José Manuel Moller

I build zero-waste systems that work in the real world.

I'm the Cofounder & CEO of Common House, a London-based Zero Waste Studio that helps cities, brands and NGOs move from strategy to day-to-day execution. We combine consulting, acceleration and venture building to operationalise reuse, organics and waste prevention with measurable outcomes.

Before this, I founded Algramo (2013–2025) in Santiago and scaled smart-refill and pay-for-content models from Chile to six countries. We onboarded 5,000+ neighbourhood stores, partnered with global brands, and helped hundreds of thousands of low-income families cut costs while pushing reuse rates from below 10% to above 80% in targeted communities. That experience shaped my focus on fracción models — buy exactly what you need — and the technology that makes circular systems affordable and scalable.

At Common House we co-drive implementation: refining unit economics, opening enterprise pipelines, and converting pilots into rollouts. If you're a city, corporate or NGO aiming to make zero waste operational fast, let's talk.

Recognition UNEP Champion of the Earth, 2023·UN Vice Chair, Zero Waste Advisory Board·COP31 Advisor, High-Level Climate Champion·TED, Ashoka & WEF Young Global Leader fellow

• BuildingThe first refill station with a retailer in Costa Rica. And the biggest zero-waste event in the world — Istanbul, 5–7 June.
• AdvisingThe COP31 High-Level Climate Champion in Istanbul, leading on zero waste as a focal point of the COP action agenda.
• ChairingUN Zero Waste Advisory Board working sessions ahead of the next reporting cycle.
• LaunchingReuse for all — an open-source platform to scale reuse models worldwide. With Röchling Foundation and Yunus Environment Hub.
• WritingArticles and reflections on the Post-Optimistic era that I feel we're in.
• ReadingRe-visiting This is Service Design Thinking.
• Based inLondon. Istanbul recurring. New York in September.

02/Work

03/Writing

• 2025 Latin America shows the world: life without single-use was always possible.
  Op-ed · Business Reporter UK
• Mar 2026 Twelve years of Algramo: what scaled, what didn't, what we changed.
  Long-form · josemanuelmoller.com
• Feb 2026 Cities are the right unit for zero waste. Brands are the wrong one to start with.
  LinkedIn · 120k impressions
• Dec 2025 Launching Common House.
  Announcement · wearecommonhouse.com
• Nov 2025 The container is the unit of trust, not the product.
  Essay · josemanuelmoller.com

04/Reading

• NowRe-visiting This is Service Design Thinking — Stickdorn, Schneider et al.
• RecentDoughnut Economics — Kate Raworth. Re-read; better the second time.
• RecentThe Waste Makers — Vance Packard. 1960, still painfully current.
• 2025Slouching Towards Utopia — Brad DeLong.

05/Contact