Will Richardson (51toCarbonZero.com)

Will Richardson
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I am trying to change the way we work, the relationship we have our work and the world around us. We live in a complicated world with a lot of noise. But we need to be making decisions now and those decisions will have ramifications for decades. Will we always make the right decisions; no. But are we doing it for the right reasons I would like to say yes to that - speaking from my heart. This is an audible blog on what I am doing and what we as a business are doing. Some could say it is self promotion, it probably is a bit, I am trying to change the world and be a part of the solution BUT it is also my way to articulate where I am and keep a log of it for my future self and maybe others will learn from my mistakes as I am sure there will be loads!!

  1. 6h ago

    The Week Climate Regulation Retreated — And Why the Risk Is Growing Anyway

    This week in sustainability, four major climate regulation retreats happened in a single week. The SEC proposed scrapping US climate disclosure rules. Brazil went voluntary. New York pushed back its climate goals. And California handed oil refiners $4 billion in free carbon allowances. But here is the bigger story: oil crossed $114 a barrel, Russia suspended jet fuel exports, and Bloomberg Green is now reporting a 67% chance of a Super El Niño arriving in 2027. The last major one caused $5.7 trillion in global GDP losses. For Food and Beverage businesses with supply chains in the tropics, that risk is not abstract — it is near-term and material. In this week's top 10 we cover all of this plus: - Why Burberry pushing net zero back 10 years is actually a measurement story - The UK net zero economy supporting 1.1 million jobs - How AI data centres are already hitting energy and water limits in Europe - What $479 billion in global clean energy trade tells you about investment direction - And why PepsiCo, ADM and McCain stepping up regenerative farming matters for your supply chain Find out how 51toCarbonZero can help your business build a climate strategy that holds up under scrutiny: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com Interested in becoming a referral partner? https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #NetZero #Sustainability #ClimateRisk #ElNino #CarbonStrategy STORY 10 — Circular economy / Vinted Math Source: edie.net, 1 and 2 June 2026 URLs: https://www.edie.net/why-vinted-math-shows-the-circular-economy-is-shaping-everyday-shopping/ https://www.edie.net/can-policy-make-circularity-cost-competitive-with-fast-fashion/ STORY 9 — Regenerative agriculture: PepsiCo, ADM, McCain Source: edie.net, 2 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/pepsico-adm-and-mccain-how-industry-giants-are-ramping-up-regenerative-farming/ STORY 8 — AI climate value $600bn / data centre limits Source: OneStop ESG, 1 June 2026 URLs: https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/ai-climate-sustainability-opportunity https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/europe-ai-data-centre-water-energy-constraints STORY 7 — Bezos Earth Fund off track Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/bezos-earth-fund-off-track-to-meet-10bn-giving-target/ STORY 6 — Food price shocks baked into UK system Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/treasury-launches-tariff-review-as-food-price-shocks-get-baked-in-to-uk-system/ STORY 5 — Burberry delays net zero by a decade Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/burberry-delays-net-zero-target-by-a-decade-amid-revised-emissions-data/ STORY 4 — UK net zero supports 1.1 million jobs Source: edie.net, 2 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/report-net-zero-supports-over-a-million-uk-workers/ STORY 3 — Global clean energy trade $479bn; global energy investment $3.4trn Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URLs: https://www.edie.net/report-global-clean-energy-trade-rose-to-479bn-in-2025/ https://www.edie.net/global-energy-investment-set-to-hit-3-4trn-as-clean-power-leads-fossil-fuels/ STORY 2 — Regulatory retreats: SEC, Brazil, New York, California Sources: ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/sec-launches-formal-process-to-rescind-corporate-climate-reporting-rules/ ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/brazil-shifts-from-mandatory-to-voluntary-sustainability-reporting/ ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/new-york-governor-hochul-signs-budget-pushing-back-state-climate-goals/ OneStop ESG, 1 June 2026 — https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/california-carbon-market-free-allowances-revision Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 STORY 1 — Iran war / $114 oil / Russia jet fuel / Super El Nino Sources: Semafor Flagship, 1 and 2 June 2026 Semafor Energy, 2 June 2026 Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 MIND-BLOWING FACT 1 — Super El Nino 67% / $5.7tn GDP loss Source: Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 MIND-BLOWING FACT 2 — Reform UK voters prefer solar over fracking Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/reform-voters-prefer-solar-to-fossil-fuels-according-to-poll/ MIND-BLOWING FACT 3 — 2027 forecast as hottest year / 2024 at 1.5C Source: Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026

    14 min

  2. May 24

    5. Oil at $114, SBTi Cuts 2030 Goals & 98% of AI Energy is Unaccounted For | Top 10 Sustainability Stories

    SBTi has quietly halved the minimum emissions reductions companies need to hit by 2030 — no announcement, no press release, just an appendix edit. That's story #2 this week. Story #1? Oil hit $114 a barrel and the IEA has declared the fossil fuel industry "broken forever." This week's top 10 sustainability stories ranked by what the world is talking about — including the EU's 70% CSRD simplification, a $67 billion clean energy merger, Big Tech locking in 2GW+ of renewables, and why 98% of AI data centre energy is unaccounted for. If you run a business, advise organisations on sustainability, or work in Food & Beverage or Media and Marketing, these are the stories shaping strategy right now. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Hook: SBTi cuts 2030 targets00:30 — Intro01:00 — #10: Germany drops fossil heating phase-out01:30 — #9: CDP $900bn extreme weather losses02:00 — #8: GHG Protocol appoints first CEO02:30 — #7: Carbon removal goes mainstream03:00 — #6: Big Tech clean energy deals03:30 — #5: NextEra acquires Dominion $67bn04:00 — #4: EU CSRD simplified 70%04:30 — #3: AI data centre energy — 98% unaccounted for05:00 — #2: SBTi halves 2030 targets05:45 — #1: Iran war, $114 oil, IEA "broken forever"07:00 — Top 3 mind-blowing environmental facts DM us or comment below to join the 51toCarbonZero network. Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that moves the needle. #Sustainability #SBTi #ClimateAction #NetZero #ESG #CarbonAccounting #EnergyTransition #CSRD #FoodAndBeverage #MediaAndMarketing #51toCarbonZero #WillRichardson #ThisWeekInSustainability

    1 min

  3. May 20

    Where does climate risk actually sit in your company?

    That's the question I'm asking following our National Emergency Briefing screening. Because here's what's coming: tomorrows temperatures could hit 28°C in the south in May! Within 35 years, 40°C summer heat will likely be typical. The Climate Change Committee is already saying we'll need air conditioning rolled out at scale. Schools may reschedule exam timetables. Hospitals may need complete redesigns. This isn't abstract. In July 2022, the London Fire Brigade ran out of fire engines because there were too many fires from the heat. Too many, full stop. Meanwhile, coastal erosion in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk is retreating by 2 to 4 metres per year. Residents in flood-prone areas will eventually have to abandon their homes. Managed relocations aren't a distant hypothetical; they're in our adapting-to-climate planning right now. Here's the hard part: the cost of adapting to this is way cheaper than doing nothing. But most businesses haven't worked out where their own exposure lies. Supply chains are vulnerable. Operations are exposed. Insurance costs are going up. Financing is getting tougher. So ask yourself: where does risk lie within your company? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it? If you're thinking about this, come and talk to us. We help organisations across FTSE, Nasdaq, XETRA and IBEX figure out their true climate exposure and build real adaptation into strategy. That's what we do.

    2 min

  4. May 20

    What is the climate conversation you wish more business leaders were having?

    I gave my first public talk on the environment at 15. Three things have changed in 25+ years. One has not. What is the climate conversation you wish more business leaders were having?

    1 min

  5. May 18

    SBTi Just Halved Its 2030 Targets. Does Your Supply Chain Know?

    The Science Based Targets initiative revised its Corporate Net Zero Standard this week - and in some cases roughly halved the minimum near-term emissions cuts required by 2030. It was not announced with any fanfare. If your business uses SBTi validation as a procurement signal or investor commitment, the floor just moved. This week's sustainability news breakdown covers ten stories that matter for business leaders at organisations with serious climate commitments - from the EU cutting CSRD datapoints by 70%, to the IEA's landmark report on AI energy consumption, to France publishing its national fossil fuel exit roadmap. We also cover why the Iran war has permanently shifted fossil fuel economics, what the launch of Perigus Energy means for PPA buyers across Europe, and why carbon removal has quietly become a procurement category. https://open.substack.com/pub/willsussolved/p/sbti-halved-2030-targets-10-sustainability?r=hg61e&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true The full video covers all ten stories ranked by impact. If any of this is relevant to your organisation's carbon strategy, find out more at https://www.51tocarbonzero.com or explore the referral programme at https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #Sustainability #NetZero #SBTi #CarbonAccounting #ESG

    11 min

  6. May 11

    Microplastics Are Warming the Planet From the Sky (Plus This Week's Top 10 Sustainability Stories)

    This week in sustainability, there are things happening that most businesses aren't paying attention to — yet. Microplastics in the atmosphere are contributing to climate warming. The Iran war is driving renewable energy investment faster than any climate policy ever did. Carbon removal is moving from pilot projects to billion-dollar infrastructure. And the EU's deforestation regulation just had its compliance costs cut by 75%. In this video, we break down the top 10 sustainability stories of the week ranked by what the world is talking about most — with a clear lens on what it means for businesses with serious climate commitments. We cover: microplastics and atmospheric warming, AI energy consumption's missing 98%, the EUDR simplification, GHG Protocol's first CEO, 82% of companies holding their climate targets, three major carbon removal deals, France's fossil fuel exit roadmap, and why the Iran war is the unintentional accelerant for the energy transition. Plus the three most mind-blowing environmental facts of the week. I'm Will Richardson, founder of Green Element and Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero — the only global technology-led carbon strategy consultancy specialising in Media, Marketing & Advertising and Food & Beverage. We help FTSE, Nasdaq, XETRA, and IBEX-listed organisations cut their emissions and prove it. Find out more about working with 51toCarbonZero: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com Join our referral partner network: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #Sustainability #NetZero #CarbonAccounting #EnergyTransition #ClimateAction

    12 min

  7. May 1

    Over 200 episodes taught me more than 25 years of consulting"

    We have recorded 208 episodes of the Sustainability Solved podcast. Over 20,000 followers. Guests from every corner of the climate space. And the thing that changed my thinking most was not a guest. It was a pattern. When we started the podcast, I expected to learn about new technologies, new regulations, new frameworks. And we did. But the pattern that kept coming back, episode after episode, was this: the organisations making the most progress on climate were not the ones with the biggest budgets or the most ambitious targets. They were the ones that treated their people with empathy. We could be much more empathetic to how hard this is for businesses. Proving people wrong, shaming them for not acting fast enough, making them feel stupid for not knowing what Scope 3 means: none of that drives action. It drives defensiveness. The oil and gas industry learned from the tobacco industry's playbook. They spent decades sowing doubt. And our response, too often, was to respond with frustration instead of understanding. After 25 years and 500+ organisations, the single most effective thing we can do is listen first, then help. Not lecture, not judge, not score points. Just help. That is why we built our model at 51toCarbonZero around named Climate Success Managers, not faceless dashboards. Because the transition is ultimately a human one. What has changed your approach to talking about sustainability with people who are not yet engaged? #Sustainability #Podcast #ClimateAction #Leadership #ESG

    2 min

  8. Apr 27

    Europe Has 6 Weeks of Jet Fuel Left. Here Is What That Means for Business

    This week, the world got a brutal lesson in what energy dependence really costs. Europe is weeks away from running out of jet fuel. Airlines are cancelling tens of thousands of flights. Fertiliser prices have doubled. And in the middle of all this, clean power quietly overtook coal globally for the first time in over a century. We break down the top 10 sustainability stories of the week, ranked by what the world is talking about most, plus three environmental facts that will stop you in your tracks. Whether you work in Food & Beverage, Media & Advertising, or any organisation with a turnover above 50 million, these stories directly affect your strategy, your costs, and your supply chain. At 51toCarbonZero, we help organisations turn sustainability from a reporting exercise into a business advantage. If you want to be part of our network, drop a comment or send me a message. https://www.51tocarbonzero.com https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #sustainability #netzero #carbonaccounting #energycrisis #climateaction

    9 min
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About

I am trying to change the way we work, the relationship we have our work and the world around us. We live in a complicated world with a lot of noise. But we need to be making decisions now and those decisions will have ramifications for decades. Will we always make the right decisions; no. But are we doing it for the right reasons I would like to say yes to that - speaking from my heart. This is an audible blog on what I am doing and what we as a business are doing. Some could say it is self promotion, it probably is a bit, I am trying to change the world and be a part of the solution BUT it is also my way to articulate where I am and keep a log of it for my future self and maybe others will learn from my mistakes as I am sure there will be loads!!

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