HappyPorch Radio: Circular Economy & Technology

Hosted by Barry O'Kane

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Aug 2026

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The Circular Economy technology podcast that explores how technology can enable the transition to a circular economy. As we face major global issues such as climate change, waste crises, and biodiversity loss, it's clear that the traditional linear economy needs to change. We must transform how we manage resources, make and use products, and deal with materials at the end of their life. A circular economy offers part of the solution, and technology can help make it a reality. Join the podcast to hear from leading experts and digital leaders about the role of technology, software, and digital in achieving a circular transformation. Learn about the latest developments in circularity and how they can be implemented in real-world contexts. Together, we can work towards a more sustainable future. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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August 20, 202634 min

Scotland's Social ITAD with Elaine Brown - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

What happens when unwanted laptops and phones become more than just an e-waste problem? In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Elaine Brown, Chief Executive of The Edinburgh Remakery, a social enterprise and charity working at the intersection of technology reuse, repair and community support. The Remakery takes unwanted technology from businesses, securely wipes and refurbishes it, and gives it a second life wherever possible. But its mission goes beyond keeping electronics out of landfill. The organisation uses circularity to create social value too, supporting people experiencing digital exclusion, creating opportunities to learn repair skills, and providing a space where communities can come together. Earlier this year, The Remakery won a King's Award for Enterprise, the only social enterprise in Scotland to be recognised. Elaine is candid about the challenges too, including what happens when funding falls away and a growing organisation has to find new ways to sustain itself. ✨ In this episode: Elaine explains how The Edinburgh Remakery combines IT reuse, repair and social impact under one roof Why repair cafes tackle loneliness as much as landfill, with people opening up over a broken laptop or a sewing machine in ways a forced conversation never achieves Why Elaine insists on being on the high street rather than hidden in a warehouse, and what that visibility means for behaviour change The challenge of building a financially sustainable model when funding falls off a cliff and turnover doesn't mean profit How COVID gave unexpected space to test ideas that became the core of the trading model What the next chapter looks like for The Remakery as the organisation finds new ways to grow Why she doesn't care how people come to The Remakery, because whatever brings them in, they leave having been part of a circular economy story 👤 About our guest: Elaine Brown is the Chief Executive of The Edinburgh Remakery, a social enterprise and charity based in Leith, Edinburgh. The Remakery is Scotland's leading social ITAD, refurbishing donated business technology, selling it to fund community programmes, and gifting devices to people facing digital poverty. Under Elaine's leadership, The Remakery won the Queen's Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2022 and the King's Award for Enterprise in 2026, the only social enterprise in Scotland to receive it. Before joining The Remakery in December 2019, Elaine worked in vocational education and environmental not-for-profits. Find The Remakery at edinburghremakery.org.uk. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

August 6, 202634 min

Repair at Scale with Robin Atkinson and Cash Acrey - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

The tailoring workforce in the US has been shrinking for decades. And the ones that remain aren't easy to find or get an appointment with. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Robin Atkinson and Cash Acrey, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Upkept, an online clothing repair platform based in Northwest Arkansas. You mail in clothes you want fixed, they repair them in a centralised facility, and they send them back. Robin says this should be as easy as ordering delivery. Robin's journey began with a different question: how do you create meaningful sewing jobs in America? Along the way she discovered something unexpected. The people learning these skills weren't excited by repetitive manufacturing. They loved repair, where every garment is different and every project demands creativity and problem-solving. That insight sits at the heart of Upkept: the technology isn't the product. Repair is the product, and the software exists to reduce friction so the human craft can scale. ✨ In this episode: Robin explains why repair creates more fulfilling work than garment manufacturing, and why the workforce she trained took to it more quickly Cash shares how AI coding tools helped build Upkept's platform from scratch on a shoestring budget, and why no off-the-shelf solution fit Robin and Cash discuss balancing one-of-a-kind craftsmanship with operational scale Why Upkept's technology works as a mediation layer between a customer who needs simplicity and a production team that needs detail Robin's honest take on turning down the wrong investment to protect the mission, the workforce, and the size of the opportunity The vision for brand partnerships and a future where it's embarrassing for a company not to offer a link to repair 👤 About our guests: Robin Atkinson is the founder and CEO of Upkept, an online apparel repair and alterations platform serving customers across 26 US states from a centralised facility in Northwest Arkansas. After nine years building workforce development programmes in sewn trades, she founded Upkept to create meaningful skilled jobs while making clothing repair affordable and accessible. She describes her mission as getting the unit economics of repair to work in America. Cash Acrey is the CFO and CTO of Upkept and a finance professor at the University of Arkansas. He leads the company's technology strategy, building custom software from scratch using AI coding tools that simplifies the repair experience for customers while supporting the skilled people carrying out the work. Find Upkept at upkept.io, or connect with Robin and Cash on LinkedIn. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

July 23, 202633 min

How AI Makes Food Waste Visible with Anastasia Dellis - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Most commercial kitchens have no clear picture of what they are throwing away, when, or why. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Anastasia Dellis, CEO of Orbisk, a platform that uses AI and computer vision to make food waste visible in commercial kitchens. The Orbi monitor sits above a waste bin, captures every item discarded, recognises over 800 ingredients, and feeds it all into a dashboard that tells chefs, GMs, CFOs, and sustainability teams what is happening and what to change first. Anastasia's path to Orbisk runs through two decades of scaling businesses, from Africa's largest retailer to Gorillas, one of Europe's fastest-growing startups in quick commerce. She describes recognising the intersection of her professional experience with a personal connection to food scarcity she grew up with in South Africa. What comes through most clearly is her conviction that kitchen technology only works at scale if it demands nothing of the people using it. No training, no buttons, no extra steps. That principle, which Orbisk calls "No Pause Dispose," is not an afterthought; it is the product. ✨ In this episode: Anastasia explains how the Orbi monitor works: above the bin computer vision that captures every discard automatically, with no interaction from kitchen staff How different stakeholders use the same data differently: a CFO sees margin gains, a chef sees ingredient-level waste patterns, and a sustainability team sees carbon metrics pulled into their auditing environment Anastasia's path from growing up in her father's shop in South Africa to corporate retail to scaling Gorillas across nine markets, and how she found purpose alignment at Orbisk Why mission alignment matters for the team and investors, even when customers buy purely on the business case How Orbisk's AI culinary assistant goes beyond dashboards to offer production, recipe, and training changes tailored to a hotel brand's standards The longer-term vision: moving from waste monitoring into forecasting and purchasing to become the intelligence layer inside every kitchen 👤 About our guest: Anastasia Dellis is the CEO of Orbisk, a Dutch food-tech company using AI-powered computer vision to help commercial kitchens track, reduce, and ultimately eliminate food waste. Before joining Orbisk, Anastasia spent over two decades scaling businesses across retail and tech, including roles at Africa's largest retailer, China's largest retailer, and Gorillas, one of Europe's fastest-growing startups. She studied at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Orbisk operates in over 55 countries and works with brands including Marriott, Accor, Hilton, IHG, and Carnival Cruise Lines. Find Orbisk at orbisk.com, or reach Anastasia on LinkedIn. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

July 9, 202631 min

Why Data Is the Crown Jewel in Luxury Resale with Chris Lucas - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

The same handbag. Thirty different platforms. Hundreds of dollars between listings. And no way to know what it's actually worth. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Chris Lucas, founder and CEO of Secondsense, a platform that aggregates luxury resale listings from over 30 vendors, normalises their attributes, and tells consumers what a product is really trading at. Chris describes it as the Google Flights for luxury resale. Chris's background is unusual for the fashion space. Stanford AI, senior machine learning engineer at Instagram, then Harvard Business School. He built a prototype while still a student, a TikToker put it on her channel, the site crashed overnight, and Chris opened a fundraise the next morning. He didn't wait until the product was ready. He didn't wait until he graduated. He just ran. What's most striking about the conversation is Chris's view on where value sits now. He argues the modelling layer, the application layer, and the hardware layer are all effectively democratised. Someone can duplicate a website in minutes using tools like Lovable or Claude Code. The only thing that can't be replicated is years of clean, structured, proprietary data and the domain expertise to know what to do with it. For Secondsense, that means knowing that a caviar leather Chanel sells differently from lambskin, or that champagne hardware changes the price, details a layperson would never spot. ✨ In this episode: Chris explains why the secondhand luxury market is broken: fragmented supply, opaque pricing, and one-of-one SKU processing that leads to chronic supply-demand mismatch We hear the story of the TikTok video that crashed his prototype and the snap decision to fundraise before graduating Harvard Chris shares his framework for thinking about the AI stack (data, models, applications, hardware) and why only one of those layers is defensible Barry and Chris discuss why domain knowledge matters as much as technical skill, and why hiring people who understand both is a sport Chris gives an honest account of Secondsense's sustainability story: it's real, but it's not what's driving his customers' purchasing decisions We explore the vision for scaling beyond luxury handbags into any product category that trades inefficiently on the resale market, from liquor and art to wine, electronics, and even equestrian saddlery 👤 About our guest: Chris Lucas is the founder and CEO of Secondsense, a platform aggregating luxury resale listings from over 30 vendors to bring price transparency and market efficiency to the secondhand luxury market. Before founding Secondsense, Chris studied AI at Stanford, worked as a senior machine learning engineer at Instagram writing content recommendation algorithms, and completed his MBA at Harvard Business School. Chris grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and describes his mission as making the resale market efficient, determining the fair market value of any product in any condition. Find Secondsense at secondsense.co, or reach Chris directly at chris@secondsense.co. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

June 25, 202636 min

Waste data and the magic away place with Tom Passmore - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Technology isn't magic. And neither is the bin, even though most of us treat it like one. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Tom Passmore, CIO and co-founder of Dsposal, a company that has spent a decade building technology for the UK waste sector. Tom has a vivid way of describing the core problem: the moment someone decides they don't want something, it's dead to them. All the nostalgia, all the value, gone. It goes to the magic away place. But what actually happens in that magic away place matters enormously, and the UK has something most countries don't: roughly 10 years of structured public waste data. Dsposal's work is about joining that data together, building tools on top of it, and helping organisations move from simply complying with waste regulations to genuinely understanding what's happening with their waste and why. Tom is unusually candid about the pace of change. A customer portal his team built sat untouched for eight years before usage suddenly accelerated post-COVID. The data didn't change. The questions did. And that shift, from asking what and where to asking why, is where Tom sees real change beginning. The conversation also gets into the UK government's new Digital Waste Tracking programme, where Tom plays the role of critical friend, broadly supportive of the direction but direct about the gaps, particularly around who gets to see the data and whether phase two will track waste or just the vehicles carrying it. ✨ In this episode: Tom explains why the "magic away place" mindset is the root problem in waste management We explore the three public datasets that underpin Dsposal's products and what they reveal when connected Tom describes the shift from compliance-driven questions to "why" questions, and what triggered it Barry and Tom discuss Digital Waste Tracking: what's working, what's missing, and why the technology is the easy part Tom shares what 10 years of building waste tech has taught him about naivety, humility, and behaviour change We hear Tom's vision for using data to map every take-back scheme in the country, and his honest assessment of AI readiness in the waste sector 👤 About our guest: Tom Passmore is the CIO and co-founder of Dsposal, a web platform that has spent 10 years making waste management easier, more transparent, and more compliant for organisations across the UK. Dsposal works with universities, NHS trusts, science parks, local authorities, and small to medium waste management companies, connecting public waste data with tools that help users find legal waste outlets, track compliance, and increasingly drill into the why behind their waste patterns. Tom is an active voice in the UK waste data community, serves as a critical friend to DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking programme, and is passionate about the untapped potential in the UK's public waste datasets. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

June 4, 202638 min

Curiosity Before Technology: Building Kolekt with Thierry Sanders - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Technology isn't magic. But sometimes dropping your spoon in a bowl of soup during a pandemic leads you somewhere extraordinary. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Thierry Sanders, founder of Kolekt, a platform connecting waste collectors, buy-back centres, and recyclers across the Global South. Thierry's background spans fintech, microfinance, and living in developing countries from Ecuador to Pakistan to Indonesia, and Kolekt grew directly out of two weeks spent riding around Bali on a motorbike with informal waste collectors, learning how their world actually works. What makes Kolekt's story unusual is the order of operations. Thierry didn't arrive with a product looking for a market. He started with cigarettes, lunch, and genuine curiosity, and the technology followed the problems he discovered: collectors wasting half their time searching for materials that weren't there, workers without phones or bank accounts locked out of digital systems, and facial recognition tools that didn't work for the people who needed them most. The conversation is direct about the harder edges of this work: the fossil fuel industry flooding markets with cheap virgin plastic, governments demanding surveillance data on immigrant workers, and the gap between EPR policy and what actually reaches the people doing the collecting. ✨ In this episode: Thierry tells the origin story of Kolekt, from a pandemic soup bowl in Jakarta to 14,000+ waste collector profiles across six countries We explore the practical technology challenges of serving users who have no phone, no bank account, and no reliable connectivity Thierry explains how Kolekt discovered and worked around racist bias in open-source facial recognition Barry and Thierry discuss the economics of informal waste collection and why recycled materials cost more than virgin plastic Thierry shares his work advising South Asian governments on EPR legislation and the $100 billion opportunity it represents We hear how Kolekt chose to lose contracts rather than hand over user data to governments targeting immigrant collectors 👤 About our guest: Thierry Sanders is the founder of Kolekt (kolekt.com), a platform that connects waste collectors, buy-back centres, and recyclers across the Global South. With a background in fintech and microfinance across developing countries including Ecuador, Pakistan, and Indonesia, Thierry built Kolekt after spending two weeks with informal waste collectors in Bali during the pandemic, learning how the waste economy works from the ground up. Kolekt now operates in Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Mozambique, Kenya, and Ghana, with around 14,000 active waste collector profiles and close to 100,000 transactions processed. Thierry also advises governments across South Asia on Extended Producer Responsibility legislation and has developed Kolekt's EPR compliance platform for Mozambique. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

May 21, 202638 min

Logic and Magic: The Human Side of Circular Transformation with Amelia Woodley and Vin Sharma - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Technology isn't magic. And neither, it turns out, is circular strategy. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Amelia Woodley, a sustainability leader with 25 years of cross-sector experience, and Vin Sharma, a researcher whose doctoral work examined why the social dimension of circular economy so often gets left behind. Amelia introduces her "logic versus magic" framework: the logic side covers strategy, systems, KPIs, and measurement; the magic side covers the storytelling, brand identity, training, and people-led change that make sustainability mean something inside an organisation. Her argument is that most organisations over-invest in the logic and underinvest in the magic, and that is exactly where circular transformations stall. Vin's research adds depth to this picture. Across companies at different stages of their circular journey, he found that social value tends to be bolted on rather than built in, and that the organisations making genuine progress were the ones who treated crises as learning events rather than problems to recover from. The conversation is unusually direct on the financial dimension. Both guests push back on the idea that circular solutions come with a green premium: with good data and whole-life cost thinking, the commercial case can be made. The challenge is building the analytical and organisational muscle to make it properly. ✨ In this episode: Vin explains the social blind spot in circular economy thinking and why it is structural Amelia introduces the logic-versus-magic framework for sustainable change We explore the three stages of circular maturity and what moves organisations between them Barry, Amelia, and Vin discuss the role of finance in circular business cases We explore how technology and data need to mature together, not in sequence Vin and Amelia share what makes them genuinely hopeful about where circularity is heading 👤 About our guests: Amelia Woodley is a sustainability leader with nearly 25 years of experience designing and embedding sustainability strategies across sectors including construction, rail, infrastructure, nuclear, and retail. She has led major circular economy and net zero transformation programmes and is a strong advocate for making circular thinking accessible and commercially credible inside organisations. Vin Sharma is a researcher whose doctoral work examined how organisations integrate social value into circular economy transitions. His research identified consistent patterns across companies at different stages of circular maturity, and proposed frameworks for understanding how reactive responses to crises can build long-term capability. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

May 7, 202637 min

Circular Marketplace for Medical Equipment with Lieke van Kerkhoven - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Technology isn’t magic. And neither is circularity. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Lieke van Kerkhoven, co-founder of Green Pulse. Lieke explains how Green Pulse is helping hospitals extend the life of medical equipment by connecting them with a global network of buyers. The platform combines logistics, marketplace dynamics, and technology to make reuse viable in a complex and highly regulated environment, an example of what we mean by Exploring circular tech: technology isn’t magic , where technology plays a role, but only as part of a much bigger operational and human system. They discuss the practical realities of building a circular business, from managing operations and growth to creating trust between buyers and sellers. The conversation also explores a broader idea: how businesses can move beyond treating sustainability as an add-on and instead integrate it into their core commercial model. The episode highlights Lieke’s concept of “integrative business”, the role of AI in reshaping work, and the importance of aligning incentives across the value chain. ✨ In this episode: Lieke explains how Green Pulse started and how it works We explore the challenges of running a circular marketplace Lieke shares insights into the global demand for reused medical equipment We discuss why donation is not always the best solution Barry and Lieke explore the realities of scaling a startup Lieke explains how AI supports operational efficiency We discuss aligning commercial and circular incentives We explore the gap between personal and professional values Lieke shares her vision for the future of Green Pulse 👤 About our guest: Lieke van Kerkhoven is the co-founder of Green Pulse, a platform focused on the reuse of medical equipment. She has a background in medicine and has spent years working at the intersection of healthcare, sustainability, and the circular economy. Through Green Pulse, she is helping hospitals recover value from unused equipment while making it accessible to buyers around the world. Lieke is particularly interested in what she calls “integrative business”, bringing together commercial and sustainability thinking into a single, aligned model. Her work focuses on reducing friction, building trust, and creating systems where circularity becomes a natural outcome of doing business. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

April 23, 202632 min

Connecting the Circular Economy with David Watson - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

Technology isn’t magic. It does not fix a fragmented circular economy on its own. In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with David Watson, founder of Circular Connect. David explains how Circular Connect developed from a newsletter into a platform that helps circular businesses become more visible and easier to connect with. They discuss the practical challenges of scaling circularity, including fragmented markets, limited awareness, and the need for better connections between organisations. The conversation explores where technology helps, and where human relationships do most of the work. The episode highlights emerging opportunities in areas such as traceability, digital product passports, and circular M&A. ✨ In this episode: David explains how Circular Connect started and how it has evolved We explore why the circular economy is still fragmented David shares how networking can be made more consistent We discuss the role of human relationships alongside technology Barry and David explore the circular talent gap We look at current M&A activity in the sector David explains why traceability is becoming more important We discuss the role of policy and commercial drivers David shares how Circular Connect may develop further 👤 About our guest: David Watson is the founder of Circular Connect and Chief Client Officer at RL People and RL Equity. He has spent close to a decade working in the circular economy across recruitment, mergers and acquisitions, and media. Circular Connect was created to make it easier to find and understand what is happening in the circular economy. It brings together a newsletter, directory, and network to support better connections between organisations. David focuses on reducing friction in the industry and helping circular businesses grow through better visibility and collaboration. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

April 9, 202638 min

Repair, Retention and Rethinking Fashion with Nancy Rhodes - Exploring Circular Tech: Technology isn't magic

What if repair wasn’t an afterthought, but a core part of how fashion works? In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Nancy Rhodes, CEO of Alternew, a platform embedding tailoring and repair into the shopping experience. Nancy shares how her experience in the fashion industry led her to rethink the role of care and repair, not just as a sustainability initiative, but as a way to improve customer relationships and business performance. Alternew’s approach is to make repair easy and accessible, combining AI-powered guidance with a network of local service providers. The result is a system where brands can support customers beyond the point of purchase, while also gaining valuable insights into how their products are used, worn, and sometimes fail. The conversation also explores the broader implications of this shift, from reducing returns to rethinking how products are designed in the first place. ✨ In this episode: Nancy shares the story behind Alternew and the “invisible pitchfork” that pushed her to build it We explore how repair can reduce returns and increase customer retention Nancy explains why “buy smarter, wear longer” is a more useful framing than “buy better” We discuss how care and repair can become part of the core customer experience Barry and Nancy explore the role of technology in enabling, not replacing, human expertise We look at how data from repairs can inform better product design Nancy shares her vision for making care and repair aspirational and mainstream 👤 About our guest: Nancy Rhodes is CEO of Alternew, a platform embedding tailoring and repair into the fashion shopping experience. After nearly two decades as a footwear designer working with brands ranging from Costco and Target to Beyoncé, Nancy shifted her focus to sustainability, driven by a growing awareness of the waste created by the fashion industry. Alternew combines AI-powered guidance with a network of repair specialists to help brands support customers beyond the point of purchase, reducing returns, increasing retention, and extending the life of products. 🌍 About HappyPorch HappyPorch is a purpose-driven software engineering consultancy focused on the circular economy. Learn more: https://www.happyporch.com 💌 Subscribe to HappyPorch Circular News HappyPorch Circular News is our monthly newsletter for people working in and around the circular economy and technology. Subscribe at: https://www.happyporch.com/newsletter/ ▶️ Listen and subscribe Stream this episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Deezer , iHeart , Pocket Casts — or wherever you get your podcasts.. Visit https://www.happyporchradio.com to explore more episodes. Mentioned in this episode: Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! Season 10 Celebration HappyPorch Radio is 10 seasons old and we're celebrating in person with People, Planet, Pint! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy