LOOPED IN with Carl Warkentin

Carl Warkentin
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

The podcast about understanding, building and managing circular business models - this is the place where we dive deep into the future of business, sustainability, and circular economy. After a decade of entrepreneurial experience as a founder and investor, Carl had countless, meaningful behind-the-scenes conversations about how we can reshape industries, close the loop, and create real impact. And now, we want to bring these conversations to you. On Looped In, Carl sits down with entrepreneurs, business owners, venture capitalists, and policymakers who are at the forefront of change. Together, we’ll explore innovative business models, breakthrough technologies, and the regulations shaping the circular economy.

  1. Building Textile Recycling at Scale with Syre CEO Dennis Nobelius

    May 25

    Building Textile Recycling at Scale with Syre CEO Dennis Nobelius

    A recycling breakthrough is useless if it never reaches real scale and Syre is betting everything on getting there fast. From Syre’s office in Stockholm, we talk with CEO Dennis about why they chose polyester as the first target, why their mission is “speed and scale,” and why they believe the textile industry needs industrial capacity now, not a decade from now. We dig into Syre’s unusually customer-driven origin story and how off-take agreements change the rules of the game. Dennis shares how commitments from global brands like H&M, Nike, and Target help unlock project financing for a first-of-its-kind Vietnam facility targeting 150,000 metric tons of circular PET output. We also talk honestly about what makes this hard: chemical-plant ramp-up, purification challenges, and the reality that post-consumer collection and sorting systems still lag behind the demand for recycled polyester. On the technology and strategy side, Dennis walks through Syre’s glycolysis-based chemical recycling approach, why they prioritize polyester-rich feedstock, and why they shifted toward an orchestration model that partners with best-in-class providers rather than trying to invent every step in-house. We also get into why Vietnam matters for circular textiles, how regulation around textile waste imports can make or break scale, and what a global expansion roadmap could look like as legislation and demand accelerate. If you care about textile-to-textile recycling, circular economy supply chains, sustainable fashion, and the future of recycled polyester at industrial scale, this conversation will give you a clear view of what it takes to execute. Subscribe, share this with someone building in climate and materials, and leave a review with your biggest question about scaling circular textiles. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    30 min
  2. Making Sustainability personal with The CSO Shop Founder Danielle Azoulay

    May 18

    Making Sustainability personal with The CSO Shop Founder Danielle Azoulay

    Your favorite “sustainable” product might still be built for the trash. Carl sits down with Danielle from The CSO Shop, a longtime sustainability leader and fractional CSO, to get brutally practical about what circularity really demands and why recycling is only a small piece of the circular economy. We start where consumers actually live: what goes in us, on us, and around us. Danielle explains why beauty and personal care are such a powerful consumer climate tech lever, then connects the dots to what companies can realistically do today when suppliers, materials, and infrastructure limit the options. We talk incentives, venture funding gaps, and why policy can speed things up, while strong business models still need to stand on their own. From there, we go hands-on with circular design. Danielle breaks down the difference between circularity and recycling and walks through a simple “pick up an object” exercise that exposes how many materials and value chains hide inside everyday products. You’ll hear real-world examples of sustainable packaging that works with curbside recycling, plus how brands can make circular fashion feel cool instead of sacrifice. We also dig into the unglamorous truth of scale: why Fortune 500 “incremental” moves like post-consumer recycled content can send demand signals that reshape upstream markets and cut virgin plastic at massive volume. If you want practical circular economy thinking you can apply to product design, supply chain strategy, Scope 3 emissions, and consumer messaging, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who cares about climate action, and leave a review with the one product you think should be redesigned first. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    40 min
  3. The Future of Product Creation with Mode Maison Founder & CEO Steven Gay

    Mar 9

    The Future of Product Creation with Mode Maison Founder & CEO Steven Gay

    Imagine typing, “Warmest low‑profile jacket for Siberia, size M, modern look,” and seconds later seeing a faithful simulation on your avatar—plus the exact factory files needed to make it. That’s the leap from pretty pixels to physics‑native product creation we dig into with Steven, founder and CEO of Mode Maison Home. We trace Steven’s path from Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label to building TMAC, a material scanning system that captures not only how fabrics look but how they behave—torsion, tension, compression, and thermal performance. Those measurements fuel a physical world model that knows where a sneaker will bend, how a linen will drape, and when a suede will fail, producing simulations you can trust and manufacturing files you can ship. The result: fewer samples, faster cycles, and designs that move from intent to production without the usual guesswork. This shift unlocks on‑demand, onshore microfactories and a new kind of commerce where the minimum order quantity is one. We talk hyper‑personalization at scale—garments tailored to your climate, taste, and movement—while cutting overproduction, warehousing, and global shipping. We also explore circularity with digital product passports and embedded IDs, making resale, repair, and recycling smarter and simpler. Along the way, we weigh real challenges: today’s siloed toolchains, the risk of brand sameness in “ghost manufacturing,” and how brands can stay distinct by treating AI as a physics‑aware co‑designer rather than a pixel pusher. Looking ahead, Steven outlines a five‑year horizon where brands specify outcomes in plain language and receive validated designs plus tech packs in moments, and a ten‑year horizon where brands act as creative directors while systems generate products within their guardrails. If you care about sustainable fashion, advanced manufacturing, or AI that grasps the real world, this conversation connects the dots from factory floor data to build‑ready files. Enjoy the episode, then share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review telling us the first product you’d generate. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    40 min
  4. From UGC to On-Demand Manufacturing - A Holistic Approach with Kitty Yeung

    Jan 26

    From UGC to On-Demand Manufacturing - A Holistic Approach with Kitty Yeung

    What if the best-performing fashion ads never required shipping a single sample? We sit down with Kitty Young, founder of Wear It AI, to explore how hyper-realistic virtual try-on turns everyday photos into high-converting product content—then feeds those signals back into a smarter, cleaner supply chain. Kitty shares how brands can swap expensive, unpredictable influencer campaigns for scaled UGC, where micro and nano creators generate themselves in your styles in minutes and get paid on performance, engagement, and remixes. The content looks like real life—true bodies, true fits, brand-correct styling—because trust sells better than filters. The conversation goes beyond marketing. Kitty maps a practical route to on-demand production: use AI to see what people actually want, connect those preferences to 3D simulation, image-to-pattern generation, and local microfactories, and produce with MOQ of one. We talk digital printing, laser cutting, alternative bonding, and the stubborn realities of sewing automation. The goal isn’t hype; it’s a measurable drop in waste and lead time, with fewer missed bets and a faster path from try-on to delivery. Think Starbucks for apparel: proven silhouettes, seasonal specials, and personalization on fit, fabric, and print—served within hours to days. With a background in physics and stints in quantum computing, Kitty brings a systems mindset to fashion tech. We unpack how shoppable UGC, body-accurate avatars, and integrated tooling can make stores feel like studios and social feeds feel like showrooms. If you’re building for sustainable fashion, DTC growth, or retail innovation, you’ll find a blueprint here: everyone can be a model, many can be designers, and brands can finally match demand with supply in real time. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, share with a colleague who obsesses over on-demand, and leave a quick review with your favorite insight so we can bring more voices like Kitty’s to the mic. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    48 min
  5. Inside China’s Circular Textile Revolution: From Manufacturing to Recycling with CKG Director Vincent Djen

    12/08/2025

    Inside China’s Circular Textile Revolution: From Manufacturing to Recycling with CKG Director Vincent Djen

    What does a truly circular textile business look like when you operate both a factory floor and a recycling line? We sit down with entrepreneur Vincent Jin to map the entire loop—from shrinking order sizes and digitized sewing lines to China’s door‑to‑door collection networks feeding textile‑to‑textile recyclers. The story starts with a family manufacturer shaped by early Scandinavian sustainability demands, and then accelerates as DTC, tariffs, and lead‑time pressure force radical flexibility and a service‑first mindset. Vincent opens up about the nuts and bolts of recycling at scale: why pre‑sorting still relies on skilled hands, where AI sorting falls short on dark colors and complex blends, and how preprocessing into pellets or popcorn meets the purity specs of chemical and enzymatic recyclers. We explore the rise of microfactories as a tool to slash overproduction—keeping core styles in traditional lines while local, on‑demand units handle reorders, collaborations, and regional spikes within days. Along the way, we unpack the real power of transparency through chain‑of‑custody, LCAs, and the coming digital product passport, which ties material truth to a simple scan. The conversation doesn’t shy away from hard questions: Can sewing be fully automated? Why do blends and trims still block circularity? How will fast fashion evolve as T2T capacity scales in China and beyond? Vincent shares a pragmatic ten‑year outlook driven by robotics, smarter design for recycling, and brands that think like operators—fast, open, and data‑literate. If you care about ethical sourcing, EPR readiness, and the future of circular fashion, this is a rare, ground‑level guide to what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help others discover it. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    50 min
  6. The K-Resale Playbook: Brand-Led Re-Commerce in Korea with Seah Joo from Relay

    10/27/2025

    The K-Resale Playbook: Brand-Led Re-Commerce in Korea with Seah Joo from Relay

    What if secondhand felt as polished as buying new—and actually grew brand loyalty? We sit down with Relay, the Korean recommerce engine powering white‑label resale for major fashion groups and department stores, to unpack how trust, speed, and cleaning every item can flip circularity into a profit center. From doorstep pick‑ups and instant store credit to meticulous QC and photography, Relay’s model keeps resale inside the brand ecosystem and turns trade‑ins into repeat purchases. We get into the mechanics: why department stores like Lotte and Hyundai became pivotal partners, how a white‑label experience preserves brand equity, and the operational backbone that makes it all work. You’ll hear how care labels and distributor tags streamline authentication in Korea, why in‑store pop‑ups unlock hidden supply, and how dynamic pricing helps sellers feel valued while buyers feel lucky. With one of the world’s fastest e‑commerce markets and a consumer base that prizes precision and service, Korea is stress‑testing recommerce—and the results are compelling, with rapid sell‑through and growing mainstream acceptance. There’s a bigger thesis here: social impact scales when it follows a great business model. Relay shares a candid view on aligning incentives, building credibility through hands‑on logistics, and using data and selective AI to remove friction without overpromising tech. We also look ahead to a curated hub that aggregates high‑quality secondhand across partners, creating network effects for brands big and small. If you care about circular economy, resale operations, and how to make sustainability pay, this conversation is a playbook for turning intention into action. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review—what’s the one change that would make you trade in more often? Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    46 min
  7. Scaling Upcycling: How MOOT Turns Textile Waste into Profit with CEO Michael Pfeifer

    09/29/2025

    Scaling Upcycling: How MOOT Turns Textile Waste into Profit with CEO Michael Pfeifer

    What if the clothes, uniforms, and textiles your company discards could become a source of revenue instead of a disposal expense? Michael Brenner, co-founder of Mood, reveals how industrial-scale upcycling is transforming the textile waste landscape, creating profitable business models from what was previously considered garbage. The conversation begins with Michael sharing how Mood evolved from a small Berlin-based B2C brand into a powerhouse B2B service provider, helping major corporations like DHL, Deutsche Bahn, and the German national football team transform their discarded textiles into desirable, sellable products. Through these partnerships, Mood has proven that sustainability initiatives can generate actual profits, not just reduce environmental impact. Michael takes us behind the scenes of their innovative collection system, where branded containers placed in corporate offices (rather than on streets) yield higher-quality materials while creating an additional revenue stream. This approach stands in stark contrast to traditional textile collection schemes that are increasingly economically unviable as fast fashion quality declines and secondhand platforms siphon off the best materials. The discussion delves into the regulatory challenges facing the European textile market, particularly the inconsistent implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes across the continent. Michael shares candid insights about the shortcomings of current approaches in countries like France and the Netherlands, emphasizing that Europe needs comprehensive solutions to address the fundamental problem: we're simply producing and consuming too many textiles. Whether you're a sustainability professional, fashion industry insider, or business leader looking for innovative approaches to corporate waste, this episode offers practical insights into how upcycling can transform sustainability from a cost center into a profitable venture. Subscribe now and discover how the future of fashion might not be in creating new materials, but in creatively reusing what we already have. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    44 min
  8. From Policy to Action: Building CIRCULAR REPUBLIC with Susanne Kadner

    09/15/2025

    From Policy to Action: Building CIRCULAR REPUBLIC with Susanne Kadner

    Susanne Kadner's journey from climate science to circular economy pioneer reveals a profound shift in how we approach environmental challenges. Rather than focusing on restrictions, circular economy offers a positive vision of innovation and redesign that gets people excited about change. "Coming from climate mitigation, it was always about what we shouldn't do," Kadner explains. "The positive vision of circular economy—how to do things differently while being innovative—is a much better way to get people into action." This refreshing perspective helped her build the Circular Economy Initiative Germany at Acatech, bringing together over 120 experts to create Germany's first circularity roadmap. Despite this policy success, Kadner grew frustrated with the slow pace of top-down change. Her transition to Unternehmertum, Europe's largest entrepreneurship center, marked a strategic shift toward implementation. As co-founder of Circular Republic, she now focuses on creating lighthouse projects that demonstrate circularity in practice through three pillars: Enable (capacity building), Act (implementation projects), and Inspire (communication). The conversation explores the tensions between pilot projects and scaling, between theory and practice, and between sustainability and geopolitical arguments for circularity. Munich emerges as a uniquely positioned ecosystem for circular innovation, combining manufacturing heritage with startup culture and global corporate presence. What distinguishes Circular Republic is its role as a neutral platform where companies, startups, academics, and policymakers collaborate without prioritizing any single stakeholder's interests. This ecosystem approach addresses the complex, interconnected challenges that no organization can solve alone. Ready to move beyond theory and implement circular solutions in your organization? Connect with Circular Republic to explore how our ecosystem can accelerate your journey toward circularity and resilience. Contact Us This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions! You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show? Contact Carl via LinkedInThanks for listening and keep podcasting!

    37 min
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About

The podcast about understanding, building and managing circular business models - this is the place where we dive deep into the future of business, sustainability, and circular economy. After a decade of entrepreneurial experience as a founder and investor, Carl had countless, meaningful behind-the-scenes conversations about how we can reshape industries, close the loop, and create real impact. And now, we want to bring these conversations to you. On Looped In, Carl sits down with entrepreneurs, business owners, venture capitalists, and policymakers who are at the forefront of change. Together, we’ll explore innovative business models, breakthrough technologies, and the regulations shaping the circular economy.

Information

  • Creator
    Carl Warkentin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 LOOPED IN with Carl Warkentin
  • Show Website
    LOOPED IN with Carl Warkentin