Circular Economy Podcast

This is the 2nd part of my conversation with Tom Llewellyn of Shareable, an organization that collaborates with others to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. We hear about Shareable’s How-To Guides, which cover a vast range of topics from how to reduce food waste to starting mutual aid funds, and Tom explains how sharing initiatives are starting to be included in city and local government policies. And Tom offers his top tips for how we can get started with sharing and other initiatives, to improve our resilience and build stronger communities. If you didn’t catch the first episode, head back to that if you’d like to hear why Shareable has pivoted from storytelling to focus on supporting groups to replicate successful sharing solutions, what Tom sees as the key challenges around sharing, and the importance of storytelling – including the misleading narratives used by most of the media, and how these undermine our resilience. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. Links for our guest: Shareable’s website: https://www.shareable.net/ Shareable on social media: https://www.facebook.com/Shareable   https://twitter.com/shareable   https://www.instagram.com/shareable_gram/   https://bsky.app/profile/share-able.bsky.social   https://www.linkedin.com/company/shareable/   https://www.youtube.com/@ShareableNet Guest bio Tom Llewellyn is the Executive Director of Shareable, an organization that collaborates with organizers and allies to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. He helps communities develop Libraries of Things (LoTs)—low-cost, environmentally friendly social infrastructure that enables people to meet their material needs. Tom’s current work includes expanding these sharing initiatives into housing developments, universities, and post-disaster recovery areas. He also serves as executive producer and host of the award-winning documentary film and podcast series The Response, producer of the Cities@Tufts Podcast, and communications lead for the Rural Power Coalition. A dynamic speaker, Tom has presented at more than 200 events across five continents. He is the co-editor and author of several influential publications, including Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons (2018), The Response: Building Collective Resilience in the Wake of Disasters (2019), and Lessons from the First Wave: Resilience in the Age of COVID-19 (2020). He has co-founded several community- and sharing-based initiatives, including: A PLACE for Sustainable Living, Asheville Tool Library, REAL Cooperative (Regenerative Education, Action & Leadership), and the worker collective Critter Cafe. Tom currently lives in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, in Amah Mutsun Tribal Band territory, with his wife, Ellie, where they’re rejuvenating an old Boy Scout Camp into a community hub. Shareable collaborates with organizers and allies to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. We envision a just, connected, and joyful world where sharing is daily practice and communities flourish. Shareable’s organizing work is currently focused on: Sharing Hubs & Infrastructure – We’re working to establish sharing hubs like Libraries of Things in every community. Whether it is a simple how-to guide; our comprehensive Library of Things Toolkit; incubating the Tool Library Alliance; or partnerships to scale Libraries of Things in universities and affordable housing, we’re developing useful tools so every community can create infrastructure for sharing. Mutual Aid – We’re working to build capacity and to network mutual aid projects across the US and around the world. Whether it is our popular how-to guides; sharing stories on our podcast The Response; our ongoing Mutual Aid 101 learning series and toolkit; or partnerships to build capacity for mutual aid disaster resilience, we’re developing resources and networks to build communities of care. Co-op Sector – We’re working to support and strengthen democratic, community-controlled cooperative businesses and organizations. Whether it is educational partnerships like the Social Co-op Academy; piloting food assistance co-ops; fighting to modernize and democratize local electric co-op utilities, the second largest co-op sector in the US; or restructuring our own organization as a worker self-directed nonprofit, we’re shifting the narrative toward cooperative governance. Shareable continues to publish articles, podcasts, and how-to guides that amplify the people and ideas shaping a world where sharing is a daily practice and communities flourish. Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Click here to search for previous episodes

We discuss the importance of sharing and its many benefits with Tom Llewellyn, the Executive Director of Shareable, which collaborates with others to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. Tom helps communities develop Libraries of Things (LoTs) and other forms of low-cost, environmentally friendly social infrastructure that help people meet their material needs. Tom’s current work includes expanding these sharing initiatives into housing developments, universities, and post-disaster recovery areas. He also serves as executive producer and host of the award-winning documentary film and podcast series The Response, producer of the Cities@Tufts Podcast, and communications lead for the Rural Power Coalition. Tom has co-founded several community- and sharing-based initiatives, including: A PLACE for Sustainable Living, Asheville Tool Library, REAL Cooperative (Regenerative Education, Action & Leadership), and the worker collective Critter Cafe. Shareable wants to see a just, connected, and joyful world where sharing is daily practice and communities flourish. Its current focus is on sharing hubs & infrastructure, Mutual Aid projects, and supporting and strengthening democratic, community-controlled cooperative businesses and organizations. We covered a lot, and so the conversation is split into two episodes. In Part 1, we hear why Shareable has pivoted from storytelling to engagement and support for groups to replicate successful sharing solutions. We discuss some of the key challenges and barriers to sharing, and what we can gain from sharing and other forms of mutual support We talk about a few different types of sharing initiatives, including community infrastructure projects. Tom explains the importance of storytelling, particularly in the context of disasters, and how the media often uses narratives that undermine our natural resilience and willingness to support each other. In Part 2 (available now), we cover the How To Guides, which cover a vast range of topics from how to reduce food waste to starting mutual aid funds, and Tom’s tips on how to get things started. You can hear my takeaways at the end of each section. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.  Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox… You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: Shareable’s website: https://www.shareable.net/ Shareable on social media: https://www.facebook.com/Shareable   https://twitter.com/shareable   https://www.instagram.com/shareable_gram/   https://bsky.app/profile/share-able.bsky.social   https://www.linkedin.com/company/shareable/   https://www.youtube.com/@ShareableNet Books, people and organisations we mentioned Episode 154 Loic Le Fouest of Clarasys: creating circular customer experiences https://www.rethinkglobal.info/154-loic-le-fouest-of-clarasys-designing-circular-customer-experiences/ Rutger Bregman, historian and best-selling author is this year’s BBC Radio 4 Reith lecturer. Titled Moral Revolution, the lectures will delve into the current ‘age of immorality’, explore a growing trend for unseriousness among elites, and ask how we can follow history’s example and assemble small, committed groups to spark positive change. The Reith Lectures are available on your favourite podcast app, more info here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/v78MKsCWHxw0l0PwMn4R0R/bbc-reith-lectures-2025-moral-revolution Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind and others books: https://rutgerbregman.com/ Guest bio Tom Llewellyn is the Executive Director of Shareable, an organization that collaborates with organizers and allies to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. He helps communities develop Libraries of Things (LoTs)—low-cost, environmentally friendly social infrastructure that enables people to meet their material needs. Tom’s current work includes expanding these sharing initiatives into housing developments, universities, and post-disaster recovery areas. He also serves as executive producer and host of the award-winning documentary film and podcast series The Response, producer of the Cities@Tufts Podcast, and communications lead for the Rural Power Coalition. A dynamic speaker, Tom has presented at more than 200 events across five continents. He is the co-editor and author of several influential publications, including Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons (2018), The Response: Building Collective Resilience in the Wake of Disasters (2019), and Lessons from the First Wave: Resilience in the Age of COVID-19 (2020). He has co-founded several community- and sharing-based initiatives, including: A PLACE for Sustainable Living, Asheville Tool Library, REAL Cooperative (Regenerative Education, Action & Leadership), and the worker collective Critter Cafe. Tom currently lives in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, in Amah Mutsun Tribal Band territory, with his wife, Ellie, where they’re rejuvenating an old Boy Scout Camp into a community hub. Shareable collaborates with organizers and allies to imagine, resource, network, and scale cooperative projects. We envision a just, connected, and joyful world where sharing is daily practice and communities flourish. Shareable’s organizing work is currently focused on: Sharing Hubs & Infrastructure – We’re working to establish sharing hubs like Libraries of Things in every community. Whether it is a simple how-to guide; our comprehensive Library of Things Toolkit; incubating the Tool Library Alliance; or partnerships to scale Libraries of Things in universities and affordable housing, we’re developing useful tools so every community can create infrastructure for sharing. Mutual Aid – We’re working to build capacity and to network mutual aid projects across the US and around the world. Whether it is our popular how-to guides; sharing stories on our podcast The Response; our ongoing Mutual Aid 101 learning series and toolkit; or partnerships to build capacity for mutual aid disaster resilience, we’re developing resources and networks to build communities of care. Co-op Sector – We’re working to support and strengthen democratic, community-controlled cooperative businesses and organizations. Whether it is educational partnerships like the Social Co-op Academy; piloting food assistance co-ops; fighting to modernize and democratize local electric co-op utilities, the second largest co-op sector in the US; or restructuring our own organization as a worker self-directed nonprofit, we’re shifting the narrative toward cooperative governance. Shareable continues to publish articles, podcasts, and how-to guides that amplify the people and ideas shaping a world where sharing is a daily practice and communities flourish. Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Click here to search for previous episodes

Dr. Patrick Schröder, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, assesses the progress and barriers for circular economy policymaking. Patrick Schröder specializes in the circular economy, climate change, resource governance, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His work brings together science, policy, and media to help further evidence-based policies, communicate complex sustainability issues, and promote equitable governance solutions at the multilateral level. Patrick is currently the Coordinating Lead Author for one of the three working groups for the IPCC Assessment Report 7, reporting on Mitigation of Climate Change, and he is also the Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Global Environment Outlook 7. Patrick holds a PhD in Environmental Studies, and is now studying part-time for a second PhD in circular and regenerative design with the Centre for Sustainable Design. In 2024, UNIDO and Chatham House published a ground-breaking global stocktake of 75 national circular economy roadmaps featuring more than 2,800 policy actions. The first roadmap, from Japan, was published in 1999, and since 2016, as governments strive to accelerate their circular transitions, over 70 countries have published national circular economy roadmaps and strategies. The review aims to ‘bridge knowledge gaps and shed light on critical aspects of these publications’, and the authors point to a ‘significant lack of focus on the need to ensure a just and inclusive’ transition, warning that a ‘lack of recognition of the need to work collaboratively with the global community’ risks derailing a global just transition. Patrick tells us how he currently sees the global state of play for circular economy policies and roadmaps, where progress is happening and from a policymaking perspective, what is holding it back. The team at Chatham House have created a micro-site – circulareconomy.earth – and Patrick tells us more about that, and how we can use it. Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: DISCOUNT CODE for A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon3 buy direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) and you can use discount code KOGANPAGE25 for 25% off the book. This offer also applies to Kogan Page’s bundle option (print plus e-book for the same price as the print edition).  Read more about the book and download the Introduction: circulareconomyhandbook.com Read more about Patrick Schröder: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/patrick-schroder Patrick Schröder’s publications on Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xeaCha8AAAAJ&hl=en Patrick Schröder on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-schr%C3%B6der-b5789119/?originalSubdomain=uk The circular economy global policy microsite: circulareconomy.earth Books, people and organisations we mentioned The Chatham House paper launched during the Summit of the Future in NY:https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/09/how-circular-economy-can-revive-sustainable-development-goals Patrick’s paper on the SDGs and Circular Economy in the Journal of Industrial Ecology: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patrick-Schroeder-9/publication/344220320_The_Relevance_of_Circular_Economy_Practices_to_the_Sustainable_Development_Goals/links/5f85b316458515b7cf7c9143/The-Relevance-of-Circular-Economy-Practices-to-the-Sustainable-Development-Goals.pdf Human Development and Circular Economy paper (co-authored by Patrick Shroeder with Peter Desmond and Alex Lemile): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344920300082 The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01447-3/abstract Episode 166 Circularity Gap Report 2025: insights https://www.rethinkglobal.info/166-circularity-gap-report-2025-insights/   Episode 119 Ken Webster: the circular ECONOMY https://www.rethinkglobal.info/119-ken-webster-the-circular-economy/ Episode 119 Bonus Ken Webster: the circular ECONOMY! Part 2 https://www.rethinkglobal.info/119-bonus-ken-webster-the-circular-economy-part-2/ Guest bio Patrick Schröder is a senior research fellow at Chatham House. He specializes in the circular economy, climate change, resource governance, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  He works at the intersection of science, policy, and media to advance evidence-based policies, communicate complex sustainability issues, and promote equitable governance solutions at the multilateral level. He currently serves as Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Assessment Report 7 (WG III – Mitigation) and Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Global Environment Outlook 7. He holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, and currently studies part-time for a second PhD in circular and regenerative design with the Centre for Sustainable Design. Chatham House – The Royal Institute of International Affairs – is a world-leading policy institute based in London, dedicated to helping governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world. The Environment and Society Centre (ESC) at Chatham House examines how environmental change intersects with global economics, politics, and society. Its work focuses on advancing systemic solutions to address climate change, resource governance, and accelerate circular economy transitions — fostering dialogue and evidence-based strategies that align environmental sustainability with social equity and geopolitical realities. Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Search for previous episodes….

Author Catherine Weetman unpacks the new edition of A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business, giving you a preview of the big changes and new insights. The new, 3rd edition was published  by Kogan Page in paperback and e-book format on 3 November 2025, and the print edition for the US and Canada is out on the 25th of November 2025. The book aims to help people get clearer on how successful companies are finding ways to do better with less – in other words, creating value without pumping yet more resources through ever-growing systems of production and consumption. Use the discount code in the shownotes to get 25% off, with free worldwide shipping. Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. Links we mention in the episode: DISCOUNT CODE for A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon3 buy direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) and you can use discount code KOGANPAGE25 for 25% off the book. This offer also applies to Kogan Page’s bundle option (print plus e-book for the same price as the print edition).  Read more about the book and download the Introduction on Catherine’s website: Blog – Reclaiming our ‘compass’ – values work as liberation, Elsie Rodriques, Common Cause Foundation: https://commoncausefoundation.org/reclaiming-our-compass-values-work-as-liberation/ 82 Maria Westerbos – Plastic Soup Foundation- Maria Westerbos founded the Plastic Soup Foundation to raise awareness about the health risks from plastic in everyday products, and how we can switch away from it. Episode 82 107 Sian Sutherland – plastic is last century’s material- Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, says plastic is last century’s material. Solutions platform PlasticFree.com empowers us to replace it. Episode 107 108 Sian Sutherland (part 2) fixing plastics can fix so much else – Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, says we can reinvent a happier, healthier future: by fixing plastics, we can fix so much else – Episode 108 126 Ruth Taylor: closing our circular values gap – Ruth Taylor of the Common Cause Foundation explains how our personal values drive behaviour, and what that means for the circular economy transition – episode 126 154 Loic Le Fouest of Clarasys: creating circular customer experiences – Loic Le Fouest, an expert in Customer Experience at Clarasys tackles customer engagement – a key challenge for circularity. Episode 154 155 Martin Tomitsch and Steve Baty: Life-centred design – Martin Tomitsch and Steve Baty, authors of Designing Tomorrow, explain why we need to shift towards life-centred and strategic design. Episode 155 162 Rachel Bronstein and Barry Waddilove: The Design Council’s Skills for Planet – Rachel Bronstein and Barry Waddilove tell us about the Design Council’s Design for Planet initiative and Skills for Planet mission. Episode 162  Catherine Weetman International speaker, author and host of the Circular Economy Podcast, helping people discover how we can create a better future with circular, regenerative and fair solutions. Read more… Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Search for previous episodes….

Bailey Bestul explains how imaginative reuse of architectural components can create exciting, unique and inspiring buildings. Bailey is a registered architect, researcher and author based in New York City. His book, Reuse of Architectural Components, published by Routledge, was inspired by Bailey’s extensive research throughout Europe after he was awarded a Fulbright grant by the Netherland-America Foundation. Bailey holds a Master of Architecture from Woodbury University, where he graduated top of his class and was awarded the AIA Medal for Academic Excellence. He has worked in design firms in Minnesota, California and New York, and has completed residential and commercial projects throughout Southern California. His company, post-Architecture, specializes in residential and small-scale commercial projects across the United States. Bailey’s work has been featured in Dezeen, Forbes, the LA Times, Yahoo! News, DAMN Magazine and on The Design Network. Bailey talks us through the 3 sections of the book, covering Planning Strategies, Assembly Techniques and Finishing. Each section has 3 themes for each section, with some intriguing chapter headings, such as Palliative architecture, thick architecture, and Dirty, icky, yucky architecture, and we hear a bit about each of those. The book is full of examples, both modern and historical, many of which are from highly respected architectural practices around the world. Bailey draws on reuse practices from different cultures and contexts, too, including the Japanese art of Kintsugi. We discuss how architects, constructors and building owners are getting on board with circularity and reuse, and what might be getting in the way of ambitious circular approaches, and ask what architects, building owners and planners can do to help raise awareness of the benefits of reuse. Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: Bailey Bestul’s book: Reuse of Architectural Components https://www.routledge.com/Reuse-of-Architectural-Components/Bestul/p/book/9781032841182 Bailey Bestul’s website: https://www.post-arch.com/ Bailey Bestul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baileybestul/ Books, people and organisations we mentioned Kogan Page is offering an exclusive extra discount on pre-orders for the new, completely revised and updated edition of A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business.  The new (third) edition will be out on 3rd November and to get 30% off, you need to use the discount code PUBMON30, and order by 2nd November 2025 – here’s the link: https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon3.   Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Click here to search for previous episodes….

Long Way Home’s Hero School in Guatemala is a community-rooted educational initiative that transforms local trash into useful buildings. Matthew Paneitz first visited San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2002, and was deeply affected by this rural, Indigenous Maya community where 64% live in poverty and 27% in extreme poverty. People lacked clean water, reliable sanitation, resilient homes, steady employment, and quality education, and the air, water, and soil are all contaminated by waste and pollution. Unable to put this out of his mind, Matt returned in 2004 and founded non-profit Long Way Home. One of its major projects is Hero School, a project-based, community-rooted educational initiative grounded in Education for Sustainable Development. Between 2008 to 2025, the Long Way Home team transformed 550 tons of trash (including 35,000 used tires) into the Hero School green-built campus. Every part of the Hero School campus, from walls made of earth-filled tires and eco bricks to glass mosaics, embodies Long Way Home’s values of environmental stewardship, cultural pride, and resourcefulness. Matt tells us more about Comalapa and how he started Long Way Home on a shoestring, and takes us behind the scenes for how they began co-creating buildings with the local community. We hear about some of the unusual approaches to repurposing waste into construction materials, and how Long Way Home is solving multiple problems. We also learn about some of the unintended consequences – good and not-so-good – and the challenges of funding initiatives like these. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: Long Way Home website https://lwhome.org/ Long Way Home – open access to building processes documents lwhomegreen.org Long Way Home on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lwhomeorg Long Way Home on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lwhome_org/?hl=en Long Way Home on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/long-way-home/ Long Way Home YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGp4wuyTpyGytkXWSwYX1SA Long Way Home 5 min video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3YDtqVvi08 Books, people and organisations we mentioned Discount code for 30% off PRE-ORDERS of the new edition of A Circular Economy Handbook direct from the publisher Kogan Page (available in paperback and ebook formats), available worldwide. You can order and use the discount code PUBMON30 at https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon3 – the code is valid until 2nd November 2025. Guest bio Matthew Paneitz first visited San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2002. To address the extreme poverty in the region, Matt founded the non-profit organization Long Way Home (LWH) in 2004. From 2008 to 2025, the LWH team transformed 550 tons of trash (including 35,000 used tires) into the Hero School green-built campus. Matthew documented the process at lwhomegreen.org. By spending his evenings earning a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability and a Master’s in Education, Matt was also able to ensure that not only was the landscape transformed, but also the school’s approach to primary, middle, and high school education. Matt is currently a doctoral student in Education at Antioch University. Long Way Home was founded to confront deeply interconnected challenges in Comalapa, Guatemala, a rural, Indigenous Maya community where 64% live in poverty and 27% in extreme poverty. The residents lack clean water, reliable sanitation, resilient homes, steady employment, and quality education. The air, water, and soil are contaminated.. To address the interconnected crises of abject poverty, poor education, and environmental degradation in Comalapa, Long Way Home launched Hero School, a project-based, community-rooted educational initiative grounded in Education for Sustainable Development. Every part of the Hero School campus, from walls made of earth-filled tires and eco bricks to glass mosaics, embodies our values of environmental stewardship, cultural pride, and resourcefulness. Our approach to education centers on empowering students to become problem-solvers in their communities. Rather than focusing on memorization, our original curriculum integrates hands-on projects into every subject. These projects include ventilated stoves to reduce respiratory infection, water tanks to store rainwater, water filters to purify water, composting latrines to reduce gastrointestinal illness, retaining walls to prevent erosion, and earthquake-resistant homes and classrooms. Through this holistic model, students graduate with more than just a diploma; they gain skills in green construction, teamwork, project planning, and civic engagement. Our teachers, all from Comalapa, undergo continuous training in sustainability and pedagogical innovation, making the entire school ecosystem a learning laboratory. We will soon share our project-based lesson plans with the public schools, and together we will fight poverty, environmental contamination, and injustice on a massive scale. Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Search for previous episodes….

Lisa and Mary O’Riordan are co-founders of HaPPE Earth, a circular business providing compostable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with an end-to-end waste management system that creates a nutrient rich fertiliser using this PPE, combined with the client’s food waste. The HaPPE Earth solution is ideal for a range of sectors including healthcare, food processing and other manufacturing industries. HaPPE Earth is replacing a highly problematic product made from single-use plastic, and helping to bust big myths around plastics and hygiene, which were strengthened during the pandemic. I met HaPPE Earth’s co-founders when I did some work for last year’s CIRCULÉIRE Circular Ventures Accelerator, funded by the Irish Government. HaPPE Earth was one of the supported ventures, and I’ve been super-impressed by how Lisa and Mary have used their systems-thinking, technical and entrepreneurial skills to win their first clients and set out bold ambitions for their business and the value it creates for people, planet and local economies. We’ll hear about their detailed criteria for the choice of raw materials, the systems they’ve created to make sure this circular solution is super-easy for clients, and how all the different users and decision makers are reacting to compostable PPE. Mary and Lisa tell us more about their career backgrounds and what led them to start HaPPE Earth, how they’ve overcome those misperceptions about the benefits of plastic, and how they plan to develop local supply chains to avoid PPE posing a major risk to resilience, as it did across many countries during the pandemic. And we hear about some of the shocking, unethical practices that encourage unnecessary consumption of plastic PPE. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.  Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox… You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences. Links we mention in the episode: Happe Earth Website https://happeearth.com/  Happe Earth on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/happe-earth/ Lisa O’Riordan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-o-riordan-52887343 Mary O’Riordan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-o-riordan-736ba276 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/happeearth/ Books, people and organisations we mentioned. CIRCULÉIRE industry-led ventures accelerator https://www.circuleire.ie/ Seth Godin, This is Strategy: Make Better Plans (2024) Authors Equity, USA https://www.sethgodin.com/ The Donella Meadows Project, a project of the Academy for Systems Change, Leverage points: the places to intervene in a system. Available from: donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/ Episode 160 Catherine Weetman: systems and system value rethinkglobal.info/160-systems-and-system-value/ Plastics and human health: $1.5trn annual cost revealed in new study, Institute for Sustainability Studies (August 12, 2025) https://instituteofsustainabilitystudies.com/insights/news-analysis/plastics-and-human-health-1-5trn-annual-cost-revealed-in-new-study/ Guest bios Lisa O’Riordan is co-founder of HaPPE Earth. She has extensive experience in planning, budgeting, and managing logistics for large-scale events, overseeing everything from supplier negotiations and build operations to compliance and delivery. Previously, Lisa founded LivebyLove, a luxury lingerie and swimwear brand selling across Europe, where she gained expertise in design, branding, and international sales. Lessons from that venture continue to inform HaPPE’s approach to risk management and growth. Dr Mary O’Riordan is co-founder of HaPPE Earth. She has been 18 years in clinical medical practice, the last 8 of those involved with Public Health Medicine, specialising in Emergency Response for Highly Emerging, Infectious Threats. She has been the International Health Regulations (IHR) and ECDC Irish Focal Point representative for emerging infectious threats. Mary has in-depth knowledge of inter-sectoral collaboration when dealing with complex, societal issues related to infectious diseases. She is highly interested in bringing practical, sustainable and circular solutions to address the single use plastic problem in healthcare and similar industries. Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email…

Matthew Fraser, a seasoned circular economy advisor, and David Rakowski, a partner at Deloitte specializing in sustainable supply chains, delve into fresh insights from the 2025 Circularity Gap Report. They reveal a troubling decline in global circularity, dropping from 9.1% to 6.9%. The discussion highlights the need for urgent action to bridge the widening gap, emphasizing the importance of integrating circularity into business strategy. They also explore successful examples like Fairphone and underline the role of policy and investment in driving sustainable change.

Christina Schwarzkopf is co-founder of Prolong, a business-to-business white-label software solution enabling fashion brands and retailers to offer and manage circular aftercare and aftersales services. Those services could include repair, cleaning, personalization, exchanges, and refunds. Christina combines her commercial, strategy, and sustainability expertise built over a decade of fashion experience with brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Zalando. Prolong works with brands like Belstaff, The North Face, Veja, and Fusalp, covering apparel, outdoor, footwear, and jewellery, as well as multi-brand retailers. Brands use Prolong to digitize and automate service journeys across channels, reducing operational complexity, increasing customer satisfaction, and driving loyalty. The platform integrates logistics, communication, and brand operations to simplify often fragmented service processes. By linking customers, brands, and service providers, Prolong enables circularity at scale and helps brands move from one-off sales to ongoing, service-driven relationships. This makes aftercare a strategic business opportunity that’s aligned with sustainability and regulatory demands. We’ll hear how the Prolong platform combines complex workflows into a single system, helping brands extend product lifespan and build stronger customer relationships, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Christina talks us through the value proposition for brands and service partners, and explains how Prolong supports service partners by providing steady business and connecting them to a growing global network. Christina also shares some of the challenges and opportunities for brands, and offers tips on how to help customers discover, and access repair and aftercare services. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.  Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox… You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: Prolong.io on Linkedin Prolong.io Website WeCareWeRepair community Christina Schwarzkopf on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaschwarzkopf/ Books, people and organisations we mentioned Survey on job satisfaction: Not just about the money: pioneering study reveals best and worst jobs in UK https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/sep/09/jobs-full-earnings-wellbeing-income-gap-uk and the report, co-authored by Andrew Clark, Maria Cotofan and Richard Layard: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4114863 Episode 159 Kyle Wiens of iFixit: the rewards of repairability Kyle Wiens is the co-founder of iFixit, the international repair community known for open-source repair manuals and product teardown. https://www.rethinkglobal.info/159-kyle-wiens-of-ifixit-the-rewards-of-repairability/ Episode 154 Loic Le Fouest of Clarasys: creating circular customer experiences https://www.rethinkglobal.info/154-loic-le-fouest-of-clarasys-designing-circular-customer-experiences/ Episode 144 Chris Allen of Decathlon: ever-evolving circular design https://www.rethinkglobal.info/144-chris-allen-of-decathlon-ever-evolving-circular-design/ Episode 55 Anthony Burns – ACS https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-55-anthony-burns-acs/ Catherine’s work: Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/ Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/ A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2 Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/ Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info Sign up to get the podcast player and shownotes for each new episode emailed to your inbox Guest bio Prolong’s Co-founder Christina Schwarzkopf brings over a decade of fashion experience with brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Zalando, combining commercial, strategy, and sustainability expertise to drive Prolong’s mission. Prolong is a B2B white-label software solution that enables fashion brands and retailers to offer and manage circular aftercare and aftersales services—such as repair, cleaning, personalization, exchanges, and refunds—across product categories, markets, and service partners. Its platform consolidates complex workflows into a single system, helping brands extend product lifespan and build stronger customer relationships. Prolong works with brands like Belstaff, The North Face, Veja, and Fusalp, covering apparel, outdoor, footwear, and jewelry, as well as multibrand retailers. The platform simplifies fragmented service processes by integrating logistics, communication, and brand operations. Brands use Prolong to digitize and automate service journeys across channels, reducing operational complexity, increasing customer satisfaction, and driving loyalty. It also supports service partners by providing steady business and connecting them to a growing global network. By linking customers, brands, and service providers, Prolong enables circularity at scale and helps brands move from one-time sales to ongoing, service-driven relationships. This makes aftercare a strategic business opportunity aligned with sustainability and regulatory demands. Playlist: getting started with the circular economy… Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business?  Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!) #1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business. #2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation. #90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints). #101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit. #120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too. And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?  Want to dig deeper? Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy.  Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.  Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Podcast music Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’.  Or, follow them on Twitter. Search for previous episodes….

Healthy soils provide the foundation for life on our planet, and yet most agriculture degrades soil. Nurturing soil should be at the top of all our priority lists, and Louis De Jaeger—author of the new book ‘SOS: Save Our Soils, How regenerative farming can save your health and the planet’ — helps us understand why it’s so important, and what we can do about it. Louis says his life mission is to regenerate 550 million hectares of land, to cool down the planet, save biodiversity, end hunger, and create world peace. For the past twelve years, Louis De Jaeger has travelled extensively through North America, all the way to Panama, through Europe, South America and Africa. Along the way, he’s visited farms and interviewed a wide range of people, from pioneering regenerative farmers to corporate lobbyists, and explored one central question: How can we feed the world without destroying it?  Louis says, “To be honest, it really took a while to find clear answers on what the best way is to shape the future of food.” He is grateful for insights he couldn’t have dreamed of, and he shares them in SOS: Save Our Soils. Louis says the book is a manifesto, a global quest, and an invitation for all of us to step into the most critical conversation of our time: the future of food.” Healthy soils are probably the most important element in our system – they are essential for nurturing us, nurturing the living systems we depend on, for drawing down carbon, for providing clean air and water, and much more. Every one of us, and every business, depends on soil – Louis De Jaeger explains why this is an SOS, and what we can do about it. International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity. Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Stay in touch for free insights and updates…  Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.  Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox… You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences. Links we mention in the episode: Links for our guest: Louis De Jaeger’s website louisdj.com Louis De Jaeger on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisdejaeger/ SOS: Save our Soils on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FF3R1NKK Books, people and organisations we mentioned Catherine’s Paul Hawken quote is from his book Regeneration: ending the climate crisis in one generation https://paulhawken.com/ Catherine’s work: Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/ Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/ A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2 Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/ Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info Sign up to get the podcast player and shownotes for each new episode emailed to your inbox Guest bio Louis De Jaeger is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and international keynote speaker. His landscape architecture firm Commensalist handles regeneration projects worldwide, from simple gardens to agricultural estates to private islands. He is a leading voice on climate change, regenerative agriculture and landscape design. What sets him apart is his refusal to judge—instead, he seeks understanding to build bridges between different worlds. About the book – SOS: Save Our Soils You’re in the supermarket with two crying children, an organic tomato in your left hand and a non-organic one in the right. A complex choice: which is better for you and your children, and why? Your three meals a day determine your health and shapes our planet’s health and future too. Every cent spent is a vote for either destruction or regeneration. What kind of food production system could we create that would benefit? These are questions that Louis De Jaeger has been wrestling with since the age of eighteen. He takes you on a rollercoaster ride from New York to the south of France and from Central America to the deserts of Morocco, consulting farmers, activists, professors, top doctors and foodies, and he isn’t afraid to confront Bayer and Monsanto to find answers. Discover the fascinating relationship between plants and soil creatures. How can agricultural methods influence the climate and weather? How should we tackle issues like organic farming, GMOs and nitrogen? How should we interpret protests by farmers? But most importantly, how can you be part of the solution? The book’s foreword is written by Allan Savoury, one of the foremost voices on regenerative farming, and SOS: Save our Soils has received lots of praise from the sustainability, food and farming worlds. Playlist: getting started with the circular economy… Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business?  Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!) #1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business. #2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation. #90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints). #101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit. #120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too. And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?  Want to dig deeper? Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy.  Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.  Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email… Podcast music Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’.  Or, follow them on Twitter. Search for previous episodes….