Plastic. Climate. Future‪.‬ Mat Wielopolski & John Sewell

Warning: This week's podcast episode contains an extreme story features a raging elephant, a rock and plastic pollution! This story resulted in Ele Collection, an organization founded to tackle plastic pollution in Southern Africa’s ecologically sensitive areas.

We are joined by Ben Norton, Simon Teede, and Rainer von Urff Kaufeld, who are representing Ele Collection and take us on a journey over the following main topics:

• The Impact of Plastic Waste on the spread of diseases like cholera and E. coli, causing 4,900 deaths in three months in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
• The severe lack of local waste management facilities in Zimbabwe.
• Ele Collection’s pioneering plan to convert plastic into concrete and their pilot plant project in Victoria Falls.
• Their plan to incentivize locals to collect plastic waste in hopes of fostering positive change.

To learn more about Ele Collection, visit www.elecollection.co/, or visit them on LinkedIn.

In the latest Plastic.Climate.Future. episode, we dive into the world of sustainability with the incredible Hunter Lovins. As the founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions and a key figure in NOW partners, Lovins brings a wealth of experience and insights to the table. Throughout the episode, we explore the importance of education in driving sustainable decision-making and how implementing sustainability practices can actually boost profitability for companies. Lovins also introduces us to the "D.O.T. approach" - Everyday Do One Thing - encouraging listeners to take small steps towards a greener future. Join us as we uncover the power of everyday actions and their potential to make a big impact. Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts, and let's take strides towards a more sustainable world together.

In this episode, we take a deep dive in sustainable swimwear with Inga Hinkel the founder of Seasick Swim. We explore Seasick Swim's mission to design and produce swimwear and surf clothing essentials with a focus on circularity.

Inga shares her inspiring journey of founding Seasick Swim and highlights the various partnerships that have been crucial to their success, particularly their collaboration with the SEAQUAL Initiative for sourcing materials. The episode concludes with Inga discussing the challenges she has faced along the way and offering valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

In this episode, we sit down with Emma Samson from Searious Business. Throughout the episode, Emma explains the concept behind Searious Business, namely, their work with businesses in the field of packaging, consumer electronics and furniture to make their plastic products more circular either through suggesting new alternatives or working towards sustainability regulations. During this, Emma enlightens us on Searious Business' mantra - "we are not anti-plastic, we are anti the misuse of plastic!".

During our conversation, Emma shared her insights obtained from her maritime work in the North Sea. Her past firsthand experiences, coupled with her report on plastic sightings near docks and beaches, underscore the urgency of addressing ocean pollution. With this in mind, Emma suggests that the impact of regulation and the increase in community awareness has led to a reduction in ocean pollution. However, in certain areas of the globe this is still not the case,  reporting situations where the river is overwhelmed by a massive quantity of trash.

Finishing the episode, Emma motivates the young sustainability enthusiasts in our audience to stay positive so that they can have a meaningful impact!

In our latest podcast episode, Marcel Lubben from Brightlands Venture Partners, delves into the intricacies of transitioning to a circular economy, shedding light on both the challenges and opportunities it presents.

Brightlands Venture Partners is a venture capital fund manager that invests in innovative start-up companies in the areas of agrifood, health and renewable sector. One of those investments is none other than Circularise!

In the latest podcast episode, we had the opportunity of interviewing Marcus and Manuel from the Minderoo Foundation.

Throughout the episode, they highlighted the significance of international collaboration in tackling global challenges like plastic pollution mentioning that while regulation is crucial, businesses must also take proactive steps towards sustainability. Additionally, another recurring topic of the conversation was the importance of transparency in addressing sustainability issues, particularly in understanding product composition and waste management.

Overall, the conversation conveyed a sense of urgency, acknowledging the severity of environmental challenges, but with a positive outlook towards the future, both Marcus and Manuel trust in the growing interest in sustainability, particularly among younger generations.  With this in mind, they leave our young audience a message: your passion and skills can make a real difference.