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.
39episodes
Episodes
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What should businesses do to scale a circular economy?
Jan 21, 202500:30:17Tap to summarizeHow do we move from pilots and beyond the ESG hype bubble to scale the implementation of the circular economy and how do businesses lead in this space? In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, host Seb is joined by Lindsay Hooper, CEO for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), and Joe Murphy, Executive Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s business network.Together, they’ll explore the insights from CISL’s Competitive Sustainability report and the Foundation’s business network, offering perspectives on the state of the circular economy and related efforts. What will it take to scale? Join us to find out! Read the full report discussed in this episode: Survival of the Fittest: From ESG to Competitive Sustainability.
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2024 in review: A year exploring the circular economy
Dec 17, 202400:15:41Tap to summarizeJoin Fin, Lou and Pippa from the Circular Economy Show as we look back at a year in the circular economy. In this episode, the team shares highlights from this year’s show, and talks about some of the moments you might have missed. Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2025 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.If you’d like to get in touch, email us at podcast@emf.orgExplore the episodes discussed:Ep 159: How to build a nature-positive circular economy for Europe Read the paper.Ep 157: Inside the world of industrial symbiosis Ep 149: Scaling refill and return with GoUnpackagedWe also mentioned our episode with Vincent from Dunia Bora - who features in episode 150: Creating nature-positive nutrition from cacti with Dunia Bora.Watch the Redesigning Food Series, which Fin mentioned.
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What does it take to scale biomaterials?
Dec 10, 202400:17:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Circular Economy Show we discuss Arda Biomaterials' journey of transforming beer by-products into sustainable materials. Brett Cotten, co-founder at Arda, details the company's origins, challenges, and successes, including raising pre-seed investment in 2023 and scaling operations. Amy Tsang from The Mills Fabrica highlights their 360-degree support for innovators, emphasising investment, collaboration, and showcasing technologies. Both discuss the importance of scalability, impact measurement, and the commercial viability of biomaterials, with Brett noting the potential of chemistry-based approaches and Amy highlighting innovative startups including Epoch Biodesign.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.
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What happened at INC-5? With Ellen MacArthur and Christiana Figueres
Dec 5, 202400:33:18Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of The Circular Economy Show, we’re sharing a conversation between Ellen MacArthur and Christiana Figueres from the climate podcast Outrage + Optimism.Christiana was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016, where she oversaw the delivery of the historic Paris Agreement. In this episode, the pair reflect on the outcomes of the INC-5 negotiations for a global plastics treaty, the role businesses play in addressing plastic packaging pollution, and why a global, legally-binding treaty is necessary to address this global challenge.Listen to episode 165 to find out more about why the INC-5 negotiations matter, or visit the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website.Find out more about a circular economy for plastic.Check out the Outrage + Optimism podcast.
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China, climate, and the circular economy
Nov 26, 202400:16:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we discuss the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s latest publication, The circular economy: A 'triple play' solution for achieving China's climate objectives. We’ll explore how adopting a comprehensive circular economy framework can play a pivotal role in achieving both China’s climate and economic goals. Lei Chen and Seb Egerton-Read highlight the triple play benefits of applying the circular economy in China. These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the country’s climate goals, securing the supply of critical raw materials for the renewable energy transition and transition to electric vehicles, and the increased resilience of China’s economy.Head over to our website to read the full report mentioned in this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.
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Plastic pollution: What is INC-5 and why does it matter?
Nov 19, 202400:16:19Tap to summarizeAt the end of this month in Busan, Korea, INC-5 will take place. For the fifth and final time, the United Nations international negotiating committee will reunite to create a legally binding global treaty that ends plastic pollution.In this episode, Marta Longhurst, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Treaty Manager, tells us what opportunities a well designed treaty could unlock to tackle the world’s plastic waste crisis.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.
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Can the circular economy help bridge the climate adaptation gap?
Nov 5, 202400:20:49Tap to summarizeThe circular economy can be a powerful climate mitigation strategy. But what about the other side of the climate action coin? In this episode, we explore the connection between circular economy activities and climate adaptation outcomes.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.
Transcribe →The power of policy
Aug 23, 2022Tap to summarizeIt's quite difficult to do business on a dead planet,' says Helena Braun, Member of the Cabinet of Frans Timmermans, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission leading the work on the European Green Deal.In conversation with Miranda Schnitger, the Foundation's Government Lead, Helena discusses the Commission's recently-announced Nature Package, and how policy plays a vital role in creating a nature-positive economy.We are also joined by Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Division at the OECD, and Andrea Liverani, Lead Sustainable Development Expert at The World Bank Group, who explore the power of policy to accelerate the industrial transformation needed to scale a circular economy.Calling for more ambitious policies to provide upstream solutions, rather than looking downstream, is key — as Andrea says, what's the incentive to keep waste out of landfill when it doesn't cost anything?This is third in a series of podcast episodes recorded at Summit 22 — the Foundation's flagship annual event — which brought together business leaders, policymakers, innovators, and global changemakers to explore how we can redesign our economy so that it regenerates, rather than destroys, the natural world.--Watch all the sessions from Summit 22Learn more about the circular economy and the Ellen MacArthur FoundationCatch up on all episodes of the Circular Economy Show Podcast--Follow us on social media:LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook
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How is IKEA embracing circular design?
Jun 14, 2022Tap to summarizeHow is the world’s largest furniture retailer embracing circular economy principles?In this episode, we hear from Hanna Ahlberg, IKEA’s Circular Product Development Project Leader.In a conversation with Joe Iles, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Design Programme Lead, Hanna discusses materials innovation, piloting furniture rental, and why IKEA is standardising its parts.Find out more about the Ellen MacArthur FoundationWatch more from Summit 2020Keep in touch with the Foundation via our social media channels:TwitterLinkedInInstagramFacebook
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