Susanne Kadner's journey from climate science to circular economy pioneer reveals a profound shift in how we approach environmental challenges. Rather than focusing on restrictions, circular economy offers a positive vision of innovation and redesign that gets people excited about change.

"Coming from climate mitigation, it was always about what we shouldn't do," Kadner explains. "The positive vision of circular economy—how to do things differently while being innovative—is a much better way to get people into action." This refreshing perspective helped her build the Circular Economy Initiative Germany at Acatech, bringing together over 120 experts to create Germany's first circularity roadmap.

Despite this policy success, Kadner grew frustrated with the slow pace of top-down change. Her transition to Unternehmertum, Europe's largest entrepreneurship center, marked a strategic shift toward implementation. As co-founder of Circular Republic, she now focuses on creating lighthouse projects that demonstrate circularity in practice through three pillars: Enable (capacity building), Act (implementation projects), and Inspire (communication).

The conversation explores the tensions between pilot projects and scaling, between theory and practice, and between sustainability and geopolitical arguments for circularity. Munich emerges as a uniquely positioned ecosystem for circular innovation, combining manufacturing heritage with startup culture and global corporate presence.

What distinguishes Circular Republic is its role as a neutral platform where companies, startups, academics, and policymakers collaborate without prioritizing any single stakeholder's interests. This ecosystem approach addresses the complex, interconnected challenges that no organization can solve alone.

Ready to move beyond theory and implement circular solutions in your organization? Connect with Circular Republic to explore how our ecosystem can accelerate your journey toward circularity and resilience.

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Lisa Morales-Hellebo takes us on a captivating journey from her DIY beginnings in the Bronx to becoming a pioneering force in reshaping global supply chains. Her story reveals how necessity and curiosity led her through roles in design, tech startups, and eventually to founding Refashion Ventures – a fund uniquely positioned to transform how we think about manufacturing and materials.

After experiencing firsthand the challenges of being a Latina woman raising capital in the male-dominated tech world, Lisa chose a different path. Rather than following traditional venture capital models, she built a community-first approach that now connects over 5,000 members across 148 countries. This network became the foundation for a distinctive investment strategy focused on localization, circularity, and distributed manufacturing.

What sets Lisa's approach apart is her hands-on involvement with portfolio companies. She shares a remarkable example of helping Mothership Materials – a company that can extract valuable biomolecules from waste – pivot from beauty ingredients to becoming "the unlock for the bioeconomy." By reframing their story and connecting them directly with major corporations, she helped generate a $100 million pipeline in just weeks, demonstrating how venture capital can create value beyond simply writing checks.

The conversation explores why national security concerns and resource constraints may ultimately drive supply chain transformation more effectively than sustainability goals alone. As global competition for raw materials intensifies, technologies that can extract value from waste streams or create bio-based alternatives to petroleum products become strategically essential, not just environmentally desirable.

For entrepreneurs working in industrial transformation, Lisa offers invaluable guidance: deeply understand your customers' challenges, embrace the messiness of working with small businesses, and design technologies that feel like "magic" rather than homework. The future belongs not to those building one-size-fits-all AI solutions, but to those who can build trust with the businesses that collectively drive 70% of our economy.

Curious about transforming supply chains or the future of materials? Book office hours through Refashion Ventures' website and tap into Lisa's wealth of knowledge and connections.

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What if the most sustainable business model was also the most profitable? In this eye-opening conversation with Mazze Ballweg, we dive deep into why circular economy has evolved from an environmental nice-to-have to an economic imperative for businesses across Europe.

Mazze takes us on his journey from traditional consulting at McKinsey and strategy work at Volkswagen to the moment sustainability "hit him" in 2019, prompting his career pivot toward circularity. With refreshing clarity, he explains why material circularity tackles multiple planetary boundaries simultaneously - revealing how 90% of biodiversity loss and 50% of climate impacts stem from material extraction and processing.

The heart of our discussion centers on CIRCULAR REPUBLIC's groundbreaking work transforming supply chains by connecting large corporations with innovative startups. Their battery recycling pilot perfectly exemplifies this approach: combining startups specializing in reverse logistics, automated disassembly, and advanced recycling technologies to create a more profitable alternative to traditional processes. This isn't just theory - it's practical implementation that's changing how businesses operate.

What makes this conversation particularly compelling is Mazze's economic framing of circularity. "No one needs to care about planetary health to invest in circular economy - the business case alone is compelling," he explains. As global supply chains fragment and resource security becomes increasingly uncertain, circular approaches like urban mining and regenerative materials become essential for Europe's competitiveness.

Whether you're a business leader seeking new opportunities, an entrepreneur developing circular solutions, or simply curious about how our economy is evolving, this episode offers valuable insights into how circularity is reshaping business models across industries. Listen now to understand why circular economy isn't just good for the planet - it's vital for future business success.

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