Lonely Whale’s Post

It was an honor to moderate the panel "Supercharging Solutions at the Nexus of Education, Business, and Community" at the Sustainable Brands Brand-Led Culture Change event on May 9th. Huge thanks to panelists Kellie Lauth (CEO, MindSpark), Ann Woo (Executive Director, Samsung Electronics), Stephen Ritz (Founder, Green Bronx Machine), and Phil Berry, IDSA (Director, Office of Sustainability for Pima Community College) for an amazing discussion. The core conversation centered around why and how companies should prioritize education, not just generally, but specifically in the communities where they operate. We challenged the traditional over-emphasis on shareholder value vs. community and employees as key stakeholders, emphasizing that a well-educated population is key to a healthy society. A strong education system fosters a more resilient workforce, tackles issues like poverty and food insecurity, and contributes positively to healthcare, democracy, and so much more. It's not just good for society, it's good for business too. In short, educated communities are more resilient in addressing societal challenges. I truly hope Sustainable Brand will facilitate more conversations like this one in the future. Huge thanks to KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz and Dimitar Vlahov for organizing such a fantastic event.

🌍 Post 3/7 – Doing Business with Purpose We’re onto key trend #3 in my series on what’s shaping marketing and PR in 2025, and this one is a game-changer. Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s the new standard. Customers want to support brands that genuinely care about the environment. From eco-friendly packaging to carbon-neutral shipping, it’s time to walk the talk. 🌱 💡 Challenge for you: What’s one thing your business could do today to make a real impact on sustainability? 👀 We’re halfway through exploring 2025’s biggest marketing trends—more insights coming soon! Got any eco-friendly initiatives you’re proud of? Share them in the comments below and let’s celebrate your wins! 🚀

Join us at our upcoming 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 event in 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗺 where my colleagues Nicolai Broby Eckert and Caroline Kastbjerg will discuss how to leverage sustainability as a driver for long-lasting competitive advantage—not just a compliance requirement or marketing buzzword. We'll delve into:   𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁: Why companies often miss the market opportunities in sustainability 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Understanding the vast strategic potential of this transformative megatrend 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How sustainability is reshaping consumer behavior 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: Strategies for building successful, sustainable business models   Don't miss this chance to learn how to act strategically on the increasing consumer demand for 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲.   You can also learn much more on these topics from their newly released book: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴   Secure your spot today here: skp.link/h2id

"The problem has nothing to do with one individual's behavior. We cannot fix the problem by individually cutting back; we have to change the SYSTEM." An enlightening conversation with marketing guru Seth Godin and KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz from Sustainable Brands. They dive into the future of sustainable business practices and how innovative thinking can drive impactful change. If you're passionate about sustainability, check it out💡

Teaching sustainability in marketing at UWE was such an inspiring experience! 💡 It’s more important than ever to think sustainably, and I loved sharing practical strategies with future marketers. Here are a few tips for 2025: - Focus on authenticity – People value brands that genuinely care. - Prioritise eco-friendly practices – Sustainable production isn’t just a trend, it’s the future. - Engage in transparent storytelling – Share your sustainability journey openly. Let’s make marketing in 2025 not just creative, but also impactful for the planet! 🌱✨ Johanna de Wolf Hannah Ranby #SustainableMarketing #FutureOfMarketing #UWE

"When leading companies stop communicating their sustainability efforts, we’ve got a problem.” Says Kaj Török, Head of Sustainability at Max Burgers, highlighting a troubling trend: leaders in sustainability are pulling back on communicating their sustainability ambitions. Why? To avoid inadvertently twisting words in ways that cannot be substantiated. Török spoke at this week’s #NätverketförHållbartNäringsliv panel discussion on the EU’s Empowering Consumers and Green Claims directives. The Swedish network works towards creating a more sustainable business climate, and this panel examined the EU’s moves to level the playing field for companies using sustainability in consumer-facing communications. While the directives aim to promote transparency, trust, and fairness in sustainability claims, they might actually silence companies trying to make a positive impact. Meanwhile, genuinely unsustainable products like fast fashion and non-recyclable electronics can continue communicating—as long as they don’t claim to be sustainable. The imperatives of trust and transparency won’t be addressed by only targeting sustainability communications. When allowing ads like “Probably the best beer in the world” but restricting “Probably the most sustainable beer in the world,” that’s when we’re at risk of silencing voices when we need them most. Even if the directives don't directly apply to B2B, if your communications can reach end consumers or engage employees, we all have something to learn about watching this space. 👀 #Sustainability #GreenMarketing #EURegulations #CorporateResponsibility #B2B #B2C #GreenClaims #empoweringConsumers Lennart Bjurström Catherine Pettersson Greg McIvor Christina Ameln

Sustainability is the Future of Marketing! In today’s world, consumers are demanding more from brands. Green branding and eco-friendly messaging aren’t just trends—they're a necessity for businesses to thrive.Companies that commit to sustainability are building stronger relationships with customers, boosting brand loyalty, and standing out in the marketplace. more here https://zurl.co/bR8T At 100E Ventures, we believe in the power of sustainable growth and invest in businesses that prioritize environmental responsibility. Together, we’re shaping a greener future. #100E #100EVentures

Which companies belong on our blacklist? What's the cut off between enabling businesses to be a force for good, and enabling them to greenwash? 🤮 Every purpose-driven B2B startup or freelancer at some point has to make this call. Who should be on our 'to work with' list and who should be on our 'never work with' list? And, critically, which companies are somewhere in between, and how do we decide about them? At Climate Guardians, Martin Valkov and I are supporting businesses to add their influential voices to our campaigns and thus drive more sustainable policies. On the one hand, the bigger the company, the more influential their voice. Hence the better it is for our goal of driving more sustainable policies. On the other hand, big companies often run sustainability campaigns that look good but distract from their actual ecological footprint. We don't want to be enablers of bad business. To make matters more complex, the number of obviously 'bad' players is diminishing as more and more businesses are starting to do SOME genuinely cool things. (E.g. in the food space, pretty much all of the big supermarket chains in Germany have run some kind of interesting sustainability initiative, e.g. Penny's recent 'true pricing' of animal products, Lidl's advocacy for more sustainable policy changes, Edeka working with WWF.) We've been discussing this internally and would love to hear how you see things. How do you think sustainable B2B businesses should decide who they do and don't work with? When have you been disappointed by a corporate collaboration? #future #sustainability #collaboration (Photo: hard at work trying to solve the world)

In-Person Regenerative Marketing Sessions Are Fast Becoming My Favourite Way to Spend My Time 🩷 Yesterday, I had the privilege of leading a full-day workshop with 12 incredible organisations through the Impact Programme, hosted by our brilliant partners, Elevator. The session took place in the beautiful Greyfriars Charteris Centre in Edinburgh, combining theory, practical exercises, and plenty of meaningful conversations over coffee and a delicious lunch. We dived deep into Regenerative Marketing, exploring how businesses can grow strategically without compromising their values. The day also gave me the chance to share some of Zebra Growth's latest work, including exercises from our Go-To-Ecosystem Framework, something we have been developing to equip changemakers with tools to take their products and services to the world in a way that’s deeply aligned with their values, moving away from extractive strategies and embracing a more holistic view of the rich ecosystems we’re all part of. I spoke for nearly six hours, was on my feet for most of the day, but still left the session feeling completely energised. Seeing the amazing humans that run these special organisations light up as they connected the dots between regenerative principles and their own context was the absolute highlight of my week. A huge thank you to Elevator for their continued ambition and commitment to sustainability and regeneration (and for Andrew Cameron for being a great host). It’s partners like these that allow us to bring our theoretical thinking around the emerging Regenerative Marketing space into action and, together, create meaningful change at the forefront of the industry. Santa, please can i have more days like this in 2025 please, full of collaboration, conversation, and heart-led growth. 🎅 #RegenerativeMarketing #GoToEcosystem #ImpactProgramme #RegenerativeBusiness #Collaboration #Sustainability

Do you have a sense for sustainability? Some of us do but most of us don’t. Here are a few ideas to start sharpening it for you, your brand and the Planet. #experiencebetter #jackmorton #earthday