Getting In the Loop: Circular Economy | Sustainability | Closing the Loop

Today we’re doing something new! Tune in for my recap of a one-day SusCritMat course called ‘Future of electric mobility and material demands’. In the episode, I share what I learned about supply and demand of cobalt and lithium - two materials found in EV batteries – and reflect on if circular economy can address expected supply challenges.

Today we’re talking about building materials reuse with Joe Connell, Executive Director of the Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA). Tune in to hear about opportunities, challenges and trends regarding building deconstruction and materials reuse, and learn about the BMRA’s upcoming conference.

Earth Day giveaway! Today we’re speaking with Catherine Weetman about implementing circular economy in practice and what she has learned from working with SMEs. We talk about her book “Circular Economy: A Handbook for Business and Supply Chains: Repair, Remake, Redesign, Rethink” and Catherine has given me a copy to giveaway to one lucky listener! To have a chance at winning, all you need to do is leave a review on this podcast’s iTunes page. Listen to the episode or head over to the show notes at http://www.gettinginthelooppodcast.com to find out more about the giveaway.

In this episode we focus on how policies can help support product repair and reuse, two key parts of the circular economy. Guest Leonidas Milios shares the economic and environmental incentives to design products and materials to last longer and explains how some countries are already paving the way with warranty mandates, spare part policies, durability guidelines, and more.

Today we're talking with Alessandra Hool about ongoing activities she is leading regarding critical raw materials and circular economy. We discuss the project SusCritMat which is producing educational materials related to sustainable management of critical materials and reflect on the importance of supply chain transparency. Alessandra also provides some examples of how companies can manage materials more sustainably and how she is using the In the Loop game to help create awareness of this topic.

Adrienna Zsakay, Executive Director of Circular Economy Asia, shares her lessons and experiences from working with circular economy concepts in twenty-four different countries in Asia. We learn about ongoing initiatives, resources her team is currently developing, and why we need to start paying attention to Asia if we want to move to a more circular economy!

Today we’re talking with Ken Webster about the importance of thinking in systems and why we need to stop looking for circular economy examples and start thinking about what we’re trying to achieve.

In today’s episode, Helene Smits shares about her work with companies and brands to close the loop in the textiles sector. Helene reflects on what brands are currently doing to implement more sustainable business practices, such as using recycled content and addressing environmental impacts of production. She also discusses successes and challenges she’s encountered over the past few years of working with brands to close the loop, and emphasizes the importance of also addressing consumption habits within the textiles and apparel sector - even if that means asking ‘Do I really need this?’ before you make your next purchase.

Today on the show we’re speaking with Anna Tari, who is CEO of the Circular Economy Club - a worldwide organization she founded in 2012 for anyone interested in circular economy. Anna discusses what’s she learned about circular economy in the years since the club’s founding, shares (for the first time!) an exciting event they are launching later this year, and explains how you can become a member and even start your own club. For show notes and links visit www.gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

In today’s episode, TU Delft Associate Professor David Peck talks about a topic often linked to the circular economy - critical materials. In the show, Dave explains that it’s not about running out of materials and why material criticality should be considered. We reflect on how this relates to the circular economy, and dive into Dave's research on what we can learn from the British response to material shortages in WWII. Show notes and links available at www.gettinginthelooppodcast.com.