The Circular Future - Advancing Business Circularity

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In this episode, Frances Edmonds the Head of Sustainable Impact at HP Canada joins Stephanie McLarty and shares insights on sustainable procurement, circular economy, and how large corporations can lead the way in sustainability through innovative practices and partnerships.

We talk about:

• HP's purpose-driven approach and sustainability goals
• The importance of market creation for recycled materials
• Strategies for scaling sustainable procurement in small and large companies
• The impact of procurement policies and leadership on sustainability

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• HP Sustainable Impact Page: https://www.hp.com/ca-en/sustainable-impact.html
• HP Device-as-a-Service Lifecycle Assessment / Environmental Impact Study: https://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c06646300
• HP Planet Partners Program: https://www.hp.com/ca-en/hp-information/recycling/ink-toner.html
•  HP Amplify Impact Program: https://clean50.com/projects/amplify-impact/
• Sustainable Procurement Fellowship https://cbsr.ca/spf/
• Sustainability Advantage Resources (Dr. Bob Willard) https://sustainabilityadvantage.com/
• Green Economy Canada Sustainable Procurement Resource - https://greeneconomy.ca/sustainable-it-procurement/

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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We are back from our summer break and diving straight into the practical, results-driven side of circularity.

In Season 3, we focused on real actions over pledges, tracking how organizations across North America are putting circularity into practice. This season, Stephanie McLarty, Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners is continuing to bring you even deeper insights, and actionable ideas you can apply directly within your own organization.

Here’s what’s coming up in Season 4:

- Sustainable Procurement: How global tech leaders are reshaping supplier expectations and customer choices. 

- Food Waste & Cost Savings: Cutting corporate food waste to drive down emissions and save money. 

- The Psychology of Stuff: Why businesses cling to unused assets and how to finally let them go. 

- Data Center Sustainability: Tackling the rapid growth of digital infrastructure responsibly. 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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On this episode, Andrew and Iain sit down with Stephanie McLarty, Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle, for a conversation about trash, plastic, and the e-waste quietly piling up in junk drawers everywhere.

Stephanie brings a rare vantage point: she works at the intersection of consumer habits and the industrial reality of what happens after a device gets tossed in a drawer and forgotten. The conversation moves from the personal - the old phones and chargers we all hoard without a plan - to the systemic, touching on plastic, circularity, and what responsible end-of-life management for electronics actually looks like at scale.

It's a grounded, honest look at a problem most of us contribute to and few of us think about past the point of closing the drawer.

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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This podcast features a deep dive into BDC's sustainability initiatives, focusing on their green IT program and how they integrate sustainability into their organizational culture. Guests Chrystal Healy and Jim Hendrix Gresseau share practical insights, successes, and challenges in scaling green practices within a large financial institution.

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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In this episode, Stephanie McLarty is joined by Isabel Monteiro from Hilti, who shares insights into how the company integrates circular economy principles into its business model, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, and customer collaboration. Discover how Hilti's direct customer engagement, tool-as-a-service model, and commitment to reducing carbon footprint are transforming the construction industry. 

Key Topics: 

• Circular economy principles in construction 
• Tool as a service model and its impact 
• Hilti's sustainability strategy and goals 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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In this episode of The Circular Future, Stephanie McLarty is joined live on stage by Jason Pelz, Vice President of Sustainability at Tetra Pak US, to explore how Tetra Pak is transforming packaging waste into valuable building materials and scaling recycling efforts. 

Key Topics: 

• Tetra Pak’s sustainability commitments 
• Recycling technology and innovation 
• Industry collaboration and partnerships 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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In this week’s latest episode of The Circular Future Podcast, Stephanie McLarty is joined by sustainability and real estate expert, Ariel Feldman who shares the strategic approach of Choice Properties towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The discussion covers their environmental initiatives, challenges faced, and the importance of early planning and stakeholder engagement in sustainable real estate development. 

Key topics: 

• Choice Properties' sustainability strategy 
• Tenant engagement and green leases 
• Embodied carbon reduction in the development pipeline 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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What happens to an EV battery when the car wears out? 

It turns out, quite a lot. Even after years on the road, most EV batteries retain 70–80% of their capacity. Instead of defaulting to recycling, there is a massive opportunity to give these batteries a "second life" as powerful energy storage systems. 

In our latest episode of The Circular Future, @Stephanie McLarty sits down with @Nick Nesbitt, founder of @Mapleview Energy, to discuss how his startup is bridging the gap between the automotive and energy sectors. 

Key highlights from the conversation: 

• The Second Life Opportunity: Using "retired" batteries to create stationary energy storage for commercial and industrial customers. 
• Real-World Impact: Nick walks us through Mapleview’s project, deploying a solar-connected microgrid to power electrified farm equipment. 
• The "Frankenstein Strategy": Why speed to market and iterating with real customer feedback beats trying to build everything from scratch. 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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In this episode, Stephanie McLarty sits down with Danielle Spalding from Cirba Solutions to dive deep into the world of battery recycling and its vital role in the circular economy. With over 35 years of experience, Cirba Solutions is at the forefront of domestic battery processing in North America, handling everything from common household alkalines to complex electric vehicle (EV) batteries. 

Key topics discussed in this episode: 

• Circular Economy & Critical Minerals: How recycling batteries recovers valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel to strengthen the domestic supply chain and reduce reliance on virgin mining. 
• From Batteries to Agriculture: An inside look at how recycled alkaline batteries are transformed into micronutrients to help grow crops like corn and soybeans. 
• Safety & Education: The importance of properly preparing batteries for recycling—including the "clear tape" method—and why you should never throw batteries in your curbside bins. 
• The Evolving Policy Landscape: A look at the future of battery technology and the policies, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), that are shaping the industry. 

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

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Gary Diamond returns - three years after joining our very first episode - to unpack how Quantum Lifecycle Partners has evolved from a recycling-first company into an end-to-end electronics lifecycle partner. He shares what he’s proudest of (culture, market strength, and expanded capabilities) and explains how Quantum now supports everything from getting devices to market and keeping them running through in-warranty repair and logistics, to secure asset disposition, reuse, and responsible recycling.

We also dive into Quantum’s acquisition strategy and what each move unlocked: Paragon Bay’s product fulfillment and in-warranty repair services, DCR Systems Group’s added IT asset management and deployment capabilities, and 2NDGEAR—Quantum’s expansion into the U.S. with stronger end-user programs and refurbished resale channels. Gary gets candid about integration challenges (teams, comp, systems, and change management), then closes with advice for leaders building circularity: look beyond your lane—and don’t neglect your health, because your best thinking often happens away from the desk.

Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Justin Dewan at [email protected].

Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.