Business of Sustainability

Recent episodes

1. 53: Responsible AI Adoption: What Business Leaders Need to Get Right Before Scaling from Business of Sustainability

   Jul 29, 2026

   Most businesses are already using AI. Far fewer have the governance in place to use it well. In this bitesize episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO, Polly Milne explore what responsible AI adoption actually looks like through an ESG lens. They cover why governance needs to come before scaling, what safe experimentation looks like in practice, how to think about the environmental cost of AI use, and why human oversight is still the most important factor in getting real value from the technology. A practical listen for any business leader navigating AI adoption right now. More at future-plus.co.uk

2. 52: The New Rules of Sustainability Claims in Hospitality from Business of Sustainability

   Jul 22, 2026

   Sustainability claims in hospitality are under more scrutiny than ever. A new EU directive coming into force in September means vague language like "eco-friendly" or "green" won't cut it without verified evidence to back it up. And it doesn't just apply to businesses based in the EU, it applies to any business marketing to EU travellers. In this bitesize episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO, Polly Milne break down what the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive means in practice, why corporate bookings are going to drive faster change than you might expect, and how the link between sustainability certification and major booking platforms like Booking.com and Expedia is reshaping how hotels compete for business. For more information on FuturePlus: https://future-plus.co.uk/

3. 51: Why Every SME Should Start Its Sustainability Journey Now from Business of Sustainability

   Jul 15, 2026

   Most SMEs assume sustainability is something to tackle once the business is bigger, better resourced, or more mature. Ray Stephens, Founder and MD of Reuben Digital, disagrees. In this episode of the Business of Sustainability, Alex Smith sits down with Ray to talk about what it actually looks like for a small digital agency to take sustainability seriously, not as a box-ticking exercise, but as a genuine business strategy. They cover: Why Ray's sustainability journey started with becoming vegan, and where it led The commercial case for SMEs acting now, from cost savings to staff retention Why the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, profit) changed how Reuben Digital thinks about its business How to green your tech stack without it becoming overwhelming Why Ray stepped back from B Corp and what FuturePlus gave him instead The AI energy problem and why governance matters more than enthusiasm Learn more about Reuben Digital: reubendigital.co.uk Learn more about FuturePlus: future-plus.co.uk

4. 50: Ambition: The Sustainability Metric That Actually Matters from Business of Sustainability

   Jul 8, 2026

   Most businesses track what they've already achieved on sustainability. Fewer have a clear picture of where they're heading and why that gap matters. In this bite-size episode, Alex Smith speaks with Leo Cohen, Sustainability Executive at FuturePlus, about why the distinction between actual and ambition scores is so important for SMEs, how a three-year roadmap helps businesses work on the right things at the right time, and why accountability, not just policy, is what separates credible ESG from box-ticking. For more information on FuturePlus: https://future-plus.co.uk/

5. 49: Why Sustainability Communication Breaks Down from Business of Sustainability

   Jul 1, 2026

   Most businesses have sustainability goals. Far fewer can communicate them credibly. In this bite-size episode, Alex Smith sits down with Sophie Davies, Sustainability Consultant at FuturePlus, to unpack why there's so often a gap between what companies do and what they say. Sophie covers what separates a genuine impact report from a box-ticking exercise, why materiality assessments matter more than most businesses realise, and how to make stakeholder engagement a two-way conversation rather than a one-off survey. If your business is serious about sustainability but struggling to show it, this is a practical starting point. Subscribe for more practical insight on sustainability, ESG, and responsible business. Find out more at www.future-plus.co.uk

6. 48: How a Family Business Built Sustainability Into Its DNA from Business of Sustainability

   Jun 24, 2026

   RH Amar has been operating as a family-owned food importer and distributor for over 80 years. Long before ESG became mainstream, they were making decisions rooted in doing business the right way. In this episode of the Business of Sustainability Podcast, Alex Smith sits down with James Amar and Simon Fry to talk about what that actually looks like in practice. They cover: How RH Amar formalised giving 10% of profits to charity and why they kept quiet about it for years Achieving carbon neutrality on scope one and two emissions and what came next Tackling the complexity of food distribution supply chains Getting colleagues genuinely engaged rather than just compliant Practical advice for any business at the start of its sustainability journey Whether you lead a family business, manage a supply chain, or are trying to build a culture where sustainability sticks, this conversation is full of honest, practical insight. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Learn more about RH Amar: rhamar.com Learn more about FuturePlus: future-plus.co.uk

7. 47: Why Workplace Culture Is a Business Risk from Business of Sustainability

   Jun 17, 2026

   Workplace culture has been pushed back into the "soft and fluffy" bucket. Nick McClelland, CEO of Byrne Dean, thinks that's a serious commercial mistake. In this episode, Nick joins host and FuturePlus CEO, Alex Smith to make the hard-nosed business case for people-first culture. They dig into why organisations are sleepwalking into major people risk, the psychological impact of AI on employees, why hybrid working is hiding conflict rather than resolving it, and what separates businesses that will thrive over the next decade from those that won't. Byrne Dean has worked with hundreds of global organisations across 50 countries for over 20 years. Nick brings clarity, experience and some uncomfortable truths for business leaders. For more on Byrne Dean , and more information on FuturePlus .

8. 46: The Human Element in Sustainability from Business of Sustainability

   Jun 10, 2026

   Clare Toombs joins Alex in the studio to share her journey from tech consulting in Australia to ESG and sustainability advisory at FuturePlus. Clare reflects on what sparked her passion for sustainability as a teenager, why she believes sustainability is still too siloed in most businesses, and why the human element is the critical differentiator when it comes to turning data into real progress. Discover more at https://future-plus.co.uk/

9. 45: Verified, Not Vibes: Carbon, Consultancy and Getting Started with Sustainability | Business of Sustainability Bitesize from Business of Sustainability

   Jun 3, 2026

   Molly Todd, sustainability and carbon consultant at FuturePlus, joins Alexandra to talk about her journey from nearly a decade in hospitality to becoming one of the team's go-to experts on carbon and ESG consultancy. Molly breaks down the three types of clients FuturePlus typically works with, why so many businesses are doing good things without the evidence to back it up, and how the FuturePlus platform and consultancy team work together to take businesses from where they are to where they need to be.

10. 44: The AI Advantage: How Smart Bidding is Transforming Sustainability in Procurement from Business of Sustainability

    May 27, 2026

    Procurement is where sustainability commitments get made or broken. But most businesses don't realise that the bid process itself is being transformed by AI, and that social value is increasingly the deciding factor in who wins. In this episode, FuturePlus CEO, Alex Smith sits down with Tricia Blatherwick, Chief Evangelist at AutoGenAI, to explore what is really happening at the intersection of AI and procurement. Tricia brings decades of experience leading bids and commercial teams at organisations like Atos and Capita, and now works with over 300 clients helping them build smarter, faster, more competitive bids. They cover how AI is reshaping the end-to-end bid process, why social value can now account for up to 10% of a contract score (and in some cases is the only thing that separates the winners from the rest), and what it means for businesses of all sizes to have a credible, evidenced sustainability story ready when it matters most. Tricia also makes the case that AI does not replace skilled people. It lifts them. The grunt work goes to the machine. The judgment stays with the human. A sharp, practical conversation for anyone working in procurement, sustainability, or business growth. For more information on: AutoGenAI or FuturePlus .

11. 43: What Everest Teaches Us About Sustainable Leadership with Kenton Cool from Business of Sustainability

    May 13, 2026

    What can the world's highest mountains tell us about building a sustainable future? Kenton Cool has summited Everest 19 times, each time as a guide. He's spent 35 years operating in environments where resources are scarce, conditions are unpredictable, and the margin for error is razor thin. In those environments, sustainability isn't a strategy; it's survival. In this episode, Alex Smith talks to Kenton about the visible impact of climate change on glaciers across Europe and the Himalayas, the tension between pursuing adventure and reducing your environmental footprint, what "leave no trace" really means in practice, and how the lessons of high-altitude leadership translate directly into how businesses respond to complexity, risk, and long-term thinking. This one is a little different. But the core message is the same: what you do today has consequences, and the best leaders understand that clearly. For More Information FuturePlus: https://future-plus.co.uk/ In Cool Company: https://www.incoolcompany.com/

12. 42: Are You Getting Sustainability Hiring Wrong? | Business of Sustainability Bitesize from Business of Sustainability

    May 6, 2026

    Sustainability hiring has grown fast. But a lot of businesses are still getting it wrong, writing job specs that are too broad, hiring without knowing where sustainability fits in their organisation, and then wondering why it isn't working. In this episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith talks to Sustainability Executive Poppy Clarke, who spent two and a half years recruiting in the climate tech space before making the move to FuturePlus. Poppy brings a rare outside-in perspective on what businesses actually need when it comes to sustainability talent, and where the gaps are. They discuss the rise of specialised sustainability roles, the commercial communication skills that technical experts often lack, and why the first question isn't whether to hire but where sustainability needs to sit in your business. 🌐 future-plus.co.uk

13. 41: AI and Sustainability: What Every Business Needs to Think About Now | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Apr 29, 2026

    AI is changing how every business operates. But how many are thinking about what that means for their sustainability? FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO Polly Milne sit at the intersection of sustainability and AI every day, and in this episode they share what that looks like in practice, from how FuturePlus is integrating AI into its own platform to the practical steps any business can take right now. They cover: How AI is being integrated into the FuturePlus platform to speed up client assessments Why AI's environmental footprint is bigger than most businesses realise The governance questions every SME should be asking about their AI tools today Bias, gender, and the social implications of how AI is being trained and adopted Why responsible AI adoption and ESG are more connected than people think 🌐 future-plus.co.uk

14. 40: Where Should Sustainability Sit in Your Business? | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Apr 22, 2026

    Put sustainability in marketing and you risk it becoming a storytelling exercise without the substance behind it. Put it too far from the boardroom and it loses the weight to drive real change. So where should it actually sit? In this episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and Sustainability Consultant Ana Biedermann Villagra work through that question from multiple angles, drawing on Ana's experience across in-house roles, consultancy, B Corps, the UN Global Compact, and UNICEF. They discuss how organisational maturity shapes where sustainability lands, why board-level ownership is the difference between sustainability as a checklist and sustainability as a driver of value, and how to have the conversation with a CEO who sees commercial success and sustainability as separate goals. Ana also shares her approach to working with competitive CEOs: find out what they fear, what motivates them, and show them what their competitors are already doing with it. 🌐 future-plus.co.uk

15. 39: Sustainability Through Fresh Eyes | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Apr 15, 2026

    Poppy Clarke spent time in climate tech recruitment, watching other people do the jobs she wanted. So she made the move. In this episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith talks to Poppy, now a Sustainability Executive at FuturePlus, about what the industry looks like when you're new to it, what surprised her, what confused her from the outside, and what she's found most engaging in her first few months. It's a short, honest conversation that covers the real breadth of what sustainability means inside a business, and why treating it as a tick-box exercise means leaving most of the value on the table. 🌐 future-plus.co.uk

16. 38: Roots, Resilience and Real Impact from Business of Sustainability

    Apr 8, 2026

    Tuppenny Barn started with a single hectare of land and a simple idea: teach children where their food comes from and grow it organically. Over 21 years later, it has become one of the most quietly impressive sustainability success stories in the South East. In this episode, Alex Smith sits down with Maggie Haynes, founder and outgoing CEO of Tuppenny Barn, an accredited education charity based in Southbourne, near Chichester, to explore how the barn operates, what it has built, and why it works. They cover the barn's three core charitable activities, six green therapy programmes, the Veterans Bloom initiative, and a circular strawbale education centre funded entirely through grants. Maggie also explains how working with FuturePlus through the Chichester District Council Sustainability Accelerator helped the team review and sharpen what they were already doing, from waste and recycling to supplier choices and how they communicate sustainability to beneficiaries. It's a practical, grounded conversation about what running a genuinely sustainable organisation looks like, and what other businesses can learn from it. Find out more about Tuppenny Barn . Discover more about FuturePlus .

17. 37: Greenwashing and Green Hushing | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Apr 1, 2026

    Two of the biggest sustainability communication mistakes businesses make sit at opposite ends of the same spectrum. Overclaiming. And saying nothing at all. In this episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO Polly Milne discuss both, why they happen, what the consequences can be, and how businesses can find a more confident, authentic middle ground. Polly shares a practical example of a company that accidentally misrepresented their carbon position with entirely good intentions, explains why the regulatory landscape around green claims is tightening fast, and makes the case for why starting small and talking honestly about progress is far more powerful than waiting until everything is perfect. 🌐 www.future-plus.co.uk

18. 36: Sport as a Sustainability Tool | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Mar 25, 2026

    Sport has a reach that almost no other industry can match. In this episode, Sustainability Consultant Ana Biedermann Villagra joins CEO Alex Smith to explore how sporting events and organisations can use that reach for genuine social and environmental impact, and what happens when they don't. Ana brings a perspective shaped by her background in sports sustainability and her passion for women's football. She and Alex discuss the 2025 Women's Euros as a model for embedded sustainability, the governance risks that come with major global events, and why clubs and brands need to align on sustainability well before the spotlight hits. They also discuss some powerful examples of sport driving social change, from fan-led organ donation campaigns to how the industry is beginning to take online abuse and gender-based violence seriously. 🌐 www.future-plus.co.uk

19. 35: SECR Reporting Explained: UK Carbon Compliance Deadlines Approaching | Business of Sustainability Bitesize | FuturePlus from Business of Sustainability

    Mar 18, 2026

    Louisa Hoy, Junior Sustainability Consultant at FuturePlus, returns to explain SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting), the UK regulation requiring businesses above certain thresholds to report energy use and carbon emissions in their annual financial accounts. With reporting deadlines approaching, Louisa breaks down who needs to comply (the three-threshold test), why voluntary reporting makes strategic sense even before you're required to, and how SECR forms the foundation for broader ESG compliance. We discuss why carbon data should be treated with the same importance as financial data, how to improve data quality over time, and what businesses approaching the thresholds should do now to get ahead of compliance requirements. Whether you're already in scope, approaching the thresholds, or simply want to understand UK carbon reporting obligations, this episode offers a practical guide to SECR and what it means for your business. Learn more about FuturePlus Carbon: future-plus.co.uk

20. 34: Human Sustainability: Why Feelings Are Your Most Important Business Data from Business of Sustainability

    Mar 11, 2026

    Damien Stork and Jonathan Hook from CHX Performance return to discuss with FuturePlus CEO, Alex Smith, why workplace sickness has increased 60% since pre-COVID levels and what businesses are fundamentally missing about human sustainability. In this conversation, we explore why feelings aren't fluffy; they're biological signals telling us how well resourced we are to meet demands. We discuss the rising culture of fear in UK workplaces, why 9.4 sick days per employee is now the norm, and how poor mental health stems primarily from dysregulated emotions that organisations actively encourage people to mask. Damien and Jonathan explain the five core human needs (certainty, inclusion, autonomy, attachment, equity) that determine whether people thrive or leave, why diversity without understanding feelings will always fail, and the uncomfortable truth that poor wellbeing isn't a pathological response to a great environment, it's a normal response to a pathological environment. We also discuss why capacity, not capability, is the real challenge for high performance, how leadership shadow biologically impacts teams, and what businesses can practically do to create sustainable environments where people actually want to work. This isn't about wellness programs as compensation for harm. It's about fundamentally rethinking how we create workplace environments that allow people to perform. Learn more: CHX Performance: chxperformance.com FuturePlus: future-plus.co.uk