The Net Zero Business Podcast

If we broadly know how to decarbonise surface transport and domestic heating, what about the 'hard to abate' sectors such as steel making and chemicals? Today I'm joined by the (freshly be-chaired) Professor Jan Rosenow of Oxford University to talk through the decarbonisation of these sectors and, in particular, their scope for electrification. Here's what we discuss: The scope for electrification...

Late last year, UK digital network provider Openreach placed the largest order for EVs in history, making a huge leap forward not only in meeting its Net Zero ambitions, but normalising clean transport for others too. This week on the pod, Openreach's Head of Sustainability Abby Chicken joins me to talk through EVs and a whole range of other issues, including: • How Sustainability is largely a mat...

If your senses have ever been assaulted by a psychedelic pink cat rapping about recycling your electronics, then Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, must take some of the blame. This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, we talk about the world of electronic waste, including: The importance of recycling waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE) The challenges of fast tech,...

This is the third of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have learnt delivering Sustainability over the last 25+ years. In this episode, I talk through Rule 3: There's no point in doing the wrong thing well. What I mean by this is certain products and services will have no place in a low carbon economy (eg inter...

This week on the pod, I catch up with Sustainability Consultant, Fractional CSO and fellow podcaster, Emma Burlow of Lighthouse Sustainability Ltd . Here's what we cover in our discussion: The circular economy as a value generator Disrupting markets with circular business models The psychology of the word 'waste' What is Carbon Literacy and why does it matter Generational attitudes to climate chan...

This week I'm joined by nuclear whizz Adam Bell of Stonehaven to discuss last week's UK Spending Review which invested a lot of money and political capital to rejuvenate the UK's fast dwindling fleet of nuclear power stations. We discuss the following: • Why did the building of nuclear reactors (almost) grief to a halt in 1989? • The risks of China and Russia dominating the nuclear industry • Why...

This week on the pod, I'm joined by Richard Smith of PS Planet , who I first met at the launch of 'Albert', the carbon calculator/assessment system he initially developed for the BBC and then for all broadcasters via BAFTA. In a freewheeling conversation, we discuss: Helping the broadcasting sector decarbonise through the 'Albert' carbon platform Sustainability in TV programming, from Eastenders t...

This is the second of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have learnt delivering Sustainability over the last 25+ years. In this episode, I talk through Rule 2: Stretch yourself, but not too far – the need for ambitious yet pragmatic targets with an emphasis on the timing of targets. Click here to download 10 Ru...

In this week's episode, I talk to David Knight of Investors in the Environment (iiE) and Jo Holmes of Genee who co-ordinates iiE in the North East and North West of England. Here's what we cover: • How Investors in the Environment works • Sustainability challenges and opportunities faced by small businesses • Taking the jargon out of the Sustainability conversation • Scope 3 carbon emissions: data...

In any transition, there are inevitably winners and losers, but can we make a fossil fuel-free future fair, or as fair as possible while still delivering change at the necessary pace? To dig deep into this conundrum, I'm joined by Dr Simona Capisani, Assistant Professor of Environmental Philosophy at Durham University. Here's what we discuss: Defining a just transition Given the global poor will b...

This week I'm joined by the legendary Richard Black, former BBC environment editor, founder of the ECIU and now Director of Strategy and Policy at Ember. We cover a huge amount of ground, including • The rise and fall (and rise again) of the climate contrarians • Media narratives vs public opinion • The state of play in global power generation • Five technologies to save the planet • Coal mine met...

This is the first of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have learnt delivering Sustainability over the last 25+ years. In this episode, I talk through Rule 1: Understand the business case as it applies to your business (the emphasis on the last bit cannot be under emphasised). Click here to download 10 Rules fo...

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to business coach, author and professional jazz bassist Gerald J Leonard. We talk about: • Business lessons from the world of music • Pivoting to Sustainability through customer demand • How neuroscience guides our decision making and how it can help deliver Sustainability • Selling Sustainability in turbulent political times Make sure you listen...

This week, I go on a bit of a rant about three fallacies that afflict Net Zero and the low carbon transition. These are: The Not Me Guv Fallacy The 1% Fallacy The Relatively Good Fallacy Do you recognise any of them? The Net Zero Business Podcast is brought to you by Terra Infirma Ltd - Bringing Sustainability to Life - we can turbocharge your Net Zero programme! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

Emma Fletcher is one of those quite extraordinary people whose ability to get things done is unparalleled. She led a community project to develop a 100 home zero carbon heat network in her village in her spare time . This in turn attracted the attention of Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson who offered her the role of Low Carbon Homes Director, and when they say 'low carbon', they're not talking...

If you listen to the press and pundits, you'd think ESG investing is dead as a doorknob. But what's the reality? In this week's episode, I catch up with Georgia Hall, ESG & Investment Director, Listed Infrastructure at Maple-Brown Abbott, to help us separate the signal from all that noise. Here are some of the things we cover: What is ESG investing and is it really in decline? How stranded hig...

Don is almost certainly the first ordained minister I've had on the Net Zero Business Podcast, he's also a Sustainability consultant whose core audience is small business owners in Mid West USA – ie likely Donald Trump voters. For me, as an atheist, this was a fascinating and sometimes deeply philosophical discussion of personal values, business and our relationship with nature. Don's humanity, wi...

This week on the pod, I discuss a simple precondition of sustainable behaviour in the public and/or employees – you have to make it easy for people to do what you want them to do. That might sound obvious, but in practice being green is often made rather difficult. I give three examples from my life and career that make the point, plus ways to discourage us green behaviour – and how to identify th...

This week on the pod, I'm joined by Marga Hoek, entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Trillion Dollar Shift and Tech for Good. The former book sets out the trillion dollar investment opportunity presented by the Sustainable Development Goals while the latter looks at the Sustainability opportunities set out by innovations such as AI, blockchain and robotics. We discuss these two topics along w...

In this fascinating chat with Rachel Ward, Sustainability Manager at the Royal Veterinary College, London, I think we cover more issues than any other episode - not surprising given the wide variety of activity at the College: teaching buildings, 400 student rooms, a veterinary hospital and a farm with 200 head of cattle. Here's a taste of what we cover: Facilitating reuse between generations of s...

This week I'm joined by Jennifer Geary, award winning author of a set of books on how to be a C-level executive, including co-authoring How to be a Chief Sustainability Officer. Here's what we cover: Leadership in difficult political times Connecting Sustainability to the company purpose Should the CSO be a standalone role or integrated into other C-roles Ownership of Sustainability, including Gre...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk about the need to start casting off mental baggage that is holding back the transition to a low carbon economy. I give some policy examples, but I also take a few pot shots at those in the Sustainability sector who resist innovation in our methods. We need to keep doing things better! The Net Zero Business Podcast is brought to you by Terra Infirma Ltd - Brin...

With electrification emerging as the prime route to the decarbonisation of transport, space heating and many industrial processes, the gazillion dollar question is, can the electricity grid deliver sufficient zero carbon electricity to make this happen? To get some answers, this week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I caught up with Paul Glendinning, Energy Systems Director of Northern Powergrid...

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I'm joined by Helen Neal of HN Communications . We cover a huge number of topics including: Ethics in the PR Industry The importance of leadership commitment Brandmapping to create a compelling Sustainability story Building trust through sharing the positives and difficulties Focussing on what you have done rather than what you plan to do Green claims an...

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk politics with Michael Liebreich, one of the foremost commentators and advisors on the clean energy transition, a former Olympic skier and co-host of Cleaning Up, my second favourite podcast. Here's a selection of what we cover: How the UK Labour Government has fared on its commitment to green growth (we recorded before the Heathrow announcement) T...