The Circular Coffee Break

This is the final episode of The Circular Coffee Break . In this solo episode, host Michael Hanf reflects on why the podcast was created, what he learned through three years of conversations, and why it feels right to bring the series to a close now. Rather than offering a recap, the episode explores recurring themes that emerged over time: circularity as a governance and decision-making challenge...

Jaakko Nauha was the first interview guest of The Circular Coffee Break back in early 2023. Almost three years later, he returns as the final interview guest of the podcast, now as CEO of Tracegrow. In this conversation, we look at what has changed since those early days and what building a circular business looks like once initial ideas meet market realities. We discuss Tracegrow’s expansion from...

Circular economy has been discussed for more than a decade, yet for most companies it remains fragmented, difficult to scale, and hard to explain to investors and decision-makers. While pilots and innovations abound, the lack of a shared framework has made it challenging to turn circular ambition into business strategy. In this episode of Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf sits down with Fi...

This short episode shares an update on the future of The Circular Coffee Break . Host Michael Hanf explains the decision to bring the podcast to a close in February 2026, what listeners can expect from the remaining episodes, and what will happen to the existing archive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Christmas special of the Circular Coffee Break, Michael Hanf explores what the holiday season looks like through the lens of circularity. From gift wrapping and waste, to circular design and community traditions, the episode reflects on how small, thoughtful choices can reduce pressure and add meaning to Christmas. Featuring short perspectives from TOMRA, Circular&Co, and WWF Germany,...

In this episode of the Circular Coffee Break, Michael Hanf speaks with Costas Papaikonomou, co-founder of Una Terra, a 200-million-euro early growth venture capital fund investing in solutions that accelerate the shift to a more circular and regenerative economy. Costas brings more than twenty-five years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, innovation consulting, and entrepreneurship. He h...

In this special Circular Coffee Break episode recorded live at Slush 2025 in Helsinki, host Michael Hanf explores how circular innovation is moving from vision to implementation across Europe. While circularity was not a headline theme this year, it was noticeably more present, reflected in the founders shaping new solutions in energy storage, materials, electronics, chemistry, agriculture, and ev...

Circularity is accelerating, and the 2025 Circular Valley Forum in Wuppertal offered a vivid snapshot of how fast the transition is unfolding. The event brought together leaders from industry, science, public institutions, startups and civil society. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy, ideas and a shared determination to turn circular concepts into real action. In this special episode of the C...

In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf speaks with Kate Reimann , Founder and CEO of Rogue Wave Toys , about how a single day at the beach led to a breakthrough in sustainable design. When a wave swept her children’s plastic toys out to sea, Kate decided to rethink what play could look like in a world drowning in plastic. The result was Rogue Wave Toys, a company creating...

In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf sits down with Allison Jordan , Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) and Vice President of Environmental Affairs at the Wine Institute . For more than two decades, Allison has helped turn California into a global model for sustainable winegrowing. Today, over 2,600 vineyards and wineries, repre...

Recorded live at the European Biogas Conference during European Biomethane Week 2025, this special episode of The Circular Coffee Break explores how biogas and biomethane are driving Europe’s transition to a truly circular economy. Biomethane connects energy, waste management, and nutrient recovery — turning residues into clean energy and valuable resources. In this episode, policymakers, research...

What does it take to design products that turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s resource? In this episode of the Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf sits down with Dan Dicker, Founder and CEO of Circular&Co., to explore how circular design principles can move from idea to practice. Dan began his career as a designer at Dyson, where he experienced the thrill of blue sky innovation. Yet when...

For this special CCB on the Road edition, the Circular Coffee Break team packed the microphones and joined Impact Day 2025 in Tallinn — Northern Europe’s largest sustainability and impact event. Across two days of lively discussions, we sat down with innovators, policy leaders, and changemakers who are redefining how circularity, finance, and leadership come together to build a more sustainable wo...

The CCB Podcast is partnering with the Circular Valley Forum 2025 , which takes place on November 14th in Wuppertal under the theme “Partnerships for a Circular Economy.” In this teaser, Michael speaks with Carsten Gerhardt , founder of Circular Valley and Chairman of the Circular Valley Foundation. He shares what makes the Forum a unique platform for collaboration and what participants can look f...

Polyester and nylon dominate the textile industry because they are affordable, durable, and versatile. But these same materials are also among the leading sources of microplastic pollution worldwide, from the clothes we wear to the carpets beneath our feet. Addressing this challenge is complex, but innovation is beginning to provide new answers. In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , host...

What does it really take to design for circularity? And how do we balance ambition with the messy realities of business and innovation? In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf sits down with Joe Iles , Circular Design Programme Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation , to explore the evolving role of design in driving the transition towards a circular economy. Joe has been...

What happens when a 130-year-old food company decides to turn its waste into value? In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , we sit down with Juhani Sibakov, Head of Innovation at Fazer Bakery Finland , and Katariina Rommi, Senior Manager at Fazer Lab , to uncover how Fazer is reimagining food waste—and turning surplus bread into a circular innovation success story. At the heart of the discu...

What does it take to move circular economy from concept to commercial reality? In this episode of The Circular Coffee Break , host Michael Hanf sits down with Kalle Saarimaa , Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at NG Nordic , to explore how circularity is being scaled across industrial and municipal systems. With decades of experience across the Nordic waste, recycling, and circu...

How far have Nordic companies really come on their circular journey? In this episode, Michel Bajuk (Cradlenet, Nordic Circular Hotspot) and Marcus Linder (RISE) unpack key insights from the Nordic Circular Economy Outlook 2024 . From strategy gaps to measurable impact, we explore the first data-driven snapshot of how publicly listed Nordic firms are progressing on circularity and where they need t...

Anne Raudaskoski, co-founder of circular design consultancy Ethica and author of Circular Strategies for Success , shares how companies can embed circularity across products, services, and business models. From mindset shifts to design frameworks, this episode offers a hopeful, hands-on guide for driving real impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natascha Zeljko, Co-founder of CIRCULAZE, shares how her platform is accelerating the circular economy through radical cross-industry collaboration. From spotlighting groundbreaking startups to convening corporates, investors, and universities, Natascha discusses what it takes to drive real transformation and why circularity is key to the future of business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

What role can circular economy play in global climate action? In this episode, Tuuli Hietaniemi, Senior Lead at SITRA, joins us to discuss key takeaways from the World Circular Economy Forum 2025 and the road to COP30. We explore circularity as a tool for climate implementation, the evolving role of national policies, and how businesses can prepare for what's ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

In this special episode recorded at Glass Performance Days 2025, we talk with Sophie Pennetier, Graham Dodd, Linda Hildebrand, and Bertrand Cazes about circular design, material reuse, policy frameworks, and the future of sustainable facades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harsha Reddy, Global Head of Sustainability at Indorama Ventures, shares how one of the world’s largest PET producers is scaling circularity from the inside out. From building recycling capacity to shifting corporate mindsets, Harsha reveals what it really takes to lead transformation in the chemical industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristina Kölling, Head of Environment & Circular Economy at Tchibo, shares how one of Germany’s most iconic retail brands is embedding circularity across its diverse product portfolio, from textiles to electronics. She explains the thinking behind Tchibo’s Circular Solutions Lab, how internal education has fueled transformation, and why good products from a good company still matter most to cu...