A Brief History of Sustainability Leadership: The Case of Unilever

Redefining the Corporate Sustainability Agenda: In this episode, Chris, David, and Mark discuss the shifting corporate sustainability agenda with specific reference to Unilever’s new sustainability strategy, ERM and WBCSD’s new report, Catching the Wave: Seizing the Opportunities of Sustainability Transformation, the 2024 Oxford-GlobeScan Corporate Affairs Survey, and SBTi's recent announcement about how it will revise its flagship Corporate Net-Zero Standard to allow the use of “environmental attribute certificates” – including carbon offsets as part addressing emissions reductions. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

37 min listen

Creating Conditions to Collaborate: In this episode, Mark and Chris have an involved discussion with two executives from Target, the large American retailer: Amanda Nusz, senior vice president of corporate responsibility & sustainability; and Gretchen McCarthy, chief supply chain and logistics officer. The expansive conversation explores how these two functional leaders work together to drive stronger sustainability performance and provide insight into how Target Forward, the company’s sustainability strategy, gets done. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

38 min listen

Climate Regulation from Inside and Out: As Director of Carbon Accountable, Catherine Atkin played a critical role drafting California's new climate regulation SB 253 and SB 261. Now, as Chief Sustainability Officer at Redwoods.ai, she's helping her company prepare to respond to burgeoning climate disclosure demands coming from California and beyond. Listen in to hear Mark and Chris talk with Catherine about what it has been like to be on both sides of this particular coin. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

44 min listen

Time for Integration: The Need to Combine Approaches to Environmental and Social Strategies and Harmonize North-South Mindsets: In this episode, Chris, David, and Mark speak with Malu Paiva, Chief Sustainability Officer for Vale, one of Latin America’s most experienced sustainability professionals. They discuss Malu’s unique professional journey, the cultural transformation underway at Vale after significant tragedies, and the importance of two important major events that will be held in South America in 2024 and 2025, COP 16 and COP30. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

47 min listen

Purposefully Plant-based: In this episode, Chris speaks with Roberto Guidetti, CEO of Vitasoy, about the company’s detailed journey, sustainability and ESG in an Asian context and why plant-based solutions are so critical for the future of sustainability. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

44 min listen

Better Listening: Businesses committed to sustainability and those campaigning for more sustainable business need to listen better to people frightened by the pace and extent of change brought by the sustainability transformation. Why do they believe that transformation could harm them, their families, or their communities? Chris, David, and Mark use this episode to explore why this is important and some of the ways it might be done, and they reflect also on learnings from the recent GreenBiz conference in Phoenix, Arizona. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

24 min listen

We’re All In on Systems Change in the Food Sector: In this episode, Mark, David and Chris speak with Santiago Gowland, CEO of Rainforest Alliance (RA). They discuss Santiago’s remarkable history from his time working inside leading companies such as Unilever and Nike to his present role leading the RA. The conversation then covers the systemic change needed to create a more sustainable world with an emphasis on the connections between producers, brands and consumers. Check out the Rainforest Alliance’s We’re All In campaign: https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/were-all-in/ by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

41 min listen

Being Generous Partners: In this episode, David chats to Rob Doepel, EY UK & Ireland's Managing Partner for Sustainability. David and Rob talk about helping senior leaders in client companies to grapple with new business challenges and become more sustainability-literate. They discuss how sustainability professionals need to be generous, change-agents and able to lead beyond authority. This episode is one of two, recorded in collaboration with Anthropy at the 2023 Anthropy summit. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

27 min listen

The Power of Business as a Force for Good: In this episode, David Grayson talks to Paul Drechsler, who currently chairs the UK chapter of the International Chambers of Commerce. He is a former CEO and has chaired a number of corporate, charity and business representative organisations. They discuss Paul’s growing sense of awareness of the excitement of business, the power of business as a force for good and the transformative power of business from working in Brazil, India, Pakistan, USA as well as the UK. Paul has a particular passion for tackling inequalities and the potential of education to transform people’s life chances. This episode is one of two, recorded in collaboration with Anthropy at the 2023 Anthropy summit. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

23 min listen

The All In Sustainable Business Podcast 2024 Year in Preview: Gain insight on what mattered most from 2023 and what will shape the sustainability field in 2024 by listening to this "2024 Year in Preview" panel discussion. Mark, David, and Chris are joined by Jane Nelson, Founding Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Louise Kjellerup Roper, CEO of Volans, and Sonia Ruiz, CEO of NOIMA Sustainability Strategies. Hear the group tackle topics from climate, nature, advocacy, and equity, through elections and geopolitics, all through the lens of what and why will determine sustainable development progress in the 12 months ahead. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

48 min listen

A CEO’s Take on Sustainability: In this episode, Chris, David, and Mark speak with João Paulo Ferreira, CEO of Natura, about the company’s unique and remarkable sustainability journey, the current state of sustainable business, and what is yet to be done in the coming years. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

40 min listen

The B Corp Movement: In this episode, David and Chris speak with Bart Houlahan, co-founder of B Lab and one of the most important change agents in corporate sustainability over the past decade. Bart shares his journey of B Lab and the progress of the B Corp movement to date and what we can expect in the future. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

43 min listen

John Elkington: Ambassador from the Future: John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable capitalism, an experienced advisor to business, a highly regarded thought leader and keynote speaker, a bestselling author and serial entrepreneur. Currently, he is a Founding Partner of, and Chief Pollinator at, Volans, where he works with business leaders to effect change that will not only benefit people and the planet, but help future-proof organisations for decades to come. John focuses much of his time and energy on the past and the future, but always with the intention of bringing lessons from yesterday and tomorrow into the worlds of today. In this episode, Chris and David dove into John’s extensive sustainability journey, and explore the many contours of the sustainability agenda. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

38 min listen

Creating a Better Everyday Life: In the latest episode, Chris and David are joined by Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ingka Group, the holding company that represent over 90% of IKEA’s retail operations. After exploring Karen’s career journey, that has her recognized as one of the Top 100 global CSOs, they dive into the fascinating world of Ingka Group. As the largest retail franchisee IKEA, they work very closely with IKEA design and development teams to connect over 650 million customers in 31 markets around the world via their stores and online shopping experiences. Ingka Group doesn’t just want to sell furniture – they want to deeply understand people’s lives at home to help encourage more healthy & sustainable living. Their flagship research studies on climate action and equality help this purpose-led company bring the outside world in, which they leverage via coalition building, advocacy, collaborations, partnerships. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

39 min listen

Anthropy: Every Action Starts with an Idea: Anthropy is a major three day gathering for leaders. It grew out of the fusion of ideas for a UK ‘Davos’, a ‘Glastonbury of Good’ and a national ‘Ted talk’. In the latest episode of All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast, David Grayson speaks with the organization’s Founder, John O’Brien, and Lucy Knill, Managing Director, who explain that Anthropy is in fact none of these but will combine the best aspects of thought leadership, creativity and inspiration together, in order for senior leaders and influencers from across the country (and the world!) to share and be encouraged to play their part in shaping our national narrative. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

40 min listen

Positively Purple: Build an Inclusive World Where People with Disabilities Can Flourish: In the latest episode, Chris, Mark and David are joined by Kate Nash, the creator and CEO of PurpleSpace, the world’s only professional development hub for disability employee resource groups. PurpleSpace’s mission is to make it easier for employees to navigate the experience of ill health, disability or the experience of an accident or injury, at the same time as flourishing at work. Kate Nash is a storyteller, business leader, impatient activist, and a patient strategist. In this interview, she offers practical advice for how leading organizations can build environments of trust and support for those with disabilities, how employees with disabilities can advocate for themselves and flourish in the workplace and how those without disabilities can be true allies. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

48 min listen

High Expectations: How Sustainability Professionals Can Meet This Moment: Expectations of sustainability leaders in companies and other organizations are higher, and the remit broader, than ever. After 30 years of progress and learnings, we have reached a point that demands organizations and individuals do more, faster, to address massive, existential issues. This challenge creates unique opportunities to decentralize sustainability leadership and embed it in every business function, at every level. In this episode, Chris, David and Mark are joined by Janice Lao, Vice President, ESG, Helen of Troy Limited, and Jordan McDonald, Senior Environmental & Sustainability Engineer, 3M Company, to discuss how they and their organizations are meeting this moment and what more must be accomplished to ensure the future we want. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

43 min listen

Wicked problems? Creative solutions?: Chris, David, and Mark are joined by Tom Firth and Joanna Yarrow, Co-Founders of M&C Saatchi LIFE, who bring their parent organization’s successful history of marketing, branding, and advertising to the world of corporate sustainability, by applying their acumen to engagement and mobilization of behaviour change at scale. Chris, David, and Mark also discuss the current state of corporate sustainability through the lens of recent articles that have revealed some cracks around the foundational theories of corporate sustainability. Specifically the efficacy of carbon offsets, greenwashing, and the collective lack of governance and transparency across many organizations. Then they cheer themselves up with a recount of a very positive experience at a recent BCorp conference, and collectively celebrate winning the Change & Sustainability category at the Business Book Awards for their book 'The Sustainable Business Handbook'. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

60 min listen

Shifting Mindsets: Chris, David, and Mark are joined by the co-founder of Forum for the Future, Jonathon Porritt, and its CEO, Dr. Sally Uren. Since being founded in 1996, Forum for the Future has worked in partnership with business, governments, and civil society to accelerate the shift towards a just and regenerative future in which both people and the planet thrive. Sally and Jonathan discuss the challenges of embedding transformational change within organizations, the urgent need to pursue outcomes that are ecologically safe and socially just, the mental models this demands we embrace, and what keeps them optimistic. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

42 min listen

Building Board of Directors Sustainability Competence: In this episode, Chris and Mark are joined by special guest Helle Bank Jørgensen, the CEO and Founder of Competent Boards and an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices. This episode dives into the topic of embedding sustainability in corporate boards and how to best engage boards members on sustainability. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

32 min listen

In The News: Chris, David and Mark catch up on what’s happening in sustainable business. They talk about the 8th annual Economist Sustainability Week, Just Transition and greenhushing. They ask if the Silicon Valley Bank really did fail because it was “woke?” How companies can advocate ethically and who rates the raters? by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

24 min listen

Big Questions Facing Business Leaders for 2023: In the first episode of 2023 of the All In Sustainable Business podcast, Chris, David, and Mark welcome strategic advisor, speaker, and commentator on sustainable business, Mike Barry. In his past life, Mike helped to develop, launch and implement Marks & Spencer’s ground-breaking sustainability programme, Plan A (because there is no Plan B for the one world we have). The conversation checks in on where exactly we all are on the sustainability journey, and explores the main trends and themes of the sustainability agenda heading into 2023, including leadership challenges, geopolitical risks, the ESG revolution, and where we’re at 7 years from when the SDGs and Paris Agreement benchmarks need to be fully implemented. They also highlight some new social enterprises making major impact in some very creative ways, including Mondra, Foodsteps, and HowGood. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

42 min listen

Strategic Philanthropy to Drive Change: In this episode of the All In Sustainable Business podcast, Mark and Chris welcome Leslie Johnston, CEO of the Laudes Foundation, an organization that is responding to the dual crises of inequality and climate change by supporting brave, innovative efforts that inspire and challenge industry to harness its power for good. Mark and Chris also discuss the evolving state of sustainability leadership, in particular when it comes to the ways in which the leadership challenge is shifting, and ways in which leadership performance is shifting – all themes they will explore at their upcoming session on leadership at the GreenBiz Conference in Phoenix in February with David. Mark and Chris also discuss the upcoming COP15 conference in Montreal, the FTX collapse, and the importance of good governance. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

51 min listen

Remaining Mining: Origins and Impacts by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

61 min listen

Hail to the Solutionists: In this episode, Chris, David and Mark are joined by Solitaire Townsend, Co-Founder of Futerra, and author of ‘The Happy Heroes’ and her forthcoming book, ‘The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future.’ Solitaire posits that Solutionists aren’t born, but are made. And as a society, we desperately need solutionists working to fix the future. They discuss how to encourage this behavior, particularly as it pertains to gender, race, and life experience, and what it takes to be the kind of leader that the world needs right now. They also explore a variety of other topics influencing today’s sustainable business agenda. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

37 min listen

Navigating Complex Currents: In this episode, Chris, David and Mark discuss a range of connected topics influencing sustainability, including inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, the need for corporate commitments and concerns about greenwashing, plus the culture wars and corporate advocacy, and then look ahead to upcoming events such as Anthropy at the Eden Project, Sustainable Brands, and COP27 and COP15. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

44 min listen

In Pursuit of Purpose: Chris Coulter and Mark Lee discuss the groundbreaking announcement by Patagonia founder Yvon Choinard, to transfer ownership of the company to a trust and nonprofit organization created to protect the firm’s purpose and values while fighting the climate crisis and defending nature. They also discuss Bill Gates' pessimistic mid-point outlook on progress on the SDGs and look ahead to Climate Week in New York City. Their conversation is followed by an interview with Amita Chaudhury, Group Head of Sustainability & ESG at AIA, about the insurance giant’s purpose journey. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

58 min listen

Accelerating EVs, Collaboration, and Advocacy: In this episode, Chris and Mark talk with Fredrika Klarén, Chief Sustainability Officer at EV maker Polestar, a relative newcomer even among the companies comprising the newest part of the automotive ecosystem. Fredrika shares how her upbringing on an island exposed to the sea still influences her thinking and expounds on the importance of industry collaboration as well as advocacy in the transition to a low-carbon economy. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

52 min listen

Primark Cares: An interview with Lynne Walker, Chief Sustainability Officer at Primark and the company's external strategic adviser Sue Garrard. The focus is on the evolution and ambition of Primark Cares - the fashion company’s sustainability strategy. Before the interview, Mark and David talk about extreme weather conditions in Europe and the need for political leadership on Net Zero. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

53 min listen

A Material Difference: In this episode of the All In Sustainable Business Podcast, Chris, David and Mark discuss changes in how corporate sustainability leadership is perceived and why it can be riskier to step out as a leader today than in past, then present an interview with Annette Stube, Executive Vice President, Sustainability at Stora Enso, a Finnish forest products company committed to offering 100% regenerative products and solutions by 2050, a promise it intends to reach by innovating and extending its range of forest products. by All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast

41 min listen

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A Brief History of Sustainability Leadership: The Case of Unilever

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