The Circular Economy Show Podcast

For years, the circular economy conversation has generated significant research, policy development, and business action around finite materials. But the same attention has not been given to bio-based materials. How can products and components made from these materials circulate and create value in a circular economy?

In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, Fin is joined by Guilherme Suertegaray, co-author of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's new report — Circular by nature: a policy agenda for bio-based materials in a circular economy — and Beto Bina, CEO and founder of Farfarm, to explore why circular economy and bio-based material policies have developed in silos, and what's needed to align them.

We cover the policy gap on both sides, real supply chain examples, and the social stakes for smallholder farmers and rural communities. We also explore bio-based resource production as a key driver of biodiversity action as well as the policy recommendations the report puts forward ahead of COP17 — where we’ll be demonstrating that the circular economy offers a practical route to tackling biodiversity loss and meeting national biodiversity targets.

For more on COP17, listen to our previous episode on this topic — Circular economy, biodiversity, and the road to COP17 — and look out for the next one in September.

If you enjoyed this episode, then please share it with your colleagues, or leave us a review or comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. 

Circular by nature: a policy agenda for bio-based materials in a circular economy

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Individual pilots are great, but they don't scale themselves. So, how do you shift an entire system to move an unmovable market?

This week on the Circular Economy Show, Lou and Fin explore the critical foundation of shared infrastructure. Whether it’s launching scalable refill coalitions with Aldi and Ocado, aggregating future demand to bring 90% emission-reducing fuel to ocean transport, or rewriting retail habits at checkout counters across the US, to truly scale the circular economy, we have to stop building in silos and start building the shared infrastructure that allows everyone to win.

Tune in to hear how three trailblazing women, Catherine Conway (GoUnpackaged), Ingrid Irigoyen (ZEMBA), and Kate Daly (Closed Loop Partners) are laying down the shared motorways that will allow everyone else to drive their own circular vehicles forward.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment, give us a like or tell your work colleagues and friends, and don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts.

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This month: three stories worth your time.

 

The WEF published a piece on EV battery recycling that reframes the whole conversation. These batteries contain the critical minerals governments are scrambling to secure. The recycled minerals market could be worth $200 billion by 2050. That value needs to be designed for now, not chased later.

 

Up until now the policy agenda for bio-based materials, wood, paper, natural fibres, rubber and leather has largely been ignored. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has published a report that sets out to fix that.

 

And the International Finance Corporation, alongside five major development banks, put a number on circular economy employment: 121 to 142 million people. Nearly half in repair and maintenance. Over half in the informal economy. The opportunity is real. So is the gap.

 

Plus four quick headlines on Scotland's material flows, Europe losing critical minerals through its own waste streams, fashion resale and repair policy, and flexible packaging.

Story 1: EV Battery Recycling

Why recycling EV batteries is an industrial opportunity, not a waste challenge (WEF): https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/06/ev-battery-recycling-waste-challenge-industrial-opportunity/

Story 2: Circular by Nature — Bio-Based Materials

Circular by nature: a policy agenda for bio-based materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation): https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-by-nature-a-policy-agenda-for-bio-based-materials-in-a-circular-economy

Story 3: Circular Economy Jobs

Circular Jobs: How MDBs Are Supporting Job Creation through a Circular Economy (IFC): https://www.ifc.org/content/dam/ifc/doc/2026/how-mdbs-can-support-job-creation-in-a-circular-economy.pdf

 

Quick Headlines

Scotland’s Material Flow Accounts (Zero Waste Scotland): https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/zero-waste-scotland-publishes-nations-most-depth-material-flow-accounts-date

Europe losing critical minerals in its waste streams (Yahoo Finance / The Cool Down): https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/europe-losing-hidden-stockpile-lithium-222500520.html

The New Bottom Line: Policy levers for resale & repair in fashion (Ellen MacArthur Foundation): https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/policy-levers-for-resale-and-repair/report

Unilever and PepsiCo on the challenges of flexible packaging (Packaging News): https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/markets/household-products/unilever-and-pepsico-unlock-the-potential-of-paper-based-flexible-packaging-across-the-globe-01-06-2026

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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.

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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.

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