This week, Tom meets Ryan Dean , founder of RD Studios and the creative force behind Treehouse , a beautiful new live-action TV series for preschoolers that’s redefining what children’s content can look like. As a father of teens, Tom reflects on the nostalgia of early kids’ shows – and how Treehouse feels both fresh and familiar (much like the sweeping beauty of David Attenborough’s new film Ocean , which he also reviews at the top of this episode). Ryan talks about his journey from journalist ...
Jun 25, 2025•41 min
What does it really take to hit net zero – and stay there? For global carpet tile manufacturer Interface, the answer lies in a deep-rooted culture of innovation. In this episode, Tom sits down with Luca Achilli , Global Innovation & Sustainability Projects Director at Interface , to explore how the company is using design, R&D, and circular thinking to lead the charge toward carbon-negative products. They discuss: Why innovation is essential to achieving real emissions reductions The fut...
May 22, 2025•42 min
What does it really take to build a transparent supply chain? In this episode of The Better Business Show , host Tom Idle dives deep into one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing brands today: how to create truly traceable, accountable, and credible supply chains – from the farm to the factory to the finished product. With global regulations tightening and consumer expectations rising, transparency is no longer a box-ticking exercise; it’s a business necessity. But building that visi...
May 14, 2025•46 min
Cider doesn’t often make headlines in the world of drinks innovation. It’s a category that’s long been dominated by heritage brands, murky labels, and – let’s be honest – a fair amount of concentrate and sugar masquerading as nature’s bounty. But this week, we meet someone who’s rewriting the rules. Laura Clacey is the co-founder of Sxollie , a bold, no-nonsense cider brand born in South Africa and on a mission to shake up the status quo. From using single varietal eating apples (not juice conce...
Apr 29, 2025•42 min
Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest, least understood risks facing our food system – and businesses are waking up to it. But measuring nature has never been easy. This time, we meet Conrad Young , founder of Chirrup , a startup using birdsong and bioacoustics to track biodiversity across farmland. Conrad shares how a quiet moment during the COVID lockdown inspired him to build a technology that helps retailers and suppliers, like Tesco and Diageo, get a clearer picture of ecological health i...
Apr 15, 2025•38 min
AI is no longer just a buzzword – it’s fast becoming a core part of how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. But with so much hype, where do the real opportunities lie? And how do you separate practical value from overpromise? In this episode, Tom sits down with Oday Abbosh , Senior Partner at IBM , to unpack how artificial intelligence is being used to genuinely transform business – from product development and customer service to complex challenges like supply chain resilience and material ...
Mar 28, 2025•36 min
What happens when businesses forget that their employees are human? In this episode, we’re talking about workplace culture, parental rights, and why companies are quietly rolling back their commitments to inclusivity and employee well-being. My guest, Glen Wood , knows firsthand what happens when a company gets it wrong – after being fired for taking paternity leave, he took on the system and became a symbol for workplace reform in Japan where is still known to this day as ‘The Father of Japan’....
Mar 07, 2025•46 min
Sustainability communication has never been more important – or more challenging. Say too much, and you risk greenwashing accusations. Say too little, and you’re guilty of green-hushing. So, how should companies talk about ESG, climate action, and social impact in a way that actually resonates? In this episode, sustainability comms expert Helen Neal joins me to break down the new rules of ESG communication. She's worked with global brands, NGOs, and businesses of all sizes, helping them navigate...
Feb 13, 2025•42 min
In this episode, I take on one of the most heated debates in the UK right now: airport expansion. With the UK government giving the green light to new runways, we explore the bigger questions beyond carbon emissions. Why is aviation still a lightning rod for controversy? Are we having the wrong debate? And why do we need a smarter, more pragmatic approach to how we manage growth? Then, I sit down with Andrew Hargest , founder and CEO of SupplyClub , to talk about why packaging needs a radical re...
Feb 03, 2025•47 min
In this episode of The Better Business Show, we sit down with Ilya Malkin, co-founder of Sort a Brick , to explore how this innovative startup is transforming forgotten LEGO collections into ready-to-build sets using cutting-edge AI technology. Ilya shares the inspiring story of how a personal challenge with his kids’ LEGO bricks led to the creation of a sustainable solution that’s making waves in the circular economy. From the challenges of sorting tens of thousands of unique LEGO pieces to the...
Jan 20, 2025•40 min
What if businesses could help reduce reoffending rates while boosting productivity and unlocking untapped potential? In this episode, once he gets over the doom and gloom currently ungulfing the planet, Tom chats with Sid Madge , founder of Meee and creator of the Counting on Confidence programme, helping to seriously transform lives through prison rehabilitation. Sid shares powerful stories from his work in prisons, why mindset shifts are key to breaking cycles, and how businesses can play a vi...
Jan 13, 2025•40 min
This week, we’re diving into the bittersweet world of cocoa and chocolate with Julia Ocampo , Head of Sustainability and Cocoa Sourcing at Luker Chocolate . The global cocoa industry faces enormous challenges: poverty among smallholder farmers, deforestation, climate change, and the mounting pressure on food and drink companies to source responsibly. In this candid and insightful conversation, Julia shares how Luker Chocolate is transforming cocoa supply chains – putting farmers, ecosystems, and...
Dec 09, 2024•52 min
In this episode, we’re joined by the trailblazing Nour Tayara , founder of AORA Mexico , a plastic-free makeup brand that’s shaking up the beauty industry. Nour’s on a mission to prove that beauty doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense – or be boring while doing it. We dig into the big issues: 💄 The beauty industry’s massive waste problem – billions of plastic tubes and palettes that end up in landfills or our oceans 🌍 Why sustainability in beauty often means bland, beige packaging – and...
Dec 02, 2024•42 min
This week, Tom is in conversation with Victoria Edwards , the dynamic CEO and co-founder of FIDO Tech , to talk about a problem that affects us all: water scarcity. Victoria’s on a mission to create a world without water waste, and her story is nothing short of fascinating. From her early days as a self-proclaimed “failed musician” to leading a company that uses AI to detect and prevent water leaks, she’s rewriting the rules on how technology can solve one of humanity’s biggest challenges. We di...
Nov 25, 2024•43 min
Plastic-free and purpose-driven: The story of Dip with Kate Assaraf In this episode, we sit down with Kate Assaraf, CEO and co-founder of Dip , a premium haircare brand with a mission to eliminate plastic waste from beauty routines. Kate shares her journey from working in the beauty industry to launching a purpose-driven business that rejects the norms of hyper-consumerism. From refusing to sell on Amazon to championing small, local zero-waste stores, Kate’s vision is reshaping how we think abou...
Nov 18, 2024•43 min
“Innovation in sustainability means thinking long-term, and for us, it’s about leading a movement, not just selling a product.” In this episode, I’m joined by Frank Heidinger , CEO and founder of Halevai , a company set on revolutionising the recreational boating industry with his electric powered boats. Frank shares his journey from growing up in New York City with limited access to clean water to founding Halevai, driven by a deep love for nature and ocean conservation. He explains the environ...
Nov 08, 2024•45 min
This time we dive into one of the most influential movements in sustainable business: the B Corporation – or B Corp – movement. Since its inception in 2006, the B Corp movement has been reshaping the way we think about business, creating a global community of companies that prioritise purpose as much as profit. From Patagonia to Ben & Jerry’s , B Corps are known for their commitment to social and environmental responsibility, transparency, and accountability. But becoming a B Corp isn’t easy...
Oct 30, 2024•38 min
Gartner , the research and consulting giant, just released its latest Hype Cycle . The Gartner Hype Cycle is a graphical presentation developed to represent the maturity, adoption, and social application of specific tech. Each hype cycle drills down into the five key phases of a technology's life cycle. These include: 1. Technology trigger – a potential technology breakthrough to kicks things off. 2. Peak of inflated expectations – whereby early publicity produces a number of success stories. 3....
Oct 22, 2024•38 min
Concrete is one of the most important substances in the world. As the linchpin of the built environment, demand has almost tripled during the past 20 years. In 2021, global construction projects consumed 30 billion tonnes of the stuff. That’s 3 million times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. But concrete has an emissions problem. Today, its production is responsible for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. With every tonne of cement made, almost a tonne of CO2 is emitted. This time, I get t...
Oct 09, 2024•41 min
Plenty has been said and written about the who, why, what and how of this year’s Climate Week in New York. With close to 600 events and 100,000 people taking part, there was a lot to digest. So, we’ve done it for you. Here’s our quick, 11-minute round up of the key stories, happenings and developments from across the week.
Oct 01, 2024•12 min
We are back, back, back. Yes, welcome back to the Better Business Show . Episode 64 has been a long time coming. A lot has changed since we first launched back in 2016, almost nine years ago. But lots hasn’t changed either. Solving the climate crisis remains the most urgent challenge of our times. And storytelling is more important than ever. The premise of this podcast remains the same as it’s always been. This is the place to come for insight, inspiration, and practical examples of the organiz...
Sep 26, 2024•42 min
About 30% of the word’s total land is used not to grow grains, fruits and vegetables that we directly eat as human beings, but to support the chickens, pigs and cattle that we eventually eat. And the environmental impact of all this large-scale meat production is having serious implications for the world’s climate. Animal waste releases methane and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gases that are 25 and 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, respectively. Step forward Illtud Dunsford, CEO of Cellula...
Jul 31, 2017•34 min
So, this week we get to meet the company refusing to accept when a lithium ion battery is ‘dead’. Lithium-ion batteries continue to be the technology of choice for all the major consumer gadget players; it's no wonder that the market is set to explode in the next few years. But what happens to these lithium-ion batteries when they reach the end of their life? This time, we catch up with Amrit Chandan, co-founder of Aceleron, a business that hopes to revolutionise the way people use and think abo...
Jul 24, 2017•23 min
This week, we report from inside the HQ of the world's biggest food business, Nestlé to explore a wealth of solutions designed to solve the global nutrition crisis – including contact lenses that can monitor your glucose levels and smart watches that use your doctors' notes to prescribe exactly the right diet. Around 795 million people go to bed hungry every night, while 2.1 billion people are overweight or obese; something's got to give. Hearing from businesses, NGOs, academics and consumer-bah...
Jul 10, 2017•48 min
This week, you get the chance to step inside the most talked about business on the planet right now. Hampton Creek’s CEO Josh Tetrick gives us a flavour of what makes his company tick – from attracting investment to staying true to your mission. Learn how this San Francisco unicorn plans to change the way we eat forever by not appealing to hearts and minds, just making great food.
Jul 03, 2017•42 min
Human rights: It is the one issue that no company wants to be embroiled in – yet a subject that every business is almost certainly exposed to and at risk of. That’s why we’ve dedicated this episode to the subject and we’re super excited to have grabbed Richard Boele, KPMG's head of specialist human rights and social impact group, to appear on the show.
Jun 05, 2017•34 min
Friday Five - 14 April 2017 This is the Better Business Show Friday Five, released at the end of every week and digesting the very best stories from across the world of sustainable business in the last 7 days. This week, we’re talking about: - Christina Figueres latest assessment of peak emissions (http://bit.ly/2o9z40T_ - London’s ambitious coffee cup recycling programme (http://bit.ly/2jsrC1I) - Riversimple's fundraising target being smashed (http://bit.ly/2p031W9) - H&M wants to become ‘c...
Apr 13, 2017•13 min
Meet Gareth Dinnage, the man at the helm of Seacourt, an Oxford-based printer that has spent the last 20 years slowly turning the entire dirty business of commercial printing on its head. We’ve all got print jobs we need doing – whether its for corporate reports, or marketing literature. But imagine if your printing activity had a positive impact on the planet rather than a negative one. Gareth gives the hows, whys and wherefores.
Apr 10, 2017•34 min
This time, we’re with Matt Simpson, the man behind Green Banana Paper, a company developed purely as a way to give local employment to a demographic of island dwellers in Micronesia who would most likely have left for jobs in the city. Making wallets from banana trees, learn how this unique company’s process has been a labour of love for Matt, and a great example of alternative materials playing their role in building products of the future.
Apr 03, 2017•27 min
This is the Better Business Show Friday Five, released at the end of every week and digesting the very best stories from across the world of sustainable business in the last 7 days. This week, we’re talking about: - Toyota dabbles in plant based materials for car interiors (http://bit.ly/2ofIdZJ) - The waste firm using nappies to fuel power plants (http://bit.ly/2nSgyOf) - The new energy regulation which is more important than you might think (http://bit.ly/2nlskg8) - Marks & Spencers’ in-st...
Mar 31, 2017•12 min
