Terrafiniti
Sustainability Consultancy, Sustainability Consultants, Sustainability
A well-defined sustainability ambition is central to effective strategy and long-term value creation. It outlines where a company will focus its sustainability efforts, what it aims to achieve, and the pace of progress. By integrating strategic direction, material focus, operational planning, cultural alignment, and stakeholder communication, organisations can move beyond compliance to embed sustainability as a driver of innovation and resilience.
Two major coffee brands, Lavazza and Dualit, have had their adverts banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading claims that their coffee pods and bags were ‘compostable’.
The ASA found that both companies gave the false impression that these products could be disposed of in domestic compost bins, when in reality they require specialist industrial composting facilities to break down properly.
Both brands argued that their products were certified to the European Standard EN13432, indicating industrial compostability, and claimed they did not intend to suggest home composting was possible. However, the ASA ruled that the term ‘compostable’ in the context of consumer products for home use would likely be interpreted by the average consumer as suitable for home composting.
The watchdog emphasised that failing to clarify such distinctions risks misleading consumers. The cases highlight the importance for brands to provide clear, accurate, and substantiated environmental claims, ensuring that consumers are not misled about the details of product disposal. The ruling serves as a lesson for marketeers that context, nuance and precision are essential to avoid regulatory action and reputational damage.
Reputation is widely regarded as one the most valuable assets of an organisation. Sustainability can also be an important contributor to both reputation and several dimensions of business value.
In this article we explore different dimensions of reputational risk, how it might be affected and how you can protect it.
With increasing warnings from scientists, it’s very clear that we must reduce our alcohol use and set a reduction pathway towards Net Zero Alcohol.
To deliver our goal we have identified a strategic framework which will flexibly deploy multiple policy solutions, as appropriate, to realise our vision. So why not pour a glass of your favourite tipple, sit down, and take a read?
On the 28 November 2023, the first long-haul passenger plane powered with ‘sustainable’ air fuel took off. SAF offers an ostensibly attractive path for decarbonisation for the airline industry – the lifecycle greenhouse emissions can be up to 70% lower than conventional fossil-based fuels.
While this in many ways represents a significant breakthrough (SAF is currently perhaps 0.1% of global aviation fuel use) there are major challenges ahead.
From avoiding greenwashing to facing soaring business costs, 2023 is set to be a challenging year for most business leaders to navigate.
Regulators, customers and consumers have increasing expectations for good quality, consistent information on sustainability. Communication must be accurate and meaningful because greenwashing is getting more dangerous.
Inflation and the cost of borrowing have the potential to push action on climate and sustainability down the agenda, but this is balanced by new regulation for 2023 that will help keep sustainability at the forefront for many business leaders.
As in previous years, the climate and nature crises, new regulations, geopolitical turmoil, and declining biodiversity are not going away. Sustainable business ambitions and plans are indeed facing challenges from fast-changing global conditions.
Terrafiniti’s partners Dominic Tantram and Joss Tantram share insight and opinion on the trends to watch for 2023 –the good, bad and the ugly.
Understanding and defining ambition is a crucial element of sustainability strategy and management. Sustainability Ambition relates to areas and aspects where the company has a degree of choice to decide what, where and how it acts.
Sustainability ambition is the fundamental basis for describing what sustainability means for a company: where you want to get to (what success looks like) and how fast you will move (by when).
If business culture can be strong enough to 'eat' your strategy, then there is little point in spending time and effort on developing a new direction if you don’t pay equal, if not greater, attention to culture.. Join Joss and Dominic from Terrafiniti and other sustainability professionals from the UK and beyond, to explore the challenges and what an appropriate approach means for you in July's SPRG meeting.
Many people and companies fear and resist change due to uncertainty and perceived higher risks. But the risk of not adapting can be higher - what biases are involved and how do we move forward?
There are several types of relationships between species, bu tit's clear that the human relationships with the biosphere are closer to parasitic than any others. Isn't it time to pursue more positive outcomes - if only for self-interest?
Small particle air pollution – when will we clear it? PM2.5 (small particle) air pollution is one of the most harmful types for human health, exposure has been linked to heart and lung disease, mental health and many other conditions including stroke, cancer and mental health. Air pollution also disproportionally affects children. A global study …
Most major sustainability issues have important risk dimensions for companies – and societies. In many cases these are still not adequately represented in board-level discussion, company risk assessments or registers.
WEF’s Global Risk Report provides a very useful, comprehensive global review and outlook upon what is important, and this article provides an overview of 2022’s report.
