HappyPorch Radio: Circular Economy & Technology
The Circular Economy technology podcast that explores how technology can enable the transition to a circular economy. As we face major global issues such as climate change, waste crises, and biodiversity loss, it's clear that the traditional linear economy needs to change. We must transform how we manage resources, make and use products, and deal with materials at the end of their life. A circular economy offers part of the solution, and technology can help make it a reality. Join the podcast to hear from leading experts and digital leaders about the role of technology, software, and digital in achieving a circular transformation. Learn about the latest developments in circularity and how they can be implemented in real-world contexts. Together, we can work towards a more sustainable future. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Episodes
You drop off your engagement ring to be repaired. You get a handwritten paper ticket. No confirmation, no updates, no idea when it's coming back. For something with that much value, it's a stressful experience. And for everyday items, that same friction is often enough to make people skip the repair and buy new instead.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Emily Watts, founder and CEO of Coblr, a company bui...
What happens when unwanted laptops and phones become more than just an e-waste problem?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Elaine Brown, Chief Executive of The Edinburgh Remakery, a social enterprise and charity working at the intersection of technology reuse, repair and community support.
The Remakery takes unwanted technology from businesses, securely wipes and refurbishes it, and gives it a second life w...
The tailoring workforce in the US has been shrinking for decades. And the ones that remain aren't easy to find or get an appointment with.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Robin Atkinson and Cash Acrey, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Upkept, an online clothing repair platform based in Northwest Arkansas. You mail in clothes you want fixed, they repair them in a centralised facility, and they send th...
Most commercial kitchens have no clear picture of what they are throwing away, when, or why.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Anastasia Dellis, CEO of Orbisk, a platform that uses AI and computer vision to make food waste visible in commercial kitchens. The Orbi monitor sits above a waste bin, captures every item discarded, recognises over 800 ingredients, and feeds it all into a dashboard that tells che...
The same handbag. Thirty different platforms. Hundreds of dollars between listings. And no way to know what it's actually worth.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Chris Lucas, founder and CEO of Secondsense, a platform that aggregates luxury resale listings from over 30 vendors, normalises their attributes, and tells consumers what a product is really trading at. Chris describes it as the Google Flights f...
Technology isn't magic. And neither is the bin, even though most of us treat it like one.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Tom Passmore, CIO and co-founder of Dsposal, a company that has spent a decade building technology for the UK waste sector. Tom has a vivid way of describing the core problem: the moment someone decides they don't want something, it's dead to them. All the nostalgia, all the value, g...
Technology isn't magic. But sometimes dropping your spoon in a bowl of soup during a pandemic leads you somewhere extraordinary.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Thierry Sanders, founder of Kolekt, a platform connecting waste collectors, buy-back centres, and recyclers across the Global South. Thierry's background spans fintech, microfinance, and living in developing countries from Ecuador to Pakistan to...
Technology isn't magic. And neither, it turns out, is circular strategy.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O'Kane speaks with Amelia Woodley, a sustainability leader with 25 years of cross-sector experience, and Vin Sharma, a researcher whose doctoral work examined why the social dimension of circular economy so often gets left behind.
Amelia introduces her "logic versus magic" framework: the logic side covers strategy, syst...
Technology isn’t magic. And neither is circularity.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Lieke van Kerkhoven, co-founder of Green Pulse.
Lieke explains how Green Pulse is helping hospitals extend the life of medical equipment by connecting them with a global network of buyers. The platform combines logistics, marketplace dynamics, and technology to make reuse viable in a complex and highly regulat...
Technology isn’t magic. It does not fix a fragmented circular economy on its own.
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with David Watson, founder of Circular Connect.
David explains how Circular Connect developed from a newsletter into a platform that helps circular businesses become more visible and easier to connect with.
They discuss the practical challenges of scaling circularity, including fragment...
What if repair wasn’t an afterthought, but a core part of how fashion works?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Nancy Rhodes, CEO of Alternew, a platform embedding tailoring and repair into the shopping experience.
Nancy shares how her experience in the fashion industry led her to rethink the role of care and repair, not just as a sustainability initiative, but as a way to improve customer relat...
Circular economy platforms promise simple solutions to complex problems, but what does it actually take to make them work in practice?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Cathy Benwell, co-founder of A Good Thing, a nonprofit platform helping businesses donate surplus items to charities in their local communities.
Cathy shares the journey of building A Good Thing from scratch, including the early chall...
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is rapidly expanding into the textile industry, but how will it actually work in practice, and how can brands prepare?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, Barry O’Kane speaks with Gerrard Fisher, co-founder of WEFT, a company helping brands understand the circularity of their products and prepare for future EPR systems.
Gerrard explains how eco-modulation could link the design of products...
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, hosts Barry O’Kane and Jo Weston talk with Frans Biegstraaten, co-founder of BIYU, a modular rental, subscription and PAAS platform helping businesses build circular systems that scale.
BIYU started as a consumer rental service in Amsterdam, offering same-day delivery on everything from drills to electric bikes. When the business had to pivot, Frans and his team transformed their operationa...
What if attending a wedding, gala, or an important event didn’t mean buying something new, but instead allowed you to rent a designer-quality outfit?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio we are joined by Büsra Zanner, the founder of Wearr. Wearr is a German-based startup reinventing circular fashion rental for special occasions.
Büsra shares how her tech background shaped Wearr’s customer-first approach, from prioritising ...
What if you could arrive at your ski chalet and find premium ski wear waiting for you, no suitcase, no hassle, and a lot less waste?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, hosts Barry O’Kane and Tandi Tuakli talk with Anna Smoothy and Anders Bergenstrand, co-founders of Cirkel Supply, a Swiss startup rethinking ski holidays with circular rental.
Cirkel combines technology and circular design to make ski wear rental simple and sus...
What does it take to run a business that keeps millions of garments in circulation every year? And why should rental, resale, and repair be part of every fashion brand’s strategy?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, we’re joined by Andrew Rough, CEO of Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS), Europe’s largest provider of circular fashion fulfillment. From RFID technology to ozone cleaning, ACS combines logistics, techno...
What does it take to bring rental models into the world of large household appliances (white goods) and why might this be a key step in scaling the circular economy?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, we’re joined by Valentin Lheureux, COO of HomeCycle, a French startup pioneering rental for washing machines, dryers, fridges, and other essential “white goods.”
Valentin shares his journey from working in retai...
What have we learned so far this season about the realities of rental and product-as-a-service models, and where does technology really make the difference?
In this special mid-season reflection of HappyPorch Radio, hosts Barry O’Kane, Jo Weston and Tandi Tuakli look back at the conversations so far, drawing out the common themes, challenges and opportunities from entrepreneurs, academics and technology providers working at th...
How to Build Circular Commerce Infrastructure with Bob Jansen
What makes a rental or product-as-a-service (PaaS) business model work, and what role does technology really play in making that happen?
In this episode of HappyPorch Radio, we’re joined by Bob Jansen, founder of Firmhouse, a recurring commerce platform enabling subscription, rental and PaaS business models. Bob shares lessons from his journey, from building MVPs as ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of NFL Media hosts including Jourdan Rodrigue, Colleen Wolfe, and Nick Shook provide all the NFL news, previews, recaps and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.