The circular economy: a ‘triple play’ climate solution for China | Circling Back

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 at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to explore how circularity is moving from theory to practice across the continent — and why that matters for business leaders looking ahead.They discuss:Circular economy progress in the US, Canada, and Mexico and why it’s a non-partisan issueWhy the language matters less than the on-the-ground actionSupply chain resilience, critical minerals, and business opportunityFind out more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s work in North America by signing up to the newsletter

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 episode, host Pippa sits down with Joe Iles, Head of Design Activation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to discuss what circular design really means. In this episode hear about: How it differs from the traditional approachWhere the creative crossovers areWhy designers hold the power to shape a better systemFind out more about circular designThis conversation originally featured in episode 172: Circular design essentials: What every designer needs to know, published in February 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.

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 are a central priority for China’s government. In this episode, host Seb talks to Lei Chen from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s China team. They go behind the headlines to look at:The role China could play in accelerating global circular transitionsWhy the circular economy could offer China a ‘triple win’ in achieving its climate ambitions. China probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of a circular economy. But maybe it should be. Read more in ‘The circular economy: a ‘triple play’ solution for achieving China’s climate objectives’This conversation originally featured in episode 166: China, climate, and the circular economy, published in November 2024.We hope you enjoyed the fourth of our five-part Circling Back series. If so, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.

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 Circling Back series of the Circular Economy Show, to hear host Lou Waldegrave speak with Julia Okatz from Systemiq and Joss Bleriot, Executive Lead for Policy and Institutions at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.They discuss how circular economy strategies can, by bringing nature back into our built environments, help us adapt to extreme weather—cooling down cities, restoring green space, and building resilience into every street—while generating substantial economic, environmental, and social benefits.From Paris to Berlin, and cities across the continent, Europe’s urban centres are feeling the effects of heat domes and climate stress. But, the circular economy offers a powerful, nature-positive way forward.Find out more about circular cities.This conversation originally featured in episode 159: How to build a nature-positive circular economy for Europe, published in September 2024.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 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 scaleLearn 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.

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 transitionHow economics and competitiveness are driving that transition, and examples of where that is already happening in practiceAs 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 MineralsThis 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.

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 customersHow ReBIRD is fostering deeper customer loyalty and making products accessible to new customer basesThe strategic decisions behind Arc’teryx’s shift to circular business modelsThe operational hurdles of implementing circular business models at scaleArc’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 leadersLearn more about ReBIRDThe 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 [email protected].

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 modelsSellpy, the H&M Group resale platformSome 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 scaleFind 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.

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 excitingLearn 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 knowMake sure you’re subscribed to the Circular Economy Show to find out about our future episodes on the marketing playbookIf 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.

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 productsWhy they should engage closely supply teams to ensure innovations align with market demandThe importance of internal buy-in and a willingness to experiment when scaling circular solutionsLearn 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.