In a world of rapidly accelerating sustainability legislation, we’ve been reminded that it’s still the consumer who holds most of the cards. Recent events in dairy and automotive show what happens when brands push change faster than consumers are willing to follow.
Apple’s annual iPhone launch cycle is a masterclass in confusing consumer wants with consumer needs. Their latest Product Environmental Report looks good on paper, but it completely ignores the environmental cost of the cycle itself.
Benchmarking is rarely an uplifting experience. But this week we were reminded of something more specific: how easy it is to draw completely the wrong conclusions when you’re not comparing apples with apples.
Sustainability has slipped down the CEO priority list as AI takes centre stage. But the real opportunity isn’t to choose between them – it’s to bring them together. The potential wins for sustainability from smart AI application are enormous.
There’s a growing view that businesses have been chasing the wrong sustainability goal. Being sustainable – doing less harm – may no longer be enough. The new ambition is to become regenerative: actively restoring people, places and the planet.
Is that EV charging in the garage really better for the environment? What about that mattress you’re lying on? As sustainability-driven innovation uncovers more uncomfortable truths, brands face a tricky question: how much should you tell consumers before you’ve fixed the problem?
Are consumers growing tired of the preachy, finger-pointing rhetoric that some challenger brands use to communicate sustainability? As Quiet Luxury sweeps fashion, it’s time to ask whether Quiet Activism might be the smarter path forward.
LEGO have tied ESG performance to bonuses for all 18,000 of their salaried employees – a bold, pioneering move. But will psychologist Albert Bandura be proved right? When everyone is responsible, is anyone really responsible?
England’s Euro 2024 squad announcement is the perfect prompt to ask what ‘Total Football’ can teach businesses about sustainability. Success won’t come from lone individuals – it requires a team-first mindset and the kind of internal collaboration that most organisations haven’t yet cracked.
Greenwashing gets all the bad press, but could greenhushing be equally damaging? The growing reluctance to talk about sustainability progress – for fear of being called out – is quietly eroding brand goodwill with consumers, customers and stakeholders.
Working in sustainability means constantly pushing against the natural flow of the business – overworked, under-resourced, challenging the status quo. But those who take the path less trodden are also shaping a more sustainable future for all of us. As Steve Jobs said: it’s better to be a pirate than join the navy.
A trip to Earthfest in Kings Cross was a timely reminder of why it pays to get out of the office and reconnect with sustainability at the grassroots. The real leaders of this movement are quietly making a difference, driven by hope and the optimism of possibilities – not weighed down by a corporate agenda.
