GZERO World with Ian Bremmer How the circular economy empowers small businesses
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Oct 2, 2025 Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard, leads on circular-economy initiatives, while Rachel McShane, CFO of Depop, champions sustainable fashion. They delve into how circular practices drive both sustainability and profitability for small businesses. The conversation covers community impacts, the shift towards reusable and resale models, and the fight against greenwashing. They emphasize the role of technology, like AI, in enhancing user experiences and ensuring transparency, and call for supportive policies to foster entrepreneurial growth in the circular economy.
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Circular Economy Defined And Digitally Enabled
- The circular economy keeps materials in use via reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling to eliminate waste.
- Modern digital tools make circular systems seamless, convenient, and scalable across communities.
Circular Markets Are Material And Growing
- Circular commerce already drives large shares of some markets, e.g., 27% of online luxury apparel spend comes from circular merchants.
- McKinsey estimates circularity could generate about $4.5 trillion by 2030 through many small-business innovations.
Flip The Convenience Equation
- Make sustainable choices the easier, faster, or cheaper option to scale adoption beyond environmentally motivated consumers.
- Design circular offerings to match or beat the convenience and cost of linear alternatives.