In this episode, we adventure with the pioneer of zero waste, Catherine Conway. Catherine's is an inspiring story of persistence, commitment, and resilience – values that all founders need. 

Catherine's instincts lead her to be truly collaborative and, like all great impact pioneers, she prioritizes impact and doing the right thing. 

We adventure through circular economy behavior change, collaboration, and policy. We tackle short-termism and explore the need for longer-term thinking.

Together we explore:

• the journey of Catherine's early career
• her path through working with Planet Organic and pioneering zero-waste in-store
•  working with Waitrose and then setting up The Refill Coalition, a mission to transform our retail ecosystem to be zero-waste

Listen to the end to hear Catherine's big dream and where she wants to impact next.

You can read the action takeaways from this episode, comment, co-create future episodes, connect with fellow changemakers, and join us on the journey.

You can visit futureplanet.love to sign in or sign up. Let's get into it.



Who is Catherine Conway


Catherine has always been at the heart of blending business with social responsibility. Her journey through both the private and Third Sectors has been dedicated to this harmony.

With nearly two decades in Corporate Social Responsibility, Catherine saw the plastic problem early on. 

Visionary in her approach, Catherine launched Unpackaged in 2006 — the world's first modern zero-waste shop. This was long before the zero waste and circular economy movements gained traction.

Unpackaged hasn't just been a store; it's revolutionized sustainable, desirable retail. Catherine's drive to develop refill and reuse systems has helped countless businesses make a meaningful difference.

Her passion bridges the corporate and policy-making worlds, tirelessly working to establish reuse projects and shape policies for a thriving reuse economy. 

Where shall we go next, what questions shall we ask? To co-create the podcast with us, connect with fellow change makers in the FuturePlanet community of action, visit www.futureplanet.love to sign in or sign up.