The Responsible Edge Podcast

Urban sprawl is often framed as a practical response to growth. Land is cheaper. Housing can be delivered quickly. Political resistance appears lower. But the long-term consequences are rarely counted. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, architect and urban designer Alec Tzannes reflects on why cities continue to expand outward, despite decades of evidence that this approach fragments communi...

As AI moves deeper into organisations, trust is becoming a design challenge rather than a cultural aspiration. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Charlie Martin speaks with Steve Garnett about a defining moment from Salesforce’s early cloud years. When systems failed, leadership chose to publish every outage publicly. “We published all of it,” Garnett recalls. “Because we felt that was the r...

The ESG backlash is real, but it is often misunderstood. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Charlie Martin speaks with Jonathan Hall, Managing Partner of Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice, about what is actually happening inside businesses as sustainability becomes politically charged. Hall explains why some companies are retreating, why most are staying the course quietly, and wh...

What does it mean for a business to move beyond sustainability and into regeneration? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, consultant and Overstory Earth co founder Zoe Duvall breaks down the shift with clarity and grounded experience. Zoe explains why many organisations are discovering that traditional sustainability is not enough for the world they now operate in. Regenerative systems thinki...

Can fashion supply chains cut emissions at scale while keeping factories competitive. In this episode of The Responsible Edge , Charlie speaks with Jamie Rusby , co founder of Generation One and former sustainability leader at IKEA and VELUX . Jamie shares the reality facing many manufacturers in Bangladesh and Nepal. Some borrow at high rates and operate with narrow margins. These conditions make...

How long can a business survive if its biggest customer decides it is too risky to keep? This episode of The Responsible Edge explores the new pressure facing small and medium-sized businesses. Sustainability is no longer a distant idea. Large organisations and public bodies now expect real evidence of environmental action, social value and strong governance. For many SMEs, the change is arriving...

Can planting trees help cool the planet, or has it become a simple story that hides a complex truth? This episode of The Responsible Edge looks at how tree planting grew into a global trend and why many projects do not deliver real results. We explore how one company learned from early mistakes, built stronger tools and now focuses on forests that last. You will hear how restoration works on the g...

Most people care about sustainability, they just don’t understand how it’s talked about anymore. In this episode, two experienced communications leaders unpack why the climate conversation lost its way, and how simple, honest language can bring people back in. They explore:- Why emotion alone can’t drive climate progress- The danger of “green-hushing” and why silence isn’t neutral- How to talk abo...

What if the biggest part of your company’s impact isn’t in your energy bill — but in your advice? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Jeff Twentyman, former Slaughter and May partner, UCL professor, and Green Finance Institute adviser, explains why professional services must face the real consequences of their work. Jeff shares how his years in corporate law led him to rethink what responsibi...

Who should control technology — platforms or people? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we explore how Europe is standing up for digital sovereignty in the face of U.S. pressure. When the EU introduced new digital laws to make tech more accountable, Donald Trump called them “discriminatory.” But for Europe, they are about something bigger: protecting democracy, privacy and public trust. In t...

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 bus...

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 b...

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...

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 ass...

“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 im...

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 shapin...

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 ch...

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 r...

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.