In this episode of SIMPLE brand, I talk with Joe Macleod, founder of andEnd and author of Ends and Endineering. He helps brands  intentionally design better customer endings.

Joe and I explore why the end of the customer experience is so often overlooked, why an ending can influence how customers remember the entire relationship, and why businesses need to think about endings as something they can actually design rather than something that simply happens.

We also talk about the different kinds of endings customers experience - from the end of an individual transaction or product to the end of an ongoing customer relationship - and why making it easier for customers to leave can actually strengthen your brand.

Between active product usage and ultimate disposal lies "The End Gap"—an unmanaged space where consumer engagement drops off, data lingers, and physical materials decay without guidance.

By mapping customer behavior against the 8 Core Types of Endings, sustainability and product teams can design targeted offboarding pathways that capture material value, protect brand reputation, and drive circular business models.

Public sustainability campaigns rely heavily on shame—using symbols like the crossed-out wheelie bin that isolate consumers and shift institutional blame onto individuals. To unlock a real circular economy, we must move from external shame to actionable guilt.

Circularity is often bogged down in data points, chemical compositions, and compliance certifications—important technical details that remain emotionally distant. By reframing product lifecycles through classic three-act narrative storytelling, brands can transform technical circularity into compelling customer experiences that build lasting brand equity.

Can we truly call a product circular if we have to wait two decades to see if the loop closes? True circularity requires return velocity—not just recyclable components. To build effective closed-loop systems, companies must stop waiting years for total product failure and start adopting the fast, rapid-learning generational cycles of fast-moving consumer goods.

High technology is no longer exempt from physical accountability. As legislative and judicial threads converge, software is now classified under the same product liability standards as hardware, forcing companies to address the digital waste and "zombie tech" left behind when support is abruptly pulled.