Sustainable Industry Actions Without Policy Forcing Them - Interview With Credo Beauty
03/17/2026 | 43 mins.
What happens when companies take sustainability seriously—without waiting for regulations to force their hand? In this conversation, host Christine Yeager and Christina Ross from Credo Beauty explore the carbon accounting challenges facing the beauty industry, sharing the company's experience now in its third year of emissions reporting—an effort many brands still avoid. They discuss the realities of working with imperfect data, the emotional and operational cost of sustainability pivots for smaller companies, and why focusing on the biggest impact areas matters more than perfect accuracy.
From Scope 3 emissions and ingredient-level traceability to innovations like packaging made from recycled beauty empties, the discussion highlights how mission-driven brands can move the industry forward through collaboration, transparency, and practical action—even without policy pressure.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): How New Recycling Laws Are Reshaping Packaging, Fees, And The Future Of Circularity
03/09/2026 | 31 mins.
Today, Christine Yeager dives deep into one of the most transformative forces in the recycling industry: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Christine unpacks how EPR laws across the United States are reshaping packaging design, recycling infrastructure, and brand strategy — turning regulatory pressure into powerful market signals.
From rising EPR fees on flexible films like plastic mailers and pet food bags to new definitions of recyclability based on collection access, sorting capability, and responsible end markets, the conversation explores how companies must rethink materials, cost models, and long-term pipeline plans. Drawing on insights from the Plastics Recycling Conference and recent developments such as CalRecycle selecting Land Bell U.S.A. to operate California’s textile EPR program, Christine breaks down what these changes mean for brands nationwide.
You’ll learn how EPR fees are influencing packaging lightweighting, material optimization, and national vs. state-specific compliance strategies — and why flexible film recycling, polypropylene cups, and textile recovery programs are becoming strategic battlegrounds in the circular economy.
If you’re navigating EPR compliance, sustainable packaging design, or recycling market shifts in 2026 and beyond, this episode delivers critical insights to help you turn regulation into opportunity.
Maintaining Sustainability In The Pet Industry With Allison Reser Hamburger
03/03/2026 | 38 mins.
We may not think much about our pets' carbon footprint because they are just small and innocent creatures, but they also have a significant collective impact on the health of the planet. Christine Yeager sheds light on how the entire pet industry can make better choices to build a more sustainable future with Allison Reser Hamburger, Director of Sustainability & Innovation at the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC). Together, they discuss what it takes to improve ingredient sourcing and packaging in pet food and products, even if it requires a huge amount of compromise from companies and corporations. Allison also explores how to solve the disconnect between public values and industry actions, often caused by powerful forces like capitalism, materialism, and short-sightedness.
Durability: Can Extended Producer Responsibility Withstand Legal, Political, And Market Pressure?
02/24/2026 | 23 mins.
What happens when circular economy policy meets real-world resistance?
In this episode of Change Cycle, Christine Yeager puts extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems through a stress test—examining how they hold up under lawsuits, market volatility, political shifts, and public scrutiny. From California’s refined packaging regulations to Oregon’s ongoing legal challenge, and new EPR bills emerging in Illinois, New York, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin, she unpacks the fast-moving U.S. policy landscape.
But durability isn’t just about surviving headlines. Drawing lessons from Germany, France, Belgium, and British Columbia, Christine explores what makes EPR systems financially stable, legally defensible, operationally sound, and adaptable over time. She argues that lasting circular economy progress depends not only on strong funding mechanisms and governance—but on leaders who can navigate controversy and stay committed when the pressure rises.
As U.S. EPR policy matures, the real question isn’t whether it will face resistance. It’s whether it’s built to endure it.
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Navigating The Challenges Of Textile Circularity With Marisa Adler
02/17/2026 | 38 mins.
Textiles compose a huge chunk of global waste, and they usually end up in the dumpster and are never recycled. Christine Yeager discusses what it takes to improve textile circularity with Marisa Adler, Senior Consultant at Resource Recycling Systems (RRS). She explains how to navigate the ever-increasing challenges and limitations of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and create more recovery pathways for textile reuse, recycling, and repurposing. Marisa also highlights the complex pathways of textiles in secondhand and international trade, as well as the rising tensions between financial responsibilities and environmental goals. Find out how the government, the corporate world, and even your very own home can join forces in vastly improving textile circularity.
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.csyimpact.com/podcast
The amount of waste in the world will not go down if consumers and society refuse to make sustainability a key priority. In today’s highly globalized and commercialized world, recycling cannot continue to fail us. The amount of waste that could be recycled, and therefore the carbon emissions that could be avoided, are too large to ignore. We know circularity is not the only solution to climate change and waste, but it is one that can be easily addressed with existing technology and would have a significant impact. If you want to drive sustainable change in your own way without sacrificing profits and long-term strategies, this is the podcast for you.Welcome to Change Cycle, the show exploring different ways to optimize the shift to the circular economy by embracing that change is cyclical. Tune in to engaging, informative, and thought-provoking conversations focusing on what it takes to drive positive environmental and social impact through revolutionary business actions.Each episode, discover ways to make the seemingly overwhelming task of driving people and business to take sustainable, regenerative or circular business actions. This information will be useful to every chief sustainability officer who pushes for major changes within their companies, businesses looking to transform their product development and packaging processes, or enterprises facing huge challenges due to implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation (EPR). Whether you need to optimize your innovation cycle, boost your recycling efforts, or influence your company's CFO to invest in circularity, this podcast offers every tool, resource, and piece of knowledge you need.With the guidance of leading sustainable experts and thought leaders, discover how to create the right sustainability roadmap that aligns with your business’ growth agenda. Learn how to adjust and refine your goals and priorities to achieve your target revenue while maintaining an environmental approach in your operations. Find out how to remain compliant with EPR through up-to-date innovations anchored in delivering circularity and business results.This podcast tackles the constant nature of change in the market and the world as a whole, and the right way to handle it. By understanding the best way to experience and absorb all kinds of changes happening today, you can influence and create actual change not just within your business but also in every circle in your life. Gather the necessary wisdom and courage to bridge the gap between the economy and sustainability, making a highly regenerative future a much more attainable dream.Host Christine Yeager is an impact consultant whose passion and energy lie in inspiring others to build a much better world. With 15 years in the CPG industry, her expertise across business operations to drive an economy powered by circularity and social equity is unmatched.Since 2023, Christine has been making huge waves of change through CSY Impact Consulting, where she guides businesses, entrepreneurs, and corporations in building a clear sustainable strategy using relevant consumer and industry insights. With her help, these for-profit ventures become armed with the necessary knowledge and resources to leave people, processes, and the environment better than they found them.Christine brings to the podcast her many years of experience shaping sustainability strategies and operational plans. She is the best person to lead these conversations that uncover the best actions, methods, and planning to amplify sustainable innovation in the current marketplace. From sharing compelling stories, exploring the latest trends, to breaking down efficient recycling methods, Christine has it all for you.Sustainability is crucial for success in today's market. Join Christine as she guides you to improve recycling, track your packaging supply chain, and integrate regenerative practices into your business.Listen to Change Cycle at http://CSYimpact.com.
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