calculate waste composition and improve operational decisions so plants can run more safely and efficiently. Its platform is built around digital tools for waste analysis, stream control and documentation, with the goal of reducing downtime, lowering costs and improving sustainability. WASTEER presents itself as a circular economy enabler by turning waste data into better material recovery, cleaner processes and more profitable plant operations. Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ https://www.wasteer.com/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/waste-as-a-resource-how-data-and-ai-cut-recycling-costs/
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Waste Incineration: Its Role in Circular Economy
May 500:34:26Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy What role does waste incineration play in the circular economy and in the transition away from fossil fuels? Sebastian Siewers, Head of Energy at EEW, talks about the contribution of waste-to-energy plants to the circular economy, and the energy system. What you'll hear in this episode: • The business model behind waste to energy: where the revenue comes from, what drives costs, and why CO2 is becoming a major factor. • What grid flexibility means, why it has become more important than total energy supply, and how negative pricing hours in Germany have more than doubled since 2023. • Why heat and steam are local infrastructure products and how German municipalities are starting to plan around them. This is the second episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures. People Sebastian Siewers, Head of Energy at EEW https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-siewers-2494731b4/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:43 Role of Waste Incineration in Circular Economy 4:36 Business Model Behind Waste-to-Energy 7:40 Costs and Carbon Regulation 10:29 Energy Transition Impacts 14:02 Steam and Heat Infrastructure 20:25 Flexibility Needs 23:34 Flexibility Infrastructure 28:28 What Consumers Can Do 30:52 Outro About EEW Energy from Waste GmbH (EEW) is one of Europe’s leading companies in the field of thermal waste and sewage sludge recovery. Today, EEW makes an important contribution to climate and resource protection and is therefore an essential part of the circular economy. At the company’s 17 current sites, around 5 million tonnes of waste per year can be used for energy recovery. More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way. Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/waste-incineration-its-role-in-circular-economy/
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Waste Incineration: How Waste-to-Energy Really Works
Apr 2800:37:03Tap to summarizeIncineration in the Circular Economy Do you know how a waste-to-energy plant actually turn household waste into electricity, heat, and steam? Philipp Böhm, Managing Director of NEEW Ventures walks through the full process at a plant in Premnitz, from the truck pulling up at the gate to energy entering the grid. What you'll hear in this episode: • How waste companies make money: they don't buy their fuel. They charge producers to take it off their hands. • Why no one knows what's actually in the waste once it hits the bunker, and why that's a real operational problem. • What comes out the other end: enough electricity for 40,000 homes, heat for a nearby city, and steam for surrounding industry, from a single plant. This is the first episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures. People Philipp Böhm, Managing Director at NEEW Ventures https://www.linkedin.com/in/boehmphilipp/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:16 From Product Design to Waste Incineration 3:20 The Scale of Waste-to-Energy in Germany 5:08 NEEW Ventures and the Wasteer Story 7:45 The Premnitz Plant: 300,000 Tons a Year 10:21 The Business Model of Waste Removal 14:00 The Bunker and the Role of the Crane Driver 22:18 The Control Room and the 850°C Threshold 25:03 Combustion, Slag, and What's Left Behind 29:42 Emissions, Landfill, and EU Regulation 32:09 Turning Waste into Electricity and Heat 34:29 The Reputation Problem of Waste-to-Energy 35:43 Outro About NEEW Ventures is a venture builder and subsidiary of EEW Energy from Waste, one of the market leaders for thermal waste treatment in Germany. Founded in 2021 in Berlin, NEEW Ventures builds startups that use data, AI, and digital tools to create value from waste. Its portfolio includes Wasteer, which uses AI-based waste composition analysis to cut emissions and operating costs at incineration plants, and Minimise, a digital traceability platform for e-waste recycling. NEEW Ventures also runs the Circularity Hub for startups, researchers, and industry professionals, and the Waste & AI Hub (WAIH), connecting AI experts with waste industry operators. Find out more at: neew-ventures.com Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/ https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/waste-incineration-how-waste-to-energy-really-works/
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Business Interruption Insurance: When Circularity Pays Off
Apr 2100:37:28Tap to summarizeEnabling Circularity Through Insurance How do circular practices enable better risk management and what's that means for insurance premiums? Nadin-Shirin Zimmermann from Nexarus breaks down the business logic of insurance products and where circularity changes the equation. Before founding Nexarus, she spent years as a corporate underwriter at Allianz and XL Capital. What you'll hear in this episode: • How business interruption insurance actually works and what drives the premium. • Why climate liability is a growing risk and how circular design reduces exposure. • What 10 years of research show about ESG-driven companies outperforming their peers. Listen now to understand why staying linear may be the largest uninsurable risk a company faces. This is the last episode in the series Enabling Circularity Through Insurance. People Nadin-Shirin Zimmermann, Circular Business Activator at Nexarus https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadinzimmermann/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:40 The Role of Insurers in Enabling Business Transformation 11:50 Climate Liability - What's Affected by Circular Practices 15:16 Link Between Circularity and Risk Management 16:35 Understanding BI - Business Interruption Premium 17:22 Risk Management and Lower Premiums 20:17 Accumulated Risks Within the Supply Chain 24:40 ESG Role in Business Performance & 5 Reasons for Circular Practices 36:13 Outro About Nexarus is a German circular-economy and strategy consultancy focused on the Mittelstand. It aims to help mid sized companies grow through circular business models, responsible value creation and decisions that strengthen long term competitiveness. Its approach is built around connecting business reality with circular value creation and working alongside client teams rather than only advising from the outside. Nexarus also works with a network of partners across innovation, sustainability, compliance and circular economy, and stays in exchange with research and innovation ecosystems. Further Links Get to know more about Nadin’s work: https://nexarus.de/ One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/business-interruption-insurance-when-circularity-pays-off/
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Insurance Claims: How Tryg Made Repair the Default Choice
Apr 1400:25:34Tap to summarizeEnabling Circularity Through Insurance Can an insurance company make repair the default choice across the entire supply chain? Søren Frederiksen from Tryg explains how a repair-first claims policy was built and scaled across Denmark, starting from a market where nine out of ten damaged car bumpers were replaced instead of repaired. What you'll hear in this episode: Why repair in insurance claims is rarely more expensive than replacement, and often reduces cost, CO2 emissions, and improves customer satisfaction at the same time. How cross-country benchmarking data created the proof of concept that got workshops and suppliers on board. What it took to change an industry default: financial incentives per repaired item, access to training, and continuous follow-up. You’ll also learn why making repair financially attractive for suppliers, not just environmentally preferable, is what moves adoption in practice. This is the second episode in the series Enabling Circularity Through Insurance. The series looks at the concrete levers insurance companies hold, from risk assessment and advisory services to product design and claims policies, and how these can enable circularity. People Søren Frederiksen, Director, Sustainable Supply Chain at Tryg https://www.linkedin.com/in/s%C3%B8ren-frederiksen-29647a52/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:58 Introduction to Tryg 04:06 Repair in the Claims Process 08:02 Benefits of Repair First 12:48 Case Study: Car Bumper Repairs 16:34 Scaling Repairs with Data and Collaboration 19:06 Barriers, Outlook and Beyond Repair About Tryg A/S is a Scandinavian insurance company present in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The company is the largest provider of general insurance services in the Nordic countries. Further Links Know more about Tryg: [https://tryg.com/sites/tryg.com/files/2025-01/Annual Report 2024 - TRYG AS.pdf](https://tryg.com/sites/tryg.com/files/2025-01/Annual Report 2024 - TRYG AS.pdf) One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/insurance-claims-how-tryg-made-repair-the-default-choice/
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Climate Resilience: How Allianz Evaluates Supply Chains
Apr 700:41:35Tap to summarizeEnabling Circularity Through Insurance How does climate risk exposure connect to supply chain decisions, and where does circularity come in? Michael Bruch, Global Head of Risk Consulting Advisory Services, and Lena Fuldauer, Head of Resilience & Business Development at Allianz Risk Consulting, talk about how companies can assess climate risk across their locations and supply chains, and what role circular strategies play in strengthening supply chain resilience. What you'll hear in this episode: • How companies use location-level climate risk data to spot vulnerabilities within the supply chain and compare potential investment sites. • Why the most productive conversations happen when risk managers and sustainability teams work together. • How circular approaches like battery recycling reduce dependence on geopolitically concentrated raw materials. This episode opens the series Enabling Circularity Through Insurance. The series looks at the concrete levers insurance companies hold, from risk assessment and advisory services to product design and claims policies, and how these can enable circularity. People Michael Bruch, Global Head of Risk Consulting Advisory Services at Allianz Commercial https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bruch-30b408114/ Lena Fuldauer, Head of Resilience & Business Development at Allianz Risk Consulting https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-fuldauer/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 5:28 The Risk Landscape Today 7:52 Learning from Near-Failure 10:45 Rising Catastrophe Losses 12:26 The Insurance Gap 14:21 Hazard, Exposure, Vulnerability 16:34 What is CAReS? 22:56 Circular Supply Chains, Lower Risk 28:26 Location Over Industry 34:47 Finding Allies Inside Companies 38:28 Circularity in Insurance: The Outlook 40:35 Outro About Allianz Commercial is the corporate insurance business of Allianz Group, serving mid sized companies, large enterprises and specialist risk clients through insurance solutions designed for complex commercial exposures. It combines global reach with local market expertise and positions itself not only as an insurer, but also as a partner supporting clients through risk management, resilience building and sustainability related transformation. Allianz Risk Consulting (ARC) provides the technical and advisory side of risk management, helping companies identify, assess and mitigate operational and strategic risks through services such as engineering surveys, risk assessments, loss prevention and technical guidance. In the context of circular economy, Allianz Commercial and Allianz Risk Consulting engage with circular business models as part of broader work on resilience, risk reduction and sustainable value creation, including contributions to the 2024 white paper The Business Case for Circular Economy. Further Links Know more about Allianz: https://commercial.allianz.com/services/risk-consulting/cares.html https://commercial.allianz.com/content/dam/onemarketing/commercial/commercial/reports/business-case-for-circular-economy.pdf One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/climate-resilience-how-allianz-evaluates-supply-chains/
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