The Selling Circular Podcast

Hosted by Garr Punnett and Sabira Lakhani

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Sabira & Garr discuss trending circular economy topics, joined by circular economy leaders to share best practices, growth tactics and the future of the movement.

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60 recent

June 9, 2026Episode 7945 min

Is Your Recycling Failing & What To Do About It

Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli and Laura Rosenshine, co-founders of WATS, join Garr and co-host Sabira to make the case that commercial waste is the last unmetered utility — and what happens when you finally turn the lights on in the back of the house. The conversation moves from the broken trust between tenants and janitorial teams, to why diversion rate may be the wrong scoreboard, to the looming wave of packaging regulation. It's a practitioner's-eye view of an industry that hasn't fundamentally changed in decades and is now being forced to. If you manage waste for a building, a portfolio, or a brand, this one reframes the whole problem.

May 5, 2026Episode 7747 min

How Waste Workers in India Are Getting Mortgages Through Plastic Credits & EPR Compliance

Svanika Balasubramanian, Co-Founder and CEO of rePurpose Global, joins Garr and Sabira for a deep dive into the economics of plastic credits, the real-world impact of EPR legislation hitting U.S. companies, and how rePurpose evolved from a plastic credit pioneer into a three-vertical platform covering software compliance, downstream supply chain operations, and PCR feedstock. The conversation gets personal when Svanika shares what gives her hope: women in Kerala, India, gaining formal employment, bank accounts, and eventually mortgages through rePurpose's waste collection programs.

April 28, 2026Episode 761 hr 2 min

Circular Economy's Best Pitch Isn't Sustainability

Garry Cooper, neuroscientist-turned-CEO of Rheaply, joins Garr Punnett for an conversation about where the circular economy actually stands in 2026. They dig into why "sustainability" as a pitch is losing ground, why inflation and EPR compliance might finally be the acute pain the sector needs, and the brutal operational reality of selling circular solutions to budget-constrained middle managers. It's a candid conversation between two operators who've been doing this long enough to tell the difference between the narrative and the spreadsheet.

April 20, 2026Episode 7555 min

The Resale Brick-and-Mortar Market Is Underserved & How Domain Expertise Will Beat The SaaSpocalypse

Nic Esposito returns to Selling Circular for a candid follow-up conversation about what happened after he paused Unless Kids — his direct-to-consumer toy resale brand — to focus entirely on Circa OS, the inventory and operations platform his team was building underneath it. We talk about why he made the call, what it's like selling B2B after running D2C, why 25,000 independent resale shops in the US are underserved by current retail tech, and what founders get wrong about pivots, customer feedback, and the "SaaSpocalypse." This one is for founders, resale operators, and anyone watching circular retail infrastructure evolve in real time.

April 14, 2026Episode 731 hr 6 min

The 85% Emissions Cut That Wine Brands Keep Ignoring

Adam Rack, co-founder of Revino, joins Garr to break down what it actually takes to build reusable glass bottle infrastructure in the United States — from negotiating with glass manufacturers and adhesive chemists to navigating regional bottle weight politics and deposit return carve-outs. This is a ground-level look at the supply chain plumbing behind one of the most promising circular economy models in the U.S. beverage industry.

March 17, 202659 min

Is Venture Capital Failing Climate Tech Founders

Jamil Wyne, climate tech investor, educator, and lead author of Oxford's Climate Tech Opportunity report, joins Garr to unpack why the venture capital playbook is failing many climate companies, why adaptation and resilience are still dangerously underfunded, and where hope actually lives in 2026.

October 30, 2024Episode 51 hr 1 min

Closet to Closet: Unlocking The $400 Billion Opportunity In The Textile Economy

The Ellen Macarthur Foundation found that addressing environmental and social problems created by the fashion industry would provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030 with the annual value of clothing discarded prematurely is more than $400 billion. In this episode of Selling Circular, Garr Punnett and Sabira Lakhani interview Marisa Adler about the complexities of textile recycling and the recent RRS report, "SORTING FOR CIRCULARITY USA: A COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT OF FIBRE TO FIBRE RECYCLING IN THE U.S."They discuss personal journeys in sustainability, the challenges faced in waste management, and the importance of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in creating effective recovery systems. The conversation highlights the findings of the RRS report on textile waste, the role of technology in recycling, and the critical need for sorting processes to improve recovery rates.

September 30, 2025Episode 545 min

Endineering the Circle: Why Circularity Fails Without Product Farewells

In this conversation, Joe Macleod discusses the importance of consumer off-boarding experiences and the emotional connections we have with products. He explores the historical context of consumption, the emotional grip of consumerism, and the responsibilities of both consumers and providers at the end of a product's life cycle. The discussion also touches on the role of brand equity, the future of consumer relationships, and the impact of AI on consumption. Macleod emphasizes the need for brands to create meaningful endings for their products and to bridge the gap between marketing and sustainability efforts.

September 18, 2025Episode 345 min

Farm To Furniture With Regenerative Design

In this conversation, the founders of Common Object Studio discuss their journey in sustainable design, focusing on their case study with Okaterra. They explore the challenges and triumphs of creating furniture that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally responsible. The discussion delves into the importance of materials, supply chains, and the need for transparency in sustainability. They emphasize the beauty of variation in design and the significance of community and collaboration in driving change within the industry.

October 7, 2025Episode 644 min

Circular Economy Is Customer Care: Lessons From Logitech

In this episode, we explore Sacni Leon's remarkable 15-year journey at Logitech and her unexpected path into the circular economy. Her simple question - "Why are all these products coming back?" - sparked a transformation that would reshape how the company handles returns and reverse logistics.The conversation highlights key themes including the power of asking obvious questions, the unexpected connections between customer service and supply chain sustainability, and how hands-on warehouse experience can reveal hidden opportunities for circular innovation. Sacni's story demonstrates how one curious employee willing to challenge the status quo can drive meaningful change in corporate sustainability practices.