This podcast series explores a broad selection of sustainability topics that apply to businesses, individuals and communities. Listen in as Anthesis experts, joined by guests from across some of the world's largest companies unpack the issues and dissect the solutions, inspiring others to share in our vision of a more productive, resilient, and sustainable world.
Speakers Annabelle Stamm – North America Regional LeadChris Peterson – Director, North America Mentioned Links Sustainability continues to evolve at a rapid pace – regulatory changes, market expectations, and global treaties will make 2025 a pivotal year for organisations across industries. In this episode of our Activating Sustainability series, our host Chris Peterson is joined by...
Speakers Chris Peterson – DirectorBianca Nijhof – Global Lead for Nature GrowthBetsy Hickman – Nature Lead for the Americas Related Topics Mentioned Resources In this episode of our Activating Sustainability series, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis colleagues Bianca Nijhof, Global Lead for Nature Growth, and Betsy Hickman, Nature Lead for the Americas,...
Speakers Chris Peterson – DirectorPeter Slorach – Principal ConsultantAnna Brockhaus – Associate Director Related Topics In this episode of our Activating Sustainability series, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis Principal Consultant Peter Slorach and Associate Director Anna Brockhouse to explore life cycle assessments (LCAs). The conversation delves into the basics of LCA, its...
In this episode of our Activating Sustainability series, our host Debbie Hitchen is joined by guests Afsaneh Nabifar of BASF and Maria Holopainen of Stora Enso to explore the circular economy in the packaging sector with a focus on the innovative “Compostable by Design Platform.” The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in making compostable...
Celebrating International Womens Day on Friday 8th March, this Activating Sustainability episode hosted by Nita P. Woods interviews four female Anthesians from across the globe about their sustainability career journeys, and female role models they look up to.
Home
JUST IN | Activating Sustainability | Ep: 43 GreenBiz 24In this JUST IN episode of our Activating Sustainability series, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Hope Bristow, Principal Consultant and Forest Positive Lead, and Jason Pearson, Executive Director of Global Advisory Business, to discuss the themes, emerging topics, and actions from GreenBiz24 which took place February 12-14th in Pheonix Arizona, USA.
Hope BristowPrincipal Consultant
Jason PearsonExecutive Director
Chris PetersonDirector
Inside this podcast* What themes stood out at GreenBiz24? * How was the sentiment at GreenBiz24 similar and different to prior years? * What are the key topics to keep an eye on in the future? * What where the main actions or takeaways from the event? Activating SustainabilityJUST IN | Activating Sustainability | Ep: 43 GreenBiz 24Play EpisodePause EpisodeMute/Unmute EpisodeRewind 10 Seconds1xFast Forward 30 seconds00:00/SubscribeShareRSS FeedShareLinkEmbedListen on your favourite podcast app
There is appetite. There is enthusiasm within our organization. There is a genuine collaborative spirit among the various functions across the business that for years we’ve been trying to get their attention.
There seemed to really be a shift this year in the types of discussions that were happening in that more attention is being paid to nature and the fact that we can’t reach net zero without solving the nature and biodiversity crisis.
There was also a lot of discussion around how there’s a lot more attainable technological solutions and tools that are available on the market now, and companies can really use those to measure and track their progress on their sustainability goals, whatever those may be.
Companies should really be collaborating with other stakeholders, like NGOs, academia, even their peers, to really be able to implement their commitments effectively and contribute to long-lasting impact.
Transcription Chris: Hello and welcome to Activating Sustainability, the Anthesis podcast. I’m your host, Chris Peterson, director at Anthesis Group. Today we’re doing a ‘JUST IN’ podcast to hear about the themes, emerging topics and actions coming out of the GreenBiz conference. Joining us are two of the Anthesians who are at the event, Hope Bristow, principal consultant and forest positive lead, and Jason Pearson, executive director in the global advisory business, us. Welcome to the podcast. Thanks for joining us.
Hope: Thanks for having me.
Jason: Thanks, Chris.
Chris: So, GreenBiz is always such a valuable pulse check on the key themes, emerging topics, and sentiment in the sustainability space. To start, I’d love to hear a theme or themes that really stood out to each of you from the sessions and the chatter at the event.
Hope: Yeah, so I can begin here. I would say one of the biggest themes coming out of GreenBiz this year was nature. There were probably just as many nature-related breakout sessions and workshops as there were sessions on things like ESG regulations, climate targets, et cetera. There seemed to really be a shift this year in the types of discussions that were happening in that more attention is being paid to nature and the fact that we can’t reach net zero without solving the nature and biodiversity crisis. So I heard a lot of discussion around the fact that climate and nature are really working hand in hand. In order to align with a 1.5 degree future, we need to not only significantly cut emissions, but also restore and preserve nature’s ability to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere. That being said, though, in one of the sessions I was in, the moderator asked how many companies in the rim have developed a nature or biodiversity strategy? And I would say that out of quite a few, maybe a few hundred sustainability professionals that were in the room, there were only about five people that raised their hands. So it was pretty clear to me that nature still lags behind climate, and there’s definitely still a lot of work to do in this space.
Chris: Were those discussions around how do you establish the strategy? Or was it getting into how do you measure the impact? Or what was the focus of that?
Hope: Yeah, I would say the majority of the discussion was around measuring and quantifying your impact. The kind of onset of developing a nature strategy is first understanding how you’re dependent on nature and what types of impacts you’re having. So they had full workshops just to understand that, how to actually quantify your impact so you can then kind of figure out where you need to prioritize.
Chris: Yeah, amazing to see how it’s developed. Jason, how about for you, what stood out sure.
Jason: Thanks, Chris. So, I went to GreenBiz fully expecting that the conversation about regulatory compliance would be a significant theme. And indeed that was one of the major themes of the conference. One of the tracks was all about the new ‘Regulatory Regime’, as one of the session panels was titled. And many of the sessions across the two and a half days were focused on the role that government regulators, but also the ecosystem of frameworks, voluntary frameworks, and organizations that are supporting those voluntary frameworks, are playing in setting the context and in defining the conversation around how many of Anthesis’s clients are taking action.
And that was really my interest was in what are the drivers that are driving large companies to take meaningful action around social and environmental impacts, and to what extent are the actions that government regulators are taking playing a significant role in driving those meaningful actions? And I was curious how much of the Corporate Sustainability reporting directive out of the EU, CSRD, was a driver, or in the context of other regulations like California has been bringing online, as well as emerging prospective regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, otherwise known as CSDDD, and kind of how those played into the overall landscape.
And I heard a couple of things that were interesting. First was that the requirement to report was driving a significant amount of rigor around action. That because companies were now needing to disclose in formats and in context that were going to be subject to regulatory review, and also in parallel, that those same disclosures were being used by financial institutions and potential investors as investor grade or investor quality data to guide investment, that the legal liability associated with reporting and disclosure was significantly greater, and therefore a higher level of seriousness, and rigor was being brought both to the reporting, but also to the actions that companies were taking, whether it nature-related activities, climate-related activities, human rights-related activities, even internal diversity initiatives.
It was also interesting that when the question was posed of whether other types of regulation, like due diligence, would be driving even more substantive action, the response that I heard was that, in fact, no, in fact, the reporting regulations were in a way sufficient to drive quite high level of rigor around action and a quite high standard for impact, so that the due diligence directive, if it does indeed become a regulation in the future, was only going to be a slightly incremental gain on the amount of meaningful action we would see, which is quite interesting learning coming out of the session.
Chris: Maybe picking up on that, right, like interesting to think about the delays, the lack of clarity we’re seeing in the US, particularly around regulations, and curious how that was showing up in those conversations.
Jason:Yeah, so a couple of points on that. One, many of our clients have been saying to us, and we also have heard it from the main stage and inside sessions at GreenBiz, that they have been investing for years in a programmatic approach to ESG activities. And by that I mean they have been designating leadership within their organizations to manage their portfolio of ESG activities. And that well predates the CSRD or other reporting regulations. And their decision to invest in those programs of activities have been driven by a variety of stakeholder expectations that vary by sector and vary by geography. But generally speaking, they’ve been investing because it is business critical to make those investments. And so while the rigor around reporting means that they will need to be much more specific and careful about what they are saying about those programs of activity, the overall shape of those programs of activity isn’t changing.
And so whether if there’s a delay in one geography, say, in the US, or the US is lagging on, say, SEC related requirements, the fact is that the financial community at large is still expecting information about supply chain, environmental and social risk. They still see that as a substantive risk, and they’re still asking questions about it, regardless of what the vicissitudes of American politics or American regulations might be. And so, by and large, the sentiment seemed to be, look, we’ve already been taking methodical action to both understand our risks and understand our opportunities and to drive value through these programs of ESG activity. We’re going to continue to do that because it’s an appropriate and responsible path for any business to be understanding those risks, taking action, the opportunities and driving value. And that was the language that we heard. Even more than a language of ESG or sustainability, I consistently heard a language of business risk, business opportunity, of business value, which I hear as a way that this community is acknowledging that these priorities are becoming an integral to the business language of their organizations.
Chris: For sure. And you mentioned the term sentiment. And I have to say, one of the things I love about GreenBiz, getting that kind of feel for how is the industry and those who are at the front lines of implementation feeling. So I’d be really curious, maybe hope, what was your thoughts around kind of the overall sentiment of the audience and attendees?
Hope: Yeah, I would say there was definitely a mixture of excitement and positivity, but there was also some standard frustrations thrown in there that we tend to see as sustainability advisors on a regular basis. There were a lot of sentiments shared during some of the sessions I attended where people were really excited about the possibilities to take action. Now that they have some increased internal investments, maybe, and just generally more attention is being paid to sustainability within their internal structures these days.
There was also a lot of discussion around how there’s a lot more attainable technological solutions and tools that are available on the market now, and companies can really use those to measure and track their progress on their sustainability goals, whatever those may be. So people were generally positive, I would say, about that being at their disposal. On the flip side, though, I did notice that people were experiencing some of the same frustrations and challenges, like I said, that we tend to see year over year, especially in the supply chain world. So a lot of discussion and frustration around things like data quality, data accuracy, not really knowing how best to effectively incentivize suppliers, especially when it comes to making progress on scope, three reductions and things like that. That was kind of as expected. It’s an issue that everyone’s trying to solve, but I would say very positive overall, and lots of energized people that were really excited about all the different stakeholders and types of companies that are now showing up to GreenBiz And, yeah, overall, a really positive experience.
Jason: So I always find GreenBiz a very enthusiastic event, and GreenBiz24 did not disappoint. And I’ve been attending GreenBiz on and off for maybe well over a decade. And the sentiment of enthusiasm I experience is consistently present. It feels like this is always a great party. This is a community that really believes in its work, and it’s great to get together with colleagues who are equally committed to driving impact through the private sector. So there’s always this enthusiasm of getting together with your tribe is amazing. What I experienced as different in the sentiment was in prior years, felt like the vibe was, we all love getting together, but we feel like we’re a minority and we’re going to go home again, and we’re going to be the minority in our organization. There was very little, if any, of that sentiment this year at GreenBiz.
If anything, I experienced much more a really very practical mindset around, how are we going to get this done? There is appetite. There is enthusiasm within our organization. There is a genuine collaborative spirit among the various functions across the business that for years we’ve been trying to get their attention.
In fact, there was a nice board in the lobby, a kind of sentiment board that asked people to apply stickers on if there was one key role of the business and you could have the ear of what is the role that that would be, and overwhelmingly, it was the chief financial officer that’s probably if you put that board up ten years ago at Green bid, you would have got the same answer. We want the chief financial officer’s ear.
But today, many of the people that I was meeting, they had there CFOs ear, and they were talking to legal and they were talking to audit and they were talking to procurement. They were well networked within their organizations and they were really, that the conversations were about, okay, how do we do this for real? How do we really genuinely collaborate across the business? And that very practical, get it done sentiment, it didn’t feel like, oh, we’re going to go home and be in the other. It’s like we’re going to go home and apply all these learnings. And the people with whom we’re sharing these learnings are people across the business who want to know how other organizations are handling this. And the CFO is going to call me and say, what did you learn at GreenBiz that we could implement in our organization? That’s a big shift and really heartening.
Chris: It’s really exciting to see the industry getting that traction and maybe picking up on your comment Hope, about kind of the emerging technologies, et cetera. I’ll be curious if there were some topics that came out to the two of you as interesting to keep an eye on. Maybe not here yet, but kind of on the horizon.
Hope: A huge emerging conversation, emerging topic was around nature technology solutions. So solutions that are available now to help companies assess their impact, measure their impact on nature, as well as kind of get a better sense of how they’re progressing within their restoration initiatives. These types of solutions have definitely been developed in reaction, I think, to the demand that’s been created by companies who are starting to develop their nature strategies and wanting to get a better sense of what kind of impact their businesses are having on nature loss.
There was just a lot of discussion around the fact that if the aim overall is to halt nature loss and ultimately restore it, companies not only need to develop some kind of clear goal and target around nature, but they also need to figure out the best way to measure their progress against those goals. And that measurement piece was a really big sticking point. So how exactly do you measure your impacts on biodiversity, for example? It’s a bit more difficult to quantify compared to measuring greenhouse gas emissions, for example. It’s very context-specific. They’re not only multiple drivers of nature loss, but there’s also very location-specific impacts as well.
So there was a session on nature tech and there were about ten or so companies that were there showcasing different solutions to help with measuring and analyzing biodiversity and ecosystem health using different technologies, like acoustic sensors, for example, to identify bird and insect sounds. There are a few companies on the panel that were using DNA sampling to assess soil health. Another company was assessing bee pollen, which can be used as a biodiversity indicator. More in my world, there were a lot of companies there that were showcasing their use of satellite imagery to assess risk of deforestation or land conversion across the globe. So, yeah, there are definitely a lot of very interesting solutions that were kind of just starting up and being presented to help tackle this issue. That is something we’re definitely going to keep our eye on for sure. That’s cool to see.
Chris: Yeah. Jason, anything stand out for you from an emerging topic perspective?
Jason: Two things. One, picking up actually on the theme that Hope highlighted, but a different take on technology. And I would characterize it as data digitization. And one of the sessions I attended was a session that was a panel of ESG controllers within large organizations. And this is a new role that’s emerging within large corporates of the data manager for all of the ESG data that’s coming in, that’s playing a very similar role to the financial controller within the organization who’s managing the financial data.
There’s an entire position required to manage this ESG data, and increasingly, the need and the efficiency of digitizing that data in flexible formats. And of course, we as Anthesis have been evolving our own business increasingly within the various areas where we serve our clients. We have been now starting to offer digital solutions, offering RouteZero around climate solutions, offering Merro around ESG data management. And we were seeing that show up at GreenBiz as well as many of the organizations were acknowledging both the opportunity and the challenges associated with pulling together and managing these large data sets of internal information around their ESG performance that was then going to get reported out to stakeholders. So that’s something that I’m sure we’ll continue to see that digitization.
And this conference is not immune to the trend at any conference today that AI would play a role in that conversation. And so we saw many of the companies there thinking through the role that AI can play in helping organizations to manage and make sense of that data in the same way that we ourselves are starting to offer AI solutions in that realm.
The second area kind of comes full circle to where Hope started the conversation around nature, because what I saw was organizations finding the needs to ground their work in specific places, and that increasingly companies are reaching up through their value chains and through their supply chains and out through their value chains and down through their customers to understand where the relevant impacts that they are generating, both positive and negative through their activities are landing in the world for people, for ecosystems. And then we’re seeing organizations having a greater appetite to make those meaningful on the ground connections, even if those connections are remote from them. From a supply chain perspective, that’s really interesting development. I think all of us are grappling with how to respond in a meaningful way to that imperative, to be meaningfully connected on the ground and through the lens of risk and opportunity and value. So I think that will continue to be a really interesting space of exploration for all of us moving forward.
Chris: Absolutely. And there’s so many threads I’d love to pick in there, but I know we’re coming up on time, so maybe in the interest of kind of ending on a point of action, we’d love to hear from each of you. If there’s one thing you’re taking from kind of your time at GreenBiz, or an inspiration that others should be thinking about an action going forward, maybe Jason, do you want to share thoughts there.
Jason: In the sessions that I attended, which were much more about how are ESG programs functioning, what I heard was a theme of collaboration, but internal collaboration, and how is an ESG professional? Do I reach out within my organization and establish really meaningful, constructive, long-term relationship or functional leaders in the business, in legal, in finance, procurement, in marketing, and maintain those relationships over time.
Hope: Just building on that, sticking with the theme of collaboration, that’s essentially what I took away in terms of actions, is really about collaboration and partnership as well. It was really clear to me from listening to a lot of the companies that spoke up during the sessions that everyone in this space of nature is really trying to achieve the same thing, and that you won’t succeed in affecting change if you try to act alone, especially at that landscape level, where a lot of environmental and social issues occurring on the ground are really beyond the company’s direct control in most cases. So the takeaway being companies should really be collaborating with other stakeholders, like NGOs, academia, even their peers, to really be able to implement their commitments effectively and contribute to long-lasting impact. So really starting to think about what types of multistakeholder initiatives you can get involved in, developing a stakeholder engagement plan, advocating for policy change, and just generally contributing to other collaborative efforts that help restore and protect natural ecosystems. I think it’s really important for businesses to share that responsibility of restoring and compensating for the effects of nature loss and make sure that that’s part of their broader initiatives to really deliver more positive outcomes.
Chris: Well, that’s great. Some really tactical things that we can all go off and apply and really appreciate kind of the big picture perspective all the way through to what we can do go going forward. So thank you both so much for the insights and the time. And thank you all so much for listening. As always, love to hear from you on your feedback and can be reached through the new anthesisgroup.com website, where you’ll also find past episodes and lots of valuable resources. Thanks again, and take care.
In this Wise Women in Waste episode, our hosts Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen are joined by Lisa Neuberger Fernandez, Global Head of Sustainability and Ecosystems at 374Water. This episode explores why PFAS and so called ‘forever chemicals’ is an significant issue in the US and Europe and they discuss the inspiration for Lisa’s co-authored book, ‘Rebalance: How Women Lead, Parent, Partner...and Thrive’.
Innovation has provided much of technology and expertise we have to deal with much of the emissions, if applied correctly. However, with more of the world’s investors realising the risk and opportunity associated with building a Net Zero economy, in discussion with Anthesis CEO Stuart McLachlan, we look at the role Anthesis Ventures is playing in bringing new ways of thinking and ground-breaking technologies to the market.
It is increasingly recognised that organisations are likely to continue to emit residual emissions from operations and their supply chains. But to achieve a Net Zero position, action must be taken which balances this out through off-site mechanisms through removing or avoiding emissions elsewhere. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks with Nadège Trocellier, Anthesis Lavola Climate Change Manager, about insetting and offsetting carbon emissions as investment vehicles for reducing risk, and improving value chain performance.
Energy efficiency and renewable energy form big parts of any organisation’s Net Zero strategy. But heat and embodied carbon in materials are two aspects of Scopes 1, 2 & 3 greenhouse gases that can be challenging to overcome. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks to Ben Lynch, Anthesis UK Director, about the new trends that are emerging for low carbon heat.
The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid them in the first place through better design and smarter decision-making. We talk with Sara Telahoun, Senior Consultant in Anthesis UK to explore how cities and governments are moving towards Net Zero by utilising digital platforms such as Anthesis’ SCATTER tool to explore pathways for decarbonising at the city scale.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. Innovation has provided much of technology and expertise we have to deal with much of the emissions, if applied correctly. However, with more of the world’s investors realising the risk and opportunity associated with building a Net Zero economy, in discussion with Anthesis CSO Paul Crewe, we look at the role that Anthesis Ventures plays in bringing new ways of thinking and ground-breaking technologies to the market.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. It is increasingly recognised that organisations are likely to continue to emit residual emissions from operations and their supply chains. But to achieve a Net Zero position, action must be taken which balances this out through off-site mechanisms through removing or avoiding emissions elsewhere. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker takes a look at the roles of Virtual Power Purchase Agreements with George Favaloro, Anthesis Executive Director in North America.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks to Alexandre Lemille, Joint Managing Director of Anthesis France, to explore the increasing importance of circularity in avoiding and reducing emissions by being smarter in the design process.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid them in the first place through better design and smarter decision-making. We talk with Josh Whitney, Anthesis Executive Director in North America, to explore how corporations, cities and governments are moving towards Net Zero using information incorporating Science Based Targets in strategy.
With the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declaring a ‘Race to Zero’ ahead of COP 26 next year in the UK, many corporations, cities, municipalities and governments are pledging to move to a Net Zero performance on carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. Through our new Advancing Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what this means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework.
In this Wise Women in Waste episode, our hosts Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen are joined by Berta Mota Gasso and Sophie Lees-Millais from Anthesis. This discussion explored the links between packaging and Scope 3 in our day-to-day work with a Net Zero focus.
In this episode on Wise Women in Waste, our hosts Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen are joined by Jessica Onyshko and Pearl Németh from the Global Sustainable Production & Consumption team at Anthesis. The discussion explores the new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) which aims to make sustainable products the norm by increasing […]
In this episode of Wise Women in Waste, hosts Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen are joined by Aisyah Suwandi and Juline Lew, research analysts from The Circulate Initiative. This discussion focuses on South and Southeast Asia’s plastic recycling supply chains, including the current working conditions, how it impacts women and the need for responsible sourcing […]
In this episode of Wise Women in Waste, hosts Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen are joined by Aisyah Suwandi and Juline Lew, research analysts from The Circulate Initiative. This discussion focuses on South and Southeast Asia’s plastic recycling supply chains, including the current working conditions, how it impacts women and the need for responsible sourcing […]
In this episode of Wise Women in Waste, host Claudia Amos is joined by Kristyn Oldendorf from the North American Anthesis team. In Europe, the waste sector is very heavily regulated with major interventions in the waste management systems, but in past, the US has taken a more market-based approach. This discussion explores how this […]
This episode explores what sustainable finance is for investors, brands and corporates and how it fits with the circular economy.
In this Activating Sustainability episode, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Lemis Tarajano, Director of Product Sustainability and Green Chemistry at Anthesis, and Ana Espinosa, Packaging Sustainability Manager, to share their insights on sustainable product design.
The episode explores the opportunity for innovation around design and material choices, the importance of good data, and the challenges and opportunities of plastics.
In the fourteenth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, Debbie Hitchen and Claudia Amos are joined by Alessandra Pistoia, Senior Program Manager of Zero Waste and Circularity at Microsoft, and Anna Brockhaus, Consultant at Anthesis. This episode explores the stretch wrap alternative report Anthesis, Microsoft and 10 other companies collaborated on to […]
In this Activating Sustainability episode, our host Chris Peterson is joined by members of our Anthesis water team, Dave Jaeckel, Therese Karkowski, and Chris Morris, to reflect on the importance of water stewardship and action for businesses.
In the thirteen episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Gwen Frost, Head of Innovation & Sustainability at Bristol Waste Company. This episode explores waste prevention, community engagement and alternative recycling services. Discussion highlights include: How to deploy effective community engagement tactics to change recycling habits How […]
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Debbie and Claudia are joined by a panel of women from across Anthesis to discuss their journey to working within sustainability, current industry trends and what it is like to be a woman working within the circular economy and waste industry. Discussion highlights include: Finding out what a day in […]
In this Activating Sustainability episode, our host Chris Peterson is joined by CEO, North America, Chantelle Ludski, and North America Executive Directors, Emma Armstrong and Jason Pearson, to discuss key takeaways from the GreenBiz 2022 Conference held in February.
In this Activating Sustainability episode, our host Chris Peterson is joined by CEO of North America, Chantelle Ludski, and Managing Director of Europe, Middle East, and Latin America (EMELA), Brad Blundell, to discuss key achievements, growth opportunities, and what keeps them motivated in the sustainability world in 2022.
In this Activating Sustainability episode, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis Energy leaders Ben Lynch and Agneta Persson to discuss the transformational change required to shift a historically stable, reliable and conservative energy industry into new renewable business models to reduce carbon emissions by 50% in the next 10 years.
In the eleventh episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Jane Bevis, Executive Chair and Director of On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL). This episode looks at recycling labelling systems and their role in driving consumer behaviour change. Discussion highlights include: Insights into consumer recycling behaviours and the current […]
For this special episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our hosts are joined by a panel of Anthesis experts to discuss what the outcomes of COP26 mean for the circular economy and sustainable production and consumption globally. The panel includes: Susan Harris, Technical Director for the Circular Economy Berta Mota, Plastic Circularity and […]
In the ninth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our hosts are joined by Nira Johri, Director of Global Diversity and Sustainability at Rich Products Corporation. The episode looks at Nira’s career path, perspectives on sustainable packaging strategies and the connection between sustainability and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Discussion highlights include: How changes in customer demand and awareness around packaging are shaping new strategies How businesses […]
In the eighth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Lisa Grice, Executive Director at Anthesis, based in North America. This episode looks at Lisa’s perspective on sustainable product design, with a focus on circularity and new business solutions, based on her impressive career in energy and […]
In the eighth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Lisa Grice, Executive Director at Anthesis, based in North America. This episode looks at Lisa’s perspective on sustainable product design, with a focus on circularity and new business solutions, based on her impressive career in energy and […]
In the seventh episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Jayanthi Rangarajan, Chief Product Officer of Synova Tech. The episode looks at Jayanthi’s background in engineering and her perspective on technology that can support us to achieve circularity in plastic packaging. Discussion highlights include: How plastics conversion […]
In the sixth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Emma Hampsey, Consultant in Anthesis’ Sustainable Production and Consumption team. This episode will explore Emma’s early career development at Anthesis, her background in marine biology and the work she has been involved with in circular economy. Discussion […]
Joined by Emma Hampsey, Consultant in Anthesis’ Sustainable Production and Consumption team, this episode explores Emma’s early career development at Anthesis, and the work she has been involved with in circular economy.
Chris Peterson is joined by Steph Wall (ESG Director from Palatine Private Equity) and Andrew Noone (Director at Anthesis UK) for an informative episode all about the successful roll out of Carbon Literacy training across Palatine’s entire portfolio of companies.
In the fifth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Councillor Donna Stimson of The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The episode looks at Donna’s background in sustainability and her perspective on waste and resource efficiency as a councillor for a local community.
Following Anthesis’ recent commitments to help accelerate sustainable performance across the globe, including becoming a certified B Corp and partnering with Investment firm Palatine, Chris Peterson hosts an inspiring episode with some of our Anthesis leaders who share their thoughts and insights on the huge shift they have seen in the sustainability agenda and why the world has woken up to the reality of climate change.
Anthesis CEO Stuart McLachlan, along with colleagues Dean Sanders (Activator Strategy Director, UK) and Emma Armstrong (Executive Director, North America), discuss the importance of this pivotal moment that many are calling the Decisive Decade, and how organisations and individuals are making strides to significantly move the dial in a positive direction.
In the fourth episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by, Floor Uitterhoeve, Global Sustainability Manager at McDonald’s, based in the Netherlands. This episode will look back on Floor’s background in environmental politics and how that set a foundation for her career journey in the food and beverage […]
Executive Director and NA Financial Services Sector Lead Don Reed speaks with podcast host Chris Peterson about the mixed messages coming from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) around a potential new task force for ESG. He shares an overview of the current situation at the SEC, market trends influencing the approach to monitoring ESG, and advice for how businesses can respond.
Our host Chris Peterson delves into an inspiring conversation with our Chief Sustainability Officer Paul Crewe and special guest Kate Sandle, Director of Programmes & Engagement at B Lab UK, about what being part of the B CorpTM community means for businesses, employees, society, and of course, our planet. Hear about the story of Anthesis’ rigorous yet rewarding certification journey, and find out what the future holds for the B CorpTM movement and Anthesis’ plans for delivering meaningful impact as a ‘Better Business’.
Our hosts, Debbie Hitchen and Claudia Amos are joined by Susan Harris, Technical Director for Circular Economy at Anthesis Group. This episode will delve into Susan’s international career journey in the sustainability industry and her insights into the circular economy across different sectors from a global perspective.
In the second episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, our podcast hosts are joined by Simone Aplin, Technical Director for Circularity, Waste data and Waste Crime at Anthesis, for a look back over her 20-year career and forwards to opportunities for the resource and waste management sector during the decisive decade.
In the first episode of the Wise Women in Waste podcast series, we hear from Claudia Amos and Debbie Hitchen as they share their experiences within the waste, resources and recycling industry.
As the world demands more transparency of goods and services across the world, companies will have to face up to the need to ensure human rights are considered across the whole value chain. What does this mean for your company? Listen and find out.
In our latest episode of Activating Sustainability, Executive Directors George Favaloro and Josh Whitney discuss noteworthy elements of president-elect Joe Biden’s climate plans, including insights from participating in the “Clean Energy for Biden” working group.
They address the pressing challenges ahead, and the implications of this climate plan for the market.
Useful links to learn more about climate action under the Biden administration:
Biden-Harris Administration Climate Plans: https://buildbackbetter.gov/priorities/climate-change/ — Clean Energy for Biden: https://www.cleanenergyforbiden.com/ — WRI blog on Biden + Climate Action: https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/11/biden-us-leadership-fight-climate-change
In Episode 16 of Activating Sustainability, host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis’ Claudia Amos, Technical Director of Waste Infrastructure & Commercial Due Diligence in the UK and special guest Paula Luu, Director at the Center for the Circular Economy – Closed Loop Partners’ innovation center. In this episode, Paula and Claudia break down the basics of advanced recycling of plastic waste, and the diverse drivers, solutions and challenges in the circular economy for plastics.
Closed Loop Partners Research: https://www.closedlooppartners.com/advanced-recycling-investor-roadmap/ More information on plastic recycling: https://www.anthesisgroup.com/plastic-recycling/
This podcast introduces Infinite Sustainable Packaging, a unique end-to-end solution for sustainable packaging design. Host Dean Sanders is joined by Anthesis’ Debbie Hitchen, Director for Sustainable Products, Circularity and Chemistry, and Mike Webster, Director of 3D Structure & Experience at 1HQ, to hear about how the new partnership came about and the importance of packaging in driving real sustainable behaviour change for consumers.
In Episode 15, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Marta Lacruz Sobré, Director of the Education division at Anthesis Lavola to discuss environmental education and the importance of teaching children who may go on to be future policy decision makers and consumers.
Key highlights include: - The evolution – over decades – of environmental education - Keys to effective teaching - Adapting communication styles in the era of COVID - Capturing moments to engage and deepen understanding of sustainability.
Useful resources: Anthesis’ Education + Culture services - https://www.anthesisgroup.com/what-we-do/education-culture/
‘Invest in Early Childhood Development’ by James Heckman - https://heckmanequation.org/resource/invest-in-early-childhood-development-reduce-deficits-strengthen-the-economy/
In episode 14, our host Chris Peterson is joined by colleagues Ben Lynch, Director & Energy Systems Lead and Huw Blackwell, Principal Engineer to discuss the current trends, key drivers, challenges and opportunities in the built environment. They discuss the missed opportunities for greater impact, the low hanging fruit, and the long term benefits of embedding sustainability into the built environment.
--
Useful links to learn more about sustainability and the built environment:
World Green Building Council: https://www.worldgbc.org/
UK Green Building Council: https://www.ukgbc.org/
Anthesis’ built environment consulting services: https://www.anthesisgroup.com/what-we-do/cities-environments/
Survey findings on returning to the workplace: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/05/uk-office-workers-slower-to-return-to-their-desk-after-covid
Innovation has provided much of technology and expertise we have to deal with much of the emissions, if applied correctly. However, with more of the world’s investors realising the risk and opportunity associated with building a Net Zero economy, in discussion with Anthesis CEO Stuart McLachlan, we look at the role Anthesis Ventures is playing in bringing new ways of thinking and ground-breaking technologies to the market.
Energy efficiency and renewable energy form big parts of any organisation’s Net Zero strategy. But heat and embodied carbon in materials are two aspects of Scopes 1, 2 & 3 greenhouse gases that can be challenging to overcome. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks to Ben Lynch, Anthesis UK Director, about the new trends that are emerging for low carbon heat.
It is increasingly recognised that organisations are likely to continue to emit residual emissions from operations and their supply chains. But to achieve a Net Zero position, action must be taken which balances this out through off-site mechanisms through removing or avoiding emissions elsewhere. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks with Nadège Trocellier, Anthesis Lavola Climate Change Manager, about insetting and offsetting carbon emissions as investment vehicles for reducing risk, and improving value chain performance.
The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid them in the first place through better design and smarter decision-making. We talk with Sara Telahoun, Senior Consultant in Anthesis UK to explore how cities and governments are moving towards Net Zero by utilising digital platforms such as Anthesis’ SCATTER tool to explore pathways for decarbonising at the city scale.
In Episode 13, our host Chris Peterson is joined by two Anthesis Lavola experts: Joana Soares (Transactions Corporate Services Director, Iberia) and Miquel Rubio (Development Director) to unpack the new European Green Deal and what this early model of ‘Build Back Better’ could look like. Joana and Miquel dissect the key challenges and opportunities of the European Green Deal and highlight how, given the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for everyone globally to get behind it.
The EU Green Deal is an actionable roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable in order to become climate neutral by 2050. It outlines investments needed and the financing tools available, and explains how to ensure a just and inclusive transition.
Find out more here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
Joana Soares leads our Transaction Corporate Services division for Spain and Portugal. Joana has more than fifteen years of experience in environmental and sustainability consulting and is a specialist in EHS due diligence (EHSDD, corporate audits, and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) strategies for numerous sectors. Joana has also managed many international projects, including awareness raising and the development of tools for compliance with environmental directives. Contact Joana on: Joana.Soares@anthesisgroup.com
Miquel Rubio Miquel is Business Development Director of Anthesis Lavola and is an expert in Climate Change Advisory, Climate Policy and Carbon Markets services. Miki enjoys translating strategic initiatives into scalable and commercially successful client solutions, boosting revenue and profit in both compliance-driven and voluntary markets. Contact Miquel on: Miquel.Rubio@anthesisgroup.com
If you have any feedback on the podcast or would like to get in touch with our host Chris Peterson, please email: chris.peterson@anthesisgroup.com
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. Innovation has provided much of technology and expertise we have to deal with much of the emissions, if applied correctly. However, with more of the world’s investors realising the risk and opportunity associated with building a Net Zero economy, in discussion with Anthesis CSO Paul Crewe, we look at the role that Anthesis Ventures plays in bringing new ways of thinking and ground-breaking technologies to the market.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. It is increasingly recognised that organisations are likely to continue to emit residual emissions from operations and their supply chains. But to achieve a Net Zero position, action must be taken which balances this out through off-site mechanisms through removing or avoiding emissions elsewhere. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker takes a look at the roles of Virtual Power Purchase Agreements with George Favaloro, Anthesis Executive Director in North America.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. In this episode, our host Tobias Parker talks to Alexandre Lemille, Joint Managing Director of Anthesis France, to explore the increasing importance of circularity in avoiding and reducing emissions by being smarter in the design process.
Through our Activating Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what a ‘Net Zero’ performance means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework. The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to avoid them in the first place through better design and smarter decision-making. We talk with Josh Whitney, Anthesis Executive Director in North America, to explore how corporations, cities and governments are moving towards Net Zero using information incorporating Science Based Targets in strategy.
With the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declaring a ‘Race to Zero’ ahead of COP 26 next year in the UK, many corporations, cities, municipalities and governments are pledging to move to a Net Zero performance on carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. Through our new Advancing Net Zero podcast series, we explore - in bitesize episodes - what this means, and how organisations can break this down into manageable actions, through our Activating Net Zero framework.
In episode 12, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis Principal Consultants Elena Kocherovsky and Honor Cowen to discuss COVID-19 implications for supply chain relationships in the apparel industry. They draw connections between social and environmental sustainability and discuss opportunities to #buildbackbetter.
Elena and Honor share insights related to these guiding questions:
What is the significance of the economic, health and social impacts of COVID on the apparel industry? How are companies responding and are they pivoting to a longer term view or still reacting? How are climate change and social issues connected in the apparel industry? Is there any advice in order to build back better? What directions should apparel companies move into?
At Anthesis, we recognize we are not an authority on the role of systematic racism in the apparel industry. We understand that many social issues in supply chains are perpetuated by racial inequity. We look to expertise of other who are leading in this important work to deepen our understanding of the connections across issues. Visit our webpage to see a non-exhaustive list of resources on systematic racism in the apparel industry:
https://www.anthesisgroup.com/podcast-apparel-supply-chains/
In episode 11, we're joined by Anthesis Director, Sarah Gilby, to discuss Environmental Social Governance (ESG) during the COVID-19 crisis. Sarah reflects on short and long-term ESG management for organisations during these evolving times and how they can 'build back better' for a more sustainable future.
In episode 10, our host Chris Peterson is joined by Associate Director, Philipp Rosenthal to discuss how we can adjust our mindset to get through a crisis. Philipp shares insights into how empathy plays a role in strong leadership and effective communication paving a path beyond COVID-19.
In episode 9, our host Chris Peterson is joined by our UK Sustainable Agri-Food expert Simon Davis to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the agri-food system and transforming the future of food as we know it.
Our host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis colleagues and ESG specialists Don Reed and Tim Clare, to discuss the business value for companies to report in line with the requirements of TCFD in order to advance their planning for the risks and opportunities that climate change will present.
This month's podcast host, Lisa Grice, is joined by special guests from the life sciences division of multinational Merck KGaA and Anthesis colleague Richard Peagam to discuss all things circular economy.
The Activating Sustainability podcasts look at a host of sustainability topics, unpacking the issues, dissecting the solutions and inspiring others to share in our vision.
In episode six, Chris Peterson is joined by Strategy Director James Wallis to explore the rise of brands putting purpose before profit, and Anthesis Group’s new positioning as the sustainability activator.
Episode two of our mini series features a conversation between Chris Peterson and George Favaloro on the corporate customer side of sustainability in the utilities space, exploring critical issues such as forecast and demand.
Executive Director Josh Whitney joins Chris Peterson for episode five to discuss climate change, Science-Based Targets and businesses committing to the 1.5 degree target.
In this episode, we hear from Anthesis' Associate Director Jono Adams on the sometimes conflicting goals of plastic and carbon reduction. Joined by podcast host Chris Peterson.
Chris Peterson sits down with Technical Director Susan Harris to discuss all things sustainable fashion, exploring some of the controversies, as well as how the sector can begin the shift towards more sustainable supply chains.
In episode two, host Chris Peterson is joined by Anthesis Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer and previous Head of Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, Paul Crewe, to discuss why sustainability is critical to commercial success.
In our first episode, host and Associate Director Chris Peterson is joined by Principal Consultant and CDP Lead Manisha Paralikar to discuss specific CDP considerations that are relevant for the utilities sector.
Introducing a new podcast series brought to you by Anthesis.
This series will look at a whole host of sustainability topics, unpacking the issues, dissecting the solutions and inspiring others to share in our vision.
In our first episode, host and Associate Director Chris Peterson is joined by Executive Director Don Reed to discuss the emerging risks and opportunities of climate change, and how organization's can begin to quantify them.