Sustainability Solved

In our latest episode, we sit down with hosts Will Richardson, CEO and Founder of Green Element Group, and Charlie Luxton, an architectural designer focusing on sustainability buildings. Will and Charlie kick off the new year by reflecting on their sustainability journeys, and discuss key trends in sustainability for the year 2024! The conversation touches on sustainable architecture, political shifts and media challenges impacting sustainability, technological advancements, diverse perspectives on environmental activism, and much more! 

Starting 2024 with Sustainability: 

• Will and Charlie anticipate significant sustainability topics for the year, emphasising the urgency of addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. 
• Will advocates for proactive climate action rather than waiting for legislative mandates. 

Charlie’s Sustainability Journey: 

• Charlie shares his early environmental interest, stemming from childhood experiences in Australia. His sustainability journey began with a realisation about the environmental impact of logging in the rainforest. 
• Discussing his transition from TV hosting to sustainability, architecture, and history, Charlie highlights his recent project “The Great British Restoration Challenge” focused on converting non-houses into homes. 

Sustainable Architecture: 

• The conversation centres on integrating sustainability into architectural projects as a foundational aspect. 
• Charlie emphasises the importance of taking risks in sustainable practices, often testing innovative ideas on personal projects before implementing them for clients. 
• Both Will and Charlie discuss the significance of embodied carbon modelling in architectural projects. 
• Charlie expresses his excitement in AI’s role in optimising buildings, focusing on structure, servicing, thermal design, and orientation. 

Embracing All Aspects of Sustainability 

• Both Will and Charlie share some diverse sustainability initiatives they have witnessed over the years, highlighting the importance of storytelling in showcasing complex sustainability scenarios. 
• Will discusses an audit of an Eon site with diverse perspectives of environmental activism, while Charlie recalls an industrial symbiosis network in Denmark involving a coal-fired station, plasterboard production, and a fish farm. 

Political Shifts and Media Challenges 

• The hosts provide insights into political shifts, particularly in the US, and discuss potential impacts on sustainability. 
• Charlie expresses concerns about the media prioritising clickable headlines over fact-checking, shaping public opinion on sustainability. 

Green Element Group is an environmental management consultancy offering a range of bespoke sustainability services, products, and resources to accelerate the just transition to a stable climate. The Group consists of Green Element Limited, Compare Your Footprint Limited, and Sustainability Solved Podcast and Resource Hub. 

Find out more about Green Element Group here and benefit from 20% discount on the first year of subscription to Compare Your Footprint, the highest quality carbon footprint software for your organisation. When registering, click 'Got a Coupon' and enter code 'PODCAST' to claim discount. 

A big thank you to our sponsors! 

Business Declares: 

This episode of Sustainability Solved is sponsored by Business Declares, a not-for-profit business network who inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency. 

They are an active network of 100+ businesses who back our commitments to reach net-zero, restore and protect nature, and advocate for regulatory change. 

Join Business Declares as a member to get help accelerating your action on net-zero targets and on nature targets for your business from the network. Find out more here: Business Declares 

In this episode, Andrew Griffiths, co-founder of the Carbon Accounting Alliance, sheds light on the Alliance’s mission to tackle sustainability challenges through collaboration. Backed by over 100 organisations and businesses, including Green Element and Compare Your Footprint, Andrew explains the Alliance's focus on promoting best practices and robust standards.

Interested businesses can easily join the Carbon Accounting Alliance by filling out a quick form. The process is open and accessible, aiming to create a supportive community without any current costs involved.

Highlights:

Carbon Accounting 101:

·     Andrew simplifies carbon accounting, likening it to financial accounting – but with carbon instead of money! He explains the process of measuring carbon, the significance of carbon factors, and provides insights into achieving net-zero.

·     Andrew discusses the Alliance’s primary objectives including policy alignment, standards, technical coherence, and communications to drive positive change.

·     As of last month, the Carbon Accounting Alliance had measured a staggering 587,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and reported 6,000,000 tonnes of reductions.

Challenges and Solutions for Carbon Accounting:

• Andrew delves into data collection as a barrier for organisations looking to manage their carbon footprint. He discusses governmental policy recommendations and initiatives like Project Perseus for seamless and automated data gathering.
• The UK government has shown genuine interest in the Alliance’s proposals, signalling a potential bridge between business-led action and policy change.
• The Carbon Accounting Alliance plans to streamline data collection, analysis, and assurance using technologies like open banking but for carbon data.

Collaboration is Key:

• Andrew drives home the importance of collaboration in the industry and creating a safe space for professionals to connect, collaborate, and share experiences openly.
• For the Carbon Accounting Alliance, success in the next 12 months relies on collaboration, influencing policy makers, and engaging with standards like ISO and net-zero guidelines to drive change.

This episode of Sustainability Solved is sponsored by Business Declares, a not-for-profit business network who inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency. 

They are an active network of 100+ businesses who back our commitments to reach net-zero, restore and protect nature, and advocate for regulatory change. 

Join Business Declares as a member to get help accelerating your action on net-zero targets and on nature targets for your business from the network. Find out more here: Business Declares 

This month on the Sustainability Solved Podcast, our hosts Will Richardson and Charlie Luxton delve into the world of sustainable brewing. Joining them from Berlin is Roland Pahl-Dobrick, the Beer Market Manager from Pall Filtration, to shed light on the intricacies and challenges of sustainability in brewing.

Brewing Process and Impact:

-       Unlike wine filtration, beer filtration faces unique challenges due to its scale, volume, and sensitivity as a product.

-       The conversation highlights the staggering waste generated by filtration processes in the brewing industry, estimated to reach tens of millions of tonnes.

-       Traditional beer filtration using Diatomaceous Earth (DE), a fossilised algae, produces substantial waste, rendering it unfit for recycling or reuse, particularly problematic for large breweries.

Sustainability Challenges and Progress in Brewing:

-       Roland discusses the industry’s movement away from DE filtration toward membrane-based filtration, which significantly curbs waste production by over 90%, leading to substantial water savings and reductions in carbon footprint.

-       Advancements in brewing technology have notably slashed water usage by up to 80% from previous decades.

Future of Sustainable Brewing:

-       Brewing companies are increasingly adopting robust sustainability programmes aimed at minimising waste, enhancing operational efficiency, and prioritising environmentally friendly production processes.

-       Consumer preferences, particular amongst the younger demographic, are driving companies to embrace eco-friendly technologies, aligning with evolving market demands.

-       Roland explains how attention is also being directed toward addressing the environmental impact of packaging, including efforts to lightweight materials, explore reusable packaging options, and consider more sustainable transportation methods.

This episode of Sustainability Solved is sponsored by Business Declares, a not-for-profit business network who inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency.

They are an active network of 100+ businesses who back our commitments to reach net-zero, restore and protect nature, and advocate for regulatory change.

Join Business Declares as a member to get help accelerating your action on net-zero targets and on nature targets for your business from the network. Find out more here: Business Declares

Title: Breaking Down COP28: The Critical Climate Conference

Welcome to a special episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast!

In this episode, we introduce a brand-new co-host, Charlie Luxton, an architectural designer and TV presenter well-known for his passion for the built environmental and sustainability, as seen on Homes By The Sea and Building The Dream. 

With COP28 just around the corner, we’ve invited guests with strong opinions to discuss one of the most significant events in the sustainability calendar. Our first guest is Georgia Elliot-Smith, environmental activist and the founder and managing director of sustainability consultancy Element Four. Joining us is Emma Littlewood, Strategy Director at Green Element Group, and creator of the comprehensive carbon footprinting platform, Compare Your Footprint. 

Tune in as we dive deep into the inner workings of COP28, explore the impact of industry and capitalism, and discuss the prospects of revitalising this pivotal event for a sustainable future.

This episode of Sustainability Solved is sponsored by Business Declares, a not-for-profit business network who inspire, encourage, and accelerate action within businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency.

They are an active network of 100+ businesses who back our commitments to reach net-zero, restore and protect nature, and advocate for regulatory change.

Join Business Declares as a member to get help on accelerating your action on net-zero targets and on nature targets for your business from the network. Find out more here: Business Declares

Highlights: 

COP28 Explained

• Our guests delve into what COP is, its evolution, how the agenda is developed, and key sustainability milestones like the Rio Summit in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement in 2015. 
• Georgia shares her experience as an observer at COP, telling all about the ‘green zone’ for businesses and public, and the ‘blue zone’ – the heart of negotiations. 

Oil and Gas at COP28:

• Emma exposes the staggering subsidies offered to the oil and gas industry and their involvement in COP28. 
• Concerns are raised about this year’s COP28 host, the UAE, and their connections to the oil and gas industry. 
• Georgia reveals that the UK have given £20 billion more to fossil fuels than renewables post Paris Agreement. 

Reviving COP:

• We discuss how the merging of industry and governments is problematic in climate discussions, with our guests pushing for strict rules to limit corporate influence at COP. 
• The guest’s desire for COP28 to fail to pave the way for a more effective future is expressed. 
• Emma emphasises the critical outcome of COP28 to be immediate end to oil and gas exploration and a binding global deal to phase out fossil fuels. 

Resources:

COP28

Element Four 

Compare Your Footprint

Rio Summit 1992 

Kyoto Protocol 

Paris Agreement 

Two of the most pressing concerns of our generation are housing and the climate crisis. In the UK in particular, the housing stock is in desperate need of modernisation and improved insulation. But this problem isn’t limited to the UK; we need affordable housing that is better for the environment and more affordable to run. But how do we get there?

Today we are joined by two guests who are taking very different approaches to sustainable housing. Carl Gish is from Aro Homes, a US startup looking to replace existing dilapidated housing stock with new energy-efficient homes built off-site to Passivhaus standards. Marion Baeli is an architect, author, and board director of UK Passivhaus Trust. She has written about residential retrofits, and as a partner of Studio PDP, she worked on Princedale Road, the first Victorian residential retrofit in the UK to be certified in the Passivhaus Standard.

Highlights:

Retrofitting existing homes vs. creating new sustainable homes

· Marion explains how retrofitting existing homes addresses inefficiency, reduces energy demand, and supports the transition away from fossil fuels.

· Carl highlights the benefits of building new sustainable homes, including eliminating constraints associated with retrofitting.

· Carl emphasises the importance of constructing environmentally sound homes, given that around 23% of global carbon emissions come from single-family homes.

The net-zero challenge: balancing energy and emissions

· Achieving net-zero status for homes involves reducing embodied carbon, improving energy efficiency, and harnessing renewable energy sources.

· Both guests discuss the need for a unified approach to net-zero construction.

Cost considerations: retrofit vs. new construction

· Carl highlights how new constriction can offer efficiency advantages and cost savings.

· Marion discusses how step-by-step retrofitting is an option to spread costs over time and align with budgets.

· Marion emphasises the need for government policies and financial incentives to drive retrofitting initiatives on a larger scale.

Behavioural barriers and new technology

· Both guests highlight the importance of addressing behaviour as a barrier to retrofitting and the need to motivate homeowners to undergo disruptive home improvements.

· Carl introduces the concept of hydraloop technology, which recycles water in homes to reduce water wastage.

Resources: Passivhaus Standard Aro Homes Studio PDP Princedale Road; first Victorian residential retrofit in the UK Climate Change Committee Hydraloop Technology

Title: Striking a Chord for the Planet: Music's Journey to Sustainability

Story:

Welcome to an exciting episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast, where our spotlight falls on an industry renowned for creativity and innovation: the music industry. The music industry has the power and influence to make huge strides in the environmental movement, but who is responsible for leading the change?

Our guests today have certainly struck a chord in the music industry for their leadership in sustainability: Lewis Jamieson, co-founder of Music Declares Emergency (MDE) and Hannah Cox, founder of Better Not Stop and author of the “More Than Music” report on sustainability at music festivals.

Together we explore how the music industry, artists, labels, fans, and governments hold key roles in steering the industry towards a more eco-conscious path.

This episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast is sponsored by Good Citizens.

Good Citizens is an eyewear brand like no other. Born to untrash the planet of single-use plastic. Good Citizens turns a discarded single-use plastic bottle into a pair of 100% recycled frames. It took them 752 days & 2500+ failed attempts to perfect the first pair of sunglasses. Even more unique, the modular system means you can repair each part in seconds. So, if your dog munches on them, it’s all fixable.

Use this discount code GREEN20 to get $20AUD off and help untrash the planet.

Highlights: · Lewis sheds light on the motivations behind Music Declares Emergency, an initiative uniting artists, labels, and fans to address climate challenges. · Hannah, founder of Better Not Stop, discusses the “More Than Music” report on sustainability at music festivals. She explains her inspiration and the challenges music festivals face in adopting sustainable practices. · Lewis and Hannah discuss Coldplay’s groundbreaking eco-friendly world tour. They highlight the significance of Coldplay’s efforts in advancing discussion around sustainability in the music industry.

· The conversation delves into the idea of virtual concerts as a potential solution to reduce carbon emissions.

· Lewis candidly discusses the challenges of securing funding for climate-related initiatives in the music industry. He emphasises the lack of commitment to sustainable causes.

· Music festivals often take place in remote areas, posing challenges for government-driven public transport improvements. Lewis and Hannah discuss solutions to these challenges.

· Sustainability is more than just a cost: Hannah highlights the advantages of adopting sustainable frameworks and what to include.

· Spotlight on trailblazers making a significant impact on sustainability within the music industry like EarthPercent, Vision 2025, and Blue Dot Festival.

· Uncover the concept of “Climate Shadow”, revealing that individual actions extend beyond personal consumer choices.

Resources: Music Declares Emergency Better Not Stop More Than Music Report Coldplay’s eco-friendly tour Kendall Calling Festival EarthPercent Vision 2025 Green Events Code Blue Dot Festival

Australia is at the forefront of the climate change movement, facing the need to protect its biosecurity, enhance climate resilience, and overcome geographic isolation. Over the past five years Australia has made significant strides towards sustainability, particularly through its commitment to partnering with the private sector. Together, they aim to design out waste and pollution, promote material reuse, and work towards supporting the circular economy by 2023.

Join us in this month’s episode of our podcast as we delve into Australia’s role in tackling climate change and its unique sustainability challenges. Our special guests Dr. Mary Stewart and Arvind Sharma are renowned sustainability experts in Australia, bringing their valuable insights to the conversation. Dr. Mary Stewart is the CEO of Energetics, Australia’s leading specialist consultancy in energy and carbon management, and Arvind Sharma is the Executive Director and ESG and Sustainability Lead for Rennie Advisory. This episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast is sponsored by Good Citizens.

Good Citizens is an eyewear brand like no other. Born to untrash the planet of single-use plastic. Good Citizens turns a discarded single-use plastic bottle into a pair of 100% recycled frames. It took them 752 days & 2500+ failed attempts to perfect the first pair of sunglasses. Even more unique, the modular system means you can repair each part in seconds. So, if your dog munches on them, it’s all fixable.

Use this discount code GREEN20 to get $20AUD off and help untrash the planet.

Highlights: - Mary emphasises the vast potential of the circular economy in Australia, with a focus on resource recovery, utilising recycled materials, effective waste management, and transitioning to renewable energy resources.

- Australia’s distinct location and vulnerability to climate change posts unique sustainability challenges, coupled with the fragility of ecosystems that support its natural biodiversity. - Arvind sheds light on Australia’s revised sustainability targets under the Paris Agreement; it is evident that Australia is currently falling short of aligning with the 1.5°C pathway outlined by the IPCC.

- Mary and Arvind delve into how Australia has responded to the significant rise in electricity prices, with many companies opting for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to manage

their energy price risks.

- We explore the sustainability skills gap as a significant barrier hindering the accelerated implementation of sustainability goals in Australia.

- Through their expertise, Mary and Arvind shed light on how Australia’s experiences can serve as valuable lessons for the rest of the world. They emphasise the importance of not blindly following others but instead tailoring sustainability approaches to fit specific countries.

- Australia has made impressive progress in embracing new energy sources and the rapid pace at which investments have been made; something the rest of the world can look to for inspiration.

Resources: Energetics Rennie Advisory Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) The Paris Agreement Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) Australia Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) A Short Guide to the Circular Economy

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have a crucial role to play in sustainability, despite some thinking they are too small to make an impact.  SMEs make up around 90% of businesses globally; while individual SMEs may have a smaller impact compared to larger corporations, their collective action can have a significant effect on environmental impact.   

In this episode, our host Will Richardson explores the question: are you ever too small to make a difference? To shed light on this topic, he is joined by two experts who assist SMEs on their sustainability journeys: Sarah Whale, Managing Director of Profit Impact, and Andy Hawkins, Chief People, Planet, and Purpose Officer at Business on Purpose.  

This episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast is sponsored by Good Citizens.   

Good Citizens is an eyewear brand like no other. Born to untrash the planet of single-use plastic.  Good Citizens turns a discarded single-use plastic bottle into a pair of 100% recycled frames. It took them 752 days & 2500+ failed attempts to perfect the first pair of sunglasses. Even more unique, the modular system means you can repair each part in seconds. So, if your dog munches on them, it’s all fixable. 

Use this discount code GREEN20 to get $20AUD off and help untrash the planet.  

Highlights: 

• Sarah and Andy both share the belief that no business is too small to make a difference. 
• Sarah emphasises that it starts with individuals and their actions, regardless of whether they belong to a big corporation or work independently. 
• Andy illustrates this by using an analogy of playing football without a goalkeeper, where even individual contributions add up to make a significant difference. He cites historical figures like Nelson Mandela and Florence Nightingale who made a tremendous impact despite being part of a bigger system.  
• Many business owners find it challenging to make sustainability a top priority. Sarah and Andy agree that time restraints, prioritisation, and limited resources are common challenges for SMEs.  
• Will points out that some businesses may consider financial constraints as a reason for not prioritising sustainability, however engaging in sustainable practices can strengthen a business’s financial position.  
• Andy adds that B Corps have reported positive financial outcomes, trading at 28% above GDP. He plans to conduct research to further investigate these benefits and explore the barriers that prevent businesses from measuring and improving their social and environmental impact.  

Resources: 

Profit Impact 

Business on Purpose 

B Corp Certification: Benefits and Requirements 

B Lab Global 

Innovate UK 

John Brown (Don’t Cry Wolf) 

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Title: Investing in Green Innovation

In the midst of a global economic downturn, sustainable businesses need to grow and innovate to survive in uncertain times. But just how easy is it to get investment? The EU recently announced the Green Deal industrial plan, aiming to fast track Net-Zero projects in Europe, making 250 billion euros available for greening industry. Alongside this, the US Inflation Reduction Act also includes a $369 billion package for clean energy projects, and there have been calls for a similar scheme to boost businesses in the UK.

Can UK businesses take advantage of the rush to go green? And if so, how? To help us answer this question, we are joined by Jon Dishotsky, an investment partner at Giant Ventures who builds and backs purpose-driven companies, and Wiktor Warchałowski, CEO and founder of Airly, who supply real-time air quality data for governments and businesses. This episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast is sponsored by Good Citizens.

Good Citizens is an eyewear brand like no other. Born to untrash the planet of single-use plastic. Good Citizens turns a discarded single-use plastic bottle into a pair of 100% recycled frames. It took them 752 days & 2500+ failed attempts to perfect the first pair of sunglasses. Even more unique, the modular system means you can repair each part in seconds. So, if your dog munches on them, it’s all fixable.

Use this discount code GREEN20 to get $20AUD off and help untrash the planet.

Highlights:

· More capital has been raised in the last 12-24 months than ever before by investors, however the pace of investment into companies has slowed down significantly.

· Wiktor tells us about his experience going through the investment process, and the multitude of benefits it has brought to his company.

· We discuss what types of questions are asked by investors and if this differed across various investment bodies. For Wiktor, his team built an FAQ list to be prepared for their next investment meeting as they noticed a reoccurring theme amongst questions.

· Jon gives us a detailed insight into the question: how much money should a business ask to have invested in them?

· We look at how investment can put pressure on companies to scale too quickly, consequently having negative impacts on the organisation’s progression.

· “Capital does not help you innovate”; Jon shares his findings from a study that shows that companies that raised less than $100 million outperformed their peers who raised 5x more, meaning they continued to innovate significantly over a long period of time.

· Wiktor discusses the importance of working with investors that align with your organisation’s values and goals.

· Jon and Wiktor share some eye-opening and raw advice about building a business, gaining investment, and prioritizing innovation.

Resources: The Inflation Reduction Act Green Deal Industrial Plan Giant Ventures Airly Sustainability Solved

Over the last few years, Shelley Lawson and Rob Webbon have been on a journey to build sustainable businesses in their respective parts of the cycling industry. Rob’s journey hit a stumbling block earlier this year when the founding team of Presca Sportswear made the difficult decision to close the business. Whilst Shelley’s company Frog Bikes, that she founded with her husband Jerry, continues to grow.

Many of us dream of shaking up the existing capitalistic consumer model, and positively contributing to the people involved, but is the business model sustainable? In this podcast, we discuss the challenges and lessons learned on the journey to become a sustainable business.

Highlights

• Shelley and Rob share their learnings from running a sustainable business and provide fantastic advice for current and future sustainable business owners. 
• Rob shares with us the detrimental effects that the cost-of-living crisis had on Presca Sportswear, and the stark difference to their position this time last year. 
• Frog Bikes is celebrating its 10th birthday; Shelley tells us the challenges the business has faced over the years and changes they have made to their business model to navigate the hurdles.
• We consider whether it is easier or more difficult for sustainable organisations to achieve funding and support.
• Shelley and Rob share their views on whether ethical supply chains are more expensive and slower in nature.
• A Product Life Cycle Analysis is a process that measures the environmental impact of a commercial product, accounting for all stages of the product's life cycle. We discuss the accessibility of conducting a product life cycle analysis for smaller organisations and how Rob and Shelley navigated reducing the environmental impacts of their products.  
• Shelley explains how positive consumer experience encouraged Frog Bikes to work directly with cycling shops instead of selling online. 
• Frog Bikes and Presca Sportswear embedded circular processes into their business models; Presca offered clothing repairs, and Frog Bikes offered warranties and MOTs for second-hand bikes. 

Resources

• A Short Guide to Product Life Cycle Analyses 
• Frog Bikes 
• Ever Given Cargo Ship
• Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI)