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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Sep 29, 2026 · 23:36
A hundred trillion dollars of capital lined up behind climate. It was never going to be enough. In part two, Jeremy Oppenheim tells Joe what actually moves a market, from…
Sep 22, 2026 · 20:12
Jeremy Oppenheim left a top job at the management consulting firm McKinsey&Co in 2016 to become a Founding Partner of and build SYSTEMIQ, at the high water mark of climate…
Sep 1, 2026 · 18:04
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…
Aug 25, 2026 · 11:44
In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, our guests Georgie Rose from Selfridges and Simon Davies from VISA tell us how they have been working together to find out how to…
Aug 18, 2026 · 17:35
For years, marketers have been helping to shape how consumers think and feel about products that are driving the linear economy. However in this episode of the Circular Economy…
Aug 11, 2026 · 26:08
How can businesses sell circular propositions in a world that's rapidly changing? This episode of the Circular Economy Show tackles the marketing challenges and opportunities…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:00
This August on the Circular Economy Show, we’re revisiting four conversations that help to navigate the marketing challenges and opportunities of switching to a circular economy.…
Jul 21, 2026 · 24:48
For years, the circular economy conversation has generated significant research, policy development, and business action around finite materials. But the same attention has not…
Jul 14, 2026 · 11:00
Individual pilots are great, but they don't scale themselves. So, how do you shift an entire system to move an unmovable market? This week on the Circular Economy Show, Lou and…
Jul 7, 2026 · 7:31
This month: three stories worth your time. The WEF published a piece on EV battery recycling that reframes the whole conversation. These batteries contain the critical minerals…
Jun 30, 2026 · 20:46
In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, Pippa speaks with JJ Freijo, Chief Sustainability and Product Innovation Officer at Brambles. JJ explains how the company rents,…
Jun 23, 2026 · 14:02
Today, amid cost inflation, geopolitical conflict, and an ever-changing global business landscape we are staring down a massive shift in corporate sustainability and it’s…
Jun 16, 2026 · 28:49
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…
May 12, 2026 · 7:37
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…
May 6, 2026 · 26:39
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…
Apr 28, 2026 · 20:03
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…
Apr 21, 2026 · 22:39
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…
Apr 14, 2026 · 28:24
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…
Apr 8, 2026 · 26:07
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…
Mar 24, 2026 · 18:56
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…
Mar 17, 2026 · 18:21
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…
Mar 10, 2026 · 19:02
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…
Mar 3, 2026 · 17:16
Over the past decade, leading businesses have shown that progress on plastic pollution is possible. And while individual company action has been successful, even the most…
Feb 24, 2026 · 24:14
What do some of the more surprising stories of scale teach us about implementing the circular economy? In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, Fin is joined by Rachel…
Feb 17, 2026 · 6:07
Welcome back to The Circular Economy Show and another episode of Circular Snapshots, where we unpack the headlines shaping the transition to a circular economy. This month, Seb…
Jan 20, 2026 · 17:15
Wen-Yu Weng, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Critical Minerals Lead, joins Lou to explain why critical minerals are currently taking centre stage in global political…
Jan 13, 2026 · 16:04
Join Seb as he speaks to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CEO, Jonquil Hackenberg about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the circular economy in 2026. What are…
Dec 2, 2025 · 19:04
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.…
Nov 25, 2025 · 6:38
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…
Nov 18, 2025 · 25:44
Recorded live at Climate Week New York, in this episode we ask ‘why should retailers embrace the circular economy?’ The global food system is responsible for a third of…
Nov 11, 2025 · 23:25
Recorded live during Climate Week NYC, this episode explores how technology can accelerate the transition to a circular economy, not as a bolt-on fix, but as a built-in business…
Nov 4, 2025 · 20:04
This is the fourth and final part of our mini series on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new report: How not to fail: Avoiding 10 common pitfalls when scaling circular business…
Oct 28, 2025 · 18:07
Circular business models can drive new revenue streams, build brand strength, customer loyalty, and market traction, while also unlocking value through resource efficiency, cost…
Oct 21, 2025 · 15:20
Circular business models often fail when they’re designed without factoring how the business works, what the customers want, and what the product requires. These need to be…
Oct 14, 2025 · 16:27
What makes circular business models fail to scale? In this new four-part series, we’ll be exploring the common mistakes businesses make on their journey towards circularity.…
Oct 7, 2025 · 32:04
Have the current political and economic shocks actually created enormous opportunities for change? Can businesses currently working on transforming themselves, work together on…
Sep 30, 2025 · 22:09
Scaling the circular economy requires more companies to launch circular products and services, but many competitors transitioning towards the circular economy face similar…
Sep 23, 2025 · 8:09
It was a busy summer for the circular economy. In this episode, Seb brings you up to speed with some of the headlines and all in less than 10 minutes! Listen in to hear about: -…
Sep 16, 2025 · 21:20
As Climate Week NYC kicks off, what’s momentum like for the circular economy in North America? In this episode, Pippa’s joined by Danielle Holly, Executive Lead for North America…
Sep 2, 2025 · 17:52
Waste and pollution aren’t accidents—they’re the result of design. Which means we can design them out. Design is where it all begins – and where real change can happen. In this…
Aug 26, 2025 · 16:41
Amid rising emissions, rising temperatures, and the rapid rollout of material-intensive renewable energy systems that promise to curb them both, climate mitigation and adaptation…
Aug 19, 2025 · 22:15
Could rethinking our cities through a circular lens be the key to future-proofing Europe whilst offering exciting investment opportunities? Join us in the third of our five-part…
Aug 12, 2025 · 31:00
The circular economy can no longer be sidelined as a ‘nice to have’. Not only can it future-proof individual business operations, it can also help entire industries stay…
Aug 5, 2025 · 19:38
In this episode we’re bringing together two top-of-mind topics: the scramble for critical minerals, and how circular economy strategies can help us secure and stabilise their…
Jul 8, 2025 · 17:05
Building circular business models - where products are rented, repaired, resold and remade - is key to transforming our economy from a take, make, waste linear system, to a…
Jul 1, 2025 · 23:09
How do we keep clothes in use at their highest value and make money without having to make new clothes? In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, we explore the Ellen…
Jun 24, 2025 · 12:43
In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, our guests Georgie Rose from Selfridges and Simon Davies from VISA tell us how they have been working together to find out.…
Jun 17, 2025 · 17:51
For years, marketers have been helping to shape how consumers think and feel about products that are driving the linear economy. However in this episode of the Circular Economy…
Jun 10, 2025 · 15:38
In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we explore the intersection between fashion, business, and technology - revealing why shoes are central to systemic innovation. Live…
Jun 3, 2025 · 21:42
To truly transform the food system, we need retailers to sell food that enables nature to thrive. In this episode, learn how leading retailers from around the world are embracing…
May 27, 2025 · 21:16
The circular economy is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the climate crisis—but you wouldn’t know it from the carbon accounts. In this episode, we’re joined by…
May 20, 2025 · 8:09
The circular economy is no longer just a theory; it’s becoming a reality across an increasing number of sectors, from tech and materials to retail and marketing. In this episode,…
May 13, 2025 · 22:31
In order to bring the circular economy to life, we need more circular economists. But what does that mean? Who might these circular economists be? And what are their…
May 6, 2025 · 15:27
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Big Food Redesign Challenge set out to demonstrate how redesigning products in line with circular economy principles, can create a food system…
Apr 29, 2025 · 20:52
The idea that stories are powerful is an uncontroversial idea. But what does it really mean to harness story to shift mindsets and inspire positive action towards a circular…
Apr 22, 2025 · 22:37
The future of food is not predetermined – it's being shaped by the decisions being made today. This episode challenges food industry decision-makers to embrace a new vision for…
Apr 15, 2025 · 26:23
How can businesses sell circular propositions in a world that's rapidly changing? This episode of the Circular Economy Show tackles the marketing challenges and opportunities…
Apr 8, 2025 · 26:57
Circular business models hold immense potential to reshape the fashion industry. In this episode, we explore the exciting opportunities for brands in rental and resale, moving…
Apr 1, 2025 · 18:14
Find out about the critical role that the circular economy can play in the shift to renewable energy, pairing the EU’s decarbonisation agenda with economic competitiveness and…
Feb 11, 2025 · 23:51
The food industry is one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss and accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. But what if food could be designed to regenerate…
Feb 4, 2025 · 16:48
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…
Jan 28, 2025 · 15:36
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…
Jan 21, 2025 · 30:17
How do we move from pilots and beyond the ESG hype bubble to scale the implementation of the circular economy and how do businesses lead in this space? In this episode of the…
Dec 17, 2024 · 15:41
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…
Dec 10, 2024 · 17:35
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…
Dec 5, 2024 · 33:18
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.…
Nov 26, 2024 · 16:24
In this episode, we discuss the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s latest publication , The circular economy : A 'triple play' solution for achieving China's climate objectives . We’ll…
Nov 19, 2024 · 16:19
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…
Nov 5, 2024 · 20:49
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…
Oct 29, 2024 · 23:40
When we talk about durable materials, products, and services, what do we really mean? This episode unpacks the physical and emotional dimensions of durability and explores how…
Oct 22, 2024 · 20:30
Is the circular economy just another form of sustainability? In this premiere episode of the Circular Curious season, Emma Elobeid and Lou Waldegrave explore the key overlaps and…
Oct 15, 2024 · 0:50
Ever wondered what the difference is between sustainability and the circular economy? Or whether circular economy activities can help us adapt to the effects of climate change at…
Oct 1, 2024 · 14:37
In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, we uncover the power of collaboration in scaling the design of products that are fit for a circular economy. Host Pippa Shawley is…
Sep 24, 2024 · 14:45
With New York Climate Week underway, this episode of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy Show, dives into the growing momentum of the circular economy in the US.…
Sep 17, 2024 · 21:16
In this episode of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy Show, we’ll explore the critical relationship between a healthy economy and a thriving natural environment.…
Sep 14, 2024 · 1:10
Get ready for the launch of our new season on The Circular Economy Show! Join us as we explore wider outlooks for the circular economy. We’ll hear about the case for a circular…
Aug 13, 2024 · 24:04
At the heart of the circular economy is the need to retain the value of goods and materials, so that we can slow down the use of the Earth’s resources. Selling performance…
Aug 6, 2024 · 22:57
In nature, symbiosis refers to two or more species benefiting from living closely together. In this episode, we explore how the same thing can happen in business, through…
Jul 30, 2024 · 32:48
In today’s episode, we’re placing nature in the centre of the conversation. Joined by Sean Quinn, Director of Regenerative Design at HOK, we’re exploring the role of regenerative…
Jul 23, 2024 · 30:09
Are Cradle to Cradle and the Circular Economy essentially the same thing? In this episode off our Origins season, we’ll explore the key differences and similarities between the…
Jul 16, 2024 · 31:25
Where did the concept of the circular economy come from? In our new season “ Origins: The ideas shaping the circular economy ”, we dig into the different ideas that have inspired…
Jul 9, 2024 · 1:16
Get ready for the launch of our new season on The Circular Economy Show! Join us as we dig into the different ideas that have inspired the circular economy. Over five episodes,…
Jun 25, 2024 · 29:37
How can a company as large as Microsoft help to regenerate nature? In this episode, we discuss how the organisation is designing its rapidly-growing number of data centres to…
Jun 18, 2024 · 31:23
Around the world, more than 80% of textiles leak out of the system when they are discarded. We need a new approach: a circular economy for textiles. A key part of this solution…
Jun 11, 2024 · 31:58
As the circular economy gains momentum, we’re often faced with questions about how it could or should work. In this episode, some of the team from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation…
Jun 4, 2024 · 26:19
Dunia Bora means a better world, and that’s what Vincent Muhoro, Dunia Bora’s Founder, is aiming to achieve with his nutritious cactus juice drinks and cookies. Vincent joins us…
May 28, 2024 · 26:39
As the Director and Reuse Lead at GoUnpackaged, Catherine Conway has become one of the leading voices in the world of return and refill. In this episode of the Circular Economy…
May 21, 2024 · 26:01
Deborah Dull is the supply chain super hero we’ve been waiting for. As co-founder of the Circular Supply Chain Network, she brings together supply chain professionals to discuss…
May 14, 2024 · 37:12
Circular economy business models have been around for a long time, but we're not seeing the promised gold rush of new product-as-a-service models taking over the marketplace -…
May 7, 2024 · 27:51
From decorations to infrastructure, food and local business connections, there’s a lot to think about when hosting an event the size of the Eurovision Song Contest. There are…
Apr 30, 2024 · 13:40
Welcome back to The Circular Economy Show! In our new season premiere, we’re diving into the crucial intersection of climate change and the circular economy. Join us as we sit…
Apr 23, 2024 · 0:43
Join us for a new season of the Circular Economy Show! New episodes drop every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Just search for the Circular…
Apr 2, 2024 · 20:20
In the last episode of our series sharing some of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's most popular articles, we explore the world of reuse and repair. Travelling to the African…
Mar 26, 2024 · 21:39
In part two of our series sharing some of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's most popular articles, we dig deep into the psychology behind why we like to own things. We’ll also…
Mar 19, 2024 · 20:34
In our new three-part series, we’re sharing three of the most popular articles written by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s editorial team. In today’s episode, we explore how a…
Mar 5, 2024 · 19:30
In this episode, we hear from Rudo Nondo, a creative design practitioner and the acting Managing Director of Fashion Revolution. She tells us how her upbringing in Zimbabwe has…
Feb 27, 2024 · 18:16
Is there a better way to produce our food? Today, we circle back to one episode of our award-nominated Redesigning Food series in this episode. We’ll rediscover what a circular…
Feb 20, 2024 · 26:28
How can optimism and creativity help us transition to a circular economy? In this episode, model, actress and activist, Lily Cole joins Ellen MacArthur and Emma Chow to discuss…
Feb 13, 2024 · 15:15
What if we could design our belongings to elongate their useful life? In this episode, we delve into the world of repair, shifting the focus from disposable products to ones that…
Feb 6, 2024 · 16:38
How do we shift today’s economic system to one that helps to regenerate nature? In this episode, we’ll meet three companies developing materials that work in harmony with our…
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