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Which startups are solving Europe’s two key circular economy challenges: automated disassembly and critical raw materials recovery?
This episode covers the Circular Technology Award, launched by Circular Republic and Knorr-Bremse, to back startups working in both fields.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
The four winning startups then present what they’ve built: Xavier Kohll from R3 Robotics and Tomaso Manca from Hiro Robotics winners in automated disassembly, Carlo Burkhardt from HyProMag and Fred White from DEScycle winners in critical raw materials recovery.
This is the final episode of the IFAT Munich 2026 series, recorded live at the fair.
People
Oliver Klug, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Knorr-Bremse
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
IFAT Munich is the flagship event of that network and the most important meeting place for the sector. It takes place every two years in Munich and showcases technologies and services for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management, with the 2026 edition featuring around 3,400 exhibitors from about 60 countries.
Further Links
One-page Summary
Which areas of circular economy are attracting the most startup activity in Europe, and which ones are being left behind?
Leonhard Teichert, Program Lead at Circular Republic, presents the findings of the Circular Economy Startup Landscape 2026. Bruno Rudnick, Managing Partner at SEF Ventures and host of the startup area at IFAT, adds the investor's view on financing and scaling hardware startups in this space.
What you'll hear in this episode:
This is the third episode in the IFAT Special series, recorded live at the IFAT Munich 2026
People
Leonhard Teichert, Programme Lead, Circular Republic
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
About
IFAT Munich is the flagship event of that network and the most important meeting place for the sector. It takes place every two years in Munich and showcases technologies and services for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management, with the 2026 edition featuring around 3,400 exhibitors from about 60 countries.
Further Links
IFAT: https://ifat.de/en/
One-page Summary
What is the economic potential of circularity?
The Federal Association of the German Industries (BDI) asked Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to answer that for German industry. The report's authors, Claas Oehlmann of the BDI's Circular Economy Initiative and Alexander Meyer zum Felde of BCG, walk through the findings, with Nadine Braun of E.ON bringing the view from a company perspective.
What you'll hear in this episode:
Besides exploring the macroeconomic impact of the circular economy, the episode also looks at where circularity pays off for a company.
This is the second episode of the IFAT Munich 2026 series, recorded live at the fair.
People
Nadine Braun, Head of Circularity and Environment, E.ON
Alexander Meyer zum Felde, Global Director of Circular Economy, Boston Consulting Group
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
IFAT Munich is the flagship event of that network and the most important meeting place for the sector. It takes place every two years in Munich and showcases technologies and services for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management, with the 2026 edition featuring around 3,400 exhibitors from about 60 countries.
Further Links
One-page Summary
Can Europe secure the critical raw materials it needs without stepping back from global trade?
Recorded at the Circular Sovereignty Forum at IFAT Munich, with Susanne Kadner of Circular Republic, João Merico of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Roland Gauß of EIT Raw Materials, on the link between circularity, geopolitics, and supply security.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The episode also covers Europe's urban mines and the secondary raw materials in them, and the case for diversifying supply rather than concentrating it on single suppliers.
This is the first episode in the Circularity.fm IFAT special, recorded at IFAT.
People
João Merico, Senior Strategy Associate, Critical Minerals & Energy Transition, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Roland Gauß, Innovation and Product Development Director, EIT RawMaterials
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
IFAT Munich is the flagship event of that network and the most important meeting place for the sector. It takes place every two years in Munich and showcases technologies and services for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management, with the 2026 edition featuring around 3,400 exhibitors from about 60 countries.
Further Links
One-page Summary
Why do startups and corporates need each other, and what makes the partnership work?
Florian Fehr, Managing Director of NEEW Ventures, joins Patrick at IFAT and interviews three founders: Rajiv Singhal from Grensol, Stefan Delinde from Minimise, and Gary Lewis from Resourcify about their businesses and what makes a startup-corporate partnership work.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The episode also covers how NEEW Ventures operates as both venture builder and bridge maker for EEW.
This is the final episode of the series Incineration in the Circular Economy, produced in sponsoring partnership with NEEW Ventures.
People
Startup Founders:
Gary Lewis, Resourcify
Stefan De Linde, Minimise
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
Founded in 2021 in Berlin, NEEW Ventures builds startups that use data, AI, and digital tools to create value from waste. Its portfolio includes Wasteer, which uses AI-based waste composition analysis to cut emissions and operating costs at incineration plants, and Minimise, a digital traceability platform for e-waste recycling. NEEW Ventures also runs the Circularity Hub for startups, researchers, and industry professionals, and the Waste & AI Hub (WAIH), connecting AI experts with waste industry operators. Find out more at: neew-ventures.com
Further Links
https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/
Startups:
One-page Summary
in this episode, Fabian Böhmer, Head of Sustainability at EEW, joins Patrick to discuss how ESG reporting can serve bankability, reputation, and internal decision-making.
What you'll hear:
The episode also covers how green bonds and ESG-linked credit conditions are reshaping the cost of capital, and why focus matters more than completeness when reporting to multiple stakeholders.
This is the fifth episode of the series Incineration in the Circular Economy, sponsored by NEEW Ventures.
People
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Further Links
https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/
One-page Summary
What are the learnings after 100+ conversations with circular economy experts?
For our 100th Episode Special, Celinne de Paula from the Circularity.fm team takes over as host and interviews Patrick Hypscher on what six years of conversations with founders, investors, and professionals has taught him.
What you'll hear in this episode:
This special also covers what led Patrick to start the podcast, and what's next for Circularity.fm.
Dear listeners, thanks for listening to the show!
People
Celinne de Paula, Circularity.fm Team
Chapters
About
Each episode features candid conversations with managers, founders and investors, unpacking the numbers, trade-offs, and playbooks behind scalable circular models.
Produced in partnership with top-tier circularity events worldwide, we bring you fresh strategies, case studies, and deal-room insights from the global stage. If you're building the next generation of resilient, low-resource businesses, tune in to Circularity.fm - where circularity meets profitability.
One-page Summary
How does carbon capture actually work, and what does it take to make it commercial?
Jörn Jakob, Director Innovation at EEW, and Eike Diedecke, who oversees the carbon capture pilot at the Delfzijl site, share what they are learning from the pilot project.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The episode also covers why EEW chose the Netherlands as the first pilot site, and where the team is looking for partners on capture technology and CO2 utilisation.
This is the fourth episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures.
People
Eike Diedecke, Carbon Capture Project Leader at EEW
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Further Links
One-page Summary
What is the value of knowing what's in your waste stream?
Wasteer founder Benedict von Spankeren talks about how data and AI improve profitability and prevent dangerous accidents for waste management companies.
What you'll hear in this episode:
The episode also discusses the challenge of getting experienced crane operators to actually use new technology on the floor.
This is the third episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures.
People
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
Its platform is built around digital tools for waste analysis, stream control and documentation, with the goal of reducing downtime, lowering costs and improving sustainability. WASTEER presents itself as a circular economy enabler by turning waste data into better material recovery, cleaner processes and more profitable plant operations.
Further Links
https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/
https://www.wasteer.com/
One-page Summary
What role does waste incineration play in the circular economy and in the transition away from fossil fuels?
Sebastian Siewers, Head of Energy at EEW, talks about the contribution of waste-to-energy plants to the circular economy, and the energy system.
What you'll hear in this episode:
This is the second episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures.
People
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
Chapters
About
More than 1,400 employees take responsibility for using the energy in waste, reducing waste volumes, safely and harmlessly eliminating hazards from waste, and recycling scrap metal and composite materials. In addition, the energy contained in waste is used efficiently to generate process steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas and electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Further Links
https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/
One-page Summary
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