Aspen UK

The rise of ‘Circular Fashion’ is defined by a shift by producers and consumers in global fashion value chains to products which retain their value for longer. There is a changing consumer market for circular fashion driven by new government policies, shifts in business practices by producers, and consumer demands that are prioritising responsibly sourced and more sustainable fashion products.

This event explored these steps to reduce the fashion sector’s impacts and what the most effectives tools will be to move towards improving sustainability in the clothes we wear. It was held in partnership with the Netherlands Embassy and the EU Delegation to the UK.

This event was recorded live on November 24 2022 at the National Gallery.

Moderator:
Bella Webb - Sustainability Editor at Vogue Business

Panellists:
Shailja Dubé – Institute of Positive Fashion Programme Lead at British Fashion Council
Emilien Gasc – Climate & Environment attaché at the Delegation of the European Union to the UK
Hasna Kourda – CEO and co-founder of Save Your Wardrobe
Safia Minney - founder of People Tree and Fashion Declares and author of Regenerative Fashion

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Distrust has become the default for the public’s trust in government and trust in our political leaders is broken. And after a chaotic few months in British politics, the disconnect between politicians and the electorate only seems to be worsening. Do we need a new type of politics to begin to rebuild trust in government? In this episode, we heard The Rt Hon. Baroness D'Souza CMG in conversation with Hugh Taggart, Co–CEO UK & Ireland, and Global Head of Crisis at Edelman.

This event is part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK to understand the causes behind the polarisation that we are seeing in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

We will be joined by an expert guest for each event and will seek to understand this trust deficit by identifying key issues for public and private institutions, exploring why mistrust is so pervasive and try to identify how trust can be re-built.

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 2 November 2022.

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The question of how employers can create truly diverse workforces is being asked more and more. From corporate spaces to hospitality, diversity quotas in the recruitment of employees often rely on a tick-box exercise. But once in these spaces, what do organisations do to create a work culture that brings individuals of different backgrounds together in meaningful exchange? And how can such workplaces, which may have in the past been designed to facilitate a narrower group of employees, evolve into an environment that suits the needs of a diverse workforce?

Our experts discuss how employers can recruit and maintain a more diverse workforce, and what are the possible paths to creating an environment respectful of intercultural diversity.

The panel features Marc de Swaan Arons, the Founder of the Institute for Real Growth; Anu Law, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader at the EY Foundation; Christin Owings, Managing Director and Partner in the People & Organization Practice at BCG in London; Ade Rawcliffe, Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion at ITV; and Esther-Miriam Wagner, Executive Director of the Woolf Institute. Emma Jacobs, Work and Careers Features writer at the Financial Times, moderates the conversation.

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 21 November 2022.

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After one of the most historic elections in Brazil’s history that saw Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva be elected to the presidency, the future direction of the country is in a uncertain place. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have to navigate stagnated growth and high crime levels, balance supporting agri-business while preventing deforestation and protecting indigenous peoples, and build unity in an increasingly polarised society.

Chargé d’Affaires Melanie Hopkins, United Kingdom Acting Ambassador in Brazil; Richard Lapper, a consultant on Latin America and the author of the book ‘Beef, Bible, and Bullets: Brazil in The Age of Bolsonaro’; Pamella Lessa, Impact Director of the social organisation SEJA; and Dr Carlos Nobre,  Earth System Scientist currently associated with Institute for Advanced Studies, University of São Paolo speak with Michael Stott, Latin American Editor at the Financial Times on the future of Brazil at this historical inflection point. 

This event was recorded at a live event on 15 November, 2022.

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The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the travel industry. International travel ground to a halt in 2020 as four-fifths of countries around the world closed their borders in an attempt to slow down the spread of the virus. The UN World Tourism Organisation estimates that international arrivals fell by 70-75% in 2020.

With border restrictions lifted across the EU and the UK, passenger travel is rapidly ramping up. Airlines and travel carriers are coping with a number of challenges, including increased demand, rising oil prices, staff shortages, flight cancellations, and transition to low-carbon.

This event brought together travel industry professionals, consumer advocacy experts, and policymakers to discuss how the EU and UK travel industries are coping with the post-COVID rebound in tourism and how we can better build resiliency for the future. We explored how travel providers can adapt to meet fast rising demand, scale up staffing, and deal with the impact of the war in Ukraine. We also discussed how to protect passengers in times of uncertainty and explore how travel between the EU and UK is changing.

What will it take for the travel industry to recover? What steps are airlines and airports taking to minimise the chaos? Can we safeguard against future shocks? How can we create better assurances for consumers protection?

This was recorded live on 24 October 2022.

Moderator:
Ben Clatworthy – Ben is the Transport and Travel Correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times.

Panellists:
Rhea Chatterjee – Rhea is the Assistant Section Secretary to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Services Sections of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Simon McNamara – Simon is the UK & Ireland Country Manager for the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Bob Schumacher – Bob is the Director of Sales (United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel Jordan, South Africa and Off-line markets) for United Airlines.
Pierpaolo Settembri – Pierpaolo is an EU official since 2007, currently working as Head of Unit for Coordination and Planning in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE).
Christopher Snelling – Christopher is Policy Director at Airport Operations Association (AOA)

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The global transition to a net-zero economy hinges on a strong and trusting relationship between business, government and society. How can institutions, businesses and communities unite to forge a path to a clean global future where prosperity is delivered, but not at the expense of the planet?

KEY EXPERT:
Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP – COP26 President and UK Cabinet minister

IN CONVERSATION WITH:
Ed Williams – President & CEO, Edelman EMEA

This event is part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UKto understand the causes behind the polarisation that we are seeing in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

We are joined by an expert guest for each event and seek to understand this trust deficit by identifying key issues for public and private institutions, exploring why mistrust is so pervasive and try to identify how trust can be re-built.

This podcast was recorded live on July 14th 2022.

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Big tech firms have attracted concerns around the world for their anti-competitive conduct. Their ability to stifle competition and innovation, and so maintain their monopoly over technology markets, has been met with increasing criticism in recent years. Across the world, regulators and policy makers have come up with proposals on how to establish a competitive, safe, and fair online environment that also safeguards users’ fundamental rights.

Announced earlier this year, the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) is legislation designed to make the digital economy open, fair, and contestable. Likewise, the UK’s new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will look to hold Big Tech companies to account, with the powers to issue fines for not allowing fair competition. Both regulators will seek to curb the power of companies designated as ‘gatekeepers’, based on their market-share and profits. Will it be enough to reign in the technology giants? Are competition authorities and anti-trust regulators adequately prepared to enforce the new regulatory regimes alongside existing antitrust tools? Can the digital economy ever be made open and fair?

This event brought together industry figures, policy-experts, academics, and civil servants to discuss the different regulatory approaches the UK and EU are adopting, and how their respective ambitions compare. 

This event was recorded live on October 18 2022. 

Moderator:

Tamzin Booth – Partner in the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) sector team at Brunswick Group, and former Technology and Business Editor at The Economist.

Panellists:

Olivier Guersent – Director-General of the Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission. 

Amelia Fletcher CBE – Professor of Competition Policy at Norwich Business School and Deputy Director at the Centre for Competition Policy. 

Niall Mackenzie – Director, Consumers and Competition at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). 

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The modern educational system is designed around academic performance, university admissions and preparing students for their professional careers. But there is less emphasis on the promotion of the skills associated with facilitating inter-cultural dialogue, such as communication, listening, and openness. And this issue isn’t limited to school curricula; classrooms often lack in racial, gender, religious and sexual diversity.

Schools and universities represent ideal platforms to encourage the development of intercultural dialogue in society. Embracing different cultures in the classroom is crucial for uniting communities, developing an awareness of different cultural perspectives, and promoting open-mindedness, tolerance, and empathy.

This event brought together educators, academics, and non-profit leaders to explore how to enhance intercultural exchange in schools, universities, and curricula. Our discussion focused on how we can devise a curriculum to produce a more well-rounded cultural education of our youth and how we can we bring together students of different cultural backgrounds to learn and exchange experiences together.

The Aspen Institute UK, in partnership with the Khalili Foundation, explore these pertinent questions. It is part of the wider World Festival of Cultural Diversity which, in association with UNESCO, is bringing together various intellectual and creative initiatives in collective celebration of our world’s cultures.

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 27 September 2022.

Moderated by:
James Westhead - Head of Engagement at Big Society Capital, previously TeachFirst and BBC News correspondent

Panel:
Victor Adebowale - visiting Professor and Chancellor at the University of Lincoln
Faiqa Amreen – Head of History at Park View School; Professional Development Specialist at Lyfta
Zulum Elumogo – Zulum Elumogo is a Special Advisor at Freuds Communications; on the Board of Directors for the Fair Education Alliance, Dance Umbrella and the Barbican Centre
Tariq Modood – Tariq is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy and founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol

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This event was recorded as a live broadcast on 30 June 2022.

In the UK, as economic inequality increases, so does public distrust of our economy and its institutions. So, if a more economically equal society is also a more trusting one, what responsibility do our institutions have in rebalancing the system and, consequently, improving trust?

Part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK, this event saw Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive at the New Economics Foundation, in conversation with Hugh Taggart, Co-CEO and Global Head of Crisis at Edelman UK. In this timely conversation, Miatta and Hugh explore the role of economic institutions in creating a trusting society, and question how this trust can be promoted in our current polarised climate. 

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

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This event was recorded as a live broadcast on 4 May 2022.  

Trusted information is the lifeblood of a well-functioning society – are our media models and platforms able to support this? In this conversation, our speakers explore the forces driving trust, and distrust, in the media, between those who write & publish the stories and those who read them. 

Part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK, this event saw Mark Thompson, former CEO of The New York Times Company and Former Director-General of the BBC, in conversation with Ed Williams, President and CEO of Edelman EMEA. Their discussion sought to understand the causes behind the polarisation we see in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

Support the show