The Circular Economy Show Podcast

Епизоде

• EV batteries, bio-based materials, and the jobs nobody talks about | Circular Snapshots 07.07.2026 7мин

  This 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.
• How does business benefit from regenerative practices? 30.06.2026 20мин

  In 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.
• Is it game over for the CSO? 23.06.2026 14мин

  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.
• From niche to necessity: the circular economy's strategic moment 16.06.2026 28мин

  Trade 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.
• Circular Snapshots: Mexico’s landmark circular economy law and more 12.05.2026 7мин

  This 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.
• Can paper fix the flexibles problem? 06.05.2026 26мин

  Flexible 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.
• E-waste: the circular economy’s golden opportunity 28.04.2026 20мин

  E-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.
• How do we fund the shift to a circular economy? 21.04.2026 22мин

  Why 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.
• Circularity: a competitive edge in the era of tariffs? 14.04.2026 28мин

  In 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.
• Inside IKEA's strategy: building a resilient circular business 08.04.2026 26мин

  What if buying second-hand felt exactly like buying new? In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we explore how IKEA is embedding circular principles into its core commercial strategy. Fin is joined by Conor Hill, Global Director for Circular and Sustainable Living at IKEA, who shares how the brand is delivering measurable impact, all while making circularity affordable and accessible for their customers.
• How to measure marketing success in a circular economy 24.03.2026 18мин

  In a circular economy, products may not be sold just once, but multiple times. This enables businesses to generate more revenue from one item. As a result, businesses are shifting their metrics beyond short-term profit to embrace the long-term strategic advantages of circular business models. In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, host Fin is joined by Emily Hill, Director of Sustainable Transformation Practice at Kantar, to discuss measurement guidance that will allow marketing teams to support the shift to circular business models and behaviours at scale, while delivering on their key priorities. Emily explains how marketers can redefine success across four key areas: Commercial, Brand, Creative, and Consumer Insight. From building a compelling business case for pilots, to using creative campaigns to shift consumer behaviour, we explore how measurement can be a powerful tool to unlock resources for circular initiatives.
• Policy unplugged: Implementing circular economy policy with Joss Blériot 17.03.2026 18мин

  We are currently seeing a shift where circular economy policy is moving out of purely environmental ministries and into the hands of economic planning authorities and ministries of industry. In this episode, Lou is joined by Joss Blériot, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Executive Policy Lead, who cuts through the noise of global headlines and looks at what’s actually moving on the ground. Together, they explore why there has been a 35% surge in national circular economy strategies worldwide. From the Global North to the Global South, the conversation highlights how circularity is currently being implemented and how we might address regional and international fragmentation to harmonise definitions. We also hear which specific policy tools we should be prioritising right now to go further and faster. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
• Circular economy, biodiversity, and the road to COP17 10.03.2026 19мин

  Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an alarming rate, but could circular economy solutions help turn things around? In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, Lou speaks with Marianne Kettunen, Biodiversity Lead for Policy at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Bianca Brasil, Programme Manager at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. They explore why around 90% of biodiversity loss is linked to the way we extract and process resources, how circular business models can support the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and what needs to happen before the COP17 Biodiversity Conference to accelerate action. The conversation also looks at the growing role of businesses in biodiversity discussions, why circular economy and biodiversity strategies must be better connected, and how global supply chains could help scale solutions worldwide.
• What’s next for the plastics industry? 03.03.2026 17мин

  Over the past decade, leading businesses have shown that progress on plastic pollution is possible. And while individual company action has been successful, even the most ambitious businesses are running up against the same obstacles. As a result, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has rallied leading businesses behind an evidence-based, ‘2030 Plastics Agenda for Business.’ In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, taken from a Foundation’s webinar, we explore that Agenda, and evaluate the plan and priority actions for business and policy to drive implementation at scale. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
• The hidden drivers enabling the circular economy 24.02.2026 24мин

  What do some of the more surprising stories of scale teach us about implementing the circular economy? In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, Fin is joined by Rachel O’Reilly, Global Human Sustainability Design Director at Accenture, to discuss their upcoming report. The report, titled ‘Circularity is Working’ provides direction on how to improve the consumer adoption of circularity.
• Circular snapshots: Competitiveness, critical minerals & textiles EPR 17.02.2026 6мин

  Welcome back to The Circular Economy Show and another episode of Circular Snapshots, where we unpack the headlines shaping the transition to a circular economy. This month, Seb explores the EU’s upcoming Circular Economy Act and its shift toward positioning circularity as industrial strategy, not just environmental policy. We look at new global data revealing rapid growth in national circular economy roadmaps, and why implementation is now the real test. We also dive into the growing link between circular economy and critical mineral supply chains — from insights at the World Economic Forum to new analysis on EV batteries and material security. Finally, we examine a major UK industry push for a mandatory textiles Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, and what it could mean for transforming one of the economy’s most linear sectors. From policy to supply chains to industry coalitions, this episode highlights one clear trend: the circular economy is becoming central to competitiveness.
• The critical minerals crunch: How do we secure the future of clean energy? 20.01.2026 17мин

  Wen-Yu Weng, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Critical Minerals Lead, joins Lou to explain why critical minerals are currently taking centre stage in global political conversations. They explore: - How we can create secure and resilient supply chains to close the gap on fast growing demand - The circular opportunities that currently lie in shaping supply chains to capture value right now - The enabling factors that have opened windows of opportunity for immediate action If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
• What’s next for the circular economy in 2026? 13.01.2026 16мин

  Join Seb as he speaks to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CEO, Jonquil Hackenberg about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the circular economy in 2026. What are your priorities for 2026? Let us know in the comments or on our LinkedIn page.
• 2025 in review: unlocking the circular economy opportunity 02.12.2025 19мин

  It's been a pivotal year for the circular economy, full of big ideas and practical breakthroughs. Before we fully dive into 2026, we’re hitting pause for a moment of reflection. Join Fin, Lou, and Pippa who have hand-picked their favourite, most insightful, and memorable moments from the conversations they’ve had this year. This episode may show condensed snippets, but it is packed with big ideas, practical breakthroughs, and the highlights that defined the circular economy in 2025. Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2026 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.
• Circular Snapshots | COP30 and progress in the circular economy 25.11.2025 6мин

  It’s easy to look at the news headlines and feel like everything is going backwards, but in this episode we ask you to look a little deeper and see the story beneath the headlines. Progress is possible and happening everywhere from plastics to fashion to the automotive sector, and even at COP. Listen in to hear: Whether COP still matters, and if so, for what? Why Honda’s circularity center in Ohio is an important step What we learned from Patagonia’s first ever environmental and social progress report Why many of the world’s biggest brands are backing a new agenda for plastics