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Ellen MacArthur Foundation

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.

The Circular Economy Show Podcast

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 competitive and resilient in a fast-changing world. 

In this episode we’re going back to the beginning of the year, when Seb caught up with Lindsay Hooper, CEO for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Joe Murphy, Executive Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s business network. Together, they discuss why the end of the ESG hype bubble, far from being the end of business-led action, could mark a real shift in corporate circular economy approaches. 

Join us to hear about: 

 • How the commercial and competitive case for the circular economy is becoming more compelling by the minute 
 • And, at the same time, what still needs to happen to shift market-level dynamics at scale

Learn more about CISL.

This conversation originally featured in episode 170: ‘What should businesses do to scale a circular economy?’ published in January 2025.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.

The competitive case for circular economy: From peripheral to pivotal

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 supply.

 

Humans have been mining metals and minerals for thousands of years. Today, critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements are essential for not only renewable energy products like wind turbines and EV batteries but the infrastructure and systems needed to power them.

 

As part of our Circling Back series, over the next five weeks, we’re revisiting some key conversations from our archive that feel especially relevant right now. Join us in Episode 189 to hear:

From Ke Wang at the World Resources Institute about why the circular economy is central in the energy transition

How economics and competitiveness are driving that transition, and examples of where that is already happening in practice

As the rollout of renewable energy scales at pace, e-waste continues to increase, and the first generation of EV batteries and wind turbines start to reach the end of their lives, we have a window of opportunity to build a better system, based on the principles of a circular economy.

Find out more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's work on Critical Minerals

This conversation originally featured in episode 174: Material security in a circular economy, published in April 2025.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.

Stabilising the supply of critical minerals

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 circular one. 

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, we’re seeing what this looks like in practice with Canadian outdoor clothing and equipment company Arc’teryx.

Pippa heads to Arc’teryx’s flagship store in London to learn how the business is bringing repair in-store. Seb speaks to Katie Wilson, the company’s Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, to hear about the strategic decisions behind this pivot.

In this episode hear about:

 • How Arc’teryx’s in-store ReBIRD service centres work for the business and customers
 • How ReBIRD is fostering deeper customer loyalty and making products accessible to new customer bases
 • The strategic decisions behind Arc’teryx’s shift to circular business models
 • The operational hurdles of implementing circular business models at scale

Arc’teryx is a participant in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Fashion ReModel. Listen to episode 187 to find out more about the demonstration project, or visit the website.

Explore the guide to scaling circular business models for fashion leaders

Learn more about ReBIRD

The Circular Economy Show will be back in a few weeks. Let us know what you’d like to hear more about in future episodes by leaving us a review, or emailing podcast@emf.org.

“It’s a no-brainer”: Arc’teryx on bringing repairs in-store

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 MacArthur Foundation’s demonstration project, the Fashion ReModel, and hear from one of its participants: H&M Group.

Pippa is joined by Chloe Holland from the Foundation’s fashion team to discuss how The Fashion ReModel participants are working to scale circular business models like resale, rental, repair, and remaking. We also hear from Sara Eriksson, Business expert, Circular business models at the H&M Group, a participant of The Fashion ReModel.

Listen to this episode to hear about: 

 • The ambitions of The Fashion Remodel, including how its participants are embracing the long-term strategic advantages of circular business models
Sellpy • , the H&M Group resale platform
 • Some of the challenges of applying circular economy principles to fashion in a linear economy 
 • The role of policy and finance in making circular business models commercially viable at scale

Find out more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s The Fashion ReModel.

If 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.

How H&M Group is exploring circular business models in The Fashion ReModel

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.

Collaborating with Mindworks Marketing to optimise messaging and branding for promoting circular shopping behaviours, Georgie and Simon discuss how their behavioural lab has been bridging the gap between customer intent and action.

Listen to this episode to hear:

 • How the behavioural lab initiative focuses on subtle language variations to influence customer behavior towards circularity

 • 
 • How current efforts are focusing on beauty products to make refills as appealing as buying new ones

 • 
 • How the initiative is working to embed circular shopping as a norm and make it more intuitive and exciting

Learn more:

 • Read 
‘The marketing playbook for a circular economy’ • Don’t miss last week’s episode, 
Ep 185: How can marketers turn ideas into impactful action? • Check out episode 
176: Driving demand for circular economy: What marketers need to know • Make sure you’re subscribed to the Circular Economy Show to find out about our future episodes on the marketing playbook

If 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.

How do we make circular behaviours irresistible?

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 Show, we explore how they can harness their skills to unlock the opportunities that the circular economy provides. 

We’re joined by experts Deb Caldow, Global Marketing Director at Diageo, and Rachel O’Reilly, Global Research Lead at Accenture Song. Their experiences provide an insight into how we can turn ideas into impactful actions that deliver both economic growth and environmental benefits.

Join us to find out:

 • How marketers are leveraging storytelling to inspire interest in circular products
 • Why they should engage closely supply teams to ensure innovations align with market demand
 • The importance of internal buy-in and a willingness to experiment when scaling circular solutions

Learn more:

 • Read the 
‘The marketing playbook for a circular economy’ • .
 • Check out 
episode 176,’ Driving demand for circular economy: What marketers need to know’ • to hear more about the playbook with Kantar and Swapfiets.
 • Make sure you’re subscribed to the Circular Economy Show to find out about our future episodes on the playbook.

How can marketers turn ideas into impactful action?

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 from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network event in Amsterdam, Kenny Arnold is joined by Dr Yuly Fuentes-Medel and Lewis Campbell from The Footwear Collective. 

Together, they unpack the urgent need for innovation and collaboration in the footwear industry.

You’ll learn: 

 • What The Footwear Collective is doing to tackle industry roadblocks head-on
 • How success is measured by unprecedented collaboration, robust data collection, and active participation from rival companies
 • Why their new tool will help companies pinpoint their next steps in their circular economy journey

Explore The Footwear Collective’s Circular Pathways tool https://thefootwearcollective.earthdna.org/

If 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.

Stepping into action: Meet The Footwear Collective

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 circular design for food, and facing the challenges that occur on the journey.

Our guests are Helly McAlister, Senior Buyer at Fortnum & Mason, and Susy Yoshimura, Senior Sustainability Director at Grupo Carrefour Brazil, two pioneering businesses from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Big Food Redesign Challenge.

Find out:

 • Why investing in circular design for food is a strategic move that defines the future of retail
 • How top retailers are cultivating customer demand for products that keep nature in mind
 • The fundamental importance of cross-team collaboration within organisations
 • Ideas for engaging suppliers and scaling circular economy initiatives far beyond pilot projects

Useful links:

A guide to using circular design for food to build business resilienceExplore the products from the Big Food Redesign ChallengeEp 177: Beyond business as usual: Biodiversity, collaboration and visionary leadership in the food systemEp 179: How are small start-ups, SMEs, and large corporations working together to change the food system?

‘Waiting isn't an option’: the role of retail in future-proofing our food system

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 the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s João Murilo Silva Merico, who explains how current accounting frameworks—like the Greenhouse Gas Protocol—often fail to recognise or reward the emissions benefits of circular practices such as reuse, remanufacturing, and sharing models.

You’ll hear:

 • Why emissions reductions from circularity don’t show up where they should
 • Real-world examples of how this distorts decision-making
 • What needs to change at a policy and reporting level
 • What businesses can do right now to align climate strategies with circular action

Download the paper to find out more.

The climate benefits of circularity: What we're missing

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, Seb shares four recent stories highlighting the importance of a circular economy across businesses.

Join us to find out:

-How rethinking product design could help future-proof tech such as iPhones

-Why it’s necessary to increase global recycling rates of copper

-How consumers are paying more attention to ads with a social or environmental theme

-How one household name is adding digital product passports to their clothing

Help us spread the word about the circular economy, by giving us a review on Apple Podcasts, or leaving a comment on YouTube or Spotify.

Mentioned in this episode:

Hear more from Ke Wang on material security in a circular economy in episode 174

Listen to the full conversation with Kantar’s Jonathan Hall on how marketers can drive demand for circular economy in episode 176

Mashable: How much would the mythical made-in-the-U.S. iPhone cost?

EurekAlert: The influence of copper recycling on prospective resource supply and carbon emission reduction

Sustainable Brands: In 10-Year Study of Most Effective Brand Campaigns, Sustainability Is a Win

Trellis: Why Target is tagging 35 million pieces of clothing with digital IDs

The competitive case for circular economy: From peripheral to pivotal

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