Circularity.fm

How can rooftop extensions create housing that is ecologically regenerative, socially valuable, and profitable? In this episode of circularity.fm, Dirk Hengst, founder of Denk.mal.Bau., and Lewin Fricke from TRIQBRIQ talk about their rooftop extension project in Dresden. The conversation covers: • The project's economic, social, and environmental dimensions. • Material choices designed for a healthy, low-carbon home. • How construction can support rooftop extensions, renovation, adaptive reuse, and dismantling for reuse. You’ll gain insight into the additional benefits of this approach to construction, as well as the challenges involved. This is the second episode of our Rooftop Extension series.

What is the business case for rooftop extensions? Thijs Müller, Co-founder of Creative City Solutions, and Didier Mignery, Founder of UpFactor, explain how adding housing on top of existing buildings can address several challenges at once: housing shortages, energy renovation and urban land use. This episode covers: • When rooftop extensions make economic sense, and the technical, regulatory and financial complexities involved • How revenue from additional homes can help finance energy renovations and upgrades to existing buildings • The advantages of modular timber construction and designing for deconstruction The episode also looks at the potential scale of rooftop extensions, and the role of regulation, data and stakeholder engagement in making them more viable and scalable. This is the first episode of the “Rooftop Extension” series.

What are the system-wide recommendations for Germany’s Textile EPR scheme to influence companies' design and portfolio decisions? Carina Hofmann-Wellenhof talks about CIRCULAR REPUBLIC’s System Design Report for Germany’s textile EPR, developed with 20 organisations and more than 50 stakeholders across the textile value chain. She explains the main recommendations for designing the system, from the structure of PROs to eco-modulation and recycling incentives. What you'll hear in this episode: -Why Germany should combine competing PROs with centralised functions -Recycling quotas and content targets for textile-to-textile recycling -How eco-modulation, collection and R&D funding could influence the development of a more circular textile system This conversation also looks at the role of EU-level harmonisation, the economics of virgin materials and the next steps in Germany’s legislative process. This is the final episode of the Textile EPR series.

Will the EPR regulation create incentives for a more circular textile industry? Alexander Sustal, Lawyer at Redeker Sellner Dahs, explains how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will change the economics of textile collection, sorting and recycling in Germany. The episode covers the status quo, the actors and financing flows an EPR scheme introduces, and the wider legal questions an EPR scheme raises. What you'll hear in this episode: • How the current market based system for used textiles is financed, why it is under pressure, and what an EPR scheme changes about who carries responsibility and who pays. • The roles of producers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), registries and supervising authorities, and how fees are collected, calculated and distributed among them. • Why eco modulation links fees to eco design criteria such as durability, repairability and recycled content, and why the level of the fees may matter as much as the criteria themselves. The episode also covers end of waste criteria, and harmonisation across Member States.

How can Europe build a commercially viable circular textile system? In this episode, Louisa Hoyes, who has worked on building up textile circularity for the past 7 years, explains why building a circular textile system requires much more than advances in recycling technology. What you'll hear in this episode: • Why collection, sorting and recycling should be designed as one connected value chain rather than separate industries. • The commercial challenges of scaling textile circularity, including infrastructure investment, feedstock quality, demand for recycled fibres, and business model innovation. • How Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can accelerate investment, improve traceability, and support fibre-to-fibre recycling. The episode also covers emerging recycling technologies, collaboration across the textile value chain, and the expected timeline for scaling Europe's textile circularity infrastructure.