The Circular Future - Advancing Business Circularity

Quantum Lifecycle Partners

Welcome to the Circular Future – a podcast that facetimes you with the challenges of e-waste and its impact on the world. Join Stephanie McLarty, Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners, as she interviews industry thinktanks who share their insights on the trends in reuse and recycling of technology. This podcast is for you if you are responsible for managing your company’s electronics or are simply curious about all things e-waste, sustainability, carbon emissions, data security and more. Each episode finishes with actionable advice for business managers and leaders to do their part in helping build a circular future.

  1. Oct 22

    69. How HP Turned Procurement into a Sustainability Growth Engine

    Send us Fan Mail 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 goalsThe importance of market creation for recycled materialsStrategies for scaling sustainable procurement in small and large companiesThe impact of procurement policies and leadership on sustainabilityResources mentioned in this episode: HP Sustainable Impact Page: https://www.hp.com/ca-en/sustainable-impact.htmlHP Device-as-a-Service Lifecycle Assessment / Environmental Impact Study: https://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c06646300HP 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 jdewan@quantumlifecycle.com. Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.

  2. Oct 8

    68. The Circular Future is Back for Season 4!

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

  3. Jul 31

    67. Bonus Episode | Take Action Films

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

  4. Jun 4

    66. Scaling Green I.T. - BDC's Journey to Sustainability

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

  5. May 21

    65. Hilti – Revolutionizing Construction Sustainability

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

  6. May 7

    64. Scaling Recycling: Tetra Pak's Innovative Solutions

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

  7. Apr 16

    63. Building towards Net Zero: How Choice Properties is decarbonizing Canadian Real Estate

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

  8. Apr 2

    62. From EV to Energy Grid: The Startup Bridging Automotive, Energy, and the Circular Economy  

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

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About

Welcome to the Circular Future – a podcast that facetimes you with the challenges of e-waste and its impact on the world. Join Stephanie McLarty, Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners, as she interviews industry thinktanks who share their insights on the trends in reuse and recycling of technology. This podcast is for you if you are responsible for managing your company’s electronics or are simply curious about all things e-waste, sustainability, carbon emissions, data security and more. Each episode finishes with actionable advice for business managers and leaders to do their part in helping build a circular future.

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