In this episode, we explore topics including life-friendly chemistry, optimising materials using AI, and how we can develop and scale biomaterial use. Alysia Garmulewicz — the Founder of Materiom, and Associate Professor of High Tech Entrepreneurship at the Facultad de Administración y Economía, Universidad de Santiago de Chile — joins us to explain more.

All the food we eat is designed. Food brands and supermarkets design everything we eat — how it looks and tastes, and how good it is for us and for nature. The top ten food brands and supermarkets influence 40% of agricultural land use in the UK and EU — which means they have the power to make nature-positive food the norm. So, what do we mean by ‘regenerative natural systems’ — and how does it tackle global challenges including climate change and biodiversity loss? In this episode, Patrick Holden, Founding Director of the Sustainable Food Trust, joins us to discuss the role of leading food companies in adopting regenerative agricultural practices, the role of farmers, and the role of policy and finance in supporting the scaled transformation towards regenerative farming — plus the need for clear metrics and labelling to help consumers understand how nature-friendly their food is.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that linear supply chains in a linear economy are brittle and vulnerable to shocks. In this episode, Bill McRaith — the former CSO of PVH, the US company that owns fashion brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hifiger — explains how the circular economy offers opportunities to transition from fragile supply chains to more resilient supply ‘lattices.’ Tune in to hear Bill’s advice to companies that are trying to restructure their supply chains — and the change in mindset it requires in global boardrooms.

Why are we still demolishing buildings when we can design for deconstruction? In this episode, Arup structural engineer Grace Di Benedetto explains that we need to change our mindset and recognise buildings as valuable sources of materials rather than rubble. Together, we discuss material passports and the structural engineering opportunities offered by the circular economy.

Renewable energy is vital in order to address climate change, but it’s only half the story. Almost half of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the way we make and use things — we need a circular economy to tackle those emissions and achieve the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. In this episode, Ellen MacArthur is joined by Christiana Figueres, Global Optimism Co-founder and former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Together, they discuss the crucial role of the circular economy in the fight against climate change, financing climate action, Christiana’s role in the Paris Agreement — and why we should be optimistic about the future.

This week, governments from United Nations member states are meeting in Nairobi to negotiate a legally binding UN Treaty on plastic pollution. This is an unprecedented opportunity to build on the already successful voluntary agreements towards a circular economy for plastics The time to act is now. With over two million people, almost 1000 civil society organisations, and over 100 global companies calling for a UN Treaty on plastic pollution, we must seize this opportunity. In this episode, Laura Franco Henao is joined by Eirik Lindebjerg, the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Global Plastic Policy Manager, who has been a key player in the campaign calling for the UN Treaty. Together, they explore what a successful treaty would look like.

High street and online fashion giant H&M Group has big ambitions — to be a circular business by 2025 and climate positive by 2040. But how is it going to get there? In this episode, Head of Sustainability Leyla Ertur explains how the company aims to design all its products for circularity by working with its value chain and suppliers to embed circular business models — discussing both the opportunities and the challenges. She also talks about her personal journey, and the circular economy legacy she would like to leave at H&M.

How can we reimagine and rebuild our towns and cities? In this episode, we talk to Eric Corey Freed, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at CannonDesign and Co-Author of Circular Economy for Dummies, about a key circular economy topic — construction and the built environment. What’s wrong with the way we currently design and construct buildings? And what are the challenges in doing things differently? We discuss how we can learn from nature as a model for construction, and how buildings can regenerate nature as part of a circular economy. Eric explains that it’s time to change the paradigm from construction to prostruction, moving from harmful construction practices to an approach inspired by nature.

“Some people say ‘business is big, that’s not good.’ On the other hand, I’d say that means we can drive scale, we can make meaningful change, and we have the resources to do it.” -Bea Perez, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications, Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships Officer, The Coca Cola Company Operating in more than 200 countries and territories around the world, serving over 1.9 billion drinks every day, The Coca Cola Company has been hugely successful in the linear economy. So what are the challenges in transitioning to a circular way of doing business? In this episode, Bea Perez explains how she joined Coke as a conflicted young adult, only to discover it was her dream job, and discusses the vital role of big business in the global transition to a circular economy. As the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, it has been Bea’s role to drive change at scale within the company for the past decade — and it’s not always an easy job. We discuss how her role has involved challenging the status quo, how the Covid-19 pandemic has curbed progress in reducing the use of virgin plastic, and how far the company has to go to meet its plastic targets. We’ll also learn more about the reusable Universal Bottle, first introduced in Latin America in 2018, and why Bea is optimistic about changing the business for the better.

Big businesses hold the key to promoting action in building a regenerative future. When will we see this action though? In this episode, Seb Egerton-Read takes us back to COP26 where he was in conversation with two key players in the business world. Our guests today are Karrie Denniston, Senior Director of Sustainability at Walmart.org, and Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo. Karrie tells us why she chose to pursue a career with Walmart.org in order to achieve that opportunity for impact. We will also tackle that question you’re probably asking now; how can a company thriving in the linear economy, possibly become regenerative? Jim will run us through how PepsiCo is much more than a one-product brand. We’ll also hear about the Pepsi Positive and the NFL Trash Talk campaigns that PepsiCo is working on.