Journal

Coca Cola’s recent announcement at Davos that it will continue to use single use plastic for the foreseeable future and the global media furore which followed shows what a live and toxic issue plastic packaging has become for business. At Sancroft, one of the biggest growth areas of our work is in advising businesses – ranging from packaging manufactures, recyclers […]

The global food system is at a crossroads faced with the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population in a more sustainable way. As pressure is mounting from consumers, NGOs and regulators, business is having to change how food is produced, sold and consumed in order to achieve a sustainable future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on […]

The world is becoming a more circular place, in that it’s no longer enough to produce something without considering where and how it’s produced, what it’s made of, who makes it, who uses it, where it’s used, what it’s used for, and – crucially – how it’s thrown away. Not that it needed a whole week to bring the issue […]

Do we really need to think about sustainability before submitting planning applications? Not the question at the forefront of most minds, but one of the most crucial for our generation to answer correctly. In short, planners and developers must think about sustainability before submitting their plans as: (1) they are likely to get accelerated approval at reduced costs, which makes […]

This week, the UK Government published its response to the recommendations outlined in the review of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA). The review was carried out by Frank Field MP, Maria Miller MP and Baroness Butler-Sloss, and considered specific provisions of the Act: the role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, transparency in supply chains (Section 54), Independent Child […]

The UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act (MSA) is rightly seen as a ground-breaking piece of legislation, designed to fight modern slavery and ensure that victims have the right support and protection. The Act recognised the prevalence of modern slavery in business operations and supply chains, and consequently, the need for the private sector to take action. Section 54, ‘Transparency in […]

Stop Food Waste Day on 24th April 2019 will be greeted by more food waste warriors than ever before. We are witnessing growing enthusiasm and consciousness of the food waste issue. The main driver is recognition of food waste’s big business potential – coupled with an increase in public awareness of the issue and its broader impact on food poverty […]

What has the power to slash food waste, save lives, fight corruption and protect brands from boycotts? The safety of the food we eat is taken for granted in many countries, but as our global food system changes rapidly, we see signs of a coming crisis – and new, often tech-driven solutions that will help overcome these challenges and delight […]

The second Sustainability Summit, chaired by UN Environment Programme’s Butch Bacani, offered pension funds, insurance companies, charities and corporates the opportunity to learn from their peers about emerging trends in the sustainable investment industry. Sancroft Analysts Eilidh Morrison and Mariana Granziera share their highlights of this conference. ESG ratings There are enormous pressures on investors to incorporate Environmental, Social and […]

Presented by Felix Gummer, Director at Sancroft; Phil Langham, Head of RBC Emerging Markets Equity | Click here to listen to the webinar. Listen to this recorded webinar hosted by RBC titled ‘The Anti-Plastic Revolution’, held as part of RBC’s Emerging Markets ESG Webinar Series. Our Director, Felix Gummer explores the roots of the current plastics agenda, and seeks to offer succinct […]

A conversation between Sancroft’s chief executive Judy Kuszewski (JK) and Teresa Fogelberg (TF), an international affairs leader across the sustainable development, corporate responsibility, transparency and governance fields, to commemorate International Women’s Day. JK: Teresa, in the 15 years we have known each other, International Women’s Day (IWD) has become far more prominent. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on the […]

The final part of our fashion series takes a deeper dive into what the plastics problem means for the fashion industry. While 2018 was certainly a big year for sustainable fashion, the near-constant scrutiny of plastics dominated mainstream media. The fashion industry was no exception with its own ‘Blue Planet effect’ in the form of Stacey Dooley’s Fashion’s Dirty Secrets. […]

On the last day of London Fashion Week, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published the concluding report from its inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry. As Britain’s brightest designers set trends for the next season, the EAC set out recommendations to make the industry as sustainable as possible. The report acts as a milestone for the industry, signalling […]

Defra’s Resources and Waste strategy, which we have summarised before [click here], set an ambitious vision for a world-leading system that reduces waste and fundamentally changes the way many industries – especially packaged goods – operate. On Monday this week, they released the 4 initial consultations on how to achieve these objectives, starting the clock on a critical 12-week chance […]

The year 2019 starts with great expectations of the financial sector. Whilst the IMF warns of a downturn[i] and continuing Brexit chaos poses serious uncertainties to the market, there are still high hopes that asset owners and asset managers will make significant steps towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is believed to require investment of somewhere between US$5 […]

2018 was a big year for fashion and one trend that stood out was the increasing focus on environmental and social sustainability of the industry. From the discovery that Burberry had been burning up to £28 million of its stock to prevent counterfeiting, to the UK Environmental Audit Committee’s Inquiry into the Sustainability of the Fashion Industry where Mary Creagh […]

Defra’s Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) has been long-awaited. Published earlier this week, the 140-page report sets out a vision for consistent waste management and effective resource recovery that champions world-leading environmental stewardship, amidst the Brexit rollercoaster. With industry and other stakeholders having waited patiently for the contents to be released, many will be relatively disappointed with an absence of […]

2018 has been a big year for business and human rights. We have seen the topic continue to rise up the agenda with: the first due diligence plans being published in line with new French Duty of Vigilance law and the recent passing of the Australian Modern Slavery Bill in November; the 8th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights […]

The stark reality is that one third of food is wasted globally at a cost of $750 billion[i]. To put this into perspective, in a year, an area larger than the size of Canada and India combined is used to grow food that is never consumed, which, if diverted from traditional waste streams, could feed the world’s 900 million hungry […]

The challenge with waste Businesses today are faced with mounting pressures to ensure they are taking the necessary steps to effectively manage the waste produced as a direct result of their operations. Whilst a ‘zero waste’ commitment should be a guiding principle, the production of some forms of waste is unavoidable. This is, particularly, true for manufacturers that produce large […]

What comes to mind when you think of a construction site? Towering cranes counter-weighted by enormous concrete blocks, heavy-duty lorries entering and exiting with aggregates piled in their rear, steel bars jutting out of the ground, an army of hard-hatted workers dotted around the site executing various tasks… Now try to picture a building site in a decade or two’s […]

An interview with Felix Gummer and Ian Welsh. Click here to listen to the podcast. ‘What we should not be aiming for is 100% recyclable items, but 100% recycled.’ Sancroft Director, Felix Gummer, and Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh debate trends in how business is getting to grips with the environmental impacts of plastics, and why consumers expect immediate action. Is […]

Aside from the usual goodies of another freeze on alcohol duty, a little bit more for the NHS, and an adjustment of the lowest threshold of income tax, Philip Hammond’s 2018 Budget has received an interesting focus on its green credentials. Whilst we await the publication of the government’s Resource and Waste Strategy, due before the end of the year, […]

Amid increasing attention from the media, public, government and industry, Innovation Forum hosted the event “How business can tackle plastic pollution”.  The event, sponsored by Sancroft, took place in October and brought together industry leaders, government and NGOs to discuss partnerships, innovations and technologies to reduce plastics waste. Sancroft Director, Felix Gummer and Senior Consultant, Dom De Ville were invited […]