In this session our focus was on plastic. Plastic in many ways is the symbol of the fight we face to save our planet. A material that has become omnipresent but causing so many issues and challenges to our environment. In this session we will be exploring this material, briefly touching on why it is such problem but focussing more on how we can live in a plastic free planet.

These are all big and important questions which is why we invited Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of a Plastic Planet. Igniting social change, creating brands, campaigns and businesses with soul is Sian’s passion. Multi-award winner, including Female Marketer of the Year, CEW Achiever Award, Entrepreneur of the Year ,British Inventor of the Year and the UK Government Point of Light Award,; Sian is a serial entrepreneur with a varied background in advertising, Michelin Star restaurants, film production and brand creation design agencies. In 2005 she co-created Mama Mio, the first premium pregnancy skincare range and in 2014 launched Mio, again creating a new niche in a saturated market – delivering skin fitness to active women. The business was sold to The Hut Group in 2015. Now Sian is often asked to speak about female empowerment, entrepreneurship and how to build positive, passionate, responsible brands and campaigns people really connect to.

In 2017, Siân and Frederikke Magnussen founded A Plastic Planet; a global social Impact movement with a single goal - to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. As entrepreneurs, they bring a different fresh pro-business approach to environmental issues focusing on solutions and the power of business to impact change at speed and scale. A Plastic Planet are highly vocal in the media, working collaboratively with industry, retailers, Governments, legislators and the UN. Recognised in The 2019 and 2020 Fast Company Awards and  winners of International Campaign of the Year, A Plastic Planet created the infamous Plastic Free Aisle campaign, opening this catalyst for supermarket change in Amsterdam early 2018. They also launched the Plastic Free Trust Mark for brands, with over 1000 already certified, and the Industry Commitment Mark ‘Working Towards Plastic Free’. During 2020, they commenced a pivotal project with Skiathos, instigated by the island's inspirational new mayor.  From plastic hackathons for Unilever and WPP to creating new laws banning export of plastic waste, from lobbying for plastic taxes, and the planned launch of the first PlasticFree.com materials library with partner IBM, A Plastic Planet have created global impact in just 3 years.