Building Better Business

We all want a healthier planet and fairer future to look forward to. Building Better Business explores how business has a huge impact - and how, as informed customers, we can become part of a positive movement for change through our consumer choice.

The podcast features straight talking conversations with global thought leaders and professionals, asking: ‘What are businesses doing to protect our future and what more can be done?’

Hosted by John Steel, CEO of popular British ethical pioneer coffee brand Cafédirect.

Claire Rhodes (CEO, Producers Direct), Ed Gillespie (the Futurenauts podcast, Greenpeace Director) and Sir Tim Smit (founder of the Eden Project) join John for a live recording of this Fairtrade Fortnight special edition.

Our guests delve into how climate change is affecting the farmers that grow our food, what that means for all of us and how we can all help.

We cover:

- The reliance on small-scale farmers for food and commodities and their vulnerability to climate shocks

- The challenges facing small-scale farmers and who benefits from the trading system

- The reasons behind monocrop farming and its consequences

- Business greenwashing and the need to democratise climate data access

- How and why we need to create resilient landscapes to grow crops

See Cafédirect website for more information.

Mike Brehme took a leading role bringing good quality, ethical tea to the UK market and Clipper Teas is now the world’s largest Fairtrade tea brand.

Mike established Clipper in the mid 1980’s and as Managing Director, he ran the business for 25 years until 2008. Mike worked with the Fairtrade Foundation in their early days and defined what Fairtrade looked like in the tea industry.

He shares how he’s seen Fairtrade tackle the extreme inequality that exists in these tea communities, and how he’s witnessed the wildlife benefits of organic tea plantations.

Erinch’s career at Oxfam and then CEO of the World Fair Trade Organisation has led him to his latest endeavour at Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL).

Erinch tells us about doughnut economics – the theory by British economist Kate Raworth, which argues that 20th century economic thinking is not equipped to deal with the 21st century reality of a planet teetering on the edge of climate breakdown. The theory calls for a new way of business that will better serve our communities within the planet’s boundaries, rather than an endless pursuit of profit.

Erich shares how DEAL is turning this radical idea into transformative action.

Peter joins us from the UK body for social enterprise, which is a business with a social or environmental mission.

From building markets for social enterprises to public facing campaigns, they amplify the voice of their members and influence decision makers.

Peter has had a fascinating career working at Oxfam, Greenpeace and other charities, and now campaigns for economic change by advocating business models that consider all its stakeholders and the environment.

Most of our valued commodities, including coffee, are produced by people in some of the poorest conditions in the world.

Albert Tucker’s career has been dedicated to working to create equal partnerships with producer cooperatives and community leaders to change the way trade is done.

Albert was instrumental in pushing for farmers to take leadership roles at Fairtrade and Cafédirect and he tells us how this brought their entrepreneurial expertise and origin knowledge to great advantage, something he strongly advocates for all businesses.

Kresse Wesling is an environmental entrepreneur that set up Elvis & Kresse – a company that makes gorgeous luxury accessories from reclaimed materials.

Kresse inspires us to think about the huge potential of the waste that normally goes into landfill, and how we can make something truly special out of it.

We get Kresse’s thoughts on what solutions are needed to tackle waste, one of the biggest environmental challenges we face, and hear about the remarkable regenerative agriculture project that she is undertaking.

Child-labour and slavery in the cocoa industry is rife but Tony’s Chocolonely uses its delicious tasting chocolate and its different business model to make change across the industry.

Ben Greensmith started his career in food and drink over 20 years ago, and he has grown brands including Innocent and Proper Snacks and now as UK Country Manager at the sixth biggest chocolate brand in the UK, Tony’s Chocolonely.

Ben tells us who are the culprits, what Tony’s Chocolonely is doing to change consumers’ habits and industry practice, and how their how their sourcing principles are helping other businesses.

Jenny Costa founder of Rubies in the Rubble, a sustainable condiments brand that uses surplus fruit and vegetables, joins John this week.

Jenny started the business through her passion for avoiding food waste and desire to tackle the enormous problem that it poses globally. Food production and waste is a huge contributor to climate change, and Jenny saw a situation so wrong that she wanted to make change.

Here is her story on how she started Rubies in the Rubble and how she grew it into the successful business it is today.

Fairtrade works to provide worker’s rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay to farmers and workers who are marginalised from trade in various ways. Trade on favourable terms strengthens economies by improving livelihoods and communities, and helps farmers adapt to and mitigate against climate change.

Mike explains how working closely with producers and leveraging these relationships has incredible advantages for a business.