The Circular Economy Show Podcast

It's been a pivotal year for the circular economy, full of big ideas and practical breakthroughs.Before we fully dive into 2026, we’re hitting pause for a moment of reflection.Join Fin, Lou, and Pippa who have hand-picked their favourite, most insightful, and memorable moments from the conversations they’ve had this year.This episode may show condensed snippets, but it is packed with big ideas, practical breakthroughs, and the highlights that defined the circular economy in 2025.Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2026 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.Explore the episodes discussed in order of appearance:Ep 201: Why do circular business models fail to scale? Going it aloneEp 188: “It’s a no-brainer”: Arc’teryx on bringing repairs in-storeEp 197: Stop minding your own businessEp 179: How are small start-ups, SMEs, and large corporations working together to change the food system?Ep 185: How can marketers turn ideas into impactful action?Ep 174: Material security in a circular economy | Energy and competitiveness

It’s easy to look at the news headlines and feel like everything is going backwards, but in this episode we ask you to look a little deeper and see the story beneath the headlines. Progress is possible and happening everywhere from plastics to fashion to the automotive sector, and even at COP.Listen in to hear:Whether COP still matters, and if so, for what?Why Honda’s circularity center in Ohio is an important stepWhat we learned from Patagonia’s first ever environmental and social progress reportWhy many of the world’s biggest brands are backing a new agenda for plastics----Explore the articles Seb mentioned in this episode:1) Circular economy thematic day at COP30 (Circular Online)https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/cop30-marks-first-ever-circular-economy-day-as-global-climate-talks-intensify/2) Honda opening its circularity center (Trellis)https://trellis.net/article/honda-recycling-ohio-plant-opens-circularity/3) Analysis of Patagonia’s environmental and social report (Trellis)https://trellis.net/article/patagonias-comprehensive-plan-counter-rising-emissions/4) Reuters on businesses supporting the Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Businesshttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/global-companies-push-regulation-plastics-reduction-report-shows-2025-11-04/

Join Scott Case, VP of Sustainability at the National Retail Federation, Nate Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Visa, and Burgess Davis, Chief Sustainability Officer for North America at PepsiCo, as they dive into the importance of embracing circular economies in retail. They explore how payment tech can incentivize recycling, innovative product design for regenerative agriculture, and the need for collaborative storytelling to drive consumer engagement. The conversation highlights the potential for business growth through circular solutions and urges investment in shared initiatives for a sustainable future.

In this engaging discussion, Jen Huffstetler, Chief Sustainability Officer at HP, Jim Sullivan, Head of Product Management at SAP, and Vrushali Gaud, Global Director of Strategy and Operations for Net Zero at Google, explore the intersection of technology and circular economy strategies. They reveal how AI can enhance circular design and product lifecycle management. The trio also addresses the shift from bolt-on to bolt-in circular systems, the importance of actionable data, and the essential role of collaboration in overcoming challenges.

Maddy Oliver and Ella Hedley are the lead researchers behind the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's groundbreaking report on circular business models. They dive into the crucial role collaboration plays in scaling these models, emphasizing that success depends on strong internal and external alignment. Maddy shares a cautionary tale of a profitable rental pilot that failed due to lack of early buy-in. They also discuss the importance of shared KPIs and the need for adaptive partnerships to generate long-term value. Both stress that failures can provide valuable lessons for future endeavors.

Maddy Oliver, a lead researcher on circular business models at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is joined by Ella Hedley, a researcher who co-authored a report on scaling challenges in this area. They discuss how circular business models often fail to scale due to a narrow focus on sustainability. Maddy emphasizes the importance of a strong financial narrative for success, while Ella shares examples of projects that lost funding when not framed commercially. They argue for broader metrics and long-term mindsets to cultivate customer loyalty and operational change.

Maddy Oliver, a researcher from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Ella Hedley, their research lead, dive into why circular business models often fail. They discuss strategic misalignment, highlighting the importance of aligning business operations, customer needs, and product requirements. Maddy shares a cautionary tale about a fashion brand's failed resale pilot, while Ella emphasizes the need for seamless customer experiences and aligning products with customer readiness. Their insights offer practical solutions for avoiding common pitfalls in scaling circular models.

Maddy Oliver, a researcher at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Ella Hedley, a circular business models expert, delve into the pitfalls that cause circular initiatives to stumble. They discuss the importance of having a scaling plan from the start and the impact of misalignment with existing business strategies. Maddy highlights the need for roadmaps that prioritize scalability while Ella illustrates how mindset and early design choices can hinder growth. Their insights reveal how aligning circularity with core objectives can unleash its full potential.

Have the current political and economic shocks actually created enormous opportunities for change?Can businesses currently working on transforming themselves, work together on driving an entire market transformation?And what role can the rest of us play in resetting the system and helping to shape that change?In this episode, Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Lindsay Hooper from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership discuss how catalysing market interventions and designing out competitive disadvantages can work to reshape our system.We know that complete market transformation is possible, we have already seen renewable energy progress, but no single business or group can do this alone. In this episode hear how:Market transformation differs from the incremental changes we’ve seen so far A system change will require building pre-competitive coalitions who all have a vested interest in change and supporting market making value chains By harnessing the power of both business and the private sector, we can work together for real transformationLearn more about commercial collaborationRead CISL’s report Competing in the Age of Disruption

Scaling the circular economy requires more companies to launch circular products and services, but many competitors transitioning towards the circular economy face similar barriers to scale.One way to address this is commercial collaboration, where businesses work together on issues that are not tied to their competitive advantage.In this episode, we’ll hear from Sarah Dodge and Mark Buckley from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation about how this can help to scale a circular economy.We’ll also explore how one initiative has helped address a bottleneck in post-consumer recycling. Hear how companies from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Mission worked together to develop a unified vision and enable high-quality plastic waste sorting at scale with HolyGrail 1.0. This evolved into HolyGrail 2.0, where joint investment in R&D was crucial in helping it get from concept to market in just a few years.To discuss the project, Sander Defruyt, Lead of Strategy & Thought Leadership for the Plastics Mission, is joined by Gian De Belder, Technical Director of Packaging and Sustainability at Procter & Gamble, and Margherita Trombetti, Project Manager at the European Brands Association (AIM).Watch or listen to the full episode to learn how:Cross-value chain collaboration was essential to align on the technology and achieve scaleGrowing interest allowed participation to grow from 31 companies in HolyGrail 1.0 to 176 in 2.0 The European Brands Association (AIM) facilitated the governance, confidentiality, and communications of 2.0Learn more about this business-led partnership, which was funded through member contributions and philanthropic funding from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and the City of Copenhagen.Explore the full commercial collaboration collectionIf 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.