The Responsible Edge Podcast

Charlie Martin, Host

The Responsible Edge Podcast features conversations with leaders and founders exploring how to grow, compete, and build better businesses in a complex, fast-changing world. Sponsored by truMRK, the mark of trusted sustainability communications.

  1. MAR 22

    Why CSOs Can’t Turn 15-Year Climate Risk into 12-Month Profit

    Sustainability strategy is increasingly central to business. But financial systems are not built to support it. In this episode, Amelia Woodley explains why Chief Sustainability Officers face a structural challenge. Businesses operate on short-term reporting cycles, while sustainability risks unfold over decades. Amelia draws on over 20 years of experience embedding ESG into commercial strategy. She explains how sustainability often loses out in capital allocation decisions because it cannot demonstrate immediate financial return. “Businesses are just bunkered down short term in a survival mode.” She also addresses the perception problem facing sustainability leaders. “They’re perceived as being kind of moral highwaymen.” The discussion explores how sustainability must be reframed. Instead of positioning ESG as a separate agenda, it needs to connect directly to revenue growth, cost reduction, and risk management. The episode also examines the future of the CSO role. As sustainability becomes embedded across organisations, the question is whether the role becomes less visible or more critical. This is a conversation about financial systems, not just sustainability. It focuses on how businesses price risk, allocate capital, and define value. Listen to understand where sustainability strategy succeeds, where it fails, and why the gap remains unresolved. #ESG #SustainabilityStrategy #CorporateResponsibility #BusinessStrategy #ClimateRisk

    42 min
  2. MAR 14

    How Charlie Bigham's Eliminated Edible Food Waste

    Food waste remains one of the largest inefficiencies in the global food system. Around one billion tonnes of food are wasted every year. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Charlie Bigham discusses how these issues appear inside a real food manufacturing business. Charlie started the company from his kitchen table in 1996. Today the business produces prepared meals from two kitchens and employs around 750 people. The conversation explores why Charlie believes many companies start in the wrong place when discussing responsibility. "I think you're much better off saying, let's focus on your product or your service and make that extraordinary." For Charlie, responsibility follows product quality rather than replacing it. The episode looks closely at operational decisions inside food production. Charlie explains how measuring production processes allowed the company to reduce waste dramatically and redirect surplus food to charities. Over three years the business eliminated edible food waste and redistributed more than half a million meals. Charlie also discusses ingredient discipline, the debate around ultra-processed food, and why packaging decisions can involve real commercial trade-offs. Later in the discussion the conversation turns to the broader role of business. "Business cannot exist purely for profit. It has to do more than that." Listen to the full episode to hear how operational discipline shapes responsible business in practice. #ResponsibleBusiness #FoodIndustry #FoodWaste #BusinessLeadership #Sustainability

    48 min
  3. MAR 7

    The Hidden Reality Behind “Green” Paint

    The paint industry increasingly presents itself as sustainable. Labels highlight “water-based”, “low VOC”, and other environmental claims. But what actually sits inside the tin? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Charlie Martin speaks with historic building envelope consultant and paint manufacturer Michiel Brouns about the gap between sustainability language and material reality in the coatings industry. Michiel explains how his work began in historic building preservation in the Netherlands before moving to the UK in 2006. While advising architects on heritage glazing, he repeatedly encountered the same question: which paint should be used on historic timber? The answer, linseed oil paint, had centuries of proven use. Yet many architects had never encountered it. “Somebody has to manufacture it,” Michiel recalls. That realisation led to the creation of Brouns & Co. The conversation then turns to the wider industry debate. Discussing the British Coatings Federation’s guide on environmental claims, Michiel argues the sector often relies on terminology rather than material transparency. He describes the approach as “a perfect example of flooding the zone.” The discussion explores the structural power of petrochemical supply chains, the environmental implications of modern coatings, and the growing demand for natural materials in construction. Michiel also outlines the single change he believes would shift the market most quickly: honest ingredient listings on building materials. Listen to the full episode for a detailed discussion on natural paints, historic buildings, and the communication gap inside the sustainability conversation. #ResponsibleBusiness #SustainableBuilding #Greenwashing #NaturalMaterials #Architecture

    45 min
  4. FEB 27

    When Certification Replaces Stewardship

    Sustainability standards are designed to drive real-world impact. Certification schemes cite income gains, biodiversity protection and improved environmental management. But do they transform systems, or simply standardise compliance? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Pooran Desai, founder of OnePlanet.com and creator of the One Planet Living framework, examines the evidence behind sustainability standards and where they fall short. Drawing on his experience in sustainable forestry, Pooran describes Forest Stewardship Council certification as “an absolute nightmare,” arguing that auditors often had “nowhere near their knowledge and understanding” compared to the woodland workers they assessed. For him, certification can shift authority away from practitioners and toward box-ticking. He challenges the reliance on evidence-led policymaking, stating, “Evidence is only what you look for.” Metrics capture what is measured, not necessarily what matters. Standards, he argues, should act as a minimum safeguard. “Regs for the dregs,” he says, suggesting compliance should be a floor rather than a signal of leadership. The discussion moves beyond certification to corporate governance and shareholder primacy. If sustainability requires systems thinking, can it be delivered through predefined metrics alone? Listen to explore the tension between compliance and authenticity, and whether standards can ever substitute for stewardship. #SustainabilityStandards #ResponsibleBusiness #SystemsThinking #ESG #CorporateGovernance

    43 min
  5. FEB 20

    Why Only 1% of Materials Are Reused in Construction

    The built environment produces more than one third of global waste. Yet only around one percent of building materials are reused. In this episode, Tina Snedker Kristensen, founder of BuildDirection and former Head of Sustainability & Communications at Troldtekt A/S, examines why circularity in construction remains structurally constrained. Drawing on more than two decades inside the building materials industry, Tina explains how certification frameworks such as Cradle to Cradle shifted sustainability from communication to operational discipline. “It’s not just a stamp that you get,” she says. “You have to work continuously and improve on all five criteria.” The conversation moves from theory to site-level reality. Dismantling decades-old materials is labour intensive. Technical performance must be reverified. Ownership is often unclear. Virgin materials remain cheaper because industrial systems are optimised for linear production. Denmark’s tightening building regulations are beginning to shift demand. Reused materials can now count as zero CO₂ in life-cycle assessments. But legacy buildings lack documentation. “If I had a magic wand,” Tina says, “I would hope that it could sort of scan a building and define which kind of materials are there.” This episode examines where circular ambition meets commercial constraint, and what must change for reuse to move beyond one percent. Listen to understand the operational reality behind the circular construction narrative. #CircularEconomy #SustainableConstruction #BuiltEnvironment #ESGStrategy #CradleToCradle

    35 min

About

The Responsible Edge Podcast features conversations with leaders and founders exploring how to grow, compete, and build better businesses in a complex, fast-changing world. Sponsored by truMRK, the mark of trusted sustainability communications.

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