The Circular Economy Show Podcast

What makes circular business models fail to scale? In this new four-part series, we’ll be exploring the common mistakes businesses make on their journey towards circularity. Based on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new report: How not to fail: Avoiding 10 common pitfalls when scaling circular business models , Pippa is joined by Maddy Oliver and Ella Hedley, who led the research on the paper. You...

Have the current political and economic shocks actually created enormous opportunities for change? Can businesses currently working on transforming themselves, work together on driving an entire market transformation? And what role can the rest of us play in resetting the system and helping to shape that change? In this episode, Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Lindsa...

Scaling the circular economy requires more companies to launch circular products and services, but many competitors transitioning towards the circular economy face similar barriers to scale. One way to address this is commercial collaboration, where businesses work together on issues that are not tied to their competitive advantage. In this episode, we’ll hear from Sarah Dodge and Mark Buckley fro...

It was a busy summer for the circular economy. In this episode, Seb brings you up to speed with some of the headlines and all in less than 10 minutes! Listen in to hear about: - The latest EU policy breakthrough: EPR for textiles - How new business models continue to gain traction across the retail sector - Why a group is advocating to scrap VAT on repairs in the UK - Why all of the news around cr...

As Climate Week NYC kicks off, what’s momentum like for the circular economy in North America? In this episode, Pippa’s joined by Danielle Holly, Executive Lead for North America at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to explore how circularity is moving from theory to practice across the continent — and why that matters for business leaders looking ahead. They discuss: Circular economy progress in th...

Waste and pollution aren’t accidents—they’re the result of design. Which means we can design them out. Design is where it all begins – and where real change can happen. In this episode, host Pippa sits down with Joe Iles, Head of Design Activation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to discuss what circular design really means.  In this episode hear about:  How it differs from the traditional appro...

Amid rising emissions, rising temperatures, and the rapid rollout of material-intensive renewable energy systems that promise to curb them both, climate mitigation and adaptation are a central priority for China’s government.  In this episode, host Seb talks to Lei Chen from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s China team. They go behind the headlines to look at: The role China could play in accelerat...

Could rethinking our cities through a circular lens be the key to future-proofing Europe whilst offering exciting investment opportunities? Join us in the third of our five-part Circling Back series of the Circular Economy Show, to hear host Lou Waldegrave speak with Julia Okatz from Systemiq and Joss Bleriot, Executive Lead for Policy and Institutions at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. They discu...

The circular economy can no longer be sidelined as a ‘nice to have’. Not only can it future-proof individual business operations, it can also help entire industries stay competitive and resilient in a fast-changing world.   In this episode we’re going back to the beginning of the year, when Seb caught up with Lindsay Hooper, CEO for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Joe Mur...

In this episode we’re bringing together two top-of-mind topics: the scramble for critical minerals, and how circular economy strategies can help us secure and stabilise their supply.   Humans have been mining metals and minerals for thousands of years. Today, critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements are essential for not only renewable energy products like wi...

Building circular business models - where products are rented, repaired, resold and remade - is key to transforming our economy from a take, make, waste linear system, to a circular one.  In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we’re seeing what this looks like in practice with Canadian outdoor clothing and equipment company Arc’teryx. Pippa heads to Arc’teryx’s flagship store in London to l...

How do we keep clothes in use at their highest value and make money without having to make new clothes? In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, we explore the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s demonstration project, the Fashion ReModel, and hear from one of its participants: H&M Group. Pippa is joined by Chloe Holland from the Foundation’s fashion team to discuss how The Fashion ReModel participa...

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, our guests Georgie Rose from Selfridges and Simon Davies from VISA tell us how they have been working together to find out. Collaborating with Mindworks Marketing to optimise messaging and branding for promoting circular shopping behaviours, Georgie and Simon discuss how their behavioural lab has been bridging the gap between customer intent and action...

For years, marketers have been helping to shape how consumers think and feel about products that are driving the linear economy. However in this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we explore how they can harness their skills to unlock the opportunities that the circular economy provides.  We’re joined by experts Deb Caldow, Global Marketing Director at Diageo, and Rachel O’Reilly, Global Resear...

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we explore the intersection between fashion, business, and technology - revealing why shoes are central to systemic innovation.  Live from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network event in Amsterdam, Kenny Arnold is joined by Dr Yuly Fuentes-Medel and Lewis Campbell from The Footwear Collective.  Together, they unpack the urgent need for innovation and c...

To truly transform the food system, we need retailers to sell food that enables nature to thrive. In this episode, learn how leading retailers from around the world are embracing circular design for food, and facing the challenges that occur on the journey. Our guests are Helly McAlister, Senior Buyer at Fortnum & Mason , and Susy Yoshimura, Senior Sustainability Director at Grupo Carrefour Brazil...

The circular economy is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the climate crisis—but you wouldn’t know it from the carbon accounts. In this episode, we’re joined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s João Murilo Silva Merico, who explains how current accounting frameworks—like the Greenhouse Gas Protocol—often fail to recognise or reward the emissions benefits of circular practices such a...

The circular economy is no longer just a theory; it’s becoming a reality across an increasing number of sectors, from tech and materials to retail and marketing.  In this episode, Seb shares four recent stories highlighting the importance of a circular economy across businesses. Join us to find out: -How rethinking product design could help future-proof tech such as iPhones -Why it’s necessary to...

In order to bring the circular economy to life, we need more circular economists. But what does that mean? Who might these circular economists be? And what are their opportunities and challenges? In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we hear from “The Circular Economist”, Vojtech Vosecky, author of the newsletter The Loop. He has built his career around bringing the circular economy, worki...

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Big Food Redesign Challenge set out to demonstrate how redesigning products in line with circular economy principles, can create a food system that allows nature to thrive. In this episode, hear from one of those redesigners, Chloe Stewart from Nibs etc, alongside Katie Carson, Director of Corporate Affairs for Food and Climate Policy at Tetra Pak, to learn more ab...

The idea that stories are powerful is an uncontroversial idea. But what does it really mean to harness story to shift mindsets and inspire positive action towards a circular economy inside and outside of an organisation?  In this episode, hear from Poppy Mason-Watts, Chief Growth Officer at WaterBear and Alex Cramwinckel, Global Circularity Strategy Lead at Heineken to find out: Why storytelling i...

The future of food is not predetermined – it's being shaped by the decisions being made today. This episode challenges food industry decision-makers to embrace a new vision for their businesses and the sector as a whole, whether your organisation is big or small. With insights from Rob Cameron, Global Head of ESG Engagement at Nestlé, and Sean Patrick, founder of Gabanna Foodworks, we examine the...

How can businesses sell circular propositions in a world that's rapidly changing? This episode of the Circular Economy Show tackles the marketing challenges and opportunities head-on. Pippa sits down with Jonathan Hall, Managing Partner at Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice , and Amanda Gandolfo, Head of Brands at bike subscription service Swapfiets , to explore how to connect with today...

Circular business models hold immense potential to reshape the fashion industry. In this episode, we explore the exciting opportunities for brands in rental and resale, moving beyond the challenges of getting started. Host Emma Elobeid is joined by guests Andrew Rough from Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS) and Ryan Atkins from SuperCycle to discuss how brands can capitalise on this shift to unlock...

Find out about the critical role that the circular economy can play in the shift to renewable energy, pairing the EU’s decarbonisation agenda with economic competitiveness and material security. In this episode, host Seb hears from Ke Wang from the World Resources Institute (WRI) about: Why the circular economy is important in the energy transition How this is fundamentally driven by economics and...