Plastic. Climate. Future‪.‬ Mat Wielopolski & John Sewell

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.

In our latest podcast episode, we headed towards the United Kingdom, and had a lovely chat (over tea) with Adam Herriott from WRAP, a circular economy expert, to discuss the pressing issues surrounding sustainability. Adam brought a wealth of knowledge and insights from his role at WRAP, where their main vision is to work towards a thriving world where climate change is no longer a problem.

One key theme that emerged from our conversation was the shift from a linear economy to a circular one. Adam emphasized the importance of rethinking our approach to consumption and waste management. Rather than viewing items as disposable, he advocated for a paradigm shift towards viewing consumers as custodians of resources, responsible for their lifecycle from acquisition to disposal.
Adam highlighted WRAP's integral role in driving collaboration across various sectors to achieve sustainability goals. From working with retailers to redesign packaging for recyclability to supporting local authorities in optimizing recycling collections, WRAP's multifaceted approach underscores the importance of collective action in creating systemic change.
Furthermore, Adam provided valuable insights into WRAP's diverse team and the range of expertise contributing to their initiatives. From plastics experts to water management specialists, WRAP's interdisciplinary approach underscores the holistic nature of sustainability efforts, encompassing areas such as food waste reduction, textiles, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Feel free to check out the work of WRAP at www.wrap.org.uk and feel free to contact Adam Herriot in LinkedIn.

In this week's podcast episode, we had the privilege of speaking with Victor Préaux, a passionate advocate for environmental sustainability and a project manager at Waste Free Oceans, a nonprofit organization tackling plastic pollution by cleaning up debris and transforming it into new materials. The conversation covered a range of topics, from the innovative ways they're giving plastic a second life to the importance of raising awareness.

While cleanups are a crucial part of their mission, Victor emphasized that Waste Free Oceans sees itself as more than just a collection service. They play a key role in connecting different partners in the waste management chain. This includes recyclers, waste collectors, and even brands looking for sustainable materials. By facilitating these connections, Waste Free Oceans hopes to create a more circular system for plastic, where waste becomes a valuable resource.
Moreover, the role of education and awareness-raising was also discussed. Waste Free Oceans has developed educational games and children's books to teach younger generations about recycling and the environmental impact of plastic.
Finally, the discussion also touched on Waste Free Oceans' evolving goals, as they aim to increase their influence in policymaking and partner with the public sector, with the aim of creating effective regulations and economic incentives that promote waste reduction and a more sustainable approach to plastic use.
If you're interested in getting involved with Waste Free Oceans, reach them through their social media or their website to volunteer or participate in discussions. Additionally, on the 17th of march of 2024, as part of the SURPASS project, WFO will organize a cleanup event in Brussels.

This episode features a discussion with Verena Keller from UVEX, a company known for its consumer sports brand and B2B brand specializing in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Verena is the head of strategic sustainability development within the Department of Strategic Innovation Solutions. Her role involves supporting product teams, marketing, and sales, especially with the increasing customer interest in sustainability and circularity.

The conversation delves into Verena's unusual background in English and economics, her decade-long experience in the textile industry, and her focus on sports and outdoor brands. She emphasizes the importance of sustainability in natural materials and the complexity of transparent supply chains in textile manufacturing. Verena's entry into sustainability was gradual and unplanned, stemming from her sales and marketing roles and the desire to communicate effectively and drive change.

We also touch upon the need for consumer education and the use of concrete sustainability measures like CO2 product footprint and discuss the challenges of making circularity understandable and actionable for consumers, as well as the importance of including the use phase of products in sustainability considerations.

Finally, we examine sustainable material innovations, including long-lasting high-quality plastics, chemical recycling, and bio-based materials. Verena tells us a bit more about mass balancing as a bridge technology but acknowledges the challenges in explaining its concept to consumers.

In our latest podcast episode, we delved into the intricate world of sustainability in the chemical value chain with no other than Dr. Christian Krüger, Head of Global Advocacy and Sustainability Chemical Recycling at BASF. And, as Christian’s position already suggests, we do not miss to speak about chemical recycling and the ominous process of mass balancing. In case, you always wondered what this means, this episode offers an exclusive expert’s explanation from Christian and Mesbah.
Dr. Christian Krüger also highlights several achievements from BASF in the field of life cycle assessment (LCA) and chemical innovation to replace hundreds of thousands of tons of fossil-based ingredients for renewable carbon sources, applying BASF’s certified biomass balance approach.
As Christian emphasizes, we need more scalable technologies to tackle Europe’s 30 million tons of plastic waste and explore alternatives for sustainability-focused energy generation.
Our discussion also touches upon the global impact of the textile industry and how innovations in smaller-scale facilities strategically position themselves in regions with strong customer demand but a shortage of infrastructure, enabling contributions from regions like Africa and Southeast Asia to the sustainable textile movement.

Finally, the episode also offers valuable insights how a company like Vaude is pushing the boundaries in textile innovation in the evolving landscape of sustainable textile technologies.

In the latest episode of our new series with Circularise, we had the pleasure to speak to René Bethmann from Vaude. He shares profound insights about the material challenges and polymer innovations shaping the future of sustainable textiles. Especially interesting is the emphasized the distinction between true and visible sustainability, which highlights the role of certifications in building trust supply chains but also among brands and their customers.

Regarding certifications, despite the hurdles and price tags attached, René shared an optimistic outlook on imminent regulations that make certifications mandatory for products entering the European market, facilitating the prevention of greenwashing and standardizing sustainable practices across the industry.
Our discussion also touches upon the global impact of the textile industry and how innovations in smaller-scale facilities strategically position themselves in regions with strong customer demand but a shortage of infrastructure, enabling contributions from regions like Africa and Southeast Asia to the sustainable textile movement.

Finally, the episode also offers valuable insights how a company like Vaude is pushing the boundaries in textile innovation in the evolving landscape of sustainable textile technologies.