Listen now to George Roffey, Chief Sustainability Officer, Centrus who welcomes the ESG shake down, and argues that with ESG now entangled in everything, we need to get to a place where sustainability is embedded and becomes the norm. Discussing the pros of recently becoming BCorp accredited, hear why the increasing focus on the ‘s’ for social impact is a natural progression onto common ground that everyone can relate to.

![9995 ESG Podcast Stand and Deliver v1 2 1920x1080px](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3uMZHY8uLyiUiR9dhpVAxL/5bfb61b986a412d3f72c7b14c16496e7/9995_ESG_Podcast_Stand_and_Deliver_v1_2_1920x1080px.jpg)

<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1665665835&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474" title="Teamspirit" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Teamspirit</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474/centrus-mixdown-2" title="Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 6:Centrus" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 6: Centrus</a></div>

<br><br>

More episodes from this series:

Episode 1: Ketan Patel, Fund Manager, EdenTree. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series).

Episode 2: Chris Gardner, Joint CEO, Atelier. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-2).

Episode 3: Tom Matthews, Sustainable Investments Senior Manager, J O Hambro Capital Management. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-3).

Episode 4: Alex Struc, Founder and CEO, GOALSFIRST. Listen here [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-4).

Episode 5: Lily Billings, Head of Sustainability, Foresight Group. Listen here [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-5).

If you’d like to understand more about how to create credible ESG communications contact us at [hello@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:hello@teamspirit.co.uk). 


Listen now to George Roffey, Chief Sustainability Officer, Centrus who welcomes the ESG shake down, and argues that with ESG now entangled in everything, we need to get to a place where sustainability is embedded and becomes the norm.

Stand and deliver. The ESG Activists Podcast Series: Episode 6

### In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability has transcended the realm of buzzwords to become a baked-in pillar of business strategies.

### However, sustainability in branding extends beyond just reducing carbon footprints; it entails the creation of a durable and enduring brand identity.

Ultimately, a brand’s assets need to be adding value at every touchpoint. Having a strong brand ecosystem, or brand world, that enables a brand to show up consistently, is definitely worth it – in fact, according to YouGov, consistent branding has been proven to lead to a 23% increase in revenues.

But as technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), continues to redefine various aspects of our lives, it has emerged, perhaps inadvertently, as a catalyst to fortifying the foundations of sustainable brands. 

After all, this is an era of urgency. From the 24-hour news cycle, to urgent global challenges, to the rapid onset of incredibly fast asset creation through AI, brands, brand owners and marketers can feel that they must always act in haste. But at what cost?

In this paper we are looking specifically at the effect of a rushed, AI-speed world on financial services brands, and how to create strong brands built to adapt and last. We explore the key components of what makes a strong brand in this new world, and how to maximise brand assets.

*__“In an AI world, a strong brand has never been more vital.”__*

Read more in our latest report: [Sustainable Brands in the Era of Urgency](https://assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3n2htqNs4tyWVTNbvGlyD2/f1d1441c2e38601d212a88d8badfddeb/Sustainable_Brands_in_the_era_of_urgency.pdf)
<br>

![sustainabilityreport-ts-2](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/6Cbk8FNXEwXwbrngtOeYl1/c88cbfee4218fdfbb24d39dbdf9f15d4/sustainabilityreport-ts-2.png)

As we navigate the era of urgency and rapid technological advancements, it is imperative for financial services brands to re-evaluate and strengthen their brand assets to ensure sustainability. Read more in our latest report. 

Sustainable Brands in the Era of Urgency

On Thursday 28th February in conjunction with the Financial Services Forum (FSF), we held our second breakfast event of the year on the theme of Sustainable Marketing - this time focusing on the making and delivery of sustainable marketing to ensure that internal behaviour matches external promises.
With thanks to our expert panel for their insight:

- Millie Hyde-Smith, PR and Content Director, Retail, Legal & General
- Jo Fenn, Global Director, AdGreen
- Jo Hand, is Cofounder, Giki
- James Maxwell, Executive Creative Director, Teamspirit

## __Setting the scene__

The Chair, Fiona Couper, CMO, Teamspirit highlighted that the pitfalls of failing to be sustainable in the making and delivery of marketing can be very public and reputationally damaging.  The Advertising Standards Authority (the ASA) has been baring its teeth, to reinforce that saying one thing and doing another is no longer going to wash. Last year it upheld complaints against HSBC’s out of home adverts that were deemed to be misleading they could lead viewers to conclude that HSBC’s overall financing activities had a positive impact on the climate despite the $87bn in financing to fossil fuel companies between 2015 and end of 2021.

In terms of attracting talent sustainable performance and behaviour is also crucial. According to Marsh McLennan, top employers by employee satisfaction, have average ESG scores 14% higher than the global average, likely due to their strong environmental scores.  Previous panellists, such as Jasper Martens at Pension Bee, have reiterated how much the company’s purpose to do the right thing for the long-term acts as a barometer when creating new products and services – with the internal team warning if activity is ‘off’ brand.
__
## Increased priority in 2023__

The session kicked off by asking if 2023 has seen an increased focus on making marketing production and output as sustainable as possible – walking the talk.  All felt that the year had seen increased interest and focus with the proof in the increased amount of data available to be measured., this increased interest was still seen as part of a tale of two halves, where both long-term goals and more immediate cost of living communications having to be twin tracked.  Whilst James felt there’s also been a shift away from the saturated climate and net zero related messaging to those around nature and the ‘s’ in ESG.

## __Securing investment__

Next the panel discussed how to navigate the barriers to making a more sustainable or long-term commitments, which can often be viewed as a more costly direction to follow. For Millie navigating the barriers began at the very start of their Colourful Retirement which has gone on to become an enduring inclusive photography direction.  Getting beyond the vanilla stock photography to represent a more realistic portrayal of retirement meant working with real retirees and using a photographer who helped create genuine imagery that more accurately reflected this audience in a more relatable way.  Getting to know those to be photographed led to more content and depth across the campaign which helped balance out any preconceptions of a bespoke photographic style being a more costly route to take.  The result was an ownable, and category differentiated style that continues to this day. 

## __Attracting and retaining talent__

Exploring the role of employees in helping to make a sustainable difference the panel discussed how individual action can feel futile and lost. Jo Hand shared information on the ability of their Giki platform to create internal engagement, even allowing for an element of competition between teams, offices, and markets.  The imperative is to help employees understand their personal carbon footprint, to do the heavy lifting that allows them to engage and come together through challenges and events to encourage collective action.

## __Measuring the change__

This neatly led on to the need for evidence, to prove the impact being made through meaningful, material, and measurable targets.  Jo Fenn talked about AdGreen’s carbon calculator and how it allows agencies and clients to see the breakdown of carbon emissions by activity across shoots.  By reducing flying, number of attendees on shoots and using more local teams where possible the difference can be enormous.  Particularly when you look at the vast number of shoots in sectors such as fast fashion.  This led to the panel discussing the vast swathes of content being produced daily and the environmental cost of this living in the cloud or buried deep in company websites.  All of which uses energy and the panel advocated should lead to a quality not quantity content direction.

## __Avoiding trend reactions__

Finally, the panel discussed how the likes of political direction and AI is impacting the creation of sustainable brands.  All felt that being clear on what the brand stands for, its purpose, in the face of changing headwinds is vital and acts as the NorthStar.  Doing the right thing is a long-term commitment which should never vacillate in the face of trends.  In terms of AI and a digital first world its even more important to reinforce key brand assets to ensure that they are both fit for purpose in a world that moves and create a branded experience at every touchpoint.

Huge thanks again to the panel for their insight and candour. If you’d like to discuss how to ensure your brand behaviour matches external promises, please contact us at [hello@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:hello@teamspirit.co.uk).


Sustainable Marketing – Walking the talk Breakfast Event 28.10.23

In our latest ESG Activists podcast, Lily Billings, Head of Sustainability, Foresight Group talks about why it’s down to private finance to bring about sustainable change and sustainability transition; the metrics that demonstrate impact and why when divesting we need to think about the social implications. Plus, how to embed nature into business as usual, which couldn’t be more timely, with this month’s launch of the Taskforce for Nature-related Disclosures (TNFD).

![9995 ESG Podcast Foresight v1.2 2 1920x1080px.](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/2CX1NtVo8aIjQbgu02tR2T/3e2bc57a5ef852401e03a28366c5afc5/9995_ESG_Podcast_Foresight_v1.2_2_1920x1080px..jpg)

<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1600133304&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474" title="Teamspirit" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Teamspirit</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-from-teamspirit-episode-5-foresight-group" title="Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 5 Foresight Group" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 5 Foresight Group</a></div>

<br><br>

More episodes from this series:

Episode 1: Ketan Patel, Fund Manager, EdenTree. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series).

Episode 2: Chris Gardner, Joint CEO, Atelier. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-2).

Episode 3: Tom Matthews, Sustainable Investments Senior Manager, J O Hambro Capital Management. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-3).

Episode 4: Alex Struc, Founder and CEO, GOALSFIRST. Listen here [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-episode-4).

If you’d like to understand more about how to create credible ESG communications contact us at [hello@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:hello@teamspirit.co.uk). 


In our latest ESG podcast, Lily Billings, Head of Sustainability, Foresight Group talks about why it’s down to private finance to bring about sustainable change and transition; the impact metrics and what we need to think about when divesting.

Stand and deliver. The ESG Activists Podcast Series: Episode 5

In our second ESG Activist podcast, __Chris Gardner, Joint CEO, [Atelier](https://acp.co.uk/)__ reveals how he has focused the business proposition to realise ESG ambition.  Listen to: why collaboration and empirical evidence through 3rd party assurance is vital; the need to be honest about what can be committed to and get it done and to realise that if you’re going to do it properly, it’s going to hurt.

![9995 ESG SAD Podcast 1920x1080 TN 3](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3Ws7ibGSoIlEYjDFnYQTeM/cf3db6151e375655b984d3d871265e47/9995_ESG_SAD_Podcast_1920x1080_TN_3.jpg)

<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1265530483&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474" title="Teamspirit" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Teamspirit</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-240158474/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series-from-teamspirit-episode-2-atelier" title="Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 2 Atelier" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Stand And Deliver The ESG Activists Podcast Series From Teamspirit Episode 2 Atelier</a></div>

Below are the previous podcast episodes from the series: 

Episode 1: Ketan Patel, Fund Manager, EdenTree. Listen [here](https://www.teamspirit.uk.com/news-and-views/stand-and-deliver-the-esg-activists-podcast-series) 

If you’d like to understand more about how to create credible ESG communications contact us at [hello@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:hello@teamspirit.co.uk)

Stand and deliver. The ESG Activists Podcast Series: Episode 2

Related News

Tue 14 Nov 2023

Stand and deliver. The ESG Activists Podcast Series: Episode 6

Fri 6 Oct 2023

Sustainable Brands in the Era of Urgency

Mon 2 Oct 2023

Sustainable Marketing – Walking the talk Breakfast Event 28.10.23

Mon 4 Sep 2023

Stand and deliver. The ESG Activists Podcast Series: Episode 5