Journal

A week ago, the International SOS Foundation hosted its inaugural Europe Health Conference in London. Over the two-day event, 40+ occupational health and safety, and medical professionals engaged in stimulating discussions about the emerging practices of nurturing employee health and wellbeing, and how these practices form a key part of sustainability strategies and help manage risk more effectively. With growing […]

2017 was the year that ocean plastics, and the corresponding damage they cause, entered mainstream public consciousness. Approximately eight billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since it’s invention in 1907, of which five billion supposedly remain in the environment[1]. Although the problem had been growing for years, almost one year ago, it suddenly became a key focal point across […]

An interview with Judy Kuszewski and Toby Webb. Click Here to listen to the Podcast. FTSE100 companies lack innovation when considering their material business issues Judy Kuszewski, chief executive of Sancroft, and Toby Webb from Innovation Forum debate approaches to corporate materiality. Kuszewski outlines the results of Sancroft’s recent research – Towards a new materiality – into FTSE100 companies. She […]

Earlier this year, Jaguar revealed its first all-electric SUV, the latest of its kind since Tesla’s Model X in 2015, heating up the race for carmakers to prove their green credentials. The rapid development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry is timely with the UK government’s announcement that new diesel and petrol cars will be banned in the UK from […]

The World Cup has captured the heart of the nation but as the spotlight shines on global football stars, we cannot continue to overlook the people behind the scenes. The stark reality is that as Harry Kane signs a new six-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur worth up to £200,000 a week[i] and the German team sign a sponsorship contract with […]

The PEI Responsible Investment Forum is the longest running and largest private equity conference focused on bringing together GPs and LPs to discuss ESG and market trends. Sancroft Consultant, and Responsible Investment lead, Isabella Stanbrook shares her highlights from this year’s Forum. Most discussed thematic ESG topics: Plastics There is currently no perfect solution to addressing plastics use in business. […]

A discussion with our Chairman, Lord Deben, and Sancroft Advisor, Alison Hampton, on investor interest in the current plastics agenda. Key points: Competing technologies are emerging, and these are making the avoidance of plastic more feasible across the value chain Investors should take stock of plastic usage within their portfolio companies as an immediate step Resource shortage and resource efficiency […]

Lord Deben, Chairman of Sancroft, outlines to Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh the main findings from recent research into modern slavery in public procurement in the UK that finds over 40% of the top 100 companies in terms of value of public contracts are non-compliant with the UK Modern Slavery Act. A debate on the pros and cons of a greater […]

The pollution of the marine environment from macro-plastic litter has risen rapidly in the political agenda and in the public consciousness in the past few years. The much-celebrated TV series, Blue Planet II, has acted as a catalyst moment for ocean plastic prevention, leading to various campaigns from NGOs and the media[1]. This has culminated in several UK government announcements […]

40% of millennials now admit to making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of meat which they consume[1]. Environmentally destructive impacts of intensive agriculture and meat production, alongside the realities of factory farming, are among key drivers cited. However, the production and use of another animal product – leather – has so far been largely exempt from a similar […]

March saw modern slavery take centre stage for events at Sancroft: We sat on a panel discussion at Innovation Forum’s How business can tackle modern slavery and forced labour conference and launched The Sancroft-Tussell Report: Eliminating modern slavery in public procurement. Both events reinforced the notion that, in 2018, there are no excuses for business not to act on modern […]

With the Modern Slavery Act coming into force in 2015, public scrutiny of the crimes of human trafficking and modern slavery has increased dramatically. Well-publicised cases in the United Kingdom illustrate – while specific numbers remain controversial – that more people are currently enslaved than at any time before in world history[1]: a sad reaffirmation of this contemporary issue. Businesses, […]

Today marks the two-month countdown till the end of the 2017/18 tax year and perhaps the most common financial year end date in the UK. For many corporate responsibility (CR) reporting professionals that will bring some anxiety as this is the first financial reporting cycle in which certain companies will have to provide additional non-financial and diversity information. The new […]

Three areas of innovation likely to see growth David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II has highlighted the detrimental environmental impact of the vast quantity of plastic waste in our oceans to millions of viewers. The ever-growing challenge of packaging and plastics waste has drawn intense media coverage, public attention and NGO scrutiny. Furthermore, Theresa May’s announcement on 11 January 2018 has […]

2017: Was it a boom or bust in sustainable business? It remains uncertain how 2017 will be written in history. A slew of bad news about record emission levels, lapses in corporate responsibility and political inaction on climate can be balanced against growing CEO activism, a proliferation of legislation mandating human rights due diligence by business, and technological innovations like […]

At Sancroft we work with businesses that recognise the opportunities in sustainability, and want to make profits of which they can be proud. But why stop there? We have come together with some of the pioneering entrepreneurs – who have created social enterprises designed to deliver on the social and environmental challenges of our time, through the very products and services […]

On 1st-2nd November 2017, Sancroft attended Innovation Forum’s Business and Human Rights Conference – ‘manage risk, implement policy and secure relationships,’ hosted by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. The conference brought together sustainability professionals, legal practitioners, civil society, and investors for two days of debate and analysis of key human rights trends as pertain to business. Conversation and insight was candid, and […]

What role can social enterprises play in promoting ethical and sustainable trading? On 9th November, the British Academy hosted a business breakfast for its recently launched ‘Future of the Corporation’ research programme.  The Future of the Corporation is a major research programme and engagement initiative, aiming to assess the changing purpose of business and inform the development of a new model […]

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched its Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January 2017. The Government sought industry responses to the paper. The word ‘strategy’ is arguably more important than ‘industrial’. Rather than the ‘picking winners’ strategy of the 1970s- a flawed attempt to target specific industries- the government is seeking to form a coherent policy […]

How Can Business Help? There are many reasons why people move. Whether it be for work, new opportunities, family or for fear of persecution, the UN estimates that the number of people who live in a country other than where they were born far exceeds 244 million (a 41% increase compared to the year 2000). Vast numbers of these are […]

A Practical Guide For Internationally Operating Employees As the field of global Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) and workplace wellness is evolving, so is our understanding of its impact on business and its place in sustainability reporting. Lost working time and treatment and rehabilitation fees are estimated to cost global business $2.8 trillion a year[1], and the business sector has […]

Silicon Valley setting a trend The often-intangible notion of ‘corporate culture’ refers to the beliefs and behaviours of a business, and how it conducts itself in the marketplace.[1] Attempts to differentiate from competitors and establish a unique culture of working often manifest themselves in employment perks. Tech companies are at the crest of this wave through their offerings of flexible working […]

Five problems and five solutions in complex project contracting chains The early morning hours of 14 June were a time of immense fear, uncertainty and sorrow as the 67- metre, 24-storey Grenfell Tower burned, killing at least 80 and injuring over 70. Its surviving residents, tenants of the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council, have seen their lives turned upsidedown […]

I have always disliked the word ‘waste’.  Used in most contexts, such as government or talent and ‘waste’ or ‘wasted’ is rightly seen as unacceptable, avoidable, and rightly pejorative.  There is one sphere however, where this word has lost its sting and ironically it is the very industry and service that bears its name.  For generations now the waste industry […]