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

Welcome to the season finale of the Getting in the Loop Podcast! This season our theme has been ‘making circular business happen.' So far we've talked to companies and researchers working with circular business models specialized in repair and refurbishment. Now it's time to hear from another key player in the circular business ecosystem: that’s right, we’re talking about investing in circular businesses.

Jamie Butterworth of Circularity Capital joins us for this season's final instalment. Circularity Capital is a specialist private equity firm founded to provide clients access to investment opportunities created by the circular economy. You might be familiar with Jamie Butterworth as he was the first CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, before going on to found Circularity Capital. In today’s episode, you’ll learn if investing in circular economy solutions is really that different from how we currently invest. You'll hear how Circularity Capital selects companies for its portfolio and the different investment challenges circular businesses face depending on their business model. Jamie also shares a bit about what it was like to be the first CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and what has surprised him the most about the growing interest in circular economy over the past 10 years.

Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

We’re joined by Jessika Luth Richter, a postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics. In today’s episode, we cover a lot of ground - we’re talking all things electronics and policy. You’ll hear about the idea of ‘Right to Repair’ that is gaining traction in the US and EU, find out how policies like extended producer responsibility (EPR) relate to circular economy, and more!

Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

Our circular business journey continues today with Sebastian Holmström, Circular Strategy Lead at Inrego. In today’s episode, we’re talking all things about reuse of electronics. Sebastian explains how Inrego’s electronics refurbishment business model works. We discuss the Swedish Government’s Circular Economy Delegation where Sebastian is the chairman of an expert group on reuse and Sebastian shares several ‘pre-conditions’ he believes necessary to encourage reuse at a large scale.

Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

Today we’re continuing our circular business themed season with David Knutsson, CEO and Founder of Parently. Parently aims to make parenting worry-free by offering subscription services for children’s things including strollers, bikes, and cots. Parently was born in 2019 while David was expecting his first child and discovered no other companies in Sweden offered high value children’s products through subscription-based, circular business models.

In this episode, you’ll learn the unique way Parently’s business model works, the challenge they have faced, and why David refers to refurbishment as the ‘sewage system of the circular economy.’ Hint: it’s a backbone to making circular economy happen, but no one wants to talk about it or deal with it.

Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

Ready to hit the ground running with a new season of the Getting in the Loop podcast? Our guiding theme this season is circular business. We’ll hear from entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers who are making circular economy happen through reuse, repair, refurbishment, and more.

Kicking off this new season today is our first entrepreneur Tom Leenders of Gerrard Street. Gerrard Street is a modular, high-end headphone company proving how circular products can be brought to market. Tom co-founded Gerrard Street after graduating with an MSc in Integrated Product Design from Delft University of Technology. Now over six years later, Tom shares what he’s learned and how Gerrard Street has evolved – including a recent change in business model. You’ll discover how Gerrard Street distributes their headphones, the new type of customer they’ve added since the COVID19 pandemic, and the biggest design challenge they’ve faced so far.

Resources and links discussed in this episode are available at gettinginthelooppodcast.com.

Hi Getting in the Loop listeners,

We are starting a new GETTING IN THE LOOP season on Monday, January 17th.

Today I’m announcing the line-up of awesome guests.

Our guiding theme this season is circular business. We’ll hear from entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers who are making circular economy happen through reuse, repair, refurbishment, and more.

Check out the full line-up below to see who we will be joining us this season:

*** Tom Leenders, Co-founder of modular headphone company Gerrard Street
*** David Knutsson, CEO and Founder of subscription service Parently
*** Sebastian Holmström, Circular Strategy Lead at Inrego
*** Jessika Luth Richter, Postdoctoral Researcher at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
*** Jamie Butterworth, Founding Partner of Circularity Capital and first CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

These are conversations about making circular economy happen in companies. I can’t wait for the season to kick-off so I can finally be able to share them with you.

Interviews will begin airing January 17, 2022, and run every other week until March. The season will be about 5 episodes in total: short and sweet, but jam-packed with practical insights! So, get ready to tune in and share these episodes with those you think will also find their contents insightful.

Are you ready to get back to Getting in the Loop?

See you on January 17th!