Sue Garrard, ex Unilever: Sustainability and climate crisis

“If you don’t have a sustainability plan, you don’t have a plan.” 

The world is facing a climate crisis. For any business, sustainability is critical, but embedding it in a company’s operational structure and culture is easier said than done. 

Former EVP for Sustainable Business and Communications at Unilever Sue Garrard knows this better than most. Acknowledging both the importance and struggle of marrying your company’s moral and business purpose is vital, but how do you realistically measure the tangible effect of your sustainability plan on the world around us?

Now pursuing a portfolio career focused on helping businesses drive change and commit to the bigger picture, Sue also tutors for the University of Cambridge’s Sustainability Leadership Institute (CISL) and, luckily for us, offers her extensive knowledge and expertise to those who are committed to bettering the planet. 

Stuart Lambert, founding partner at Blurred, sat down with Sue to chat about the need for businesses to stop seeing sustainability as a problem, and instead be part of the solution. In this episode of DNAYF from Blurred we explore the very basics on sustainability, and the imperative first steps all leadership teams should be taking to ensure their business’ sustainability plan doesn’t go bust.

• 00.07 Introduction 
• 01:08 The climate crisis – What’s the 411? 
• 03:37 Do you get frustrated at the phrase “saving the planet”? 
• 05:52 Is creating “the fear” helpful? 
• 08:03 Markets are going to control the agenda – but is policy keeping up with the markets? 
• 10:08 Can democracy ever allow law makers to make those kinds of sweeping decisions? 
• 12:18 What can we learn from China’s decarbonisation scheme? 
• 14:50 China and the US will make their bets as a state as to what to invest in - will this also be influenced by the movement from markets? 
• 17:30 If markets are driving change, individual and global businesses need to respond - Can global business turn the tide in the current climate crisis? 
• 19:54 Can the pursuit of profit be compatible with protecting the planet? ? 
• 21:40 What is the biggest challenge for companies?
• 23:06 How successful do you feel you were in growing the business @Unilever whilst decoupling its footprint? 
• 30:00 Are there any other companies (other than Unilever) that are well on that path?
• 32:48 Markets, policy makers and individuals - Can we all talk to each other and not past each other?
• 34:09 How do we all get on the same page?
• 37:46 Are you optimistic?
• 41:23 If you are a CEO, CFO, COO wanting to take positive action recognising the role your business can play in it, what’s the practical first step?