110 Katie Beverley: designing a circular economy

Today we’re catching up with Dr. Katie Beverley. Katie is a Senior Research Officer at PDR International Centre for Design and Research, at Cardiff Metropolitan University. She works with academic partners and the public and private sector, to embed ecodesign, circular economy and sustainable thinking into products and services.

Back in Episode 5, Katie helped us understand more about ecodesign. She describes herself as a ‘critical friend’ of the circular economy, and that feels like a great starting point to explore what’s going well, and what isn’t.

Katie describes herself as a ‘critical friend’ of the circular economy, and that feels like a great starting point to explore what’s going well, and what isn’t.

First, Catherine Weetman sets the scene. What’s wrong with the current system, from the point of view of business and society? Where might organizations be missing out on value, and why? Are people downplaying the risks of carrying on with business as usual? Why do we need a different approach?

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.

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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!
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Katie Beverley on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-beverley-a53576a6/
Katie Beverley in Episode 5: Ecodesign expert Katie Beverley of PDR International Centre for Design and Research tells us how user-centred design and systems thinking helps to design better circular economy and sustainable solutions. https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-5-katie-beverley-ecodesign/
PDR International Centre for Design and Research https://www.pdr-design.com/

Books and people mentioned

The Purpose Upgrade: Change The World To Save Your Business, by Paul Skinner https://www.purposeupgrade.com/
Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, by Paul Hawken https://paulhawken.com/

Guest bio

Katie Beverley is a Senior Research Officer in Ecodesign at PDR, the International Centre for Design Research in Cardiff, Wales. Katie undertakes research, knowledge transfer activities and commercial projects which require the application of design to minimise environmental impact, increase resource efficiency and exploit circular economy opportunities.

Katie holds a PhD in chemistry, which proves useful in facilitating discussions between designers, scientists and technologist, and for understanding opportunities for new materials in the circular economy.

She has worked with policymakers, educators and businesses (including furniture, automotive, energy storage, electronics, sports equipment, fashion and textiles) both in Wales and internationally.

Playlist: getting started with the circular economy…

Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business? Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!)

#1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business.
#2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation.
#90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints).
#101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit.
#120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too.

And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?

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.

Ep 32 Christian van Maaren of Excess Materials Exchange

Episode 32- Christian van Maaren of Excess Materials Exchange

19th July 2020 Circular economy climate exchange procurement resources reuse social value sustainability transparency waste

Christian van Maaren is co-founder of Excess Materials Exchange, based in the Netherlands. Excess Materials Exchange is saving the planet by running a dating site, which at first sounds improbable, and then sounds intriguing! Christian believes the circular economy is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to achieve the Paris climate goals, and we hear how Excess Materials Exchange…

Episode 31 – Tom Fecarotta of Rheaply

5th July 2020 Circular economy close the loop sustainability

Rheaply’s mission is to make the world’s resources more discoverable and transferable through technology. Rheaply combines enterprise asset management with a virtual marketplace, which allows organizations to track inventory and depreciation. It helps people to visualize, quantify and utilize surplus assets, and to offload end-of-life, unwanted assets to organisations that need them. We hear about Rheaply’s core technology, its Asset…

Episode 30 – What have we learned?

21st June 2020 business models Circular economy design Packaging recycling remanufacturing sharing social value sustainability

We review the last 9 episodes, exploring key themes & summarising what we’ve learned. Plus, we hear from Geoff van Sonsbeeck, on womenswear brand Baukjen’s packaging approach. The wonders of online communication mean we’ve been to the United States, Jordan, Uganda, Canada and Ghana in the last nine episodes. We’ve talked to a start-up looking for funding, two social enterprises,…

Episode 29 – Mabel Suglo of Dignified Wear

7th June 2020 Circular economy entrepreneur recovery social value sustainability upcycling

In this episode, we’re talking to Mabel Suglo, the founder of Dignified Wear, a social enterprise in Ghana. It aims to economically empower people with disabilities and rural women through decent jobs. It trains and then employs them to handcraft durable, versatile and fashionable shoes, handbags, locally woven fabrics, clothing and traditional jewellery.

Episode 28 (revised) Chris Diplock – The Thingery

1st June 2020 Circular economy recovery rental sharing social enterprise sustainability

Chris Diplock is the Founder and CEO of The Thingery, the parent organization of neighbourhood Thingery branches, and a leader in Vancouver’s collaborative economy. You could describe the Thingery as a ‘library in a box’ – the box being a shipping container! The containers are solar-powered and so can be sited in disused spaces near the communities that will use…