The Circular Economy Show Podcast

Hosted by Ellen MacArthur Foundation

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Episodes

228

Latest episode

May 2026

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About the show

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation welcomes you to The Circular Economy Show, a podcast about a new way to design, make, and use things, and how we can build an economy that's fit for the 21st century.

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60 recent

June 16, 202628 min

From niche to necessity: the circular economy's strategic moment

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. They discuss: Why today's disruptions are structural, not episodic, and what that means for supply chains How the circular economy offers a direct answer to resource dependency and geopolitical risk The shift from an impact case to a business case, and how to have that conversation with your CFO What companies like Hilti are doing differently, and what executives can act on tomorrow Mentioned in this episode: IMD circular value creation courses for leaders: https://www.imd.org/sustainability/cvce/creating-value-circular-economy/ Material Advantage: How circular strategies drive business value: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/innovation/material-advantage-how-circular-strategies-drive-business-value/ Circular Business Revolution book: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/books/the-circular-business-revolution/ Startup landscape: https://www.circular-republic.org/insights/circular-startup-landscape-2026 Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

May 12, 20267 min

Circular Snapshots: Mexico’s landmark circular economy law and more

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. Show notes: Circularity Gap Report 2026 (Circle Economy): https://dashboard.circularity-gap.world/report/2026/cgr-2026-overview EU Circular Economy Act: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/eu-circular-economy-act Mexico Enacts General Law for the Circular Economy: https://mexicobusiness.news/sustainability/news/mexico-enacts-general-law-circular-economy HP mining its own e-waste: https://www.fastcompany.com/91501080/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops UK Packaging Pact launches: https://www.wrap.ngo/media-centre/press-releases/uk-packaging-pact-launches-unlock-progress-transforming-packaging Circular Fibre Collective launch: https://www.thefashionpact.org/industry-leaders-launch-the-circular-fibre-collective-to-scale-t2t-recycled-materials-by-2030/ ThredUp 2026 Resale Report: https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/thredup-spots-worrisome-trend-consumer-150700654.html

May 6, 202626 min

Can paper fix the flexibles problem?

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. Read the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report on paper-based flexible packaging

April 28, 202620 min

E-waste: the circular economy’s golden opportunity

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. In this episode, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Danielle Holly, Executive Lead for North America, and Wen-Yu Weng, Executive Lead for Critical Minerals, join Pippa to explore how the circular economy can transform how we produce, use, and recover electronics, and the critical minerals inside them. Find out more about the Foundation’s work in Critical Minerals. Sign up to the Foundation’s North America newsletter. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

April 21, 202622 min

How do we fund the shift to a circular economy?

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. Emily and Joe also explain how in many cases the right financing is out there, but more thoughtful allocation and coordination could result in better, more resilient outcomes. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

April 14, 202628 min

Circularity: a competitive edge in the era of tariffs?

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. Tensie explains the ROSI (Return on Sustainability Investment) framework, developed at NYU Stern to help companies track and monetise the full value of sustainability strategies. This includes operational efficiency, risk reduction, new revenue and customer loyalty. Together, they explore how circular approaches can shorten supply chains and reduce exposure to tariffs and geopolitical shocks. They also tackle the harder questions: why do most companies still not act, even when the numbers stack up? And what will it take to bring finance, governance and the boardroom along for the journey? Sign up to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's North America newsletter to keep up with the latest on circularity in North America. And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a colleague to help us spread the word.

April 8, 202626 min

Inside IKEA's strategy: building a resilient circular business

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. Watch the full episode to find out how implementing a Buyback & Resell model has enabled IKEA to: Allow their consumers to become active participants in the circular economy. Use tailored marketing tactics to drive increased brand awareness and business resilience. Use data to understand friction points, optimise loyalty strategies, and keep customers engaged. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

March 24, 202618 min

How to measure marketing success in a circular economy

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. If you enjoyed this episode, then please share with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Learn more about the measurement guidance, developed in collaboration with Kantar Explore 'The marketing playbook for a circular economy' Other episodes on the marketing playbook: Ep 176: Driving demand for circular economy: What marketers need to know | Kantar and Swapfiets Ep 185: How can marketers turn ideas into impactful action? Ep 186: How do we make circular behaviours irresistible?

March 17, 202618 min

Policy unplugged: Implementing circular economy policy with Joss Blériot

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.

March 10, 202619 min

Circular economy, biodiversity, and the road to COP17

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. Explore the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s recent policy paper, Scaling action for nature. Learn more about the Global Biodiversity Framework.