Reflections on a purposeful 2022

As the saying goes, "a certain darkness is needed to see the stars". 2022 was tumultuous in many ways. But through an uncertain year, the desire for people and businesses to live and work more meaningfully remained.

Here are some of our insights from a year of exploring purpose and working with some incredible companies. I hope the learnings below will inspire you for 2023.

I want to take the opportunity to thank our readers, followers and clients for a hope-filled 2022. The stories we tell and the work that we do together demonstrates the ever-increasing movement for business to contribute to a greener, kinder, more equitable world? – even in the midst of uncertainty.

The impossible is possible through radical collaboration

In 2020, the outbreak of Covid saw leading pharmaceutical company Pfizer play a central role in the creation and distribution of the first vaccine.

Collaboration between scientists, doctors and over 2,000 employees meant a vaccine was developed and began being distributed in less than 12 months (versus a US average of 12 years from discovery to approval).

In 2022, Pfizer achieved this feat for a second time: with the Covid-19 Oral Treatment.

We helped Pfizer document the journey of the vaccine in the UK at the end of 2020 and the oral therapeutic in 2022.

The story truly captures the strength of human potential, bringing to light the thoughts and actions of some of the incredible people that worked towards the seemingly impossible.?

This film explores the fundamentals of what science can do and what we as humans can achieve when we truly work together for common humanitarian gain.?

Read the full article and watch the film here.

Decarbonisation solutions can be found with a change in perspective

The concept of the circular economy is now widely understood. But the idea that we can bring carbon into the circular economy is potentially planet-altering. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe - a key ingredient for all life on earth. Changes in the way we view, extract and differentiate carbon, can help us to find the solution we seek.?

A sustainable mindset is core to Unilever’s DNA. The Cleaning Carbon story demonstrates the vital importance of challenging the way we think about problem-solving and?Unilever’s approach the Carbon Rainbow. It highlights some of the incredible scientific and technological advances it is making regarding carbon in its products.

Explore Cleaning Carbon here.

Defining and living a purpose can change a business from the inside out.

The power of a well-articulated purpose – for a cause that goes beyond profit– is no longer a ‘nice to have’. When a company is able to recognise why it exists at the deepest level, when it can identify its higher cause and harmonise its operations with its values, it unlocks something.

This year, we worked with Curium, a company that specialises in nuclear medicine, to define its purpose. We then brought it to life through the story of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to single-handedly circumnavigate the world by boat. It is a story of relentless drive, endurance, self-belief and achieving the seemingly impossible.

Watch Curium's Purpose film here

Creating a sustainable planet means changing our perspective on who we are

Our latest short film, Peak: Lessons from Chomolungma, tells the story of Ar?elik’s CEO, Hakan Bulgurlu, and the physical and personal breakthroughs he experienced in his quest to reach the summit of Everest, in the name of sustainability.?

Through his own internal struggles and self-realisation, Peak sheds light on how, in the face of extreme danger, egoistic motivations cannot triumph.

Watch 'Peak: Lessons from Chomolungma' here

The need for biodiversity gain is beginning to be understood

Restoring biodiversity is essential for human survival on our planet. The air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink all rely on it, yet we have recorded a 60% decline in biodiversity over the past 40 years. Rewilding is the process of restoring land and ecosystems. It aims to create self-regulating and self-sustaining wilderness areas which can flourish and maintain themselves without the need for human intervention.

Jonathan Thomson runs a rewilded nature reserve in Wiltshire. Our film Rewilding tells his story.

We premiered the film virtually, following it with a panel featuring Rewilding Britain Ecologist Sara King, Nattergal’s Head of Natural Capital, Ivan de Klee, and of course Jonathan. The conversation developed into one that looked at accelerating biodiversity gain and the business case for rewilding.

If decarbonisation is the idea of today, biodiversity and rewilding are the concepts of tomorrow.?Rewilding as a solution is hopeful; it is beautiful and tangible. Ecological solutions that we can see, feel and touch, help to remind us of what we can achieve. And help us to make our decisions from a place of hope – not fear.

Watch 'Rewilding: what it means for people, business and planet' premiere and discussion here

Thank you once again to all our readers, clients and collaborators. And I wish you all a regenerative 2023.

Learn more about our work at wearetbt.com