Sustainable Business Weekly

Tom Idle talks to the CBI's director of business environment, Rhian Kelly.

Is the lobbying organization creating the right conditions in which sustainable businesses can flourish? And is it happy with the progress being made by the UK government in promoting a green economy.

Tune in to find out.

You can also watch the video here.

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2degrees' editor Tom Idle interviewed Ramon Arratia, sustainability director at Interface live from the company's London showroom to gain a unique understanding of how one of the world's most innovative manufacturing companies is leading its sector through sustainability.

Take a listen to find out:

• About lifecycle analysis and how it can help you understand the environmental impacts of your product or service;
• Why you can find the hotspots that should drive your sustainability strategy;
• Why Ramon feels sustainability labels are unnecessary "'fluff";
• Why industries need to move from corporate social responsibility to full transparency of products

You can also watch the video here.

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Triodos Bank’s latest accounts show both its balance sheet and customer base jumping 23% in the last 12 months – and its profits soaring 31% as it made a net profit of €22.6m.

It is one of a growing number of ethical banks that is bucking the trend seen in the mainstream banking sector whose toxic reputation continues to be fuelled by stories of fat cat bonuses and worryingly low levels of trust among the people whose money the industry so depends.

Banks like Triodos are making money available where it is needed most, investing as it does in socially-, environmentally- and ethically-sound projects and organizations. It is making money available that will genuinely support a truly sustainable economy.

And its success – and the positive performance of banks like it – offers a useful anchor upon which to question the role of banking in society.

Hear 2degrees' Tom Idle gain a more personal viewpont into Triodos from the bank's head of market and corporate development, James Vaccaro.

You can also watch the video here.

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What do you know about local food sourcing? We held a session with Mark Holmes of ADAS and Peter Lefort of Community Action Groups to give us some insights into this issue.

Check out the podcast to learn about the different meanings of "local" and how both consumers and supermarkets play a role in food sourcing.

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"Are we any closer to being able to consistently demonstrate the business case for sustainability?"

Is this one of the remaining unsolved aspects of sustainability strategy and implementation?  Any internet searches on the subject reveal thousands of hits.  Everybody seems to have an opinion, so surely within all of this there must be an answer?

But reading some of the results, I can’t find anything particularly radical or new.  You can almost summarise a lot of the material into two key benefits: having an effective sustainability programme can 1) drive down costs and 2) generate growth. There is also discussion of some of the intangible benefits, although there appear to be few facts and figures  that would enable me to provide a truly effective response to the anticipated “so what” and “by how much” questions in the boardroom.

In a discussion with Vanessa of 2 degrees I have shared some of my thoughts on why this remains such a challenging area, as well as why I believe that we may at last be making some progress.

-Sally Vivian, URS

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Following her popular article and Salterbaxter report, Olivia Sprinkel speaks to us about the hot topic of embedding sustainability. She discusses the definition of the concept, her thoughts on Embedded Sustainability, and reveals a new model for organizational change comprised of 4E's:

1. Encoding
2. Engaging
3. Enacting
4. Expressing

Listen to find out more.

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2degrees' Brittany Taylor talks to labelling expert Per Bogstadt from the Rainforest Alliance.  Per provides an insider's look at the current state of labeling and what we might expect from the future.  He addresses the proliferation of labeling programs as well as recent trends of self-certification, and provides suggestions for keeping labeling relevant and meaningful.  Drawing on his with Rainforest Alliance, Per outlines the challenges of labeling and the potential benefits for the producer, for the customer, and for business.

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Martin Chilcott interviews Nadya Zhexembayeva, author of Embedded Sustainability: The Next Big Competitive Advantage. Nadya discusses the importance of embedding sustainability within an organization, likens business' approach to the concept to that of the internet in the early 00s, and gives a twist answer to the question "What organization is doing best in sustainability?"

To find out more about Nadya and her book, see the 2degrees Book Club.

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Abbie Buckman was joined by Anita Kedia, Senior Business Development Manager, and Mike Schwartz, Organics Program Manager, of Waste Management Sustainability Services to discuss the direction of the organic waste management industry, including the questions and challenges posed by the increasing emphasis on diversion solutions.

Find out more about 2degrees, the world's largest community for sustainable, efficient business here.

Music today by Bowerbirds

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