The Brand Activism Podcast

Christian Budtz
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This podcast explores the role of brands as a force for positive change in a world of climate crisis, careless consumerism and growing social inequality. Podcast host Christian Budtz speaks to brand innovators and thought-leaders who are at the forefront shaping new ideas, behaviours and business models for a sustainable future.

  1. OCT 24

    Saving Lives at the Intersection of Sports and Fashion

    Suzanne McKenzie is a creative entrepreneur and changemaker. After a life-changing event — tragically losing her husband to sudden cardiac arrest on the soccer field — Suzanne created a youth soccer foundation in his honor, using the power of sports to teach urban youth about health. To support her non-profit foundation, she founded ABLE MADE — a fashion brand for original off-pitch soccer style. Suzanne shares her personal insight into leading with positivity and collaboration at the intersection of sports and fashion, non-profit and for-profit, design and social impact. Host: Christian Budtz

    52 min

  2. 06/30/2024

    Are You A Solutionist?

    Solitaire Townsend, 'Ethical Entrepreneur of the Year' in the UK and award-winning author of 'The Solutionists', shares her infectious enthusiasm and insight into how we can all be part of the solutions that will help save the planet. Solitaire also talks about the urgent need for more joy, fun and desirable stories to inspire sustainable human behavior change.     Host: Christian Budtz Short cuts: 5:15  What's a Solutionist? 9:30  The making of Love Bug, an insect-based cat food brand 18:00  How Netflix "Game Changers" changed the story of vegan  20:50  Brand lessons from Who Gives A Crap  24:50  Take-aways from talking with Bill Gates  31:00  The Solutions Economy in an age of uncertainty  35:00  Solitaire's advice for marketing creatives

    41 min

  3. 06/30/2023

    Can Vodka Help Curb the Climate Crisis?

    Suvi Reinikkala, Marketing Director, led the global launch of Koskenkorva Vodka 'Climate Action' - the World's first vodka made entirely with regeneratively farmed barley. Suvi shares the fascinating story of how a small Finnish village is fighting the climate crisis by making vodka.  Host: Christian Budtz Short cuts:  04:15  The cultural connection between Finland and vodka 06:00  The story of Koskenkorva Vodka 12:00  The 'Drink Sustainably' brand platform  17:30  Unpacking the impact of regenerative farming  21:30  How to make sustainability entertaining 24:30  From brand idea to real business transformation 30:45  Tracking impact 33:00  The path to commercial sustainability 36:00  The future role for marketing, innovation and brands

    41 min

  4. 04/16/2023

    GANNI's Quest to Change Fashion for the Better

    Lauren Bartley, Sustainability and CSR Director at the Danish B Corp fashion brand GANNI, shares her insights into how being scrappy can make a smaller brand punch above its weight in the quest to change a global industry for the better. Lauren also discusses transparency, circularity and the power of fashion to change culture.  Host: Christian Budtz   Short cuts:   02:25  Lauren's journey in fashion  08:30  The state of the fashion industry  15:00  How GANNI is working with circularity 18:30  The dialogue with the GANNI community  24:00  Lauren's take on sustainable consumption  27:30  GANNI's new strategy 30:00  From carbon off-setting to carbon in-setting 35:00  GANNI's opportunity as a smaller player 40:45  Why Lauren feels optimistic working in fashion

    43 min

  5. 12/03/2022

    How Doconomy is Rewiring Capitalism for Low Carbon Consumption

    Johan Pihl, Co-founder of Doconomy, shares the inspiring story behind the Swedish climate tech, which was named one of The World's Most Innovative Companies of 2022 by Fast Company. Johan talks about creativity, the deep urge to change the world and why testing ideas that aren't allowed is critical to tackle the climate crisis.  Host: Christian Budtz Short cuts: 02:30  Johan's view on creativity, advertising and innovation 06:45  The story of how Doconomy started  12:00  Johan explains the award-winning tool "The 2030 Calculator"  17:25  The big idea behind the DO Black project with MasterCard  22:00  How Doconomy is making sense of data  31:00  Johan's philosophy on radical innovation  39:00  Advice for advertising creatives

    41 min

  6. 09/11/2022

    Why We Need to Re-Design Everything to Save the Planet

    Mark Curtis, co-founder of design agency Fjord, now Head of Innovation and Thought Leadership at Accenture Song, explains why brands must design better human experiences to enable the real behaviour change needed to combat the environmental crisis.  Host: Christian Budtz Short-cuts: 03:00 The story of why Mark co-founded Fjord / 08:40 The three catalysts for innovation / 12:30 Designing sustainable experiences /  18:20 Circularity as a business model /  24:30 Mark's key take-aways from COP26 and The World Economic Forum / 30:40 Rethinking the concept of growth /

    36 min

  7. 06/09/2022

    How Unilever Is Using Its Scale to Drive Sustainable Change

    Thomas Lingard, Global Sustainability Director at Unilever, provides a unique insight into how global companies can drive positive change. Thomas also talks about the power of brands, repairing capitalism, and the need for big hairy audacious goals in messy transformations. Host: Christian Budtz Short cuts: 05:00 Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan /  10:00 How Dove & Hellmann's put purpose at the core /  13:00 Thomas' learnings from working with sustainability / 17:00 Unilever's new sustainability strategy / 23:00 The role of global brands in driving change /  32:00 Repairing capitalism / 36:00 How to think about sustainable growth /  40:00 Thomas sharing his experience from the COP26 /  45:00 How to drive a change agenda within large organizations /

    50 min

  8. 05/19/2022

    How AI is Making Food Production More Sustainable

    Jasmin Hume, CEO & Founder at food tech startup Shiru, is on a mission to change our global food system. Working at the intersection of tech, AI, science, biology and creativity, Jasmin shares her fascinating vision of how we can fight the environmental crisis by redesigning foods. Host: Christian Budtz Short-cuts:  3:00 Jasmin's journey into food tech /  6:00 The idea behind Jasmin's startup, Shiru /  10:00 What's wrong with our food system today /  15:00 Jasmin talks about climate change /  17:30 Why ingredients are so important /  21:00 How Shiru's technology is different /  25:00 Creating a step change for large food companies /  27:00 The importance of brand building /  30:30 The power of purpose /  34:30 How to find the right investors /  41:00 Barriers facing food tech / 43:30 Jasmin's advice for entrepreneurs /

    46 min
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About

This podcast explores the role of brands as a force for positive change in a world of climate crisis, careless consumerism and growing social inequality. Podcast host Christian Budtz speaks to brand innovators and thought-leaders who are at the forefront shaping new ideas, behaviours and business models for a sustainable future.

Information

  • Creator
    Christian Budtz
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Brand Activism Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Brand Activism Podcast