My Green Life (May21)
When I was a baby my brother painted me green.. Perhaps a sign of what was to come. And the start of my Zoom speech on ‘My Green Life’. I also talk about: Setting up SustainAbility Ltd, with John Elkington, in 1987 The global success of ‘The Green Consumer Guide’, published in 1988 Becoming a […]
Clip from TV-AM with Anne Diamond 1989 – Julia Hailes interviewed about green supermarket products
Anne Diamond was very enthusiastic about green consumerism. On her programme again, I’m talking about the sort of ‘green products’ people could look out for. Actually, there weren’t that many and some of the discussion is out of date! Researchers had managed to find organic crisps which contributed to saving the hedgehogs and even organic […]
Challenging Sainsbury’s on environmental standards (Feb13)
Justin King, CEO of Sainsburys I wrote the blog below for the Food Ethics Council before the horse meat scandal blew up. I think it’s even more relevant now. When I challenged Justin King, CEO of Sainsbury’s about not applying the same environmental standards across all the products sold through his stores, he replied that […]
Recycling in Somerset – new scheme includes plastic bottles and cardboard
I got stuck behind the recycling truck. What frustrated most was that it had just passed my house and I’d forgotten to leave anything out for them. But I’m a supporter of recycling. When household collection was first introduced – about 7 years ago – my non-recyclable waste dwindled to almost nothing. Our home recycling […]
M&S Introduces Marc Bolland (Jun10)
Marc Bolland’s move from CEO of Morrisons to M&S has been widely publicised. Less well know is what stance he plans to take on M&S‘s Plan A initiative. The breakfast event hosted by M&S at the end of June was well attended. Most of the questions were directed at Stuart Rose but I managed to […]
Poem – The Poor Old Humble Plastic Bag (May10)
I gave a speech this week at the Plastics and Films Association (PAFA) annual lunch. ‘Films’, as in ‘plastic films’, I should point out because a number of people have been confused. The 200 strong audience at the Dorchester Hotel were particularly appreciative when I said that plastic bags were better for the environment than […]
Expert Panel on Packaging (2008-2010)
Between 2008 and 2010 I sat on a expert advisory panel on packaging at M&S. This was run by Rowland Hill, Helene Roberts and Mark Caul from M&S. Other panel members include Jane Bickerstaffe from Incpen (Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment) and Mark Barthel from WRAP (Material Change for a Better Environment). Changing […]
Judging M&S your green idea competition (May10)
The £100,000 winning prize will need to be spent on greening an organisation of your choice, such as a school or a charity. The Your Green Idea competition was launched alongside M&S‘s announcement that it aims to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015. I’ve been asked to be a judge alongside M&S Chairman, Sir Stuart […]
M&S listening to underwear concerns! (Mar10)
Mike Barry – Head of Sustainable Business at M&S I buy most of my underwear from M&S. You won’t be surprised to hear that this winter I’ve bought some thermals! Reading the pack I was surprised to see the following instructions – ‘It’s easy to look after too – just put it in the […]
Eco driving simulator (Mar10)
I crashed. The Energy Savings Trust brought their eco driving simulator to the M&S Plan A suppliers conference, where I was speaking. It looked great fun, so I thought I’d have a go. I discovered that the optimum eco-efficiency score was seven – seven of what I’m not sure. And the best score of previous […]