The Circular Economy Show Podcast

How does business benefit from regenerative practices?

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show, Pippa speaks with JJ Freijo, Chief Sustainability and Product Innovation Officer at Brambles. JJ explains how the company rents, rather than sells, pallets, crates and containers, creating a continuous loop of reuse across global supply chains. Having achieved 100% certified timber procurement across 64 countries, Brambles began asking a bolder question: what if supply chains could actively restore nature, rather than just reduce harm? JJ walks through their regenerative forestry project in Tabasco, Mexico, and makes the hard-nosed business case, from attracting top talent to deepening customer partnerships and opening doors with sustainability-focused investors. Subscribe to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation for more insightful videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAC2otE5_agzHZPnk3mE5w?sub_confirmation=1 Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

Is it game over for the CSO?

Today, amid cost inflation, geopolitical conflict, and an ever-changing global business landscape we are staring down a massive shift in corporate sustainability and it’s starting to prompt some pretty big questions.  Does navigating the triple threat of media, politics, and boardroom backlash mean we need to change the playbook? In this episode Lou is joined by Mark Lancelot from Better Business Design. Together, they unpack how the traditional role of the Chief Sustainability Officer is changing to survive, and how we might reshape the narrative around sustainability and circular economy goals to land positively in our global boardrooms. Find out more about our work here: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Follow us online on these channels: Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

From niche to necessity: the circular economy's strategic moment

Trade wars, resource shortages, and the AI-driven scramble for critical minerals are exposing the fragility of our current economy.  And for businesses still operating on a linear model, the vulnerabilities are becoming impossible to ignore. The global economy isn’t just being disrupted, it’s being restructured.  In this episode, Seb is joined by Julia Binder, Professor of Transformation at IMD Business School, and Manuel Braun, entrepreneur and co-author of The Circular Business Revolution, to explore why circularity has moved from the sustainability agenda to the boardroom. They discuss: * Why today's disruptions are structural, not episodic, and what that means for supply chains * How the circular economy offers a direct answer to resource dependency and geopolitical risk * The shift from an impact case to a business case, and how to have that conversation with your CFO * What companies like Hilti are doing differently, and what executives can act on tomorrow Mentioned in this episode: IMD circular value creation courses for leaders: https://www.imd.org/sustainability/cvce/creating-value-circular-economy/ [https://www.imd.org/sustainability/cvce/creating-value-circular-economy/] Material Advantage: How circular strategies drive business value: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/innovation/material-advantage-how-circular-strategies-drive-business-value/ [https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/innovation/material-advantage-how-circular-strategies-drive-business-value/] Circular Business Revolution book: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/books/the-circular-business-revolution/ [https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/books/the-circular-business-revolution/] Startup landscape: https://www.circular-republic.org/insights/circular-startup-landscape-2026 [https://www.circular-republic.org/insights/circular-startup-landscape-2026] Follow us online on these channels:  Instagram: http://instagram.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/  Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

Circular Snapshots: Mexico’s landmark circular economy law and more

This edition of Circular Snapshots covers a lot of ground. Mexico passed landmark circular economy legislation in January — and it deserves far more attention than it got. We also look at Circle Economy's latest report, which puts a €25.4 trillion price tag on the value destroyed every year by our linear economy, and the EU Circular Economy Act as it heads toward autumn adoption. Plus a quick run through of four shorter stories: HP mining its own e-waste to build new laptops, the UK Packaging Pact launching with 100 founding organisations, a new fashion industry initiative to scale textile-to-textile fibre recycling, and fresh data on what's really driving the secondhand boom. Show notes:  Circularity Gap Report 2026 (Circle Economy): https://dashboard.circularity-gap.world/report/2026/cgr-2026-overview [https://dashboard.circularity-gap.world/report/2026/cgr-2026-overview] EU Circular Economy Act: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/eu-circular-economy-act [https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/eu-circular-economy-act] Mexico Enacts General Law for the Circular Economy: https://mexicobusiness.news/sustainability/news/mexico-enacts-general-law-circular-economy [https://mexicobusiness.news/sustainability/news/mexico-enacts-general-law-circular-economy] HP mining its own e-waste: https://www.fastcompany.com/91501080/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops [https://www.fastcompany.com/91501080/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops] UK Packaging Pact launches: https://www.wrap.ngo/media-centre/press-releases/uk-packaging-pact-launches-unlock-progress-transforming-packaging [https://www.wrap.ngo/media-centre/press-releases/uk-packaging-pact-launches-unlock-progress-transforming-packaging] Circular Fibre Collective launch: https://www.thefashionpact.org/industry-leaders-launch-the-circular-fibre-collective-to-scale-t2t-recycled-materials-by-2030/ [https://www.thefashionpact.org/industry-leaders-launch-the-circular-fibre-collective-to-scale-t2t-recycled-materials-by-2030/] ThredUp 2026 Resale Report: https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/thredup-spots-worrisome-trend-consumer-150700654.html [https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/thredup-spots-worrisome-trend-consumer-150700654.html]

Can paper fix the flexibles problem?

Flexible plastics are hard to collect, harder to recycle, and leaking into our oceans at scale. Could paper step in? And can it do so without creating a whole new problem? In this episode, Pippa is joined by Laura Smith, Programme Manager for Plastics and Packaging at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Jonathan Gill, Global Head of Sustainability, Plastics, at Unilever and Valerie Langer, Strategic Lead, Next Generation Solutions at Canopy. Together they discuss the six critical criteria for responsible paper-based packaging, the innovation and collaboration needed to scale solutions, and why there's no silver bullet. Read the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report on paper-based flexible packaging [https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/paper-as-a-solution-to-flexible-packaging-pollution]