Circular Economy's Best Pitch Isn't Sustainability

About this episode

Garry Cooper discusses the current state of the circular economy and the challenges of selling circular solutions.

Garry Cooper, neuroscientist-turned-CEO of Rheaply, joins Garr Punnett for an conversation about where the circular economy actually stands in 2026. They dig into why "sustainability" as a pitch is losing ground, why inflation and EPR compliance might finally be the acute pain the sector needs, and the brutal operational reality of selling circular solutions to budget-constrained middle managers. It's a candid conversation between two operators who've been doing this long enough to tell the difference between the narrative and the spreadsheet.

People in this episode

Host: Garr Punnett

Guest: Garry Cooper

Topics covered

• circular economy
• sustainability
• inflation
• EPR compliance
• budget constraints
• operational reality

Keywords

• circular economy
• sustainability
• inflation
• EPR compliance
• budget constraints
• operational reality
• Garry Cooper
• Garr Punnett

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rheaply

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• The 85% Emissions Cut That Wine Brands Keep Ignoring · April 14, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Is Venture Capital Failing Climate Tech Founders · March 17, 2026 · 60 min
• Why Your Retirement Fund Might Be Destroying Your Future · March 10, 2026 · 1h 14m