Earthfest, Unilever, Shift, Birds & Ripple Energy

1. Earthfest 2024

Last Friday, the Good Business team ventured over to Earthfest 2024 , dubbed London’s flagship sustainability event. The event brought together industry experts and thought leaders to inspire positive climate action through panels, workshops, and interactive demonstrations.

Not everyone was convinced the event would adequately contribute to halting climate change. Specifically, Just Stop Oil protesters interrupted the first panel discussion to deliver a powerful message: We need decisive and effective action, not just empty words that lead us nowhere.

We, and the panellists, agreed. We do need decisive action – but what does that look like? By this definition, are these types of events no more than a talking shop to make everyone feel better about themselves, rather than a means to inspire widespread corrective action?

The value in these events isn’t always a headline policy or initiative, it’s the conversations and connections they enable, which lead to action. If these events don’t happen, those opportunities are missed. It’s cliché but it’s going to take action on multiple levels, and we think events like this play an important role in driving that.

That’s not to write off the practical outputs of these events completely – our highlight of the day was innocent drinks and Forest joining our friends at Climate Perks to discuss how employee benefits can be leveraged to inspire climate action. We aren’t going to solve the climate crisis in one afternoon, and some panel discussions might not inspire or challenge us – but that’s part and parcel.

To demonstrate our commitment to this belief, the Good Business Climate Team will be at Innovation Zero next week too: the UK’s largest net-zero congress. Let us know if you'll be there, and we can grab a coffee and share our thoughts and ideas.

2. Moving targets

Setting targets and keeping to them is hard, whether that’s fitness goals for the year ahead or your business’s sustainability goals.

Reports that Unilever is scaling back its environmental and social goals shows the truth of this. This certainly seems to be the case for Unilever which is scaling back its environmental and social goals . Understandably, this has ruffled feathers, and the business has been criticised for stepping back from some of its most ambitious targets, and setting shorter, more realistic goals around issues like plastic use, supplier living wages and diversity.

Targets are tricky for several reasons. There is a good case for making them ambitious, to stretch the company to achieve more and go further, particularly given the scale of the social and environmental challenges we face. But they also need to be realistic; businesses need to think through the pathways to reaching them and expect to be held to account for progress and their ability to meet milestones along the way.

All of this is made more challenging because it’s often hard to know exactly what can be achieved in the future, given there will be changes that can’t be foreseen or controlled directly by the business. Plastics are a good example – as an explosion in demand for recycled plastics has pushed the price up significantly, problematising business planning around transitioning away from virgin materials.

As the end date of some of the long-term targets that businesses set some years ago come closer, it makes sense that a greater sense of reality comes into play, and in these cases a recalibration is necessary and right – as well as being the best way to bring about change. Unilever has stated that refocusing on more tangible and targeted impact over the near term will allow it to be more effective.

But the worry and the risk is that changing targets, or setting less ambitious ones, comes at the expense of the commitment, drive and ambition we need. That it takes the pressure off companies. And that it stops them from taking steps, particularly those related to financial investment, which might incur some short-term pain for long-term transformative gain.

Sustainability needs to operate in the real world. But it also needs to help create a better one.

3. Shift-it

It’s with sadness that we see our friends at Shift, formerly known as We Are What We Do, are closing their doors. The organisation was small but mighty, leading behaviour change projects aimed at “creating the change our world needs”. Their projects spanned a range of issues including sustainability, mental health and social wellbeing.

Their portfolio shows the lasting impact Shift will have in the UK. One that has stood the test of time in the Good Business office is the iconic “I am not a plastic bag” campaign in 2007, which brought the issue of plastic bag overconsumption to the mainstream and led to a 58% reduction in plastic bag usage in Sainsburys in the following two years. They also ran innovative programmes addressing unemployment, childhood obesity and intergenerational conversations around the places we live. Their legacy will live on, as many of the projects are being passed on to friends and partners to continue to deliver impact. And its end is as thoughtful as its life, rejecting a “survive at all costs” mentality in favour of a more thoughtful approach to transition. (For more on this, check out The Decelerator which supports civil society organisations to manage change and endings).

So while we say goodbye to Shift, we want to celebrate the great work Shift did, and seek inspiration in the work they delivered. What Shifts could you make in your line of work? Do you work at a food company – could you include healthier food higher up on your website, a marketer who could advertise a product’s repairability or a manager who could look to offer pro-environmental perks to your employees (such as Climate Perks – slow travel days enjoyed by Good Business!) Whatever your industry, we bet there are shifts you can make to encourage people to live better.

4. Texas's bright idea

Did you know that two billion birds migrate through Texas each spring? That’s almost one in three birds migrating through the United States, i and it's not an easy journey.

Bright city lights are not bird friendly – they pose one of the greatest hazards to birds travelling in large flocks, and can create incidents which result in mass fatalities. While environmentalists have been urging large office buildings to switch off non-essential lighting at night, these requests have failed to capture public attention. That’s where ‘Lights Out Texas’ comes in.

The campaign’s mission is simple: encourage businesses to switch off non-essential lighting from 11 pm to 6 am during spring and autumn migration season. Since its inception in 2020, the campaign has taken hold across the state – and it works. 57 Texan businesses confirmed participation in turning out lights at night for migrating birds and more generally researchers found a 60% decrease in bird mortality when lights are turned off.

And it’s not the first time Texas has nailed a game-changing campaign. The ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’ campaign successfully slashed litter on Texas highways by 72% between 1987 and 1990.

Lights Out Texas shines a bright light on how behaviour change happens. It shows that folks are much more inclined to act when they feel a strong connection to the cause and can see their efforts paying off. So keep up the good work Texas!

The Goods: Ripple Energy

Are you ready to be part of a pioneering energy initiative?

As trailed in a previous Friday 5 article this week Ripple Energy is launching an opportunity for individuals to co-own a massive wind farm project in the picturesque Scottish Borders. With a minimum investment of just ￡25, you can become a certified Ripple member, gaining access to affordable, renewable electricity while making a positive impact on the environment.

The Whitelaw Brae Wind Farm, boasting 14 turbines, promises to be Britain’s largest people-owned renewable energy endeavour. Secured by Ripple Energy in partnership with developers, BayWa r.e. EMEA , this project will allow thousands of people nationwide to join in through a cooperative model. By participating, members can power their homes with up to 100% green energy, slashing electricity bills and reducing their carbon foo

Expected to generate about 145GWh per year , the Whitelaw Brae Wind Farm can power over 50,000 homes. Impressively, at maximum output, it will take just three minutes to supply enough electricity for an entire household for an entire year. This initiative not only promotes sustainable living but also contributes significantly to the UK’s energy security and net-zero goals.

This marks Ripple Energy’s fourth major project since its inception seven years ago. Previous ventures have already saved members over ￡1.2 million on electricity bills. Additionally, with ongoing projects like the Kirk Hill wind farm in Scotland and the Derril Water solar park in England, Ripple is revolutionizing how we generate and consume energy.

So if you’ve ever fancied being a clean energy investor, don’t miss your chance to be part of this historic movement towards a greener, more sustainable future. To find out more, see Ripple Energy's website.