Episode Details

Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

Vojtech Vosecky is one of the world's leading voices on the circular economy, with nearly a quarter of a million people following his work on LinkedIn. He's an environmental engineer who's spent over a decade working inside the European Parliament, advising governments, training over 350 circular economy professionals, and building a global community of changemakers across 20 cities from Barcelona to Melbourne. His mission is simple: turn as many people as possible into circular economists, because he believes that's where the exponential impact lies in unfucking our climate.

This conversation unpacks why 90% of people think climate change is only about energy when the other half of the coin is resources. We dive into what the circular economy actually is, why nature has always been circular, and why recycling is the worst of all the good options we have. Vojtech explains why 45% of global emissions come from how we make, use, and waste stuff, and why the plastic bottle you drink from in 30 seconds represents months of materials, fossil fuels, and energy that's lost the moment you throw it away.

This is a masterclass in rethinking waste, rethinking consumption, and rethinking what it means to be a changemaker instead of a consumer.

——

This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

——

Find Vojtech on LinkedIn and learn more about his circular economy training program: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vojtechvosecky/

Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/

And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/

——

Chapters

00:00 What is the circular economy?

06:30 Linear vs circular: the plastic bottle example

12:15 Why climate isn't just about energy

18:40 The problem with the carbon footprint

24:50 Individual action vs systemic change

30:20 Building a community of circular economists

36:45 Which sectors need circularity most?

42:10 Gothenburg's housing crisis solved without building

48:30 How Philips pivoted from selling to leasing light

54:00 The 9 circular business models explained

1:02:15 Why 40% of food is wasted before it's eaten

1:08:40 Designing waste out of the system

1:14:20 What individuals can actually do

1:20:30 Stop being a consumer, start being a changemaker