Stories of Sustainability Laura Brown

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Welcome to the captivating world of Lead Better Succeed Better: Stories of Sustainability, where we unravel the stories of sustainability that are shaping industries, communities, and beyond.
In this episode, Laura Brown, Marketing Manager at Brevity Marketing Certified B Corp, sits down with Tom Harris, the dedicated Sustainability Manager of Premier League powerhouse Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. The impact of Albion’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond goals scored on the pitch; it’s a strategic play to reduce single-use plastic during matchdays, cut down on carbon emissions, and inspire Seagulls fans.

Silver linings on and off the pitch
In 2023, the Premier League club clinched the silver medal for their resolute sustainability efforts at the prestigious Football Business Awards. The club’s dedication to minimising single-use plastics is a game-changer. All food packaging is now 100% recyclable, while draught beer flows in 100% biodegradable cups. Plastic straws are a thing of the past, and wooden cutlery is now the norm. Even the iconic Albion kits have undergone a transformation, crafted from recycled polyester, reinforcing the club’s commitment to sustainability.

Beyond the blue and white stripes: greening every corner
It’s not just about what happens on the field. Albion’s commitment to sustainability extends to every corner of the club. The club’s energy sources are 100% renewable, powering upgraded LED lighting across the stadiums. Maintaining the pristine pitch involves electric mowers, and the maintenance crew zips around on electric buggies. Notably, 400 solar panels gleam on the training ground’s rooftop, offsetting carbon emissions and spotlighting the club’s dedication to a cleaner future.
 

Goals beyond the net
Albion’s pursuits go beyond silverware – their actions off the field have earned them recognition as winners of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award. The club’s vision extends to crafting a positive impact on both people and the planet, embracing sustainability as part of their ethos.

A chat with the game changer: Tom Harris
Laura kicks off the podcast with a warm welcome to Tom Harris, the man behind Albion’s green transformation. Tom’s journey into sustainability has been a lifelong commitment. Armed with a degree in environmental studies and a master’s in sustainability, he’s donned multiple hats, from aiding families facing energy poverty to spearheading solar installations in schools. His entry into Albion was a match made in sustainability heaven, aligning his passion for football with his drive for a greener world.

Building a sustainable game plan
Tom’s role as the Sustainability Manager is a testament to Albion’s dedication to becoming a beacon of sustainability in the Premier League. Sustainability discussions are a staple at board meetings, and a special sustainability working group guides strategic decisions across departments. Tom is at the helm of crafting a comprehensive sustainability strategy, ensuring that the club’s commitment to sustainability permeates its very culture.

Game changers on and off the field
Awards and certifications shine as beacons of Albion’s green journey. The club’s victory at the Football Business Awards and their fifth-place rank on the Sports Positive League are evidence of their strides. They’re also keen participants in government-mandated sustainability efforts like the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) and the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

Uniting fans for a more sustainable future
Tom and Laura dive into the role football can play in inspiring positive change. The global fan base of the sport offers a unique platform for engaging people in sustainability. The emotional connection fans have with their teams is akin to the passion felt for the planet – both evoke a sense of hope, progress, and the drive to create a better future.

Strategi

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Stories of Sustainability
Episode 2: Hannah Clevett, Impact Manager at World of Books, certified B Corp.
World of Books Group is a leading global seller of used books online. Leading the way to a circular economy, the brand is a for profit business that supports charities and protects the planet by enabling more goods to be reused. Printed books are still popular as ever. In 2020, the UK printed book market was worth £2.6 bn (387m books), of which 32% of sales were for preloved books.
The WOB Foundation launched in 2022, and donates books to charities that work with disadvantaged groups who find it hard to access books such as schools, prisons and women’s refuges.
Q1Hi Hannah, thanks for joining me today. Please tell us about yourself and WOB.
·         Impact Manager at World of Books, been with the company for over 6 years, within Impact for 18 months.
·         My role is the full ESG – everything from carbon reporting, B Corp certification, and various social initiatives that allow Wob have an even greater impact.
·         Always been passionate about Impact and sustainability, never dreamt it could be a career choice until I started with Wob. A company that is ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability strategy.
·         Wob is circular economy by nature, purchases unwanted used books and media from charity shops and selling on at affordable prices.
·         We are a circular economy, for profit company, that protects the planet and supports charities by helping people to reuse and recycle for less.
·         We have 3 main strands:
o    Through Wob we sell
o    Through Ziffit we buy – customers can sell back their books to Wob via the Ziffit app. Keeping books in circulation for longer.
o   Through Shopiago we support others – Charities are able to trade their stock to Wob through Shopiago. It is also a software service that enable charities to sell their own items online to increase sales. A great example is The British Heart Foundation sold a vintage Cartier watch for £10,000 through their use of Shopiago!
o   In total, we have helped charities raise over £55 million through their use of Shopiago!
·         In 2019 we became a B Corp, recently recertified, which really cements our values and helps to guide our sustainability strategy.
Q2 Please can explain to our listeners the connection between the circular economy and publishing?
·         We are purchasing unwanted books from charity shops. So these are books that have potentially been read only once, maybe 10 times, or in cases such as within our Rare Book department, hundreds of times! They would be pulped by charities if we didn’t buy them for our stock, and open up the possibility to rehome to customers around the world. We feel it is important to keep literature alive and keep books in circulation.
·         We also always refer to sales as rehoming our books, because we don’t want it to be the end of the journey for our books.
·         Some of our customers have told us how they buy used books as an affordable option, which helps encourage them to read more and then opens up a whole new world for them. They then begin buy a mix of new and used.
·         It’s a tricky relationship for sure – we find that some customers want to buy new books because they feel they are supporting the industry and authors, yet other want to purchase used to save money, and also to feel more eco-conscious.
·         Wob helped found the AuthorShare initiative alongside Society of Authors and various publishers in order to allow royalties to be given to authors from used books sales. This is the first of its kind, and a way to show our support for the author’s whilst encouraging people to buy preloved.
Q3: Almost 16 million preloved books rehomed via Wob in 2021/22, What are the environmental benefits of buying and se

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Stories of Sustainability Show notes

Episode1: Patrick Osborne, Head of Sustainability, ECE Architecture
In this podcast, we welcome Patrick Osborne, who is head of sustainability at ECE Architects. He is a Chartered Architect and Certified European Passivhaus Designer with experience of low energy domestic, education and commercial building projects across the UK.
Passivhaus is an international standard for energy efficiency, using building physics as a starting point.  It is used to radically reduce heating demands, and therefore making it easier to meet a net zero carbon target.  If we have any chance of meeting our climate reduction targets, we need to start adopting what we call a fabric first approach, so we conserve energy rather than wasting it and using valuable renewables to heat our buildings.
Welcome Patrick.

Q1 (How has your background influenced your journey into sustainability?
Architecture school
CAT
Working for some passionate architects concerned about climate change and how we can make a difference.

Q2: How do you/architects integrate sustainable design principles into projects while maintaining aesthetic appeal and functionality?
Simplification
Considering a “fabric first” approach
Learning from past practice and others – knowledge sharing

Q3: What are some innovative sustainable materials or building techniques that you incorporate into your designs?
Off site construction and timber frame
Super insulation
Using energy models as a design tool
Innovation – do we want this or do we want to innovate the process to give a better result?

Q4: 13% of products delivered to construction sites are sent directly to landfill without being used. What are some effective ways for architects to design buildings that minimise waste during construction and encourage recycling and reuse?
This is a scary statistic which is hardly changed in the time I’ve worked as an architect, even though there have been campaigns and legislation that have tried to reduce it
Partly this is due to the way buildings are built, any delay can cost money, so it becomes more cost effective to over order materials, and suppliers often won’t take part of a palette of materials, bricks are a classic example.  And this leads to significant waste, which is built in to cost plans and 
Improvements over the last few years in developing off site construction, which is panels or parts of buildings that are built in factories and delivered partially built, can reduce waste.  My own practice are working with a number of companies that supply pre built units that need very little to turn into houses or buildings, and the factory where they are built can control the waste better.
Using materials that if they are wasted, has less of an impact is also a good strategy.  If we specify timber, or more natural materials, the waste could be reused,
There is also a growing market for reusing steel – we are working with structural engineer who have really helped to ensure that one building which is being demolished is then reused as part of a building we’re working on.
We also have campaigns to reduce carbon in emissions. 

Q5: The built environment accounts for 45% of total UK carbon emissions (27% from domestic buildings and 18% from non-domestic) How can architects incorporate renewable energy sources into their designs, such as solar or wind power? (why can’t all new builds have solar panels as standard?).
Solar panels should be incorporated, but they are often the first thing that is cut due to increasing costs.

Q6: What challenges do you face when implementing sustainable design practices, and how can these challenges be overcome? What are your biggest frustrations (and pleasures)?
Costs
I like seeing the designs come to life, on site, and to see an unloved building being turned into a bright, comfortable and energy efficient new space is amazing.  A lot of hard work from a whole team of people, from architects and