What if the real measure of sustainability isn’t your carbon footprint — but your handprint?
In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we explore how the built environment can move from compliance to creativity with Useful Simple Trust’s Head of Sustainability.
🔹 Why ESG reporting can distract from true transformation
🔹 The rise of “handprint” metrics that measure positive impact
🔹 How small businesses can lead big change through culture and collaboration
🔹 Why giving nature a “seat at the table” could reshape corporate decision-making
This episode is for anyone in design, architecture, or business leadership asking how to make sustainability real — and measurable.
Watch now to learn how data, design, and ethics can come together to build a regenerative future.
#Sustainability #BuiltEnvironment #RegenerativeDesign #EthicalBusiness #ResponsibleLeadership #ClimateAction
What if China’s clean energy boom holds the biggest lesson in responsible leadership today?In this episode, sustainability author and board advisor Gib Hedstrom joins host Charlie Martin to explore how China’s renewable revolution is changing global energy — and what Western boards can learn.💡 In this conversation:- Why China’s clean tech rise surprised even the experts- How long-term planning became its advantage- What boards can do to escape short-term cycles- The tension between coal, growth, and responsibility- Gib’s call to action for leaders, families, and Gen Z“China’s clean energy portfolio is right at the steep part of the S-curve,” says Gib. “They plan in decades. We plan in quarters. That’s the gap.”Watch now to understand the real energy transition and what it means for business and the planet.#Sustainability #EnergyTransition #Leadership #ESG #China #ResponsibleBusiness #CleanTech
Can an oil and gas legacy company truly reach real zero? Kent’s VP of Sustainability faces the challenge head-on.
Can a global engineering firm built on fossil fuel projects really lead the energy transition?
In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Kent’s VP of Sustainability Emma Scott talks about what “real zero” looks like when your business still keeps the lights on for the world.
Emma shares how she started from nothing — no emissions baseline, no clear data — and built a sustainability strategy grounded in facts, honesty, and uncomfortable truths. She explains why transparency matters more than perfection, and how progress in high-carbon industries depends on facing what’s real, not what’s easy.
You’ll hear insight on:
- The hard truth behind real zero vs net zero
- Building sustainability inside a fossil fuel heritage business
- Why honesty is the hardest — and most powerful — climate tool
- How inclusion and well-being connect to real responsibility
This is not a story of glossy wins — it’s about persistence, integrity, and progress from within.
Watch now to learn how Emma Scott is helping Kent turn sustainability from an aspiration into action.
#RealZero #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #ResponsibleLeadership #EmmaScott #KentEngineering
A chemist and a marketer built a British rum distillery that measures everything from sugar cane to cocktails, and then removes what is left. Real sustainability, no greenwash.
In this on site episode, we meet Russ and Gemma in their working distillery in Exeter to explore how premium rum can be made from scratch in Britain without adding to the planet’s tab. They explain their full life cycle assessment, from sugar to shipping to the ice cube in your glass. They share the hard choices that follow, including ads they will not buy, and why they put credibility above hype. We also discuss climate storytelling: how to balance joy and data, why choosing one clear focus (their north star is carbon) keeps you honest, and how tours turn curious visitors into loyal customers. Gemma shares her vision for a destination distillery where sustainability is clear and fun, while Russ explains the business logic of an internal carbon price and durable removals.
If you are a founder, marketer or sustainability lead, this episode offers a clear blueprint: cut what you can, remove what you can’t, and make the tough choices visible.
Chapters
00:00 The smell of the stills
04:50 Why carbon negative from day one
08:30 LCA: sugar, shipping, and use phase
22:10 Saying no to high footprint ads
36:30 Storytelling that stands up
49:50 Magic wand: price carbon
#CarbonNegative #Rum #SustainableBusiness #LifecycleAssessment #DirectAirCapture
“Perpetual growth on a finite planet can’t be sustainable.”
“The most sustainable building is the one that already exists.”
In this episode, construction leader Saul Humphrey lays out a clear, practical roadmap for a sector that’s still hooked on concrete and quarterly targets. From CLT, glulam and hemp to retrofit-first logic and whole-life value, Saul explains how to cut embodied carbon while improving performance and asset value.
Saul is Senior Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Building and Managing Partner of a certified B Corp consultancy focused on sustainable delivery. He also teaches as a professor of sustainable construction—bringing real-world practice into the classroom.
What we cover:
- Operational vs embodied carbon—why materials now matter most.
- Post-Grenfell realities, regulation and where bio-based materials fit.
- Retrofit over rebuild: reusing what we have before pouring new concrete.
- Supply chains, warranties and the business case (whole-life costs, stranded-asset risk).
- Leadership and legacy: how longer-term decisions protect both planet and profit.
If you’re an architect, developer, investor—or anyone who cares about the built environment—this conversation will arm you with language and levers to push for better.
Guest: Saul Humphrey — Senior Vice President, CIOB; Managing Partner, Saul D Humphrey LLP (B Corp); Professor of Sustainable Construction (Anglia Ruskin).
Listen, share, and join the shift.
#SustainableConstruction #EmbodiedCarbon #RetrofitFirst #TimberArchitecture #CIOB #BCorp
What does it mean to build a company with purpose? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we sit down with Mark Goyder, founder of Tomorrow’s Company, to explore the lessons of failure, the fight to keep values alive in business, and why he believes leaders must sometimes “be a rebel, be a pirate.”
Mark shares his journey—from community service volunteering and politics to decades spent shaping corporate governance and embedding the idea of enlightened shareholder value into UK company law. He reflects on the challenges of scaling values-driven businesses, the cautionary tale of Ben & Jerry’s, and how Tomorrow’s Company is now inspiring the next generation of leaders in schools.
🔑 In this episode:
- Why failure is never wasted
- The birth of Tomorrow’s Company and its lasting impact
- Lessons from Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever on protecting purpose
- How education can unlock the next wave of responsible leadership
- Why being a “pirate” might be the most important career advice
👉 Don’t miss Mark’s call to action for a new generation of leaders to rethink ownership, governance, and the future of responsible business.
🔗 Connect with Mark:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-goyder-72713827/
- Tomorrow’s Company: https://www.tomorrowscompany.com/
🎙 Listen to more episodes of The Responsible Edge: https://theresponsibleedge.com/
#ResponsibleBusiness #Governance #Leadership #Sustainability #Purpose
Fashion has no shortage of sustainability promises — but where’s the action? Simon Whitmarsh-Knight joins The Responsible Edge to discuss what frustrates him most about the industry, and why regulation, digital product passports and fibre innovation are the three pillars that could finally make change real. Plus, his magic wand solution: clarity.
How do you get business leaders to take sustainability seriously? Senior strategist Rebecca Ward believes the answer lies in linking environmental and social impact to financial performance. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Rebecca shares her journey from geophysics to corporate strategy, her fight for gender equality in STEM, and why optimism is essential in a world of daunting climate challenges.
Andy Last — author of Business on a Mission and co-founder of Salt — joins The Responsible Edge to explore the hard realities of leading responsibly. From Lifebuoy’s breakthrough in combining health and profit, to the trust gap created by greenwashing, Andy reveals why governance, honesty and integration matter more than ever.
Can luxury fashion really be sustainable? La Pochette founder Justine Rouch joins The Responsible Edge to discuss how she’s challenging the industry’s waste culture, designing for longevity, and making tough leadership choices in an era of overproduction.
Is dialogue always the best way for companies to handle criticism? TDI Sustainability founder Assheton Carter joins The Responsible Edge to discuss the limits of corporate virtue, the importance of governance, and why alignment — not altruism — is the key to leading responsibly.
Policy strategist Charlie Garner joins The Responsible Edge to unpack the UK’s aviation dilemma. With the third runway at Heathrow approved, can Britain still claim climate leadership? Charlie discusses sustainable aviation fuels, the “valley of death” for clean tech startups, and why we need a national strategy — not political cycles. A must-watch for anyone interested in responsible growth and real climate policy.
CIBSE's Technical Director Anastasia Mylona joins The Responsible Edge to reveal why UK engineers took climate standards into their own hands. Discover how the new net zero building standard is reshaping the built environment—and why it matters more than ever.
How do you make responsible decisions when the truth is up for debate? Beehive News co-founder Rafael Cossi joins The Responsible Edge to discuss the emotional power of misinformation, why article-level transparency matters, and how businesses can incentivise better news—before it's too late.
Only 2% of real estate funds are managed by women. Why? Investor and entrepreneur Anna Clare Harper joins The Responsible Edge to explore the structural barriers that still dominate the built environment—plus how AI, sponsorship, and smarter capital could transform the way we invest in homes and in leaders.
Filmmaker and marine campaigner Claire Wallerstein joins The Responsible Edge to explore how we tell climate stories — and who gets to tell them. From her early journalism career in the Philippines and Venezuela to founding Cornwall Climate Care, Claire’s journey reveals the tensions, truths and untapped power of honest storytelling.
Chris Wright, Head of Sustainability & Decarbonisation at Avison Young, joins The Responsible Edge to unpack the dirty secret of corporate climate targets: most lack a credible plan. From Tesco’s 13-year decarbonisation blueprint to the grid-blocked reality of the built environment, Chris shares practical insights for businesses serious about transition. No greenwash, no fluff – just strategy that works.
What does responsible leadership really look like inside a global manufacturing business? Laura Willemsen, Group Director of Marketing and Sustainability at Stahl, shares her pragmatic approach to ESG, supply chains, and brand integrity — offering a grounded vision of change that might actually work.
We’ve been painting with plastics for decades — but at what cost? Edward Bulmer, historian, designer, and founder of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, reveals how the humble tin of paint exposes deep flaws in business thinking, greenwashing, and capitalism itself. A must-listen for anyone who cares about sustainability — and beautiful walls.
We breathe it every day — but most of us barely think about it. Air pollution is now the second biggest environmental threat to our health, yet it’s still off the radar for many businesses. Louise Thomas, CEO of Air Aware Labs, joins The Responsible Edge to explain why this silent crisis should be top of every company’s agenda — and how innovative data can help.