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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

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 Arda, details the company's origins, challenges, and successes, including raising pre-seed investment in 2023 and scaling operations. Amy Tsang from The Mills Fabrica highlights their 360-degree support for innovators, emphasising investment, collaboration, and showcasing technologies. Both discuss the importance of scalability, impact measurement, and the commercial viability of biomaterials, with Brett noting the potential of chemistry-based approaches and Amy highlighting innovative startups including Epoch Biodesign.

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.

What does it take to scale biomaterials?

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 talks about some of the moments you might have missed. 

Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2025 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.

If you’d like to get in touch, email us at podcast@emf.org

Explore the episodes discussed:

Ep 159: How to build a nature-positive circular economy for Europe 

Read the paper.

Ep 157: Inside the world of industrial symbiosis 

Ep 149: Scaling refill and return with GoUnpackaged

We also mentioned our episode with Vincent from Dunia Bora - who features in episode 150: Creating nature-positive nutrition from cacti with Dunia Bora.

Watch the Redesigning Food Series, which Fin mentioned.

2024 in review: A year exploring the circular economy

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 Circular Economy Show, host Seb is joined by Lindsay Hooper, CEO for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), and Joe Murphy, Executive Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s business network.

Together, they’ll explore the insights from CISL’s Competitive Sustainability report and the Foundation’s business network, offering perspectives on the state of the circular economy and related efforts. What will it take to scale? Join us to find out! 

Read the full report discussed in this episode: Survival of the Fittest: From ESG to Competitive Sustainability.

What should businesses do to scale a circular economy?

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 easy as possible for all. 

We're joined by Peter McCafferty, Business Support Manager at Zero Waste Scotland, and Dr Michaela Hruskova from the University of Stirling. Together we'll discuss the barriers that are stopping businesses from adopting circular practices at scale, informed by the findings of their report: ‘Scotland’s Circular Economy Practices Ecosystem.’ 

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.

Read the report ‘Scotland’s Circular Economy Practices Ecosystem'.

What’s stopping Scotland from scaling a circular economy?

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 Activation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to unpack the essential principles and skills every designer should have in their toolkit.

Joe shares a compelling perspective on circular design - it's not just about creating durable products, but rather reflecting the complex, interconnected systems that make up our world. He explores why circular design ideas often struggle to scale, despite the abundance of innovative concepts out there.

He also shares the key design competencies that are crucial for driving the transition to a circular model, from systems thinking to prototyping and collaboration. 

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.

Links mentioned in this episode:

The Circular Design GuideThe Jeans RedesignThe Circular Buildings ToolkitFrom ambition to action: an adaptive strategy for circular design

Circular design essentials: What every designer needs to know

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 nature rather than harming it? 

That’s the vision behind the Big Food Redesign Challenge. 

In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, our guest host Lucy Parker, Senior Partner and Sustainable Business Global Lead at Brunswick Group, explores how we can take learnings from the Challenge to create a food system that is better for people, nature and climate.

We hear from:

 • Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who shares insights about the Big Food Redesign Challenge and what it has helped achieve
 • Wendy Schmidt, President and Co-Founder of the 
Schmidt Family Foundation • , who supported the Challenge, explores the power of philanthropy as a catalyst for innovation
 • Douglas McMaster, Michelin-starred chef and owner of the world’s first zero waste restaurant, 
Silo • , who was a participant in the Challenge, tells us why it’s important to ask the question ‘what if we could do the whole thing differently?’

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.

Learn more about the Big Food Redesign Challenge and explore products that keep nature in mind. 

Find out more about the Challenge participants, or watch a video version of this episode, on our YouTube channel.

Food for thought | How do we fix our broken food system?

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 material security.

In this episode, host Seb hears from Ke Wang from the World Resources Institute (WRI) about:

 • Why the circular economy is important in the energy transition
 • How this is fundamentally driven by economics and competitiveness
 • Examples of what it looks like in practice

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.

Learn more:

 • Read Ke’s paper 
More Than Ore: The Pivotal Role Recycled Copper Can Play in the Energy Transition • Want to find out how this topic applies in regions outside of Europe? Read the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s recent publication on the 
circular economy as a triple play opportunity for China • .

Material security in a circular economy | Energy and competitiveness

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 beyond the challenges of getting started. Host Emma Elobeid is joined by guests Andrew Rough from Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS) and Ryan Atkins from SuperCycle to discuss how brands can capitalise on this shift to unlock new revenue streams, build stronger customer relationships, and create a more sustainable future. 

Tune in to hear Emma, Andrew and Ryan explore:

 • The significant economic opportunity for brands in circular fashion, including rental and resale models
 • How circular models can enhance brand profitability by better using assets and meeting evolving customer demands
 • The importance of brands owning the customer relationship and data in circular commerce
 • How enabling services and technology are making circularity more accessible and profitable for brands
 • The evolution of circular business models and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation

Learn more:

Listen to episode 131 • , when Seb went to visit ACS’s warehouse to learn more about the business.
Explore the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest demonstration project • , The Fashion ReModel, which explores making the economics work for circular business models.

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.

Exploring fashion rental and resale with ACS and SuperCycle

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 head-on. Pippa sits down with Jonathan Hall, Managing Partner at Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice, and Amanda Gandolfo, Head of Brands at bike subscription service Swapfiets, to explore how to connect with today's consumers and drive demand for circular products and services.

In this episode you'll discover:

 • The surprising shift in societal values that's reshaping consumer buying habits 
 • How to overcome marketing roadblocks like the value-action gap (where consumers say they want sustainability but don't always buy it) and the greenwashing problem 
 • Practical strategies for marketing circularity effectively: Focus on consumer benefits, convenience, and solving real problems 
 • Real-world examples: Learn how Swapfiets is using a circular business model (bike subscription) to disrupt transportation and prioritise customer experience

Read the The marketing playbook for a circular economy and make sure you’re subscribed to the Circular Economy Show to find out about our future episodes about the playbook.

Driving demand for circular economy: What marketers need to know | Kantar and Swapfiets

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 their businesses and the sector as a whole, whether your organisation is big or small. With insights from Rob Cameron, Global Head of ESG Engagement at Nestlé, and Sean Patrick, founder of Gabanna Foodworks, we examine the critical role of leadership in driving the shift towards a more diverse, resilient, and prosperous food system.

In this episode we discover:

 • How diversifying ingredients can transform food production and consumer choices
 • The power of collaboration between large corporations and agile startups to drive innovation
 • Strategies for companies to work effectively with farmers and suppliers to support nature and build resilient food systems
 • The potential for new processing technologies to support the use of a wider variety of crops
 • Examples of how businesses are creating new food concepts that are both nutritious and delicious
 • How circular design for food can help companies meet their environmental targets

Find out more about about the Big Food Redesign Challenge.

Beyond business as usual: Biodiversity, collaboration and visionary leadership in the food system

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 continent, we find out how people and businesses have been embracing strategies to maximize material use for a long time

Reuse and repair are critical aspects of a circular economy, but despite clear benefits, they've yet to gain a foothold in the Global North. Whilst greater awareness and new legislation are beginning to shift the needle, driving better use of products and materials in the North, African companies have long been applying creative and innovative approaches to maximise material usage. So what can be learnt?

Read the full article

Reuse and repair: Africa’s long tradition of maximising materials

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