Skip to content

101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit!

Circular Economy Podcast - episode 101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit!

Catherine Weetman says “episode 101 seems like a good time to update my ‘what is the circular economy’ summary from Episode 1, back in 2019.

In that first episode, I outlined the 5 components in my CE Framework, one of the core themes in A CE Handbook. Those 5 components are product design, safe, sustainable materials, circular processes, recovery flows, and business models.  I see these as the intervention points in value chains, the places where you can start to develop circular solutions, so you get more value from less resources, and you eliminate the concept of waste. 

For businesses, it’s often easier to start with strategy, and so when I talk to organisations today, I focus on 3 simple strategies that are better for people, planet, and profit. To unpack that a bit, these strategies make positive impacts for sustainability and create more value for all your stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders – and, crucially, for future generations. If you like, these 3 strategies target the sweetspot between sustainability and stakeholder value.

Today, we’ll explore those strategies and unpack some of the ways they create value – financial benefits, improving resilience, reducing risk – and providing solutions your customers will love.”

Podcast host Catherine Weetman is a circular economy business advisor, workshop facilitator, speaker and writer.  Her award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Catherine founded Rethink Global in 2013, to help businesses use circular, sustainable approaches to build a better business (and a better world).

Stay in touch for free insights and updates… 

Read on for a summary of the podcast and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

 Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox…

You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences.

Links we mention in the episode:

  • A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) and you can use discount code CIRCL20 to get 20% off. It’s available in paperback, ebook and Kindle. If you buy it from online sources, make sure you choose the new edition with an orange cover!
  • Sign up to get the podcast player and shownotes for each new episode emailed to your inbox

Sarah Archer Social Media & Website Links:

Resources we mentioned…

Catherine was interviewed by Sarah Archer

Speaking is the most powerful marketing and motivational tool, and we use it everywhere in business, from pitches to presentations … but people often make mistakes that can sabotage their success, and that’s what Sarah Archer helps you avoid, so that you can get more success when you talk. 

Sarah is on a mission to show authors, experts, coaches and aspiring change makers how to create a signature talk that uses stories to get more compliments and conversions. This is so that you can have more impact, invitations and income as a speaker – in a way that aligns to your values and without losing your personality! 

Sarah is a speaking and marketing coach, writer, comedian, performer, ex-HR Director, and host of The Speaking Club Podcast, (which is in the top 1.5% of podcasts and in over 190 countries). This mix means she is uniquely qualified to teach you how to create content that makes your audience stop, engage and fall in love with your message.

Interview Transcript

Click here to open the transcript…

Want to dig deeper?

Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy.  Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable. 

Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email

Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’.  Or, follow them on Twitter.

Ep72 Gavin Fernie-Jones One Tree at a Time

Episode 72 Gavin Fernie-Jones is repurposing outdoor gear, One Tree at a Time

Gavin Fernie-Jones founded One Tree at a Time, an amazing circular social enterprise for outdoor gear and ski-wear, sharing value with the community and nature. Living in the Alps, Gavin has seen for himself the impact global warming has had in the mountains he calls home. He’s always loved the outdoors, having grown up living in an outdoor centre, but…
Ep71 Rob Thompson – Scaling Up Circular Marine Plastic

Episode 71 Rob Thompson – scaling up circular marine plastic solutions

Odyssey Innovation collects and recycles marine plastic into kayaks and other products. In 2020, we heard about the UK south-west coast operations – now it is expanding, with the Net Generation Scheme - helping the fishing industry, local government and lots of other stakeholders to create a scalable circular solution to reduce marine plastics. This is something that could expand…
Ep69 Jo Godden RubyMoon’s R&D

Episode 69 Jo Godden of RubyMoon – circular fibres for activewear

RubyMoon, based in Brighton in the UK, is already using recycled fibres from Ocean Plastics to make its active wear products, and now wants to go further through research projects that overcome the technical challenges of recovering and recycling the kind of textiles commonly used in swimwear. Jo explains that this project focuses on two key fabric elements, Nylon 6…
Ep68 Kresse Wesling – Elvis & Kresse

Episode 68 Kresse Wesling – Elvis & Kresse – luxury products from discarded materials

Kresse Wesling, CBE, is a multi-award winning environmental entrepreneur. After first meeting the London Fire Brigade in 2005, Kresse launched Elvis & Kresse, which rescues and transforms decommissioned fire hose into innovative lifestyle products and returns 50% of profits to the Fire Fighters Charity.The company now collects 12 different waste streams and has several charitable partnerships and collaborations across a…

Leave a Reply