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Catherine Weetman says “episode 101 seems like a good time to update my ‘what is the circular economy’ summary from Episode 1, back in 2019.
In that first episode, I outlined the 5 components in my CE Framework, one of the core themes in A CE Handbook. Those 5 components are product design, safe, sustainable materials, circular processes, recovery flows, and business models. I see these as the intervention points in value chains, the places where you can start to develop circular solutions, so you get more value from less resources, and you eliminate the concept of waste.
For businesses, it’s often easier to start with strategy, and so when I talk to organisations today, I focus on 3 simple strategies that are better for people, planet, and profit. To unpack that a bit, these strategies make positive impacts for sustainability and create more value for all your stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders – and, crucially, for future generations. If you like, these 3 strategies target the sweetspot between sustainability and stakeholder value.
Today, we’ll explore those strategies and unpack some of the ways they create value – financial benefits, improving resilience, reducing risk – and providing solutions your customers will love.”
Podcast host Catherine Weetman is a circular economy business advisor, workshop facilitator, speaker and writer. Her 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. Catherine founded Rethink Global in 2013, to help businesses use circular, sustainable approaches to build a better business (and a better world).
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Read on for a summary of the podcast and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.
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Links we mention in the episode:
- 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) and you can use discount code CIRCL20 to get 20% off. It’s available in paperback, ebook and Kindle. If you buy it from online sources, make sure you choose the new edition with an orange cover!
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Sarah Archer Social Media & Website Links:
- Signature Talk Masterclass: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk/masterclass
- Website: https://www.saraharcher.co.uk
- Podcast: https://www.thespeakingclub.com
- Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraharcher15/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraharcher15/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahArcher15
Resources we mentioned…
- Episode 24 – Steve Haskew of Circular Computing https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-24-steve-haskew-of-circular-computing/
- Episode 77 Steve Haskew – The world’s first Kitemark for Remanufactured Laptops https://www.rethinkglobal.info/77-steve-haskew-remanufactured-laptops/
- Episode 33 – Greg Lavery of Rype Office https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-33-greg-lavery-of-rype-office/
- PlasticFree.com – a toolkit for designers, materials technologists and makers, created by A Plastic Planet “The world’s first innovation platform for materials and systems solutions, PlasticFree will become the trusted, global, authoritative resource to help the creative industry design out plastic waste at source and accelerate towards a better future.”: https://plasticfree.com
Catherine was interviewed by Sarah Archer
Speaking is the most powerful marketing and motivational tool, and we use it everywhere in business, from pitches to presentations … but people often make mistakes that can sabotage their success, and that’s what Sarah Archer helps you avoid, so that you can get more success when you talk.
Sarah is on a mission to show authors, experts, coaches and aspiring change makers how to create a signature talk that uses stories to get more compliments and conversions. This is so that you can have more impact, invitations and income as a speaker – in a way that aligns to your values and without losing your personality!
Sarah is a speaking and marketing coach, writer, comedian, performer, ex-HR Director, and host of The Speaking Club Podcast, (which is in the top 1.5% of podcasts and in over 190 countries). This mix means she is uniquely qualified to teach you how to create content that makes your audience stop, engage and fall in love with your message.
Interview Transcript
Click here to open the transcript…
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…
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.
166 Circularity Gap Report 2025: insights
165 Christina Schwarzkopf of Prolong: seamless solutions for circular aftercare and aftersales
164 Louis De Jaeger: our futures depend on healthy soils
163 Patrik Frisk of Reju: regenerating polyester textiles
