This episode features a discussion with Verena Keller from UVEX, a company known for its consumer sports brand and B2B brand specializing in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Verena is the head of strategic sustainability development within the Department of Strategic Innovation Solutions. Her role involves supporting product teams, marketing, and sales, especially with the increasing customer interest in sustainability and circularity.

The conversation delves into Verena's unusual background in English and economics, her decade-long experience in the textile industry, and her focus on sports and outdoor brands. She emphasizes the importance of sustainability in natural materials and the complexity of transparent supply chains in textile manufacturing. Verena's entry into sustainability was gradual and unplanned, stemming from her sales and marketing roles and the desire to communicate effectively and drive change.

We also touch upon the need for consumer education and the use of concrete sustainability measures like CO2 product footprint and discuss the challenges of making circularity understandable and actionable for consumers, as well as the importance of including the use phase of products in sustainability considerations.

Finally, we examine sustainable material innovations, including long-lasting high-quality plastics, chemical recycling, and bio-based materials. Verena tells us a bit more about mass balancing as a bridge technology but acknowledges the challenges in explaining its concept to consumers.

Check out more about Verena Keller here and UVEX here.

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