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Circular economy

What I learnt from Al Gore about Circularity

The circular economy is an essential tool in mitigating the negative impacts of the climate and ecological crisis. We in the Global North need to do more than anyone, given that we created the problem in the first place. By taking on board the principles of a circular economy, engage in conversation with those around us, lobby people in power and take circular actions in our businesses and homes. This will mean we can move away from our current linear economy as well as reducing carbon emissions which will improve prosperity, enhance the reputation of business, and create healthier lifestyles to the benefit of ourselves and our planet.

Circular Economy Podcast Episode 17 Nancy Bocken of Homie

Episode 17 – Nancy Bocken of Homie

Nancy Bocken co-founded the company HOMIE, which is developing circular services for pay-per-use home appliances, starting with washing machines. Nancy has an academic background, and she is professor and research coordinator in Sustainable Business Management and Practice at Lund University in Sweden.
We talk about how Homie got started, and how the service works. Nancy tells about some of the challenges they faced, and the benefits of pay-per-use for customers, the business, and our environment.
Nancy gives us some great tips for those of you thinking about circular projects or startups, and we hear how Homie has built relationships with its customers so that a lot of the marketing is by word-of-mouth.

Circular Economy Podcast Episode 16 Sophie Thomas

Episode 16 – Sophie Thomas, of Thomas.Matthews ltd

Sophie is an established leader in communication and design, and in the investigation and promotion of circular economy design principles. She has been working in the fields of ethical design, behaviour change and material process through her design agency, Thomas.Matthews ltd, for nearly 20 years.
We find out how Sophie uses her experience in sustainable and ethical design to help people understand more about the circular economy. We talk about the groundbreaking Great Recovery Project, which looked at the challenges and opportunities of the CE, through the lens of design. Sophie explains the importance of thinking about the system you are designing for, not just the object or product itself.

Matilda Jarbin of GIAB Circular Economy Podcast

Episode 15 – Matilda Jarbin of GIAB

Matilda Jarbin, one of Sweden’s top young sustainability talents and Sustainability Manager of GIAB, a Swedish company with a business model based on the circular economy. GIAB works with a wide range of business partners, repairing products for reuse and resale. We’ll hear how GAIB got started, back in 2012, working with insurance companies. We find out how GIAB adds value for its clients, and how it’s expanding into new products, markets and services. It’s a fantastic example of how simple ideas can convert potential waste into valuable resources, providing wide-ranging benefits for both businesses and society.

David Greenfield Tech Takeback Circular Economy Podcast

Episode 14 – David Greenfield of Tech Takeback

We hear from David Greenfield, about Tech Takeback, a partnership he set up to collect end-of-use consumer technology and get it back into the loop.
“Tech-Takeback” is a partnership between SOENECS, Freegle, EraseMydata and Brighton & Hove City Council to collect stranded resources through pop-up shops.
We talk about how it got started, the complexities of secure data removal, lessons learned, and David’s plans for the next phase of the project. David tells us about his favourite circular economy example: Biohm, in London – and I’ve saved some more of David’s examples for the next ‘Best Bits’ episode (#20).

Rebound – is it undermining the circular economy dream?

We know the circular economy aims to reduce, reuse, remake and eventually to recycle – but what if there is another R – rebound – opening the door for companies to adopt circular strategies and still drive growth in consumption (and pollution and waste)? We explore rebound, ask how to avoid it, and suggest we should be aiming instead for a regenerative economy.

Beth Massa ARK Reusables Circular Economy Podcast

Episode 13 Beth Massa – ARK Reusables

In Episode 13 we talk to Beth Massa, founder of Ozarka. Beth and her husband Michael have created a collection of food-to-go containers, called ARK Reusables, so people can replace single-use plastics with reusable, returnable containers.

David Bassetti 3D Seed Circular Economy Podcast

Episode 12 – David Bassetti of 3D Seed

David Bassetti is co-founder of 3D Seed. When David moved to Spain around 10 years ago, he noticed how much plastic was being wasted, and was frustrated that it became litter, instead of being recycled into new materials.
David developed a simple way of grinding up plastic to recycle it into a feedstock for 3D Printing. 3D Seed sets up small-scale projects to grind up everyday plastic waste, such as PET soft-drinks and water bottles, and then to 3D Print it into small objects, as a way to engage people in seeing waste plastic as a valuable resource. The kit uses very little energy and can run on solar power.

Circular Economy Podcast Izzie Eriksen ApparelXchange

Episode 11 – Izzie Eriksen of ApparelXchange

ApparelXchange is a Scottish social enterprise aiming to make it easy to reuse school uniforms, instead of wasting them.
ApparelXchange works with schools across Glasgow (age groups 7-18) to gather uniforms, and process them so they can be reused. There is an online shop, a store in Glasgow plus pop-up shops in schools.
We discuss how to make reuse and pre-loved clothing cool, how to persuade people to opt-out of fast fashion, and some of the subscription models popping up for clothing.

circular economy bicycle design

Circular economy bicycle design

How sustainable is your bike? We look at the latest in circular economy bicycle design… Are sustainable, recycled or renewable materials used? Are components designed to be easily repaired or remade? How durable, repairable and functional are the designs and technologies? Let’s take a closer look.