How can we create a business case for restoring nature instead of exploiting it? In this episode, Thomas Norman from EcoTree explains how to turn environmental action from a cost into an asset by making people actual owners of trees. Inspired by Denmark's successful bottle recycling system that achieves 92% return rates through financial incentives, Norman shows how this approach can be applied to forestry by allowing individuals and companies to buy trees and claim both environmental benefits and future timber revenues. In his keynote, you'll hear more about the financial incentives that drive environmental behavior, tree ownership as an investment model, and market-based solutions for scaling sustainable forestry initiatives. Norman also explores how capitalism's core concepts like property law and market mechanisms can democratise nature investment and scale conservation efforts. Recorded live at the LOOP Forum 2025, this episode features key insights and ideas from this year's leading Nordic conference on circularity.
How can a global company cut emissions while growing their business by 37%? In this episode, Katrine Grytter, Corporate Affairs Director at Mars Incorporated, shares how the company is working toward net zero while expanding their business. Mars has reduced emissions by 23% since 2018 while growing sales significantly, showcasing that sustainability and growth can work together. Grytter explains Mars's approach to net zero planning, from measuring emissions across their entire value chain to setting milestone targets every five years. She discusses the challenges of working with suppliers and partners to reduce emissions beyond their direct operations, and how they integrate sustainability into leadership bonuses. Her keynote explores net zero strategy development, value chain partnerships, milestone-based planning, and linking sustainability performance to business incentives. This episode is part of our series on the LOOP Forum 2025 highlights, bringing you the key ideas and insights from this year's leading Nordic event on circularity. Listen to hear practical insights from one of the world's largest food companies on their net zero journey.
What happens when businesses destroy the very resources they depend on to survive? In this episode, biologist and radio host Alexander Holm explains the biodiversity crisis and reveals how industries are systematically eliminating themselves through overexploitation of natural resources. Nature provides essential services like cleaning water, holding soil together, and pollinating crops that would cost trillions to replace. Holm shows how Amazon beef production is destroying the rainfall it needs, fisheries have collapsed from overfishing, and farms are degrading their own soil. His keynote explores what biodiversity actually means, the free ecosystem services nature provides, and practical solutions for sustainable resource use without reducing living standards. This episode is part of our series on the LOOP Forum 2025 highlights, bringing you the key ideas and insights from this year's leading Nordic event on circularity.
How can conversation become a real driver of circular transformation? In this episode, George Marshall explains why conversations are central to circular change and how to design them to build trust, reach across difference, and motivate action. Circular economy strategies often focus on systems and structures but lasting change only happens when people connect new behaviors to their own identity and values. Without shared understanding and engagement, technical solutions risk staying at the surface. Recorded live at the LOOP Forum 2025, his keynote explores how businesses can move beyond top-down messaging to create real dialogue that activates people at every level of an organisation. This episode is part of our series on the LOOP Forum 2025 highlights, bringing you the key ideas and insights from this year’s leading Nordic event on circularity.
What does it take to build truly regenerative economies? Circularity is not just about recycling or material flows. It also requires transforming how we use land, manage ecosystems, and design business models that work with and not against the biosphere. In this episode, speakers explore how to move beyond technical fixes and address the broader environmental and economic systems that shape regeneration. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Michael Obersteiner from the University of Oxford and Miki Yokoyama from Aurum Impact to share perspectives on what it takes to turn regenerative economy concepts into practical strategies. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
Do we really understand the value of product passports? As regulations like the Digital Product Passport take shape, many companies are focused on compliance. But the deeper question is whether we are using product data strategically: across lifecycles, across systems, and for actual circular value creation. In this episode, speakers explore how data can move beyond reporting requirements to become a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and business model transformation in the circular economy. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Susanne Kadner from CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, Tilmann Vahle from Quantis, Pascal Köhler from ebm-papst, and Caroline Cassignol from Siemens to discuss how data availability, transparency, and intellectual property concerns intersect with real circular impact. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
Can robotics make large-scale disassembly a reality for the circular economy? Automated disassembly is emerging as a key enabler for circular strategies such as repair, remanufacturing, and high-quality recycling. But turning this vision into scalable practice requires technical integration, economic viability, and alignment across industries. In this episode, speakers from robotics, recycling, and research explore how automation technologies can extend product lifecycles, reduce waste, and unlock new efficiencies in resource use. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Fridolin Franke from SOLAR MATERIALS, Rebecca Zhu from Circu Li-ion, Tobias Ortmaier from voraus robotik, and José Saenz from Fraunhofer IFF to discuss the role of robotics in enabling circularity through disassembly. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
How can the chemical industry become a driving force for a circular economy? From molecular design to large-scale production, the chemical sector underpins nearly every material stream in the global economy. But transforming it for circularity means rethinking not just processes, but business models, regulation, and collaboration between industry and science. In this episode, speakers from startups, corporates, and research institutions share what it will take to reshape chemistry for a circular future across materials, markets, and supply chains. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Manuel Häußler from Aevoloop, Gerben Meier from LyondellBasell, Christian Schiller from Cirplus, and Peter Seeberger from CTC. The discussion was moderated by Leonhard Nima from Studio Nima. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
What does it really take to build a successful textile recommerce model? Product lifetime extension and recommerce are widely seen as pillars of a circular economy, but moving beyond pilot projects requires more than ambition. Brands must confront operational, financial, and customer-facing challenges to scale recommerce in a way that delivers both impact and profit. In this episode, speakers from fashion, outdoor gear, and platform services share practical insights on what works, what stalls, and what it takes to grow textile recommerce models at scale. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Christina Rosenberg from HUGO BOSS, Carl Warkentin from CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, Jens Oellrich from Bergzeit, Matt Peterson from Gore, and Max Grosse Lutermann from Trove to explore the barriers and enablers of circular resale strategies. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
Is circularity the next frontier for German engineering? From industrial automation to in-vehicle electronics, high-performance systems depend on complex, globally sourced materials. This creates serious challenges for sustainability and supply security - but also opens new opportunities for circular strategies that extend product lifespans and recover critical resources. In this episode, speakers from manufacturing, mobility, and tech explore how German industry can integrate circularity into core business functions including R&D, procurement, and governance. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Ansgar Kriwet from Festo, Eva Riesenhuber from Siemens, Patric Tullio from BMW Group, Lukas Biedermann from SPARETECH, and Niclas-Alexander Mauss from CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to discuss what circular electronics and automation could mean for the future of German engineering. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
How can Germany design a workable EPR scheme for textiles? With Extended Producer Responsibility approaching, the textile sector in Germany faces increasing pressure to develop systems that are both legally compliant and operationally feasible. But turning regulation into practice requires coordination across brands, recyclers, and service providers. In this episode, speakers from across the textile sector explore how to create an EPR framework that can function in real market conditions and deliver measurable impact. Recorded live at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025, the panel brought together Steffen Gerlach of eeden, Julia Haas of Interzero, Marie Nawrocki of Decathlon, Sophie Herrmann of SYSTEMIQ, and Carl Warkentin of CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to discuss the legal, logistical, and strategic dimensions of EPR for textiles. This episode is part of our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
Are we truly shifting beyond the linear economy or just circling around it? Despite growing pressure on natural systems and the depletion of critical resources, the shift toward a circular economy remains slow and complex. While pioneering efforts have demonstrated circular potential, questions persist about whether we are replacing the linear model or simply repackaging it. In this episode, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, former Co-President of the Club of Rome, stresses the need for systemic change to address both environmental collapse and social injustice. Following her keynote at the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC Festival 2025, she joined Jocelyn Blériot, Executive Lead for Policy and Institutions at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, for a panel discussion moderated by Niclas-Alexander Mauss. Together, they explored what is holding back the circular transition, from cost structures to deeply embedded incentives for extraction. This episode is the first in our CIRCULAR REPUBLIC Festival 2025 series, created in partnership with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC to bring you the key debates and insights from this year’s festival.
Why is design still overlooked in Germany’s circular economy events? Most circular economy events in Germany focus on engineering, technology and economic policy. But design, where 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined, rarely takes center stage. In this episode, Bernd Müller, Director of Relations and Sustainability at the German Design Council, explains why they created the Circular Design Summit to change that. He shares how the summit brings together companies, designers and other departments to work on circularity from the start of the product lifecycle. Bernd reflects on the value of collaboration, and why both design and business need to evolve together. He also points to upcoming trends like repair, resale and the search for scalable materials. This episode is part of Circular Design Summit in cooperation with the German Design Council.
This episode is a recorded panel session from the Circular Design Summit 2025 explores how design can accelerate the shift toward a circular economy by rethinking roles, materials, and systems. Moderated by Karel J. Golta, the conversation brings together perspectives from Kathie Morgenroth (Google), Steffen Erath (Hansgrohe), and Markus Kühlert (Wuppertal Institute). The panelists discuss the need for transdisciplinary collaboration, integration of compliance into early-stage design, and redefining what it means to be a designer in the context of sustainability. From hardware-software integration to product-as-a-service models, the discussion highlights how circularity requires embedding longevity, repairability, and desirability into the entire product experience. This episode is part of the Circular Design Summit series, a Circularity.fm series in collaboration with the German Design Council.
How can design help tackle the global e-waste challenge? In this episode, Katie Morgenroth, Head of Sustainable Design at Google, explains how her team works across hardware products like Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit to reduce environmental impact. She shares Google's approach to using recycled materials in metals and textiles, extending software support to make devices last longer, and developing 100% plastic-free packaging. Katie describes the collaborative work with engineers, materials scientists, and supply chain teams needed to redesign products for repairability and durability, and emphasizes the value of sharing design guides and learnings openly. She also talks about using storytelling and exhibitions to make circular design visible, and why embracing “progress over perfection” is essential for industry-wide change. This episode is part of the Circular Design Summit series, a Circularity.fm series in collaboration with the German Design Council.
Regeneration is gaining traction, but what does it take to finance and scale truly regenerative businesses? In this episode, Alessa Berg, founder of Top Tier Impact, explains why regeneration requires a systemic mindset, how financial instruments can support regenerative models, and what founders need to consider before taking funding. Alessa shares practical distinctions between debt, grants, equity, and blended finance, and advises founders to get clear on their long-term vision before choosing a path. She explains how regenerative VC funds differ from traditional ones in capital structure, return expectations, and alignment with impact. The conversation also highlights overlooked local opportunities for regeneration, especially in Europe, and challenges in shifting global supply chains.
What does it take to secure funding for asset-heavy, circular startups? In this episode, Jakob Röskamp, CFO at Traceless Materials, shares how customer validation builds investor confidence, why off-take agreements are key to de-risking CapEx-heavy models, and how combining equity, debt, and grants can reduce the cost of capital. While this series looks at how VCs select circular startups, it’s equally important to understand how startups choose their investors. Jakob shares practical insights on what that process looks like from the startup side. He also talks about Traceless’s approach to lifecycle assessments, as well as managing complexity when scaling a circular solution in the real world.
How can purpose-driven founders and investors work together to build the solutions our economy urgently needs? Many startups are building solutions that target the root causes of today’s biggest challenges. But purpose-driven angel investors still have to evaluate each team individually, making it hard to fund impact at scale. In this episode, Tina Dreimann, founder of better ventures, explains how her network connects founders and investors to systematically change our economy towards impact and return. Tina also points out the principle of integral investing, where revenue and impact grow together. She shares how startups and established companies can form a symbiosis: combining entrepreneurial startup speed with corporate scale to shift entire value chains. Tina also advises founders to prioritise team strength and early customer validation. This episode is part of VC for Circularity - the Venture Capital Perspective on Circular Economy Startups.
What will it take to recover more critical materials when demand is growing and recovery systems aren’t keeping up? With the growing deployment of solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and data centers, demand for metals and minerals is rising fast. But current systems for recovering and reusing these materials are limited, inefficient, or missing entirely. In this episode, Aly Bryan, Senior Member of the investment team at Closed Loop Partners’ Venture Group, explains why critical materials have become a central topic in the circular economy. She introduces the concepts of small-loop and large-loop circularity, discusses the role of modular recovery infrastructure, and shares why relying on large, centralized processing facilities may no longer be the most effective approach. Aly also explores how circular startups can work within existing supply chains and why reverse logistics is essential to making recovery work at scale. This episode is part of VC for Circularity - the Venture Capital Perspective on Circular Economy Startups.
What does it take for circular and impact-driven startups to raise funding from VCs? In this episode, Charlotte Lafont, Principal at Ring Capital, explains how funds can integrate impact into every stage of the investment process, from evaluating impact intentionality to setting KPIs that are audited and tied to carried interest. Charlotte highlights what circular founders need to demonstrate to attract funding: strong product–market fit, alignment with existing value chains, and the ability to scale beyond niche markets. This episode is part of VC for Circularity - the Venture Capital Perspective on Circular Economy Startups.