Transforming Tomorrow

What is the reality for a small business when it comes to adopting sustainable practices? How hard is it to turn ideals into practical applications?

 In the first of our Local Heroes episodes, Steve Parkman, from Cumbrian design studio 42 Creative Thinking talks us through the changes he has made to his company’s operations to make it more sustainable.

Steve has been part of the Transforming Tomorrow journey since before it was a podcast, and he discusses his learning journey in both design and sustainability. We discuss how sustainability has changed fundamentally the role of a designer – when they work in both print and digital; how Steve has switched to solar power for his design work; and the attitudes of the businesses and customers Steve works with towards being greener.

Steve talks us through how print and paper products can be sustainable, the growth of European forests in recent years, how green servers can reduce digital carbon footprints, and the advantages small businesses have when they decide they want to make a switch in their operations.

Discover why Jan turned down the chance to cycle to Malaysia, how the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fits into everything, whether Paul and Jan understand a word of Welsh, and why Steve has gone off the grid.

Find out more about 42 Creative Thinking here: https://www.42creative.co.uk/

Episode Transcript

What is servitization? Could it be the future for more businesses? How does it link to productivity and sustainability? And why is it spelt with a z? We answer at least three of these questions as we explore an area that is relevant to giant global corporations and small businesses alike.

What if, instead of a crane, you charge by the number of lifts it carries out; if instead of selling a physical tyre, you provide a certain amount of miles; if a company offers you so many air miles from an engine? These are all examples of servitization that already exist – it even applies in industrial food packaging.

Lancaster University Management School’s Professor Andreas Schroeder is a servitization expert, working with numerous firms on how they can change their operations to move to a servitization model to benefit their operations, and others on how they can use their data in new ways.

He tells us about the key differences between products and services; how servitization blurs the boundaries on relationships with customers and suppliers – are they now more like partners?; the differences between rental agreements and servitization; and why it can be easier for smaller companies to pivot their operations to this model.

Discover some of servitization’s success stories, how it can affect a company’s carbon footprint and align profit with sustainability, how it encourages an operation to design and create products for service, repair and circularity, and how data collection, analysis and optimisation can identify where value opportunities lie and improve practical operations.

Paul lets his anger at American spelling take over; Jan discovers a new friend who can put on a Kiwi accent; and everyone becomes fascinated by tyres, hydrogen-powered diggers and aeroplane engines.

Find out more about Andreas and his work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/andreas-schroeder

Episode Transcript

A location for romance, violence or murder – sleeper trains in film and fiction are always places for drama. But the reality may be somewhat different.

As a sustainable travel option that is enjoying a resurgence in Europe – and, perhaps surprisingly, in China – they link big cities and are evolving to meet modern needs.

Lancaster University Management School Marketing Lecturer Dr Nicole Bulawa may never have taken the midnight train to Georgia, but her work on sleeper trains tells her that Murder on Orient Express and From Russia With Love may not be the most accurate depictions of the medium.

She tells us why sleepers went into decline and how attitudes towards sustainability played a role in why they came back; the importance of speed – and sometimes the lack of it; how services have evolved to include private mini-cabins for individual travellers; and how issues of logistics tend to lead to arrivals that are either really early or too late for some travellers.

We find out that Jan’s knowledge of 1970s and 80s soul and R&B music is sadly lacking, but that she is the only person in the studio to have been a regular sleeper user; that Paul’s James Bond watching may have put him off this particular form of transportation; and that Austria has been a leader in the sector’s resurgence.

Plus, everyone picks out their favourite train journeys – taking in Sweden, Morecambe Bay, Switzerland, and beyond.

Discover more about Nicole and her research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/nicole-bulawa

Enjoy the drama set on a sleeper train between Glasgow and London that Jan mentions here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002265y/nightsleeper

Episode Transcript

How can we educate university students around the world on important sustainability topics? You cannot talk to them all in the same way as those in other countries – because different countries and cultures have different attitudes and priorities.

Dr Stephen Homer has gone from being a commercial fisherman and a fishmonger to a leader on sustainability education at Sunway Business School in Malaysia, inspired by his experiences before moving into academia.

He tells us all about the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) and how they help management and business schools make sense of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Stephen explains the need to educate students on sustainability actions, so they take values with them into their careers; how different universities take varying approaches to sustainability; and the importance of understanding what students want to learn.

We talk about Malaysia’s chocolate and palm oil industries; the desire of students in Malaysia to achieve economic success, and how his can be balanced with sustainability; the challenges of delivering a sustainability education that is interesting and engaging to the country’s different ethnic groups, and to those on a wide range of programmes; and the problem of accountancy students (to Jan’s disgust).

Discover more about Stephen and his work here: https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/sunway-business-school/staff-profiles/dr-stephen-thomas-homer

Find out about PRME here: https://www.unprme.org/about/

And read Lancaster University Management School’s PRME report here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/PRME-Report.pdf

Episode Transcript

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity have become dirty words in some quarters recently. But not on Transforming Tomorrow.

We want to talk about the need for greater gender equality in business, the challenges the movement is encountering in the face of Donald Trump and other vocal critics, and how Malaysia measures up when it comes to EDI.

Sunway University’s Professor Yuka Fujimoto has spent years travelling from country to country and has built and interest and expertise on diversity and inclusion as a result.

We discuss how the political climate can change corporate behaviour; how organisations can foster harmonious workplaces and encourage varied perspectives – and how this can affect productivity and innovation; and whether the battle is, as some people would have us believe, already won.

We ask how Japan, Malaysia and Australia measure up to each other – and the rest of the world – on diversity efforts? Why is Malaysia such an inclusive society? What do we mean by affirmative action? Why is EDI such a political football – and are people misrepresenting it on purpose?

Plus, we look at how nature can be a part of EDI considerations.

Discover more about Yuka and her work here: https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/sunway-business-school/staff-profiles/professor-yuka-fujimoto

Episode Transcript

Economic inequality from childhood impacts on all aspects of life, affecting work prospects, educational attainment, and health outcomes. Reducing inequality, therefore, is central to building a better future for millions of people.

From the site of a former mining operation just outside Kuala Lumpur, we are joined by Professor Mahendhiran Sanggaran to discuss how the location is now home to Sunway University, a leading light in Malaysian sustainability research and development for more than 50 years.

Mahendiran’s work includes the Desa Mentari project, and we discover how work among low-income communities can benefit young and old who might be caught up in a polycrisis of health, economics, environmental and social factors. Through encouraging better access to education, the programme assists families in bettering themselves and inspires hope among residents. The models used there could be applied in other housing projects in Malaysia and SE Asia – and even links in with our own Morecambe Bay based initiatives.

Beyond that, we look at the importance of higher education across Southeast Asia – and how students who used to leave the region and never return are now starting to both study and work back at home, thanks in part to partnerships such as that between Sunway and Lancaster University.

Mahendiran tells us about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is made up of 10 nations across the region and home to more than 670 million people. The ASEAN committee is being chaired by Malaysia in 2025, and the words ‘Sustainability and Inclusivity’ can be seen on signs across the city.

We discuss how ASEAN can help close societal gaps within and between countries, how it can ensure long-term sustainable development, whether an integrated transport system across member nations could become a reality, and how this could affect other areas of society and industry through a GRID economy.

Plus, Paul and Mahendiran bond over Liverpool FC, there is more chat on Malaysian thunderstorms – and the effects of climate change on Mahendiran’s own home. Meanwhile, Jan explains what a ‘green’ taxonomy is.

More details on the Desa Mentari project can be found here: https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/desa-mentari/about

You can find out about ASEAN Malaysia here: https://myasean2025.my/about-asean-2025/

Learn more about the 10-10 MySTIE framework here: https://stip.oecd.org/stip/interactive-dashboards/policy-initiatives/2023%2Fdata%2FpolicyInitiatives%2F99991585

Episode Transcript

We’re by the pool in the Malaysian sunshine. But we’re not here to sunbathe – we’re talking all things sustainability in a country with challenges both familiar and foreign to Western Europe.

 Jan’s ‘academic granddaughter’ Dr Ann Marie Sidhu is a chartered accountant who works with business and government in Malaysia on the challenges of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

We discuss what Government and industry in Malaysia need to do to achieve the SDGs – especially energy transition in an economy where the petrochemical industry is dominant – how an emerging economy deals with regulations around sustainability, the potential for green financing, and how the underprivileged in society – the Bottom 40 – might be affected by changes.

Ann Marie reveals the attitudes of the companies she works with towards sustainability, how SMEs are acting, and what help small firms need in seeing value in enacting sustainability.

And as the word ‘sustainability’ is plastered on posters and banners across capital city Kuala Lumpur (KL), we talk about the need for sustainability education in Malaysian schools and universities, and the biodiversity considerations for a country that is still developing and reliant upon palm oil as a major export.

Plus, the effects of climate change on the monsoon season and flooding in major cities such as KL; how Malaysian companies react to EU and other overseas regulation; the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM!) and its effects; and Malaysia’s leading role in Islamic finance, and how this complements the SDG principles.

Episode Transcript

It’s time to look to the future and consider what comes next for society and industry.

Dr Rebecca Liu, from Lancaster University Management School’s Department of Marketing, and Steve Kremer, from consultancy Periphas, who specialise in connecting technology innovators, join us to discuss Society 5.0 and Industry 5.0. Both concepts envision the world’s next evolution.

This means a vision of a super-smart society, where smart tech is integrated into every aspect, serving the needs of humanity, and solving major global issues as it blends the cyber and physical worlds.

In industry, it is about achieving growth and creating jobs, but also driving prosperity and respecting planetary boundaries, prioritising societal well-being and recognising limits of resources.

It is a move away from the take, make, dispose industrial model to adopting green tech, reducing carbon emissions and minimising waste.

In both cases, tech and industry work for people, not the other way round.

We consider what came before Industry and Society 4.0; how the next iterations are different; whether 5.0 should really be 4.1; and the challenges of realising ideas and ideals.

Plus, Manga, Greek mythology, the Terminator, and Jan’s Industrial Revolution rebirth.

Discover Rebecca’s work here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/rebecca-liu

And find out about Periphas here: https://periphas.com/

Find out more about work ongoing under the Industry 5.0 initiative see here: http://industrial-upcycling.cz/

Episode Transcript

Not everyone takes breakfast, lunch and dinner for granted. For millions, there is no guarantee of where their next meal will come from, or its quality.

Biraj Patnaik, Executive Director of the National Foundation for India, introduces us to the concepts and realties food poverty and food inequality, and how his organisation works with communities on the margins of Indian society towards enabling social justice.

We discuss how and why the right to food has been part of legislative discourse in India; how the caste system and gender discrimination influence who suffers malnutrition and starvation; the right to life; and the devastating prospect of teaching your child to sleep hungry.

How will climate change affect different communities – especially in the already baking heat of India? Where will extreme weather impact global crop production and food availability, especially in low-lying coastal areas?

We cover the complications of industrial agriculture; the lessons the world can take from India’s changed farming practices; the environmental pitfalls in relying on importing most of your country’s food; and the importance of learning how to live with nature from indigenous communities.

Find out more about the National Foundation for India here: https://www.nfi.org.in/

The start of the Lake District Farmers mini-series on Transforming Tomorrow can be found here: https://pod.co/transforming-tomorrow/lake-district-farmers

And discover Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach here: https://iep.utm.edu/sen-cap/

Episode Transcript

Are you a public or a private person? Or maybe a bit of both? It’s not always easy to say.

The same goes for how we characterise the public and private sectors. The private sector goes beyond a simple characterisation of making a profit – and the public sector beyond providing services for people. The boundaries are blurring – where do the public and private sectors meet, and how does their symbiotic relationship work?

Dr Martin Quinn is a Reader in OWT – which in his northern brogue suggests a life of vague reading lists and relaxed afternoons in a comfy chair. But he brings with him expertise in the private and public sectors, and how they play out in terms of politics and the environment.

We discuss the concept of public value, how the public sector can help the private sector flourish, whether the private sector operates for anything other than profit, and examine anchor institutions that provide sustained employment, and sometimes even a reason for towns and cities to exist.

Plus, as Martin searches for hope, we take a journey to the world of Thomas the Tank Engine – and Paul’s childhood on Sodor – discuss GCSE geography lessons; talk about how Venice – and Morecambe – changed during Covid; and reveal the joys of working with geologists.

Discover more about Martin’s research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/martin-quinn

Here is more detail on the Ministry of the Future book mentioned in the podcast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ministry_for_the_Future

Episode Transcript