Wendy Schmidt, President and Co-Founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation, focuses on philanthropy's vital role in food system innovation. Douglas McMaster, the Michelin-starred chef and owner of Silo, shares insights from participating in the Big Food Redesign Challenge, advocating for a rethink of our entire food production. Together, they discuss how to transform the food industry, enhance biodiversity, and design eco-friendly practices that regenerate nature rather than deplete it.

Circular design is a hot topic, but moving beyond the buzzwords to practical implementation can be a real challenge. In this episode, we go deep with Joe Iles, Head of Design Activation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to unpack the essential principles and skills every designer should have in their toolkit.Joe shares a compelling perspective on circular design - it's not just about creating durable products, but rather reflecting the complex, interconnected systems that make up our world. He explores why circular design ideas often struggle to scale, despite the abundance of innovative concepts out there.He also shares the key design competencies that are crucial for driving the transition to a circular model, from systems thinking to prototyping and collaboration. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.Links mentioned in this episode:The Circular Design GuideThe Jeans RedesignThe Circular Buildings ToolkitFrom ambition to action: an adaptive strategy for circular design

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show we meet Zero Waste Scotland, who are working with government, businesses, and communities to make the shift to a circular economy as easy as possible for all. We're joined by Peter McCafferty, Business Support Manager at Zero Waste Scotland, and Dr Michaela Hruskova from the University of Stirling. Together we'll discuss the barriers that are stopping businesses from adopting circular practices at scale, informed by the findings of their report: ‘Scotland’s Circular Economy Practices Ecosystem.’ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.Read the report ‘Scotland’s Circular Economy Practices Ecosystem'.

In this discussion, Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and Joe Murphy, Executive Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s business network, tackle the urgent need for businesses to move past ESG hype into real sustainability. They critique superficial approaches and explore systemic barriers to circular economy implementation. The duo showcases innovative strategies from companies like Philips and emphasizes collaboration as essential for scaling sustainable practices, pushing for more meaningful market reforms.

Join Fin, Lou and Pippa from the Circular Economy Show as we look back at a year in the circular economy. In this episode, the team shares highlights from this year’s show, and talks about some of the moments you might have missed. Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2025 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.If you’d like to get in touch, email us at podcast@emf.orgExplore the episodes discussed:Ep 159: How to build a nature-positive circular economy for Europe Read the paper.Ep 157: Inside the world of industrial symbiosis Ep 149: Scaling refill and return with GoUnpackagedWe also mentioned our episode with Vincent from Dunia Bora - who features in episode 150: Creating nature-positive nutrition from cacti with Dunia Bora.Watch the Redesigning Food Series, which Fin mentioned.

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show we discuss Arda Biomaterials' journey of transforming beer by-products into sustainable materials. Brett Cotten, co-founder at Arda, details the company's origins, challenges, and successes, including raising pre-seed investment in 2023 and scaling operations. Amy Tsang from The Mills Fabrica highlights their 360-degree support for innovators, emphasising investment, collaboration, and showcasing technologies. Both discuss the importance of scalability, impact measurement, and the commercial viability of biomaterials, with Brett noting the potential of chemistry-based approaches and Amy highlighting innovative startups including Epoch Biodesign.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.

In this special episode of The Circular Economy Show, we’re sharing a conversation between Ellen MacArthur and Christiana Figueres from the climate podcast Outrage + Optimism.Christiana was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016, where she oversaw the delivery of the historic Paris Agreement. In this episode, the pair reflect on the outcomes of the INC-5 negotiations for a global plastics treaty, the role businesses play in addressing plastic packaging pollution, and why a global, legally-binding treaty is necessary to address this global challenge.Listen to episode 165 to find out more about why the INC-5 negotiations matter, or visit the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website.Find out more about a circular economy for plastic.Check out the Outrage + Optimism podcast.

In this discussion, guest Lei Chen, an expert from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's China office, dives deep into the intersection of the circular economy and climate goals in China. He reveals how a comprehensive circular economy framework can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while securing vital raw materials for renewable energy. Chen also highlights a 'triple play' approach to enhance economic resilience and sustainability. Listeners gain insights into strategic policy shifts and the importance of collaboration for impactful climate action.

At the end of this month in Busan, Korea, INC-5 will take place. For the fifth and final time, the United Nations international negotiating committee will reunite to create a legally binding global treaty that ends plastic pollution.In this episode, Marta Longhurst, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Treaty Manager, tells us what opportunities a well designed treaty could unlock to tackle the world’s plastic waste crisis.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy. 

The circular economy can be a powerful climate mitigation strategy. But what about the other side of the climate action coin? In this episode, we explore the connection between circular economy activities and climate adaptation outcomes.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.