Business Pickup
What if your waste stream is your next product line? We sit down with Andrew Telfer of the Circular Innovation Council to unpack how companies of every shape—juice makers, door manufacturers, and tool brands—are finding profit and resilience through circular thinking. The conversation moves beyond buzzwords into concrete examples: dehydrating juice pulp to cut freight and fuel new foods, turning wood offcuts into an entry-priced door line, and building product-as-a-service models that keep tools in circulation and customers equipped when they need it most.
We share simple ways to start—ask frontline teams where waste occurs, fix root causes, and then move methodically from reduce to reuse to recycle or upcycle. Along the way, we connect circularity to climate impact, highlighting how extending product life retains embodied carbon and reduces reliance on virgin materials. The payoff isn’t theoretical: shorter supply chains lower risk, new revenue streams diversify income, and visible progress engages customers, regulators, and staff. You’ll hear how industrial symbiosis pairs unexpected partners, like onion ring offcuts feeding nearby broth makers, and why local loops are a competitive edge in a shaky economy.
This conversation is designed for leaders who want action, not slogans. You’ll leave with a practical checklist: map material flows, pick one high-impact waste stream, run the three-step playbook, and explore models like subscription and repair to keep assets working longer. If you’re ready to bend your operations from linear to circular and make those wins durable, you’re in the right place.
If this sparked an idea for your team, follow the show, share it with a colleague who owns operations or supply chain, and leave a review with the one waste stream you’ll tackle first.