November 24, 2025 • 33 mins
We explore how circular thinking creates real business value, from lower costs and resilient supply chains to new product lines and revenue. Andrew Telfer shares practical case studies and simple steps any company can take to move from linear to circular.
• industrial symbiosis turning outputs into inputs
• upcycling examples from juice pulp to ginger beer
• traditional manufacturing reusing offcuts for new lines
• circularity linked to climate action and net zero
• reduce, reuse, recycle as an operational playbook
• frontline insights to locate and fix waste
• shorter supply chains improving resilience
• product-as-a-service and subscription tools
• collaboration across sectors to unlock value
Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Sanjay Trivedi at strivedi@quantumlifecycle.com.
Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stephanie McLarty (00:00):
What does it really take for a conventional
company to embrace circularity?
Is being green from the start amust?
Or can any business make theleap?
Welcome to the Circular Future,showcasing stories of
circularity that reshaped howbusinesses operate and how you
can do it in your organizationtoo.
(00:21):
I'm your host, StephanieMcLardy, head of sustainability
at Quantum Lifecycle Partners,your trusted partner in
(00:44):
electronics circularity.
We often hear that goingcircular through reuse,
recycling, and beyond is allabout resource efficiency.
But what are the tangiblebenefits and how do they show up
in practice?
Today I'm joined by AndrewTelfer, director at Circular
(01:05):
Innovation Council, who brings abird's eye view of how
organizations are embracingcircularity.
Their members are experimentingand innovating and proving that
circularity isn't just aboutrecycling.
Here's what's exciting.
While some companies startedwith a green foundation, like
(01:25):
Quantum, others are moretraditional and frankly less
expected.
And they are now adoptingcircular practices.
And they're seeing realresults, reduced waste,
diversified revenue streams, andresilience in a tough economy.
I'm excited for thisconversation with Andrew.
(01:45):
We'll get started after thisshort message.
Picture this.
But what about all thatsensitive data on your old
equipment?
That's exactly where QuantumLifecycle shines, handling
everything from secure datadestruction to responsible
(02:07):
recycling.
Turn what could be a compliancenightmare into a seamless
transition.
Go to QuantumLifecycle.com formore information.
Welcome to the podcast, Andrew.
Andrew Telfer (02:21):
Thank you.
I'm glad to I'm glad to behere.
Stephanie McLarty (02:24):
And thank you for being our first interview
of season three.
Andrew Telfer (02:29):
All right.
I feel special.
Stephanie McLarty (02:32):
You should.
You should.
So Andrew, we always start withpeeking into your world.
What would be three things thatthe world wouldn't know
necessarily about the CircularInnovation Council?
Andrew Telfer (02:43):
Circular Innovation Councils.
My goodness, there's I've gotso much to say, but I'll limit
it to three.
Three, yes.
Um number one, I would say thata lot of us, a lot of people
don't know that we're national.
We have our roots as uh theRecycling Council of Ontario.
Um, so a lot of our team isbased here in Ontario.
(03:04):
A lot of our work is inOntario, uh, but we are
national.
We are uh working to develop acircular economy across Canada,
and uh we are slowly expandingboth our work and our team.
We actually have team membersfrom Saskatchewan to Montreal
now.
Um and uh our work, like I wastelling you before we started
recording, some of our projectsare out in uh northern Alberta
(03:27):
now.
So uh uh and other provinces aswell, but we're slowly getting
out of um out of the uh the thethe Ontario base uh as it were.
Number two, I would say I thinka lot of people forget that
we're member-based.
Uh you are a member throughQuantum is, yes.
Yeah, quantum uh life cyclepartners.
(03:49):
I I like to think that we adduh value or provide value
through um webinars, education,engagement activities, um,
communications, top top reports.
Um and and and also I I hope tothink that the members get
value too, and and it's a veryinexpensive membership fee, and
(04:10):
it supports us in doing our workuh across the uh many sectors
and the many uh materialstreams.
So that's number two.
Number three, my goodness.
Oh Stephanie, I almost forgot.
Number three's gotta beCircular Economy Month since
we're exactly happy circulareconomy month.
(04:31):
You too, you as well.
Um uh start of season three,and uh uh is it all right to
tell people that we're recordingon October 1st?
Yeah.
So it's officially the thestart of Circular Economy Month
of 2025.
So uh we're excited about that.
I guess a lot of people don'tknow because it is a national
brand, uh a lot of people don'tknow that it's Circular
(04:54):
Innovation Council that'sactually behind uh the
programming.
Um, and then also in it with anextension to that around
education and engagement is ouruh I should say our, but
Canadian Circular Economy Summitthat Circular Innovation
Council uh co-produces andco-hosts with another circular
(05:15):
economy organization, theCircular Economy Leadership
Canada and whatnot.
So we're the we're theorganization that are sort of
behind the scenes um doing thework, uh, and but those are sort
of our our front-facing uhprograms.
Stephanie McLarty (05:29):
Yeah, and if I could add two things.
One regarding Circular EconomyMonth.
Your website,circulareconomymonth.ca, is a
wonderful set of resources,which um we produce a uh a
webpage at Quantum for ouremployees on um anything
sustainability.
Our topic for October isCircular Economy Month.
(05:52):
We linked your webpage and thepledge that's on it.
And I know there's tons ofresources for businesses of all
sizes and individuals.
Andrew Telfer (06:00):
I'm glad to hear that is getting used.
Stephanie McLarty (06:02):
Yeah, we're using it for Quantum.
And uh the other thing is youmentioned about the Canadian
Circular Economy Summit, the C CE S.
We love an acronym.
And we were there um at thelast one in April, and Quantum
had a booth, we had a prettylarge presence, and our sales
(06:24):
guys even said, this is the bestconference ever because it was
like it was not only bringingtogether like-minded
organizations, but we're alllike ready to take action, we're
interested, we're engaged, andit seemed like we didn't have to
really push the notion ofcircularity and why it makes
(06:47):
sense for businesses.
It's like those businessesalready got it, and that was so
exciting.
Andrew Telfer (06:53):
A lot of people that work around me know that I
like to say like it's who youknow, not what you know.
Um, and I think that is becausemy roots are as a sustainable
leader.
I started at Walmart Canada forover a decade.
Sustainability leaders andteams tend to be small within
their companies.
And and so therefore, um likethey have more in common with
(07:20):
almost sustainability leaders atother companies and in other
sectors than sometimes in theirown company or whatnot.
So I find it's very valuablefor you.
Like I know when I was a youngsustainability leader at
Walmart, Canada, it wasinvaluable to know the
sustainability leaders aroundthe retail industry and and just
(07:40):
helping one another out, talkabout waste diversion, talk
about energy efficiency.
Um, and those stay with you,and it's always good.
And now in this role atCircular Innovation Council,
making the uh connections andkeeping those contacts within
your network are invaluablebecause sometimes you come
across an issue that you youjust know enough to be
(08:01):
dangerous, but it's like, oh,wait a minute, Joe knows more,
Jane knows more, let's reach outto them kind of thing.
And and that's what I loveabout the industry is, and you
mentioned this yourself,Stephanie, is that we all get
it, we all want to help oneanother out.
In fact, I was on a uhconference call this morning
with another gentleman who said,like, and he works for a
municipality, it's like he'sworking for the benefit of his
(08:24):
municipality, but he's alsoworking for the benefit of the
commons as well.
Like he wants to affect changethat's greater than himself and
greater than his municipalitybecause circular economy is is
regional, it's national, it'sglobal and whatnot.
So you can't just look withinyour company or within your
region.
You have to think of uheveryone around you as well.
Stephanie McLarty (08:47):
Totally, all of your stakeholders, yes.
Andrew Telfer (08:50):
Yes, yes.
Stephanie McLarty (08:51):
Yeah, I would totally agree with that.
And I think you're in such afortunate position at the
Circular Innovation Councilwhere you get to see all of the
cool things that your membersare doing.
And I wanted to dive into thattoday because I think you've
seen some really interestingexamples of companies who are
taking on fundamental businesschallenges and really applying a
(09:16):
circular mindset to it.
And on the other side, comingout with new products, new
business lines, new revenue.
So, Andrew, what have you seenin that regard?
Andrew Telfer (09:26):
Yeah, no, and if I may, Stephanie, just add um
preface the some of the exampleswith um we at the Circular
Innovation Council were reallyleaning into the the economic
benefits, the business benefitsof the circular economy within
this year specifically.
It's tough economic times, um,there's economic uncertainty.
(09:49):
Um, and also we feel, and whenI say we, the team here, we feel
that the businesses of Canadahave to be engaged and not just
the quote unquote green onesthat provide a green product or
green service.
Every business has to beengaged and and um learn about
circular economy principlesbecause it it pertains to them.
(10:10):
Some people think like, oh, I Ibuild or I make something or I
produce something that I lookaround my desk, right?
I produce this pen and it's notinherently green, and so
therefore, circular economydoesn't affect me or it doesn't
uh I don't need to learn learnlearn about it.
Um but there's so many businessand economic benefits.
(10:34):
Like every time you reducewaste, you are reducing costs,
and um, it's about supply chainresiliency.
Uh shorter your supply chains,mitigate the risk, not having to
go global for your for your uhinputs or your ingredients.
Um, it's about engagement, andit's not just um uh for your
(10:57):
customers, it's about engagingyour staff or your uh regul or
the regulators to show them thatum what you're doing is is
better for the environment andyou're you are taking a sincere
effort to reduce the impact ofyour operations or your business
on on the environment.
Um and yeah, and I often thinklike yeah, I'm very I work at
(11:18):
home here in Guelph, Ontario,uh, and I'm very fortunate
because I see a lot of differentorganizations and a lot of
different sectors and a lot ofdifferent material streams.
And and sometimes at the end ofthe day, you hang up your you
hang up your your Zoom call orwhatnot, and you just think,
wow, I talked to really coolpeople today and what they're
doing.
And um, yeah, I have a fewexamples.
(11:41):
I would love to hear a fewexamples of that.
Yeah, just um I think I thinkfor the most part, uh a lot of
my examples are in theindustrial symbiosis space where
it's um somebody's outputs areanother person's inputs.
So for instance for example,let's say Andrew makes orange
(12:02):
juice and my I have an uhunavoidable organic waste in my
orange peels.
But Stephanie, she makes uhbiotextiles and she can use my
orange peels uh in theproduction of her textiles and
whatnot.
Um, so therefore, my outputbecomes Stephanie's input.
Um but if Stephanie and Andrewdon't know one another, like
(12:25):
that connection or that linkagenever really happens and
whatnot.
And that's part of the key tocircularity and and also the the
tough nut to crack is really tofind out who has the materials,
who has the ingredients, andthen who can use them and
whatnot.
So some of the really coolexamples out there.
Um I know it sh is it all rightif I mention company names?
(12:47):
Yeah, please company names andjust put a uh caveat out there
that I'm not a paid spokespersonor or whatnot.
And I may get the store, uh,some of the stories, uh um, some
of the details or some of thefacts are just uh uh within my
mind and not uh quoting numbersor or the actual impact.
(13:10):
Um but greenhouse juice uh doessome wonderful work.
Uh they are a local or Canadianuh organic juice uh maker from
fruits and vegetables.
They have um the pulp, thevegetable and fruit pulp that
come out of their product linesafter after making their various
(13:31):
uh juices.
Um and what they did at firstthey're like, well, there's a
lot of excess uh pulp here, alot of organic matter, a lot of
organic material.
And I think at first maybe theymay have been organically
recycling it at to a cost, butthen they thought, wait a
minute, there's value here,there's nutrients here, there's
(13:54):
um it can be used to make otherproducts, other food products.
So they started finding,connecting up with other
organizations that could takethis, take these ingredients.
And then they also realizedthat the pulp is very heavy with
its moisture content andwhatnot, and the water in it.
So it was actually very heavyto ship and and expensive to
(14:16):
ship.
So they came up with a way toactually dehydrate their pulp,
maintain the nutritious uhcontent and whatnot.
And now it's easier to ship andit's easier to use by those
other or organizations.
Uh and that's just just oneexample.
Another cool example coming outof greenhouse, and that example
(14:37):
is between like organization Aand organization B or two
different organizations.
What's kind of cool is that umgreenhouse actually um kind of
put their money where theirmouth is and said, you know
what?
Instead of others using orreusing the pulp coming out of
our juices, how about we do it?
So their um food developerthere, it great person, very
(15:03):
engaged and sustainably thecircular economy, she took a
look at the um the ginger comingoff of their ginger shy line.
And they thought, you knowwhat?
What can we do with this?
Like it's it's excess gymginger, it's it's a ginger
output.
What can we do about it?
And on her own, she went andcreated ginger beer, and so and
(15:26):
it actually is one of the firstupcycle uh certified products
within Canada by the UpcycleFood Association, and is now
being sold on um retail shelves.
So here was, and this is thewhole principle about the
circular economy.
It's like taking a waste thatmight have been a cost to
dispose to you, but now you'retaking it and you're adding
(15:48):
value and you're reusing it andyou're creating a whole new
product line.
Yeah, and and I love thegreenhouse story, I think it's
an awesome story.
However, when I share thatstory, um, I think there's some
people out there that that arein business that are like, well,
of course, they're an organicjuice manufacturer.
(16:09):
They're they are their name'sgreenhouse, they're green
already.
Of course, sustainabilitypertains to them, or they're all
into circular circular economy,but like I'm not, and and I
make this pen.
So it doesn't like more of atraditional business.
Exactly.
And and so I don't need to knowthis.
And and but I also have a storyfor them as well.
(16:31):
That's there's actually uh adoor manufacturer in
Mississauga, Ontario.
And forgive me, I forget thename.
I heard this story uh years agowhen I was working at the Smart
Cities office.
Um but it was a doormanufacturer, it is a door
manufacturer in Mississauga, andthey created a um or
(16:52):
manufactured a fairly uh premiumdoor line, a line of wooden
doors.
And at the end of theirmanufacturing process, they had
all these offcuts and all thisexcess wood and whatnot.
And before they were umrecycling it and cost to
dispose, like though it's beingkept out of landfill, there's
(17:14):
still a cost to recycle.
And they said, Well, wait, waita minute, we can use this to
develop another uh product line,another door line, uh, a not so
premium door line, maybe anopening price point wooden door
line.
So they actually took the wood.
Um I don't I don't like to callit waste because it's not
waste, like the wood, the excesswood material, and they used it
(17:38):
as an input into theirbusiness.
And now they created anentirely new uh product line,
and there's nothing inherentlycircular or sustainable, like
when you think about a greenproduct, like doors are not uh
that what what comes to mind andwhatnot.
So I think that's just a proofpoint or a or a um a story that
(18:02):
just tells that just proves thefact that circular economy is
for everybody, that it's is it'sfor every business.
Um, and if I may, Stephanie, uhand forgive me, I know enough
to be dangerous here, but if Iget I may have my numbers wrong,
but my understanding is there'slike over one million SMEs in
(18:23):
Canada, small and medium-sizedenterprises.
Um, I would hazard the guessthat probably the vast majority
of them aren't quote quoteunquote green.
They don't provide a greenservice, they don't make green
product.
But those companies and thosebusinesses have to be engaged,
they have to be engaged insustainability and circularity
(18:45):
in order for number one, for acircular economy to develop
across Canada, they can't beleft behind.
And even more so than that, isum our net zero targets.
Canada has net zero targets.
And if these companies, small,medium-sized enterprises, even
large corporations that aren'tquote unquote green, if they're
(19:09):
not engaged, there's no wayCanada's making its uh net zero
targets.
And and if I may also continueon that thread there, uh
Stephanie, a lot of people mightbe thinking, well, Andrew,
you're talking about circulareconomy, net zero is is climate,
it's climate action.
Like, how do those connect andwhatnot?
(19:29):
But and I like to share, andand maybe I should have said
this at the top of theconversation when you said three
things that people don't know.
Stephanie McLarty (19:37):
But um Okay, Andrew, what's the fourth?
unknown (19:39):
Yeah, I've got the fourth thing.
Andrew Telfer (19:41):
People don't know that circular economy actually
is climate action.
And right, and and if I mayquote uh the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, they talk about howum even if we transition to 100%
renewable energy, we'd onlytackle about 55% of uh the GHG
(20:02):
emissions uh that are out there.
Um, the rest, the other half,the other 45% is how we grow
food, how we make products, uh,how we manage our land.
And that has to be tackledthrough circular economy.
Circular economy is all aboutkeeping products and materials
in use longer.
And when you do that, youalmost retain the embodied
(20:25):
carbon in that uh product or inthat um, yeah, in that in that
product and whatnot.
So you don't have to go back tomother nature for virtue
resources or whatnot.
So I'm not saying it's the onlytool in the toolbox, but it's
one tool uh or it's another toolin the climate toolbox for
sure.
Stephanie McLarty (20:43):
Yeah.
Well, uh a circular mindset isreally it's a tool that has a
lot of other key benefits aswell.
Climate, the climate aspect isone of those factors.
So that's really interesting.
So these examples that you'regiving are really around taking
some element of waste andturning it into a new business
(21:08):
opportunity.
And it doesn't matter what kindof company you are.
I mean, uh even quantum, if Itake that as an example, we were
10, 15 years ago, electronicsrecyclers.
And we asked the question, Ithink as these other companies
have, like, what else can we do?
And over time, we've added inmore reuse, more parts
(21:31):
harvesting, refurbishing, andnow electronics recycling is a
piece or an important piece ofwhat we do.
But it's really around asking,like, yeah, what else can we do?
So if we think about thelearnings here of the examples
and specifically around creatingnew revenue out of these like
(21:53):
waste products and waste items.
Andrew, what would you say arethe key learnings, especially
from what you see at CircularInnovation Council, that other
companies could really take withthem as they're thinking about
what they're gonna do withintheir companies?
Andrew Telfer (22:08):
Yeah, um my goodness.
Sustainability is so broad,circular economy is so broad,
and that's such a broadquestion, too, and and so many
answers.
But if I think about it, um itreally I I'm just I'm trying to
put myself back in, like I ledsustainability at Walmart Canada
for over a decade, and I oftenthink back to when I was a
(22:32):
sustainability leader um withinthe organization and just put in
charge or uh charged with likewe have to lessen the impact on
our environment.
How do we do that?
And I think you just go back toyour roots and you go back,
it's it's not rocket science,it's like where are we impacting
(22:52):
the environment?
Waste is one of them, andenergy is another.
Um, so so especially with thoseexamples that I gave, and
there's a lot more, it's it'sabout where where where is there
waste?
And if I could give anotherexample, and this is um I get a
I get a ton of information fromBruce Taylor over at Enviro
(23:15):
Stewards, and he's awesome.
And he goes, he goes right ontothe manufacturing floor and
takes a look.
And the first question he asks,he goes, he uh gets his uh
directions from the management,then he goes straight to the the
staff on the floor and asksthem point blank, where's their
waste?
Where is the waste coming from?
Let's tackle it there.
(23:37):
And this is what I love aboutBruce is that um like you talk,
like you you get so excitedabout like oh, recycling,
recycling, recycling, and andhow is we're we're keeping out a
landfill and we're making newproducts.
And Bruce is like, forgetrecycling, it's about reduction.
Go go like there's more costsavings in the reduction and
(24:01):
whatnot.
And he has umptiening amount ofstories.
And in fact, it's funny, um, heactually shared uh a potato
story, a frozen potato productstory, uh case study with me in
the last uh couple of weeks onbenote that I was going to be
talking on this on this uhpodcast.
But he was uh the case studythat he shared with me is he was
(24:23):
out west, um, and he's workingwith a uh frozen potato potato
manufacturing frozen potatoproduct, I guess.
Uh, and he went to the line andsaid, Where's their waste?
And as it turned out, where thecutter was, they there would
always jam up and it would havewaste.
So they addressed that firstand foremost, and it reduced, I
(24:47):
don't know how many tons ofwaste saved, how many dollars.
Um, so first and foremost, it'salmost like you asked, like,
what advice would you give tothe other companies?
It's like, well, start simple.
What are the three R's?
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
And that's exactly how Brucetackled it with this uh frozen
(25:08):
potato uh product manufacturer.
Where's the waste?
Let's reduce the waste.
Okay, we've tackled that.
Now, what else do they have?
Okay, you have offcuts comingout.
How can we reuse them?
Like, so just like the gingerbeer example from greenhouse, we
have outputs, how can they bereused?
(25:28):
So now you're going through thearts, we reduce, reuse, then
recycle.
And it's like, okay, now theseare like the very little bitty
off-cuts kind of thing.
Um, but instead of recycling ororganically recycling them, how
can you upcycle them and givethem to another uh manufacturer?
(25:50):
And Bruce actually, in thepotato example that he that he
gave, he actually hit all threeR's.
He said, first he reduced thewaste, then we reused it
in-house, and then what wecouldn't, we actually upcycled
the offcuts to another productmanufacturer.
And that's the whole um andsorry, I this is a total
(26:11):
sustainability circularity geekor nerd when it comes to this.
I love how cool the story is,and even that's Bruce and all
the work that he does.
Then there's uh Cher CherMerriweather has a great story.
Uh, back when she was leadingum provision coalition, she was
working with a um uh onion ringmanufacturer, and of course the
(26:35):
onion ring manufacturer wantedthe the the round parts of the
onions, so they cut off the top,they cut off the bottom, and
they're like, Well, this iswaste to us, these are rings.
So they were they wererecycling them and they're
disposing of them, keeping themout of landfill, but then Cher
(26:55):
connected them up with avegetable broth manufacturer who
doesn't care what the the theshape of the onion is, and then
and so Cher connected them up,and lo and behold, guess what?
They were actually close to oneanother, so it's like their
supply chain was shortened, andthe vegetable broth
manufacturers before Cherconnected them up with the uh
(27:17):
iron ring offcuts or the onionoffcuts, they were sourcing from
outside of Canada, so now it'slike a shorter supply chain,
more resilient supply chain.
Like that's what circulareconomy is all about.
It's about um just reducingyour impact on the environment
and going through really thethree Rs are how old are the
(27:41):
three R's, but they still apply.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
And that's I guess what I wouldsay is where to where to start.
Stephanie McLarty (27:50):
Yeah, I love reduce, reuse, recycle.
It is so simple and it can beapplied in so many ways.
So basically, for othercompanies, look to where your
waste is and apply the three R'swith really the context of like
what else can you do with this?
And I think the other thingwe've heard through you as well
(28:10):
is the necessity to lookelsewhere in terms of
collaboration.
There might be opportunitiesfor your waste to become someone
else's ways or someone else'sinput.
Andrew Telfer (28:22):
Yeah.
Stephanie McLarty (28:23):
Um and also I think, too, is thinking about
your customers and what yourcustomers want, because there
might be a new businessopportunity.
Coming back to the doorexample, using the offcuts to
create a different business linethat appeals to uh customers in
a different way or a differentset of of your customers.
(28:44):
I think that's really smart.
Andrew Telfer (28:46):
I actually I have a can I share a story with you
that I actually met thegentleman up at the Canadian
Circular Economy Summit inApril.
Um he was from Hilti and Hiltilike Hilti Tools and whatnot.
And again, forgive me, I knowenough to be dangerous, and and
I but I was so excited when hewas telling me the story.
(29:09):
Um, and you and Stephanie, whenyou mentioned alternative
business models or a differentbusiness model and what your
customers want, totally Hiltijumped into my jumped into my
mind.
They're a great example, yeah.
They've now come up and said,okay, what how can we um provide
the the products that we do,and in their case tools, um, and
(29:33):
they probably produce more,sorry, not a Hilti uh expert,
but I know they provide toolsand and other products.
Um and they've come up withthis concept, like product as a
service.
So it's almost like um like I Ithink a drill, I buy a drill
and I'll use it for fairly oftenfor drills, but I might buy a
(29:55):
chop saw to build a deck, andthen once my deck is built,
that's That chop saw like sitsin my garage, like collecting
dust, kind of thing.
And so they've come up with uhwhat they're calling a circular
toolbox, and it's it's notnecessarily a um a rental model,
they're coming up with almostlike a subscription model.
(30:18):
So you subscribe to their useprogram or reuse program, and
whenever you need a chop saw, uhyou just you you have your
subscription, so you get the uhability to use their chop saw.
And then when you're not uhdone or when you're not using it
anymore, you take it back andthey handle the upkeep, they
(30:40):
handle the repair and whatnot.
And once a drill or a chop sawor what have you uh kind of
comes to the end of its life oris really big like worn and
whatnot, but it still may havesome value to it, then they
donate it and whatnot.
Right.
So there's so there's a socialbenefit.
Maybe it's donated to Habitatfor humanity.
(31:02):
I'm making this, I'm not maybeI should watch myself, but but
they donate it to good causesand whatnot.
So, and that's what circularitysustainable is all about.
It's not only the environmentalbenefits and the business
benefits, but it's also thesocial benefits, also as well
and whatnot.
Stephanie McLarty (31:20):
So and that's a really great way to close out
this conversation, Andrew.
We talked about a lot.
What would be one final pieceof advice you'd leave our
listeners with in terms of thiswhole area around thinking with
a circular mindset to solvebusiness problems and possibly
even create new revenue?
Andrew Telfer (31:41):
I think we all have to work towards changing
the underlying model, get intothe circular mindset, keeping
products in and materials in uselonger, however, you want to do
that, whatever role youperform, how do you do that?
And then all of a sudden,everybody who's working in what
I like to say um purpose-drivenjobs, I guess, like whether if
(32:07):
they're working in CSR,sustainability or regeneration
or what have you, all of asudden their work is now and
their efforts, they're gonnathrive and whatnot, and we'll be
that much more successful.
So if it's just one finalthought or one final thing, I
think we all have to work tochange um the underlying
(32:29):
economic model, almost bend itfrom linear into circular.
And once we do that, a lot ofour work, a lot of our efforts
will um will thrive longer thannot.
Stephanie McLarty (32:45):
That's great advice.
Thank you, Andrew, so much forbeing on the podcast.
I love this conversation, soinspiring.
And remember, if you arelooking for a partner to help
you repair, reuse, and recycleyour electronics, we'd love to
chat.
Head on over toquantumlifecycle.com and contact
us.
This is a Quantum Lifecyclepodcast, and the producer is
(33:07):
Sanjay Trivedi.
Thank you for being a circularfuture champion in your company
and beyond.
Logging off
What does it really take for a conventional
company to embrace circularity?
Is being green from the start amust?
Or can any business make theleap?
Welcome to the Circular Future,showcasing stories of
circularity that reshaped howbusinesses operate and how you
can do it in your organizationtoo.
(00:21):
I'm your host, StephanieMcLardy, head of sustainability
at Quantum Lifecycle Partners,your trusted partner in
(00:44):
electronics circularity.
We often hear that goingcircular through reuse,
recycling, and beyond is allabout resource efficiency.
But what are the tangiblebenefits and how do they show up
in practice?
Today I'm joined by AndrewTelfer, director at Circular
(01:05):
Innovation Council, who brings abird's eye view of how
organizations are embracingcircularity.
Their members are experimentingand innovating and proving that
circularity isn't just aboutrecycling.
Here's what's exciting.
While some companies startedwith a green foundation, like
(01:25):
Quantum, others are moretraditional and frankly less
expected.
And they are now adoptingcircular practices.
And they're seeing realresults, reduced waste,
diversified revenue streams, andresilience in a tough economy.
I'm excited for thisconversation with Andrew.
(01:45):
We'll get started after thisshort message.
Picture this.
But what about all thatsensitive data on your old
equipment?
That's exactly where QuantumLifecycle shines, handling
everything from secure datadestruction to responsible
(02:07):
recycling.
Turn what could be a compliancenightmare into a seamless
transition.
Go to QuantumLifecycle.com formore information.
Welcome to the podcast, Andrew.
Andrew Telfer (02:21):
Thank you.
I'm glad to I'm glad to behere.
Stephanie McLarty (02:24):
And thank you for being our first interview
of season three.
Andrew Telfer (02:29):
All right.
I feel special.
Stephanie McLarty (02:32):
You should.
You should.
So Andrew, we always start withpeeking into your world.
What would be three things thatthe world wouldn't know
necessarily about the CircularInnovation Council?
Andrew Telfer (02:43):
Circular Innovation Councils.
My goodness, there's I've gotso much to say, but I'll limit
it to three.
Three, yes.
Um number one, I would say thata lot of us, a lot of people
don't know that we're national.
We have our roots as uh theRecycling Council of Ontario.
Um, so a lot of our team isbased here in Ontario.
(03:04):
A lot of our work is inOntario, uh, but we are
national.
We are uh working to develop acircular economy across Canada,
and uh we are slowly expandingboth our work and our team.
We actually have team membersfrom Saskatchewan to Montreal
now.
Um and uh our work, like I wastelling you before we started
recording, some of our projectsare out in uh northern Alberta
(03:27):
now.
So uh uh and other provinces aswell, but we're slowly getting
out of um out of the uh the thethe Ontario base uh as it were.
Number two, I would say I thinka lot of people forget that
we're member-based.
Uh you are a member throughQuantum is, yes.
Yeah, quantum uh life cyclepartners.
(03:49):
I I like to think that we adduh value or provide value
through um webinars, education,engagement activities, um,
communications, top top reports.
Um and and and also I I hope tothink that the members get
value too, and and it's a veryinexpensive membership fee, and
(04:10):
it supports us in doing our workuh across the uh many sectors
and the many uh materialstreams.
So that's number two.
Number three, my goodness.
Oh Stephanie, I almost forgot.
Number three's gotta beCircular Economy Month since
we're exactly happy circulareconomy month.
(04:31):
You too, you as well.
Um uh start of season three,and uh uh is it all right to
tell people that we're recordingon October 1st?
Yeah.
So it's officially the thestart of Circular Economy Month
of 2025.
So uh we're excited about that.
I guess a lot of people don'tknow because it is a national
brand, uh a lot of people don'tknow that it's Circular
(04:54):
Innovation Council that'sactually behind uh the
programming.
Um, and then also in it with anextension to that around
education and engagement is ouruh I should say our, but
Canadian Circular Economy Summitthat Circular Innovation
Council uh co-produces andco-hosts with another circular
(05:15):
economy organization, theCircular Economy Leadership
Canada and whatnot.
So we're the we're theorganization that are sort of
behind the scenes um doing thework, uh, and but those are sort
of our our front-facing uhprograms.
Stephanie McLarty (05:29):
Yeah, and if I could add two things.
One regarding Circular EconomyMonth.
Your website,circulareconomymonth.ca, is a
wonderful set of resources,which um we produce a uh a
webpage at Quantum for ouremployees on um anything
sustainability.
Our topic for October isCircular Economy Month.
(05:52):
We linked your webpage and thepledge that's on it.
And I know there's tons ofresources for businesses of all
sizes and individuals.
Andrew Telfer (06:00):
I'm glad to hear that is getting used.
Stephanie McLarty (06:02):
Yeah, we're using it for Quantum.
And uh the other thing is youmentioned about the Canadian
Circular Economy Summit, the C CE S.
We love an acronym.
And we were there um at thelast one in April, and Quantum
had a booth, we had a prettylarge presence, and our sales
(06:24):
guys even said, this is the bestconference ever because it was
like it was not only bringingtogether like-minded
organizations, but we're alllike ready to take action, we're
interested, we're engaged, andit seemed like we didn't have to
really push the notion ofcircularity and why it makes
(06:47):
sense for businesses.
It's like those businessesalready got it, and that was so
exciting.
Andrew Telfer (06:53):
A lot of people that work around me know that I
like to say like it's who youknow, not what you know.
Um, and I think that is becausemy roots are as a sustainable
leader.
I started at Walmart Canada forover a decade.
Sustainability leaders andteams tend to be small within
their companies.
And and so therefore, um likethey have more in common with
(07:20):
almost sustainability leaders atother companies and in other
sectors than sometimes in theirown company or whatnot.
So I find it's very valuablefor you.
Like I know when I was a youngsustainability leader at
Walmart, Canada, it wasinvaluable to know the
sustainability leaders aroundthe retail industry and and just
(07:40):
helping one another out, talkabout waste diversion, talk
about energy efficiency.
Um, and those stay with you,and it's always good.
And now in this role atCircular Innovation Council,
making the uh connections andkeeping those contacts within
your network are invaluablebecause sometimes you come
across an issue that you youjust know enough to be
(08:01):
dangerous, but it's like, oh,wait a minute, Joe knows more,
Jane knows more, let's reach outto them kind of thing.
And and that's what I loveabout the industry is, and you
mentioned this yourself,Stephanie, is that we all get
it, we all want to help oneanother out.
In fact, I was on a uhconference call this morning
with another gentleman who said,like, and he works for a
municipality, it's like he'sworking for the benefit of his
(08:24):
municipality, but he's alsoworking for the benefit of the
commons as well.
Like he wants to affect changethat's greater than himself and
greater than his municipalitybecause circular economy is is
regional, it's national, it'sglobal and whatnot.
So you can't just look withinyour company or within your
region.
You have to think of uheveryone around you as well.
Stephanie McLarty (08:47):
Totally, all of your stakeholders, yes.
Andrew Telfer (08:50):
Yes, yes.
Stephanie McLarty (08:51):
Yeah, I would totally agree with that.
And I think you're in such afortunate position at the
Circular Innovation Councilwhere you get to see all of the
cool things that your membersare doing.
And I wanted to dive into thattoday because I think you've
seen some really interestingexamples of companies who are
taking on fundamental businesschallenges and really applying a
(09:16):
circular mindset to it.
And on the other side, comingout with new products, new
business lines, new revenue.
So, Andrew, what have you seenin that regard?
Andrew Telfer (09:26):
Yeah, no, and if I may, Stephanie, just add um
preface the some of the exampleswith um we at the Circular
Innovation Council were reallyleaning into the the economic
benefits, the business benefitsof the circular economy within
this year specifically.
It's tough economic times, um,there's economic uncertainty.
(09:49):
Um, and also we feel, and whenI say we, the team here, we feel
that the businesses of Canadahave to be engaged and not just
the quote unquote green onesthat provide a green product or
green service.
Every business has to beengaged and and um learn about
circular economy principlesbecause it it pertains to them.
(10:10):
Some people think like, oh, I Ibuild or I make something or I
produce something that I lookaround my desk, right?
I produce this pen and it's notinherently green, and so
therefore, circular economydoesn't affect me or it doesn't
uh I don't need to learn learnlearn about it.
Um but there's so many businessand economic benefits.
(10:34):
Like every time you reducewaste, you are reducing costs,
and um, it's about supply chainresiliency.
Uh shorter your supply chains,mitigate the risk, not having to
go global for your for your uhinputs or your ingredients.
Um, it's about engagement, andit's not just um uh for your
(10:57):
customers, it's about engagingyour staff or your uh regul or
the regulators to show them thatum what you're doing is is
better for the environment andyou're you are taking a sincere
effort to reduce the impact ofyour operations or your business
on on the environment.
Um and yeah, and I often thinklike yeah, I'm very I work at
(11:18):
home here in Guelph, Ontario,uh, and I'm very fortunate
because I see a lot of differentorganizations and a lot of
different sectors and a lot ofdifferent material streams.
And and sometimes at the end ofthe day, you hang up your you
hang up your your Zoom call orwhatnot, and you just think,
wow, I talked to really coolpeople today and what they're
doing.
And um, yeah, I have a fewexamples.
(11:41):
I would love to hear a fewexamples of that.
Yeah, just um I think I thinkfor the most part, uh a lot of
my examples are in theindustrial symbiosis space where
it's um somebody's outputs areanother person's inputs.
So for instance for example,let's say Andrew makes orange
(12:02):
juice and my I have an uhunavoidable organic waste in my
orange peels.
But Stephanie, she makes uhbiotextiles and she can use my
orange peels uh in theproduction of her textiles and
whatnot.
Um, so therefore, my outputbecomes Stephanie's input.
Um but if Stephanie and Andrewdon't know one another, like
(12:25):
that connection or that linkagenever really happens and
whatnot.
And that's part of the key tocircularity and and also the the
tough nut to crack is really tofind out who has the materials,
who has the ingredients, andthen who can use them and
whatnot.
So some of the really coolexamples out there.
Um I know it sh is it all rightif I mention company names?
(12:47):
Yeah, please company names andjust put a uh caveat out there
that I'm not a paid spokespersonor or whatnot.
And I may get the store, uh,some of the stories, uh um, some
of the details or some of thefacts are just uh uh within my
mind and not uh quoting numbersor or the actual impact.
(13:10):
Um but greenhouse juice uh doessome wonderful work.
Uh they are a local or Canadianuh organic juice uh maker from
fruits and vegetables.
They have um the pulp, thevegetable and fruit pulp that
come out of their product linesafter after making their various
(13:31):
uh juices.
Um and what they did at firstthey're like, well, there's a
lot of excess uh pulp here, alot of organic matter, a lot of
organic material.
And I think at first maybe theymay have been organically
recycling it at to a cost, butthen they thought, wait a
minute, there's value here,there's nutrients here, there's
(13:54):
um it can be used to make otherproducts, other food products.
So they started finding,connecting up with other
organizations that could takethis, take these ingredients.
And then they also realizedthat the pulp is very heavy with
its moisture content andwhatnot, and the water in it.
So it was actually very heavyto ship and and expensive to
(14:16):
ship.
So they came up with a way toactually dehydrate their pulp,
maintain the nutritious uhcontent and whatnot.
And now it's easier to ship andit's easier to use by those
other or organizations.
Uh and that's just just oneexample.
Another cool example coming outof greenhouse, and that example
(14:37):
is between like organization Aand organization B or two
different organizations.
What's kind of cool is that umgreenhouse actually um kind of
put their money where theirmouth is and said, you know
what?
Instead of others using orreusing the pulp coming out of
our juices, how about we do it?
So their um food developerthere, it great person, very
(15:03):
engaged and sustainably thecircular economy, she took a
look at the um the ginger comingoff of their ginger shy line.
And they thought, you knowwhat?
What can we do with this?
Like it's it's excess gymginger, it's it's a ginger
output.
What can we do about it?
And on her own, she went andcreated ginger beer, and so and
(15:26):
it actually is one of the firstupcycle uh certified products
within Canada by the UpcycleFood Association, and is now
being sold on um retail shelves.
So here was, and this is thewhole principle about the
circular economy.
It's like taking a waste thatmight have been a cost to
dispose to you, but now you'retaking it and you're adding
(15:48):
value and you're reusing it andyou're creating a whole new
product line.
Yeah, and and I love thegreenhouse story, I think it's
an awesome story.
However, when I share thatstory, um, I think there's some
people out there that that arein business that are like, well,
of course, they're an organicjuice manufacturer.
(16:09):
They're they are their name'sgreenhouse, they're green
already.
Of course, sustainabilitypertains to them, or they're all
into circular circular economy,but like I'm not, and and I
make this pen.
So it doesn't like more of atraditional business.
Exactly.
And and so I don't need to knowthis.
And and but I also have a storyfor them as well.
(16:31):
That's there's actually uh adoor manufacturer in
Mississauga, Ontario.
And forgive me, I forget thename.
I heard this story uh years agowhen I was working at the Smart
Cities office.
Um but it was a doormanufacturer, it is a door
manufacturer in Mississauga, andthey created a um or
(16:52):
manufactured a fairly uh premiumdoor line, a line of wooden
doors.
And at the end of theirmanufacturing process, they had
all these offcuts and all thisexcess wood and whatnot.
And before they were umrecycling it and cost to
dispose, like though it's beingkept out of landfill, there's
(17:14):
still a cost to recycle.
And they said, Well, wait, waita minute, we can use this to
develop another uh product line,another door line, uh, a not so
premium door line, maybe anopening price point wooden door
line.
So they actually took the wood.
Um I don't I don't like to callit waste because it's not
waste, like the wood, the excesswood material, and they used it
(17:38):
as an input into theirbusiness.
And now they created anentirely new uh product line,
and there's nothing inherentlycircular or sustainable, like
when you think about a greenproduct, like doors are not uh
that what what comes to mind andwhatnot.
So I think that's just a proofpoint or a or a um a story that
(18:02):
just tells that just proves thefact that circular economy is
for everybody, that it's is it'sfor every business.
Um, and if I may, Stephanie, uhand forgive me, I know enough
to be dangerous here, but if Iget I may have my numbers wrong,
but my understanding is there'slike over one million SMEs in
(18:23):
Canada, small and medium-sizedenterprises.
Um, I would hazard the guessthat probably the vast majority
of them aren't quote quoteunquote green.
They don't provide a greenservice, they don't make green
product.
But those companies and thosebusinesses have to be engaged,
they have to be engaged insustainability and circularity
(18:45):
in order for number one, for acircular economy to develop
across Canada, they can't beleft behind.
And even more so than that, isum our net zero targets.
Canada has net zero targets.
And if these companies, small,medium-sized enterprises, even
large corporations that aren'tquote unquote green, if they're
(19:09):
not engaged, there's no wayCanada's making its uh net zero
targets.
And and if I may also continueon that thread there, uh
Stephanie, a lot of people mightbe thinking, well, Andrew,
you're talking about circulareconomy, net zero is is climate,
it's climate action.
Like, how do those connect andwhatnot?
(19:29):
But and I like to share, andand maybe I should have said
this at the top of theconversation when you said three
things that people don't know.
Stephanie McLarty (19:37):
But um Okay, Andrew, what's the fourth?
unknown (19:39):
Yeah, I've got the fourth thing.
Andrew Telfer (19:41):
People don't know that circular economy actually
is climate action.
And right, and and if I mayquote uh the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, they talk about howum even if we transition to 100%
renewable energy, we'd onlytackle about 55% of uh the GHG
(20:02):
emissions uh that are out there.
Um, the rest, the other half,the other 45% is how we grow
food, how we make products, uh,how we manage our land.
And that has to be tackledthrough circular economy.
Circular economy is all aboutkeeping products and materials
in use longer.
And when you do that, youalmost retain the embodied
(20:25):
carbon in that uh product or inthat um, yeah, in that in that
product and whatnot.
So you don't have to go back tomother nature for virtue
resources or whatnot.
So I'm not saying it's the onlytool in the toolbox, but it's
one tool uh or it's another toolin the climate toolbox for
sure.
Stephanie McLarty (20:43):
Yeah.
Well, uh a circular mindset isreally it's a tool that has a
lot of other key benefits aswell.
Climate, the climate aspect isone of those factors.
So that's really interesting.
So these examples that you'regiving are really around taking
some element of waste andturning it into a new business
(21:08):
opportunity.
And it doesn't matter what kindof company you are.
I mean, uh even quantum, if Itake that as an example, we were
10, 15 years ago, electronicsrecyclers.
And we asked the question, Ithink as these other companies
have, like, what else can we do?
And over time, we've added inmore reuse, more parts
(21:31):
harvesting, refurbishing, andnow electronics recycling is a
piece or an important piece ofwhat we do.
But it's really around asking,like, yeah, what else can we do?
So if we think about thelearnings here of the examples
and specifically around creatingnew revenue out of these like
(21:53):
waste products and waste items.
Andrew, what would you say arethe key learnings, especially
from what you see at CircularInnovation Council, that other
companies could really take withthem as they're thinking about
what they're gonna do withintheir companies?
Andrew Telfer (22:08):
Yeah, um my goodness.
Sustainability is so broad,circular economy is so broad,
and that's such a broadquestion, too, and and so many
answers.
But if I think about it, um itreally I I'm just I'm trying to
put myself back in, like I ledsustainability at Walmart Canada
for over a decade, and I oftenthink back to when I was a
(22:32):
sustainability leader um withinthe organization and just put in
charge or uh charged with likewe have to lessen the impact on
our environment.
How do we do that?
And I think you just go back toyour roots and you go back,
it's it's not rocket science,it's like where are we impacting
(22:52):
the environment?
Waste is one of them, andenergy is another.
Um, so so especially with thoseexamples that I gave, and
there's a lot more, it's it'sabout where where where is there
waste?
And if I could give anotherexample, and this is um I get a
I get a ton of information fromBruce Taylor over at Enviro
(23:15):
Stewards, and he's awesome.
And he goes, he goes right ontothe manufacturing floor and
takes a look.
And the first question he asks,he goes, he uh gets his uh
directions from the management,then he goes straight to the the
staff on the floor and asksthem point blank, where's their
waste?
Where is the waste coming from?
Let's tackle it there.
(23:37):
And this is what I love aboutBruce is that um like you talk,
like you you get so excitedabout like oh, recycling,
recycling, recycling, and andhow is we're we're keeping out a
landfill and we're making newproducts.
And Bruce is like, forgetrecycling, it's about reduction.
Go go like there's more costsavings in the reduction and
(24:01):
whatnot.
And he has umptiening amount ofstories.
And in fact, it's funny, um, heactually shared uh a potato
story, a frozen potato productstory, uh case study with me in
the last uh couple of weeks onbenote that I was going to be
talking on this on this uhpodcast.
But he was uh the case studythat he shared with me is he was
(24:23):
out west, um, and he's workingwith a uh frozen potato potato
manufacturing frozen potatoproduct, I guess.
Uh, and he went to the line andsaid, Where's their waste?
And as it turned out, where thecutter was, they there would
always jam up and it would havewaste.
So they addressed that firstand foremost, and it reduced, I
(24:47):
don't know how many tons ofwaste saved, how many dollars.
Um, so first and foremost, it'salmost like you asked, like,
what advice would you give tothe other companies?
It's like, well, start simple.
What are the three R's?
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
And that's exactly how Brucetackled it with this uh frozen
(25:08):
potato uh product manufacturer.
Where's the waste?
Let's reduce the waste.
Okay, we've tackled that.
Now, what else do they have?
Okay, you have offcuts comingout.
How can we reuse them?
Like, so just like the gingerbeer example from greenhouse, we
have outputs, how can they bereused?
(25:28):
So now you're going through thearts, we reduce, reuse, then
recycle.
And it's like, okay, now theseare like the very little bitty
off-cuts kind of thing.
Um, but instead of recycling ororganically recycling them, how
can you upcycle them and givethem to another uh manufacturer?
(25:50):
And Bruce actually, in thepotato example that he that he
gave, he actually hit all threeR's.
He said, first he reduced thewaste, then we reused it
in-house, and then what wecouldn't, we actually upcycled
the offcuts to another productmanufacturer.
And that's the whole um andsorry, I this is a total
(26:11):
sustainability circularity geekor nerd when it comes to this.
I love how cool the story is,and even that's Bruce and all
the work that he does.
Then there's uh Cher CherMerriweather has a great story.
Uh, back when she was leadingum provision coalition, she was
working with a um uh onion ringmanufacturer, and of course the
(26:35):
onion ring manufacturer wantedthe the the round parts of the
onions, so they cut off the top,they cut off the bottom, and
they're like, Well, this iswaste to us, these are rings.
So they were they wererecycling them and they're
disposing of them, keeping themout of landfill, but then Cher
(26:55):
connected them up with avegetable broth manufacturer who
doesn't care what the the theshape of the onion is, and then
and so Cher connected them up,and lo and behold, guess what?
They were actually close to oneanother, so it's like their
supply chain was shortened, andthe vegetable broth
manufacturers before Cherconnected them up with the uh
(27:17):
iron ring offcuts or the onionoffcuts, they were sourcing from
outside of Canada, so now it'slike a shorter supply chain,
more resilient supply chain.
Like that's what circulareconomy is all about.
It's about um just reducingyour impact on the environment
and going through really thethree Rs are how old are the
(27:41):
three R's, but they still apply.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
And that's I guess what I wouldsay is where to where to start.
Stephanie McLarty (27:50):
Yeah, I love reduce, reuse, recycle.
It is so simple and it can beapplied in so many ways.
So basically, for othercompanies, look to where your
waste is and apply the three R'swith really the context of like
what else can you do with this?
And I think the other thingwe've heard through you as well
(28:10):
is the necessity to lookelsewhere in terms of
collaboration.
There might be opportunitiesfor your waste to become someone
else's ways or someone else'sinput.
Andrew Telfer (28:22):
Yeah.
Stephanie McLarty (28:23):
Um and also I think, too, is thinking about
your customers and what yourcustomers want, because there
might be a new businessopportunity.
Coming back to the doorexample, using the offcuts to
create a different business linethat appeals to uh customers in
a different way or a differentset of of your customers.
(28:44):
I think that's really smart.
Andrew Telfer (28:46):
I actually I have a can I share a story with you
that I actually met thegentleman up at the Canadian
Circular Economy Summit inApril.
Um he was from Hilti and Hiltilike Hilti Tools and whatnot.
And again, forgive me, I knowenough to be dangerous, and and
I but I was so excited when hewas telling me the story.
(29:09):
Um, and you and Stephanie, whenyou mentioned alternative
business models or a differentbusiness model and what your
customers want, totally Hiltijumped into my jumped into my
mind.
They're a great example, yeah.
They've now come up and said,okay, what how can we um provide
the the products that we do,and in their case tools, um, and
(29:33):
they probably produce more,sorry, not a Hilti uh expert,
but I know they provide toolsand and other products.
Um and they've come up withthis concept, like product as a
service.
So it's almost like um like I Ithink a drill, I buy a drill
and I'll use it for fairly oftenfor drills, but I might buy a
(29:55):
chop saw to build a deck, andthen once my deck is built,
that's That chop saw like sitsin my garage, like collecting
dust, kind of thing.
And so they've come up with uhwhat they're calling a circular
toolbox, and it's it's notnecessarily a um a rental model,
they're coming up with almostlike a subscription model.
(30:18):
So you subscribe to their useprogram or reuse program, and
whenever you need a chop saw, uhyou just you you have your
subscription, so you get the uhability to use their chop saw.
And then when you're not uhdone or when you're not using it
anymore, you take it back andthey handle the upkeep, they
(30:40):
handle the repair and whatnot.
And once a drill or a chop sawor what have you uh kind of
comes to the end of its life oris really big like worn and
whatnot, but it still may havesome value to it, then they
donate it and whatnot.
Right.
So there's so there's a socialbenefit.
Maybe it's donated to Habitatfor humanity.
(31:02):
I'm making this, I'm not maybeI should watch myself, but but
they donate it to good causesand whatnot.
So, and that's what circularitysustainable is all about.
It's not only the environmentalbenefits and the business
benefits, but it's also thesocial benefits, also as well
and whatnot.
Stephanie McLarty (31:20):
So and that's a really great way to close out
this conversation, Andrew.
We talked about a lot.
What would be one final pieceof advice you'd leave our
listeners with in terms of thiswhole area around thinking with
a circular mindset to solvebusiness problems and possibly
even create new revenue?
Andrew Telfer (31:41):
I think we all have to work towards changing
the underlying model, get intothe circular mindset, keeping
products in and materials in uselonger, however, you want to do
that, whatever role youperform, how do you do that?
And then all of a sudden,everybody who's working in what
I like to say um purpose-drivenjobs, I guess, like whether if
(32:07):
they're working in CSR,sustainability or regeneration
or what have you, all of asudden their work is now and
their efforts, they're gonnathrive and whatnot, and we'll be
that much more successful.
So if it's just one finalthought or one final thing, I
think we all have to work tochange um the underlying
(32:29):
economic model, almost bend itfrom linear into circular.
And once we do that, a lot ofour work, a lot of our efforts
will um will thrive longer thannot.
Stephanie McLarty (32:45):
That's great advice.
Thank you, Andrew, so much forbeing on the podcast.
I love this conversation, soinspiring.
And remember, if you arelooking for a partner to help
you repair, reuse, and recycleyour electronics, we'd love to
chat.
Head on over toquantumlifecycle.com and contact
us.
This is a Quantum Lifecyclepodcast, and the producer is
(33:07):
Sanjay Trivedi.
Thank you for being a circularfuture champion in your company
and beyond.
Logging off
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