The Circular Economy Show Podcast

Earthshot prize winner Notpla is revolutionising the way we think about packaging. In this episode of The Circular Economy Show Podcast, we hear from Pierre Paslier, the company’s co-founder, about how they are using seaweed as a viable alternative to plastic packaging, how that works in a circular economy, and how they plan to scale. This conversation featured in episode 59 of the Circular Econom...

Imagine if one day we could grow our buildings! In this episode, hear how one company is already developing radical biotechnologies to innovate the construction industry and beyond. Dr Ehab Sayed, Founder and Chief Evolution Officer at BIOHM, discusses how biotechnologies such as mycelium - the root structure of fungi - help to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, his personal journey...

With 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from how we make and use things, design has huge potential to influence our transition to a circular economy. In this episode of the Circular Economy Show Podcast, we explore why design is important, what ‘circular-ish’ means, and hear about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s six design leverage points. In a conversation taken from a recent episode...

The term ‘open source’ is often linked to the development of software. But what about hardware? In the final part of this series, Colin meets two experts working in this space to hear how, much like in the natural world, collaboration can be used to address some of the problems of a linear economy, and help to accelerate a circular one. Colin is joined by Alastair Parvin from WikiHouse, an online...

There are significant material, energy, labour and carbon savings to be made by reusing, rather than remaking, a product. How does this work in business? And how does it fit into a circular economy? In this episode, Colin Webster from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation speaks to José Manuel Moller from Algramo about the role of reuse in household shopping, and to architect Nitesh Magdani about reuse i...

The circular economy is often wrongly characterised as a tech solution, or a solution for tech, but it’s about much more than that. As we heard in episode 97, there are two cycles: the technical and biological one. In this episode, we’re exploring the latter. Colin Webster from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation talks to farmer and soil advocate Abby Rose, and Gero Leson, Vice President of Special Ope...

What do you do when something you own, say a toaster, breaks? You’ve usually got two options: fix it, or replace it. It often feels like replacing an item is easier than repairing it, and the most cost-effective solution. But in a circular economy, we want goods and materials to stay in circulation at high value for as long as possible. So how does that work in reality? In this new series, Colin W...

Sometimes the concept of a circular economy seems so large that it's difficult to get to grips with it. It's never about one thing. It's about a million things at once. We're back next week with a new look, and a new series! Over the next four episodes, Colin Webster from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s learning team helps break the concept down into smaller chunks. He’ll speak to experts from th...

In the final part of this series, our founder Ellen MacArthur and Circular Design Lead, Joe Iles, discuss what individuals can do to make the circular economy happen, and the role design has in accelerating this transition. Ellen also looks back at some of the progress that has been made since launching the Foundation a decade ago. If you missed the previous episodes, where we learned what we mean...

How can a mobile phone be made in a circular way? What about a sandwich?  In this episode, our founder Ellen MacArthur and Circular Design Programme Lead, Joe Iles, look at these two different elements of the circular economy. They discuss the flow of materials in the system, from technical processes such as reuse and repair, to regenerating nature. If you missed the previous episode, where we wen...

What is the circular economy? In this three-part series from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, we’re revisiting conversations between our founder, Ellen MacArthur, and Circular Design Programme Lead, Joe Iles. Over the next few episodes, they will discuss what a circular economy is, how it works, and share some examples of it in action. In this episode, we hear how Ellen’s experience of sailing arou...

How do large multi-national companies help the transition to a circular economy? Over the last few episodes, we’ve heard from policymakers, designers, and global changemakers about their role in shifting from a linear take-make-waste economy, to a circular one, where waste is eliminated, resources are circulated, and nature is regenerated. In this episode we hear how two large organisations are ad...

To accelerate the transition to a circular economy, we need the materials to help us get there. In this episode, we hear from three companies about how their work contributes to taking us away from the linear take-make-waste economy, to a circular one. We’re joined by Pascal Chalvon Demersay, Chief Sustainability & Government Affairs Officer at Solvay; Liz Corbin, the Co-CEO & Founder of Materiom;...

It'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...

In this episode, IDEO Chair and Co-CEO, Tim Brown, speaks to Joanna Choukier, RSA Director of Design and Innovation, Michael Pawlyn, architect and author of Biomimicry in Architecture , and David Wilkinson, VP of Agriculture and Dairy at Pepsico Europe, to explore the power of design to transform the system. This is second in a series of podcast episodes recorded at Summit 22 — the Foundation's fl...

In this episode, we are joined by our very own three wise women — the Foundation's founder and chair of trustees, Ellen MacArthur, Doughnut Economics author and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Kate Raworth, and the co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8, the world's first bio-inspired consultancy, Janine Benyus.  This is first in a series of podcast episodes recorded at Summit 22 — the Elle...

The Circular Economy Show Podcast is back with a new series that looks at the solutions and innovations that can scale, and who’s already doing it. We'll hear from business leaders, policymakers, innovators, and global changemakers about how we can accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The first episode drops on Tuesday 9th August. Subscribe now so you don't miss it! In the meantime, wh...

Designers and creatives can have an important impact in the circular economy, but how do we put that into action? In this episode, Philippe Meunier, co-founder and CEO of creative agency Sid Lee, shares 10 tips with us on how to find more creative solutions. From removing fear around new projects, and why it’s important to embrace fun in creative work, grab a pen and take note of Philippe's excell...

How 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...

When talking about the circular economy, we often hear about science, engineering and policy. But what about the role of the creative industries? What part does advertising, branding and marketing play in transitioning from a wasteful linear economy, to a circular one? In this episode we'll hear from Farah Ramzan Golant, president of Kyu, a collective of creative organisations including IDEO, Sid...

In the first of a 4-part series looking at the role of creatives in building a circular economy, we hear from Lily Cole. Lily, who made her name as a fashion model, spoke to Ellen MacArthur and Emma Chow about her book, ‘Who Cares Wins: Reasons for optimism in our changing world,’ and why she became interested in environmental activism. This conversation was originally part of the Ellen MacArthur...

We can’t recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. We need a circular economy for plastic — one that eliminates problematic and unnecessary plastic, innovates to ensure the plastic we do need is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulates the plastic items we use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment. Unilever, which has signed the Foundation’s Global Commitment...

Across this mini series on the podcast, we’ve been exploring the potential of a circular economy that is regenerative by design and discussed examples of where it is already happening today. In this episode, we dig into what will be needed to make that happen. Featuring perspectives from a large business, city policymakers and investors - but also successful circular economy startups - we aim to c...

What if the materials we used were not finite? What if the more material we used, the better it was for the environment? And what might it take to make this a reality at the scale of fossil-based materials today? In this podcast, we explore these themes and more in the context of a regenerative material landscape that is increasingly moving from concept to actuality with an ever growing number of...

Fast fashion is arguably one of the poster children of a linear economy, but circular economy innovation is already hitting the market and demonstrating that a different future is possible. In this episode, we explore some of the innovations that are disrupting the market from rental to resale to entirely different conceptions of the sector. In part two of a four part series on this podcast, we'll...