In short, yes; and those two attributes MUST be able to co-exist in order for a more sustainable future to be possible. This is one of the greatest concerns I see as a consultant for sustainability in business. Some entrepreneurs want to grow a Fortune 500 company and others want to build an NGO or Non-Profit and focus on meaningful change. Regardless of the ambition, a business requires growth and funding to be functional.
Read moreWhat I Know About Running a Sustainable Coffee Shop
So, you own a coffee shop; or you’re planning to? Maybe you don’t own it but you’re in a management position and know the benefits of building environmental and social values into your daily operations. I’m going to lay some of the lessons I’ve learned on the table.
Read moreCOVID-19: Designing a Future Made Possible by Lockdown
Image by Jordan Hau
Inspired by tales of improving air quality and wildlife returning to the streets of the world, it makes me wonder, wouldn’t it be amazing if we could maintain this?
Read moreCoffee & Climate Change: In a Nutshell →
Coffee is systemically unsustainable which is not great when it’s also one of the industries most susceptible to climate change related pressures. The supply chain has historically been known for its exploitation of producers and with such colossal demand, the intensification of agriculture comes with widespread use of harmful artificial fertiliser and loss of biodiversity.
Read moreIs ‘Biodegradable’ a Myth? →
It was too easy. We were fed this solution to saving the planet and we all ate it up. I’m a Sustainability Consultant and I did too. A material that was able to biodegrade and become one with the world again. A complete closed-loop. Wrong. It really was too good to be true and it serves as a reminder that even when a concept seems entirely logical, it’s always worth going deeper.
Read moreSustainability in Fashion: The Top 5 Manufacturing Certifications →
Mel Poole // Unsplash
Certifications in this world of Sustainable Development are becoming more vital by the day. As Greenwashing is on the rise and truth becomes harder to decipher from false claims, we require greater regulation over the environmental and social performance of companies.
Read moreHow Not To Greenwash: A Guide for Business Owners →
So quickly, what is Greenwashing? Well, in a nutshell, it’s when a company jumps onto the Eco-Bandwagon and makes false claims about how Environmentally focused they are, as a marketing move. For example, they may claim that all of their packaging is recyclable when it probably isn’t; or they celebrate Earth Day on social media, yet make no effort to audit their impact on the environment. It’s all just one big front to get ahead of the movement.
Read moreTransparency: The Scary but Necessary Journey of Being Vulnerable in Business →
The more and more I experience of this thing we call life, the more I’ve come to realise that most of us are truly terrible at being open. Half of the time, we can’t even be open and honest with ourselves so how are we supposed to lay everything bare to other people?
Read moreA Circular Economy: Cancelling the word ‘Waste’
I wanted to write up a simple walk-through of the Circular Economy, without all of the jargon and sound bites that often come with it. I’m aware the very term ‘Circular Economy’ is likely to go over many heads but I truly believe it’s the solution to many of the global sustainability challenges we’re facing and by the looks of things, so do many world leaders and CEOs. We’re learning more about its potential each and every day and like any new economic system, it could fall back into insignificance. However, I just don’t think it will! I’ve studied the CE for a while now, in a critical way and the downfalls are mainly suggestive of a system in its toddler stage, rather than a lack of potential.
Read moreCoronavirus, Sustainability & Community
(Image John Cameron via Unsplash)
We are in the midst of a global pandemic, these are frightening and uncertain times. For individuals certainly, but also for businesses, neoliberalist ideas and capitalism itself. Covid-19 is spreading through the world; as it does so, it is exposing the fragility of our global systems. As the supermarkets, the so called ‘cathedrals of capitalism’ are laid bare, the system’s vulnerability is exposed. As is our dependence on it.
Read more