Podcast
The Circular Economy Show Podcast
Hosted by Ellen MacArthur Foundation · EN
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation welcomes you to The Circular Economy Show, a podcast about a new way to design, make, and use things, and how we can build an economy that's fit for the 21st century.
36episodes
Episodes
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Driving circularity: shared infrastructure for scalable change
6d ago00:11:00Tap to summarizeIndividual pilots are great, but they don't scale themselves. So, how do you shift an entire system to move an unmovable market? This week on the Circular Economy Show, Lou and Fin explore the critical foundation of shared infrastructure. Whether it’s launching scalable refill coalitions with Aldi and Ocado, aggregating future demand to bring 90% emission-reducing fuel to ocean transport, or rewriting retail habits at checkout counters across the US, to truly scale the circular economy, we have to stop building in silos and start building the shared infrastructure that allows everyone to win. Tune in to hear how three trailblazing women, Catherine Conway (GoUnpackaged), Ingrid Irigoyen (ZEMBA), and Kate Daly (Closed Loop Partners) are laying down the shared motorways that will allow everyone else to drive their own circular vehicles forward. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment, give us a like or tell your work colleagues and friends, and don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Subscribe to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation for more insightful videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAC2otE5_agzHZPnk3mE5w?sub_confirmation=1 Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/
Transcribe →EV batteries, bio-based materials, and the jobs nobody talks about | Circular Snapshots
2w ago00:07:31Tap to summarizeThis month: three stories worth your time. The WEF published a piece on EV battery recycling that reframes the whole conversation. These batteries contain the critical minerals governments are scrambling to secure. The recycled minerals market could be worth $200 billion by 2050. That value needs to be designed for now, not chased later. Up until now the policy agenda for bio-based materials, wood, paper, natural fibres, rubber and leather has largely been ignored. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has published a report that sets out to fix that. And the International Finance Corporation, alongside five major development banks, put a number on circular economy employment: 121 to 142 million people. Nearly half in repair and maintenance. Over half in the informal economy. The opportunity is real. So is the gap. Plus four quick headlines on Scotland's material flows, Europe losing critical minerals through its own waste streams, fashion resale and repair policy, and flexible packaging. Story 1: EV Battery Recycling Why recycling EV batteries is an industrial opportunity, not a waste challenge (WEF): https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/06/ev-battery-recycling-waste-challenge-industrial-opportunity/ Story 2: Circular by Nature — Bio-Based Materials Circular by nature: a policy agenda for bio-based materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation): https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-by-nature-a-policy-agenda-for-bio-based-materials-in-a-circular-economy Story 3: Circular Economy Jobs Circular Jobs: How MDBs Are Supporting Job Creation through a Circular Economy (IFC): https://www.ifc.org/content/dam/ifc/doc/2026/how-mdbs-can-support-job-creation-in-a-circular-economy.pdf Quick Headlines Scotland’s Material Flow Accounts (Zero Waste Scotland): https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/zero-waste-scotland-publishes-nations-most-depth-material-flow-accounts-date Europe losing critical minerals in its waste streams (Yahoo Finance / The Cool Down): https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/europe-losing-hidden-stockpile-lithium-222500520.html The New Bottom Line: Policy levers for resale & repair in fashion (Ellen MacArthur Foundation): https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/policy-levers-for-resale-and-repair/report Unilever and PepsiCo on the challenges of flexible packaging (Packaging News): https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/markets/household-products/unilever-and-pepsico-unlock-the-potential-of-paper-based-flexible-packaging-across-the-globe-01-06-2026 Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Transcribe →How does business benefit from regenerative practices?
3w ago00:20:46Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Circular Economy Show, Pippa speaks with JJ Freijo, Chief Sustainability and Product Innovation Officer at Brambles. JJ explains how the company rents, rather than sells, pallets, crates and containers, creating a continuous loop of reuse across global supply chains. Having achieved 100% certified timber procurement across 64 countries, Brambles began asking a bolder question: what if supply chains could actively restore nature, rather than just reduce harm? JJ walks through their regenerative forestry project in Tabasco, Mexico, and makes the hard-nosed business case, from attracting top talent to deepening customer partnerships and opening doors with sustainability-focused investors. Subscribe to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation for more insightful videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAC2otE5_agzHZPnk3mE5w?sub_confirmation=1 Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Transcribe →Is it game over for the CSO?
4w ago00:14:02Tap to summarizeToday, amid cost inflation, geopolitical conflict, and an ever-changing global business landscape we are staring down a massive shift in corporate sustainability and it’s starting to prompt some pretty big questions. Does navigating the triple threat of media, politics, and boardroom backlash mean we need to change the playbook? In this episode Lou is joined by Mark Lancelot from Better Business Design. Together, they unpack how the traditional role of the Chief Sustainability Officer is changing to survive, and how we might reshape the narrative around sustainability and circular economy goals to land positively in our global boardrooms. Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Transcribe →From niche to necessity: the circular economy's strategic moment
Jun 1600:28:49Tap to summarizeTrade wars, resource shortages, and the AI-driven scramble for critical minerals are exposing the fragility of our current economy. And for businesses still operating on a linear model, the vulnerabilities are becoming impossible to ignore. The global economy isn’t just being disrupted, it’s being restructured. In this episode, Seb is joined by Julia Binder, Professor of Transformation at IMD Business School, and Manuel Braun, entrepreneur and co-author of The Circular Business Revolution, to explore why circularity has moved from the sustainability agenda to the boardroom. They discuss: Why today's disruptions are structural, not episodic, and what that means for supply chains How the circular economy offers a direct answer to resource dependency and geopolitical risk The shift from an impact case to a business case, and how to have that conversation with your CFO What companies like Hilti are doing differently, and what executives can act on tomorrow Mentioned in this episode: IMD circular value creation courses for leaders: https://www.imd.org/sustainability/cvce/creating-value-circular-economy/ Material Advantage: How circular strategies drive business value: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/innovation/material-advantage-how-circular-strategies-drive-business-value/ Circular Business Revolution book: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/books/the-circular-business-revolution/ Startup landscape: https://www.circular-republic.org/insights/circular-startup-landscape-2026 Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Transcribe →Circular Snapshots: Mexico’s landmark circular economy law and more
May 1200:07:37Tap to summarizeThis edition of Circular Snapshots covers a lot of ground. Mexico passed landmark circular economy legislation in January — and it deserves far more attention than it got. We also look at Circle Economy's latest report, which puts a €25.4 trillion price tag on the value destroyed every year by our linear economy, and the EU Circular Economy Act as it heads toward autumn adoption. Plus a quick run through of four shorter stories: HP mining its own e-waste to build new laptops, the UK Packaging Pact launching with 100 founding organisations, a new fashion industry initiative to scale textile-to-textile fibre recycling, and fresh data on what's really driving the secondhand boom. Show notes: Circularity Gap Report 2026 (Circle Economy): https://dashboard.circularity-gap.world/report/2026/cgr-2026-overview EU Circular Economy Act: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/eu-circular-economy-act Mexico Enacts General Law for the Circular Economy: https://mexicobusiness.news/sustainability/news/mexico-enacts-general-law-circular-economy HP mining its own e-waste: https://www.fastcompany.com/91501080/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops UK Packaging Pact launches: https://www.wrap.ngo/media-centre/press-releases/uk-packaging-pact-launches-unlock-progress-transforming-packaging Circular Fibre Collective launch: https://www.thefashionpact.org/industry-leaders-launch-the-circular-fibre-collective-to-scale-t2t-recycled-materials-by-2030/ ThredUp 2026 Resale Report: https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/thredup-spots-worrisome-trend-consumer-150700654.html
Transcribe →Can paper fix the flexibles problem?
May 600:26:39Tap to summarizeFlexible plastics are hard to collect, harder to recycle, and leaking into our oceans at scale. Could paper step in? And can it do so without creating a whole new problem? In this episode, Pippa is joined by Laura Smith, Programme Manager for Plastics and Packaging at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Jonathan Gill, Global Head of Sustainability, Plastics, at Unilever and Valerie Langer, Strategic Lead, Next Generation Solutions at Canopy. Together they discuss the six critical criteria for responsible paper-based packaging, the innovation and collaboration needed to scale solutions, and why there's no silver bullet. Read the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report on paper-based flexible packaging
Transcribe →E-waste: the circular economy’s golden opportunity
Apr 2800:20:03Tap to summarizeE-waste is our fastest-growing waste stream, expanding five times faster than we can recycle it. But it's also one of our greatest untapped opportunities. With the demand for critical minerals showing no signs of stopping, recovering materials from the billions of dollars’ worth of mobile phones hibernating in our drawers is increasingly important. In this episode, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Danielle Holly, Executive Lead for North America, and Wen-Yu Weng, Executive Lead for Critical Minerals, join Pippa to explore how the circular economy can transform how we produce, use, and recover electronics, and the critical minerals inside them. Find out more about the Foundation’s work in Critical Minerals. Sign up to the Foundation’s North America newsletter. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
Transcribe →How do we fund the shift to a circular economy?
Apr 2100:22:39Tap to summarizeWhy is it that despite the success of individual circular business models, we simply aren’t seeing a wider shift across the entire economy? In this episode Lou is joined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Strategic Finance and investment team, Emily Healy and Joe Rodgers. Together, the team explores how systemic investing and capital orchestration could be the tools we need to take this transition forward, and look at where we are currently seeing this thinking brought into ‘on the ground’ demonstration projects. Emily and Joe also explain how in many cases the right financing is out there, but more thoughtful allocation and coordination could result in better, more resilient outcomes. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
Transcribe →Circularity: a competitive edge in the era of tariffs?
Apr 1400:28:24Tap to summarizeIn a world of rising tariffs and supply chain disruption, could circularity be one of the smartest business moves a company can make? Danielle Holly, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s North America Lead, is joined by Tensie Whelan, founder of the Center for Sustainable Business at NYU Stern and former President of the Rainforest Alliance, to explore this and more. Tensie explains the ROSI (Return on Sustainability Investment) framework, developed at NYU Stern to help companies track and monetise the full value of sustainability strategies. This includes operational efficiency, risk reduction, new revenue and customer loyalty. Together, they explore how circular approaches can shorten supply chains and reduce exposure to tariffs and geopolitical shocks. They also tackle the harder questions: why do most companies still not act, even when the numbers stack up? And what will it take to bring finance, governance and the boardroom along for the journey? Sign up to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's North America newsletter to keep up with the latest on circularity in North America. And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a colleague to help us spread the word.
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