AI-powered Action Plans to Achieve Sustainability Goals for Companies | The Green Link #podcast - GreenBusinessImpact

Episode Transcript
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Now what? Sure you have to achieve that lofty number, which is exciting for so many reasons.
.636363636But do you know this strategy? Do you know actually what you're going to do to meet that goal? And how do you know which strategy is going to be the best for your business? That is exactly what Bernard LeBelle, CEO of the Green Link and his team do through their platform which is embedded with the latest AI software. 4 00:00:27,543.636363636 --> 00:00:39,543.636363636 They help you validate, plan, and execute every single sustainability goal and find those solutions that you can use to reach your goals. 5 00:00:39,553.636363636 --> 00:00:45,873.636363636 And if that sustainability goal that your CEO plopped on your desk, you can go in and do research within. 6 00:00:45,983.636363636 --> 00:00:49,180.303030303 The platform and see whether that's actually a good idea. 7 00:00:49,180.303030303 --> 00:00:59,170.303030303 You can vet it and then you can go back to the CEO and say, Hey, that might have not been the best idea for this goal, so let's try to do this, this, this instead. 8 00:00:59,170.303030303 --> 00:01:00,580.303030303 And these are the reasons why. 9 00:01:00,580.303030303 --> 00:01:02,170.303030303 And it's all there for you. 10 00:01:02,410.303030303 --> 00:01:05,170.303030303 All tracked, all logged, everything. 11 00:01:05,180.303030303 --> 00:01:09,20.303030303 So make sure you don't miss a single second of this amazing interview. 12 00:01:45,24.79282622 --> 00:01:50,227.69532055 Bernard, do you mind telling us a bit about the Green Link and what you guys do? Hi Billy. 13 00:01:50,236.08534323 --> 00:01:51,466.08534323 Thank you for having us here. 14 00:01:51,526.08534323 --> 00:01:59,461.91300763 What we tell can tell you is we offer an AI enhanced digital portal to enable organization to successfully design how they achieve. 15 00:01:59,461.91300763 --> 00:02:01,896.91300763 Sustainability initiatives by leveraging what already works. 16 00:02:02,196.91300763 --> 00:02:06,966.91300763 So in the sense, this means that we allow company to set up their sustaining goals and challenges in our portal. 17 00:02:07,236.91300763 --> 00:02:13,421.91300763 They can crowdsource initiative from their staff by leveraging over 6,000 existing solutions in our libraries. 18 00:02:13,781.91300763 --> 00:02:17,796.91300763 They can manage all the sustainability initiatives and implementation projects. 19 00:02:18,26.91300763 --> 00:02:18,866.91300763 In the portal. 20 00:02:18,986.91300763 --> 00:02:27,620.24634096 And because they got this whole project management built in, then they can consolidate the output of all these action and creating a single click, their sustainability report. 21 00:02:27,630.24634096 --> 00:02:28,975.24634096 Yeah, that's really awesome. 22 00:02:29,315.24634096 --> 00:02:38,212.64996908 And because it could be really difficult for companies to know, what are the options out there? Especially for a chief sustainability officer, right? They come into this role and they're like, okay. 23 00:02:38,232.45722531 --> 00:02:49,532.45722531 Now what do I do, And so they might be looking out there and trying to research all these different ideas and what's going on, but it can also be really difficult, not only just like knowing what's out there, but also understanding. 24 00:02:49,542.45722531 --> 00:02:56,769.53205525 What applies to them and what's actually going to work for them? So how do you guys help with that as well? So the way that we do it, it was good. 25 00:02:56,769.53205525 --> 00:03:03,990.81323438 We built some artificial intelligence engines to help us curate solution from around the world, from many different sources in many different languages. 26 00:03:03,990.81323438 --> 00:03:10,858.47990105 And then we curate them, we tag them, and we make sure that we can allocate them to every function, every industry in every geography. 27 00:03:10,858.47990105 --> 00:03:12,388.47990105 So basically you are right. 28 00:03:12,658.47990105 --> 00:03:17,765.14656772 There's a lot of things that can work for everybody, and there's some things that just are not suited to your specific location. 29 00:03:17,776.63182849 --> 00:03:18,701.63182849 I'll give an example. 30 00:03:19,91.63182849 --> 00:03:25,869.71572872 If you are in Europe, obviously one of the way to not emit CO2 during your travels is to op for high speed trains. 31 00:03:25,989.71572872 --> 00:03:32,498.04906205 Now in France, we of course have high speed trains I would never recommend that to somebody in Brazil or in South Africa because it doesn't make sense. 32 00:03:32,498.04906205 --> 00:03:33,8.04906205 It doesn't exist. 33 00:03:33,18.04906205 --> 00:03:35,278.04906205 So that what we do is when we set up a new client. 34 00:03:35,438.04906205 --> 00:03:48,428.04906205 We look at all those libraries and we ask ourselves, what is industry this client in? What is the degree? And therefore what makes sense so that the users can only have things that they can start looking at, and then assess whether or not it makes sense for the organization because. 35 00:03:48,438.04906205 --> 00:03:51,658.04906205 They're the best people to know what will work and what won't. 36 00:03:51,678.04906205 --> 00:03:54,214.71572872 It's not an external consultant that can prescribe it. 37 00:03:54,214.71572872 --> 00:04:04,144.71572872 It has to be done by somebody from the inside to have a look at what exists, and then make a choice of selection and then propose to initiate to implement that and document how it's gonna be achievable. 38 00:04:04,534.71572872 --> 00:04:05,694.71572872 And then you can know your have it. 39 00:04:05,721.38239538 --> 00:04:06,621.38239538 Yeah, definitely. 40 00:04:06,896.23500309 --> 00:04:17,621.89259946 And I really like how you mentioned, you have to document how it's going to be achievable, right? Because you can say okay, we have this great goal to reduce emissions by 50% in the next five years or something. 41 00:04:17,621.89259946 --> 00:04:18,140.35064935 And it's okay. 42 00:04:18,145.35064935 --> 00:04:35,249.03545661 How are you gonna do that? What are you gonna put in place? What process are you gonna see? That you can see yes, it's working, or no it's not right? Because you can't just say, okay, we're gonna reduce this and we're going to do that by doing this process and then start that process and never check on it. 43 00:04:35,316.13296228 --> 00:04:47,167.77695321 You have to see is that actually working? Is it doing what you expect it to be doing and what are the feedback loops that she can see that it is going to make that difference on reaching that goal. 44 00:04:47,167.77695321 --> 00:04:50,78.82003711 So you guys also help with that process as well too, right? Yeah. 45 00:04:50,83.82003711 --> 00:04:52,413.82003711 In the way that you need to be able to be pretty sure. 46 00:04:52,613.82003711 --> 00:04:55,583.82003711 That what you're proposing is achievable, implementable. 47 00:04:55,616.74520717 --> 00:05:04,586.74520717 Cuz if you don't start by looking at that from the get-go, what you end up with is, you know those brilliant ideas everyone has under the shower in the morning, you text your CSO officer and say, Hey, we should do this. 48 00:05:04,586.74520717 --> 00:05:09,760.06720264 And then the team gets on it, spend two weeks and not only you find out, know, it's a ludicrous idea to start with. 49 00:05:09,765.06720264 --> 00:05:14,930.06720264 So what our method does, Through the portal is when you get inspired by something that exists. 50 00:05:15,170.06720264 --> 00:05:24,330.06720264 Then we'll challenge you to tell us how desirable, feasible, and viable is it, and therefore, when the idea reached, I would say validation stages by the CSO and his team. 51 00:05:24,340.06720264 --> 00:05:31,818.47990105 You've got really strong potential ideas and all we've kicked out all the half baked ideas through the process of ideation. 52 00:05:32,118.47990105 --> 00:05:37,68.47990105 And therefore when you say go, you know exactly how you're gonna execute on that potential initiative. 53 00:05:37,188.47990105 --> 00:05:41,8.47990105 You know exactly the expertise that's needed, and you've confronted yourself with reality. 54 00:05:41,218.47990105 --> 00:05:54,253.50257679 And that's an important thing because then the CSO and his team can be confident that when they say, They'll be able to deliver because today a lot of companies have publicly pledged to do better, and I still have no freaking idea, pardon my French, on where to start. 55 00:05:54,482.84498042 --> 00:05:58,682.84498042 There's a stat that say 65% of companies don't know where to start. 56 00:05:59,72.84498042 --> 00:06:04,442.01731602 And a lot of them have done awareness exercises like a Climate Fresk, and then everybody's jazzed up and scared. 57 00:06:04,442.01731602 --> 00:06:10,182.01731602 And then what do we do and how do we do every turns up to the CSO and his team, say, You are the experts of everything on. 58 00:06:10,192.01731602 --> 00:06:11,182.01731602 Tell us what we should to do. 59 00:06:11,192.01731602 --> 00:06:11,814.91981035 Actually, that's wrong. 60 00:06:12,114.91981035 --> 00:06:23,908.53659039 The CSO and his team are an enablers of the process, but it has to be owned by everyone, in every industry, in every function, to ask itself and herself and oneself to what is it I can do better on the way I operate. 61 00:06:23,908.53659039 --> 00:06:25,738.53659039 And it's not just about co2. 62 00:06:25,748.53659039 --> 00:06:26,558.53659039 Yeah, definitely. 63 00:06:26,658.53659039 --> 00:06:34,972.9583591 And what are some of those other things that people can do and then really ask themselves? It's not all about carbon emissions, it's not all about co2. 64 00:06:35,242.9583591 --> 00:06:46,997.9583591 What are some other things that they can do as well? It's essential because if you think just co2, one of the way you could do it, and I know we'll be talking about compensation later, but you say, okay, why don't I just plan some Eucalyptus tree to compensate. 65 00:06:47,27.9583591 --> 00:06:47,687.9583591 Brilliant idea. 66 00:06:47,687.9583591 --> 00:06:54,51.5184498 Eucalyptus, this is very strong in capturing carbon not as strong as kelp, and you're taking viable, land for food for example. 67 00:06:54,201.5184498 --> 00:07:00,601.5184498 At the same time, if you take the entire Amazon and you just spread eucalyptus seeds on it, you'll kill all the biodiversity. 68 00:07:00,606.5184498 --> 00:07:05,725.20325706 So by looking at just carbon, we're actually not looking at the thing holistically. 69 00:07:05,725.20325706 --> 00:07:09,499.10348382 And we need to do that because we could address carbon and we may do a very good job at it. 70 00:07:09,769.10348382 --> 00:07:11,949.10348382 We'll still have nanoplastics in breast milk. 71 00:07:12,94.53432282 --> 00:07:15,34.53432282 Because we haven't touched on that topic because we're all focused on carbon. 72 00:07:15,184.53432282 --> 00:07:19,904.53432282 So that's why we say we look at this environment and society from a holistic perspective. 73 00:07:20,144.53432282 --> 00:07:24,261.20098949 We curate libraries of solutions to tackle all these different building blocks of human life. 74 00:07:24,261.20098949 --> 00:07:30,681.20098949 So food, water, energy, climate, biodiversity, land and water, and responsible consumption and production. 75 00:07:31,31.20098949 --> 00:07:38,931.20098949 And that way we know that the companies that embark on their journey can improve their environmental footprint as a whole, not just carbon. 76 00:07:38,941.20098949 --> 00:07:39,661.20098949 Yeah, definitely. 77 00:07:39,671.71119357 --> 00:08:02,186.79055865 That's really important because, we often talk about, like one thing we get like really super focused on that one thing and then we can achieve that goal, right? But then it's okay, what about all the other things? Are you really looking at like the after effects of what you're doing, is that really having a positive impact on some of the other things you're trying? I always talk about this great example from one of the other interviews that I did before. 78 00:08:02,255.50937951 --> 00:08:10,428.43454958 He was talking about the circular economy and his interview was called The Rubbish Project and I'll link that in the description for everybody who wants to see it. 79 00:08:10,428.43454958 --> 00:08:28,658.76334776 But what he was saying was there was this airline who put forth, the idea that oh, we're, getting rid of plastic bottles and we're going to trade it into these boxed water solutions, right? And so they were going to supply boxed water on all their flights, and they were saying, yes, we did something really great for the environment. 80 00:08:28,658.76334776 --> 00:08:30,398.76334776 And they're like, yeah, we're doing something really great. 81 00:08:30,398.76334776 --> 00:08:39,963.66130695 And then when you really look into it, it's okay, you can, you took a plastic bottle, which could potentially be, a hundred percent recycled, but now you're using a boxed water. 82 00:08:40,1.71119357 --> 00:08:50,345.46402804 which actually has a line of metal inside of it because what happens when, cardboard gets wet? It, disintegrates and just doesn't do well. 83 00:08:50,350.46402804 --> 00:09:00,237.44815502 And the whole process for creating boxed water is a lot less sustainable because you're using so many more resources and it's not recyclable. 84 00:09:00,247.44815502 --> 00:09:04,272.44815502 afterwards because of the fact that they have to put this lining in and all that other stuff. 85 00:09:04,512.44815502 --> 00:09:05,191.58647701 So it's okay. 86 00:09:05,191.58647701 --> 00:09:12,995.99690785 So you've traded something that Could be recycled into something that, could have a really larger impact on the environment. 87 00:09:12,995.99690785 --> 00:09:17,355.63409606 And it's okay, did you really win there It's really considering that holistically. 88 00:09:17,360.63409606 --> 00:09:19,133.07173779 And I love that you guys are doing that as well. 89 00:09:19,203.07173779 --> 00:09:25,893.07173779 and it's important because when you come to think of it everything starts with the design of your product services, and you need to train your people to think differently. 90 00:09:25,893.07173779 --> 00:09:27,453.07173779 You need to get them access to knowledge. 91 00:09:27,663.07173779 --> 00:09:35,478.09441352 That alternative material exists, alternative solutions exist, and they need to challenge the way that they actually do things and challenge the status quo, basically. 92 00:09:35,808.09441352 --> 00:09:37,518.09441352 And that's what we're also part of the module. 93 00:09:37,518.09441352 --> 00:09:40,968.75200989 And we've got many modules in our platform, but one of it is what we call the product design. 94 00:09:40,968.75200989 --> 00:09:44,58.75200989 That's where you can you compare what is your actually doing to what could be. 95 00:09:44,84.38693053 --> 00:09:48,735.0445269 And then you can propose them as new initiatives to change the way you manufacture your product or services. 96 00:09:48,740.0445269 --> 00:09:55,70.23727067 Because you need to think about the ripple effects of what you just described, the ripple effects of your choices when changing something. 97 00:09:55,430.23727067 --> 00:10:00,560.21459493 And there's a lot of really bad solution out there that are being advertised as green and they're not. 98 00:10:00,560.21459493 --> 00:10:01,597.3121006 I You need to think back. 99 00:10:01,602.3121006 --> 00:10:05,732.41414141 You need to have a conversation with your suppliers, needs to be an ecosystem thinking. 100 00:10:05,732.41414141 --> 00:10:06,992.41414141 You just can't do it on your own. 101 00:10:07,292.41414141 --> 00:10:09,602.41414141 You have to do it with your business partners looking at. 102 00:10:09,660.75881262 --> 00:10:14,435.75881262 your Scope three is their scope one, if you, again, talking just carbon, but it's the same thing. 103 00:10:14,435.75881262 --> 00:10:20,634.78375593 If you ask them for a product and you find out it's the way to produce it, uses 10 times more water than the previous option. 104 00:10:20,644.78375593 --> 00:10:30,526.77922078 Considering that 2022 was probably the freshest year we've ever seen so far because 2023 is already looking up to be even worse, then obviously water is something you need to to take into consideration. 105 00:10:30,665.11255411 --> 00:10:35,385.11255411 When you're sourcing the components for your design for the product, and you're talking to your suppliers. 106 00:10:35,385.11255411 --> 00:10:38,622.06266749 So it's definitely something that needs to be addressed by design. 107 00:10:38,622.06266749 --> 00:10:40,392.06266749 You need to have a holistic view of things. 108 00:10:40,845.79282622 --> 00:10:41,805.79282622 Up till the end of life. 109 00:10:41,810.79282622 --> 00:10:42,290.79282622 Definitely. 110 00:10:42,530.79282622 --> 00:10:50,838.89940219 And on your platform you talked about, you have some educational resources and things like that for people to really consider as they're going through each of these processes. 111 00:10:50,853.72933416 --> 00:11:12,693.11708926 Who do you suggest it goes through this process for an organization when they come on board as a client? Do you have just, the CSO looking at it or is, anyone in the organization who do you say is like the best fit for that? So The one thing that we have to bear mind is the CSO, she or he is not a musician where the magic went to change everything so that person cannot do it on their own. 112 00:11:12,718.11708926 --> 00:11:20,989.08080808 First and foremost lot of what we've seen is because the focus has been on carbon for the last 20 years, they're tremendously well-versed in whatever relates to carbon. 113 00:11:21,61.13296228 --> 00:11:27,210.54339311 Now that the issue is getting broader they need to do to revamp their knowledge and we have part of that as part of the academy. 114 00:11:27,510.54339311 --> 00:11:29,610.54339311 But going back to your point, I would believe that. 115 00:11:29,653.61595547 --> 00:11:32,173.61595547 The answer lies in the maturity of the organization. 116 00:11:32,173.61595547 --> 00:11:37,248.61595547 You could have some organization where even, staff level are highly aware of the environment. 117 00:11:37,253.61595547 --> 00:11:39,633.61595547 I'm thinking about the French cheese maker Bell. 118 00:11:39,903.61595547 --> 00:11:43,618.61595547 They've got a high focus on understanding on plastic, throughout the entire organization. 119 00:11:43,948.61595547 --> 00:11:45,608.61595547 So you don't need to have just the CSO. 120 00:11:45,647.45949289 --> 00:11:46,367.45949289 They understand it. 121 00:11:46,367.45949289 --> 00:12:21,411.32570604 So depending whether you are in the maturity, On sustainability, on your transformation journey? You could start with just the CSO and his main team, the CSO team's but his expanded contacts within direction or everybody, but the Academy Portal is there to give pointers to a lot of existing resources, newsletters, games, books, podcasts, videos, and we have even a lexicon so that when people are confronted with something, they immediately have a go-to point where you say is there something I can educate myself in five or 10 or 16 minutes just to get a broad understanding of it? And then we can dive into deeper conversation on the topic. 122 00:12:21,411.32570604 --> 00:12:27,18.44588745 But at least I get that high level digest and we're applying to ourself, or we tell to our clients, don't reinvent the wheel. 123 00:12:27,23.44588745 --> 00:12:33,421.45042259 So what we do is we curate existing material or believe are fantastically well designed and beautifully crafted to explain things. 124 00:12:33,794.78375593 --> 00:12:43,689.76108019 and then we put them on the portals that our users, whenever they are on their alerting journey, can come back and say, I wanna learn more about, a nanoplastic, I wanna learn more about alternative a leather, or all these kinds of things. 125 00:12:43,699.76108019 --> 00:12:44,359.76108019 Yeah, definitely. 126 00:12:44,359.76108019 --> 00:12:44,809.76108019 That's great. 127 00:12:45,199.76108019 --> 00:13:08,881.22366522 And who can suggest, different innovations and put ideas that would go through that validation process that you have on your platform? Who can do that? All of the users of our clients can submit at any point in time, a potential new solution set, a potential new best practices a potential new clean tech, a potential new alternative material, a potential new academic resources, and a potential tool and services, or new definition. 128 00:13:08,881.22366522 --> 00:13:09,751.22366522 It's solely collaborative. 129 00:13:09,781.22366522 --> 00:13:12,541.22366522 We've spent two and a half years curating the information. 130 00:13:12,541.22366522 --> 00:13:22,6.4844362 We're bringing that to the portal so that when our clients on board, they already have a wealth of information to get inspiration from, but we know things are changing every day. 131 00:13:22,216.4844362 --> 00:13:31,259.47763348 So that's why we are saying why don't we grow together? We will keep on doing our weekly surveillance about the new and the brightest and challenges and if they're good, we'll put it on the platform. 132 00:13:31,259.47763348 --> 00:13:33,629.47763348 but anytime any users can actually submit something new. 133 00:13:33,998.45722531 --> 00:13:35,318.45722531 And then we'll have a conversation. 134 00:13:35,318.45722531 --> 00:13:42,191.79055865 If it's the best practices, we'll have a conversation with the CSO saying, what is your point of view on that? Is it a best practice? You consider as being? Yes. 135 00:13:42,371.79055865 --> 00:13:53,888.3891981 Then we'll add it to the platform and then it's a kind of mixed open source and curation, from internal user bank because if we believe that, that makes sense for other companies in the same industry, in other geographies, we'll make that accessible. 136 00:13:54,188.3891981 --> 00:14:09,713.3891981 We'll hide any specific details, of course, but the idea is, The more of us gets to leverage what exists, the faster we can get to a positive impact because we'll be scaling what already works and therefore it's easier than just trying to come up with something you will need to find out 20 days later, that's not gonna work at all. 137 00:14:09,718.3891981 --> 00:14:10,408.3891981 Yeah, definitely. 138 00:14:10,437.11935683 --> 00:14:10,974.51164708 That's great. 139 00:14:10,979.51164708 --> 00:14:22,358.44588745 And can you give us an example of, a solution on your site or something that you would recommend for a client that you recently had go through of a process? Maybe just show us an example here. 140 00:14:22,404.3982684 --> 00:14:22,524.3982684 Yeah. 141 00:14:22,524.3982684 --> 00:14:24,834.3982684 One of the thing that's back in 2020. 142 00:14:24,834.3982684 --> 00:14:29,881.47309833 So it's not with a recent portal, but the same knowledge has been just refined and digitized in a way. 143 00:14:29,881.47309833 --> 00:14:37,547.85631829 But in 2020, the WWF in Switzerland came up to us and said, Hey, we need to remember the time was COVID, so no flights. 144 00:14:37,697.85631829 --> 00:14:43,897.85631829 We need to remotely monitor how much carbon is captured in reforestation project using satellite data. 145 00:14:43,974.52298495 --> 00:14:47,913.570604 Now we can't find something and we say we are gonna have a look at our AI curated things. 146 00:14:47,913.570604 --> 00:14:50,133.570604 We're going to go out there and we talk to the solution. 147 00:14:50,133.570604 --> 00:15:01,711.16924345 We came back and we said well, there are five companies that already exist, and when you combine them tomorrow morning, you could start monitoring the carbon captured in your project in Venezuela or Guatemala from. 148 00:15:01,986.16924345 --> 00:15:04,896.16924345 Switzerland using AI and satellite images. 149 00:15:05,76.16924345 --> 00:15:07,506.16924345 So that's one of the things we did for Bell France. 150 00:15:07,506.16924345 --> 00:15:14,526.16924345 We helped them in 2021 in looking at alternative fossil fuel free to packaging. 151 00:15:14,706.16924345 --> 00:15:18,456.16924345 And we found like 70 solutions around the world that could be a potential fit. 152 00:15:18,456.16924345 --> 00:15:20,406.16924345 And then they did the whole research internally. 153 00:15:20,406.16924345 --> 00:15:21,526.16924345 Because same thing. 154 00:15:21,626.16924345 --> 00:15:25,309.89940219 When you get inspiration, then you need to have internal I would say validation. 155 00:15:25,309.89940219 --> 00:15:30,74.89940218 They're actually gonna be fitting your process, your industry, or we could take example of Novo Nordisk. 156 00:15:30,199.91074005 --> 00:15:31,699.91074005 That's a pharmaceutical cook company. 157 00:15:31,699.91074005 --> 00:15:35,779.91074005 We've been helping them in Canada since 2020 and in France since 2022. 158 00:15:35,779.91074005 --> 00:15:46,197.39373325 And one of the latest things we did for them that was in France, and they say As a pharmaceutical industry, and they, obviously, they have some manufacturing process, but that's not the case in with the location that we're living. 159 00:15:46,227.39373325 --> 00:15:54,271.99690785 But they were saying a lot of our carbon footprint is actually the Congress and events we organize to spread the knowledge of our new products to our new, the health physicians. 160 00:15:54,571.99690785 --> 00:15:58,976.81550196 They say What can we do about it? We've done some education to the team and then we are, we're stuck. 161 00:15:58,976.81550196 --> 00:15:59,996.81550196 We don't know where to start. 162 00:15:59,996.81550196 --> 00:16:01,935.14883529 So we got them on our platform. 163 00:16:01,940.14883529 --> 00:16:08,995.48897135 We told them basically if we're looking at the search engine, we are congress in event there's 155 best practices that you could be implemented. 164 00:16:09,325.48897135 --> 00:16:15,115.48897135 And they did research and they were only doing a third of that already, meaning there were two third of potential room for improvement. 165 00:16:15,475.48897135 --> 00:16:17,665.48897135 And some of them, they decided they're gonna go straight ahead. 166 00:16:17,665.48897135 --> 00:16:19,432.29169243 Some of them they push back to the later stage. 167 00:16:19,432.29169243 --> 00:16:23,142.29169243 But it's all about looking at the way that you operate and be humbled. 168 00:16:23,194.34384663 --> 00:16:24,394.34384663 I don't know everything. 169 00:16:24,424.34384663 --> 00:16:26,584.34384663 And maybe there's a different better way of doing everything. 170 00:16:26,584.34384663 --> 00:16:32,864.34384663 And maybe if I only look at where is the knowledge I have and not look at the broader knowledge, I'll be missing out on some stuff. 171 00:16:32,869.34384663 --> 00:16:33,464.34384663 And that's what we do. 172 00:16:33,529.87672645 --> 00:16:42,63.2100598 We are very humble in that respect and say we might not know, but we are pretty sure with 8 billion people on the planet in an age of internet and Google someone somewhere has already. 173 00:16:42,100.4549577 --> 00:16:42,920.4549577 A portion of the solution. 174 00:16:43,100.4549577 --> 00:16:48,337.2236652 Now, our job with the team is actually to go out and increase the knowledge basis so then our customers can go. 175 00:16:48,362.3937333 --> 00:16:53,277.0876108 And so we've seen, we've, WWF was about a data acquisition monitoring clean technology. 176 00:16:53,483.2327355 --> 00:16:58,193.2327355 Novo Nordisk that was more about a best practices and Bell was about an alternative material. 177 00:16:58,193.2327355 --> 00:17:04,863.2100598 So really is about looking at things in all those different aspect because otherwise you are just missing. 178 00:17:04,868.2100598 --> 00:17:09,278.2100598 A tremendous number of opportunities to improve your environmental footprint overall. 179 00:17:09,333.2100598 --> 00:17:09,783.2100598 Definitely. 180 00:17:09,788.2100598 --> 00:17:10,418.2100598 That's awesome. 181 00:17:10,428.2100598 --> 00:17:16,510.1374974 And what was your motivation for creating the Green Link? It's a funny story and thanks for asking. 182 00:17:16,553.6295609 --> 00:17:29,873.4368172 It's one thing that led us to create the Green Link is I was previously the National Innovation Director for Deloitte and Canada, and me and my team spent almost near two and a half years looking at all those breakthrough technologies at the time, ai crisp and gene editing. 183 00:17:30,83.4368172 --> 00:17:35,470.1624407 We had 3D printing, we had blockchain and I was bringing all this great knowledge about solution that. 184 00:17:35,819.1624407 --> 00:17:37,624.3551845 Two kids at dinner every night. 185 00:17:37,984.3551845 --> 00:17:41,875.0354566 And especially things that relate to the environment because we were, I love the sea, I love diving. 186 00:17:41,880.0354566 --> 00:17:43,315.0354566 So we have a conversation about that. 187 00:17:43,315.0354566 --> 00:18:01,584.9107401 Then our Sunday lunch, and I did TEDx talk at McGill in 2019 about it at our son told us, mom, dad, if these solutions exist, why are they not scaled? And what is that you're gonna do to secure our future? Because when we look at the news, it seems in 11 years, as time was 2019, in 2030, our world will be doomed so in 11 years, we don't have a future. 188 00:18:01,614.9107401 --> 00:18:12,461.5774067 What are you gonna do about it? How can you make sure that new solution gets implemented? And so that's where it started with the intention to say, if it exists, if the knowledge exists, we have to spread the knowledge, but not just from an education point. 189 00:18:12,466.5774067 --> 00:18:16,121.5774067 It has to be embedded in some core strategic business principle. 190 00:18:16,121.5774067 --> 00:18:19,781.5774067 Because the only way that an organization will act on it, if it's part of the strategy. 191 00:18:19,861.5774067 --> 00:18:27,61.5774067 That's how it led us through a couple of iteration to land up with this new portal that we have that really goes from setting up the goals. 192 00:18:27,111.5774067 --> 00:18:35,971.5774067 Crowdsourcing initiatives leveraging what exists, prioritizing managing the projects, reporting, and then look back again, because next year you can challenge yourself. 193 00:18:35,971.5774067 --> 00:18:37,981.5774067 Okay, I've done 20% reduction. 194 00:18:38,71.5774067 --> 00:18:38,281.5774067 Okay. 195 00:18:38,281.5774067 --> 00:18:39,691.5774067 I still wanna do 25% more. 196 00:18:40,61.5774067 --> 00:18:45,311.5774067 What is it that I can change yet again? And you challenge yourself every time, and you need a tool to do that. 197 00:18:45,311.5774067 --> 00:18:51,689.6613069 You need a digital portal because we wanted to bring that knowledge not just in French and English, which but also to any language around the world. 198 00:18:51,689.6613069 --> 00:19:02,667.1443001 So by going digital, by using ai, we were able to have this portal in multi-languages so that people in South America can have it in their native Spanish or Brazilian languages. 199 00:19:03,2.1443001 --> 00:19:05,597.1329623 Not everybody talks English, not as well as you and I do. 200 00:19:05,787.1329623 --> 00:19:09,556.9062049 And then again, by going digital, you can massively scale and implement that. 201 00:19:09,766.9062049 --> 00:19:15,202.3143682 You have the ability to consolidate in a click because usually CSO and their team spend two to three months. 202 00:19:15,648.9810348 --> 00:19:25,538.9810348 Creating a CSR report because data is out there in emails, in PDFs, in PowerPoints, and they have to consolidate everything almost by hand while we do it in a click. 203 00:19:25,928.9810348 --> 00:19:30,935.2735518 So we saying that alert almost over time, but that's not the just notion of saving time and resources. 204 00:19:30,940.2735518 --> 00:19:39,980.2735518 If you only manage your strategy by looking at static report that it could get produced once time per year and is already three months late when the time it gets produced. 205 00:19:40,143.6068852 --> 00:19:43,951.9402185 You're not in a position to make actual strategy management decision. 206 00:19:43,951.9402185 --> 00:19:53,671.9402185 You need to have a quarterly report where you have, how are the year the initiatives delivering on the output? Which one are overdelivering? Which one are underdelivering? And there you can have some. 207 00:19:53,681.9402185 --> 00:19:57,895.2735518 Basic strategic managements policies, we need to put more resources in there. 208 00:19:57,895.2735518 --> 00:19:59,5.2735518 We need to act upon that. 209 00:19:59,275.2735518 --> 00:20:00,205.2735518 And things change. 210 00:20:00,205.2735518 --> 00:20:04,1.123892 Who could have predicted the Ukraine war and the, and inflation and the energy crisis. 211 00:20:04,211.123892 --> 00:20:11,713.708926 People who started their journey in 2022, saying that, we're gonna be starting with just focused on carbon well, might not be the best thing. 212 00:20:12,153.708926 --> 00:20:12,233.708926 Probably. 213 00:20:12,233.708926 --> 00:20:15,612.0989487 You want to do something about, energy efficiency and energy consumption reduction. 214 00:20:15,666.7588126 --> 00:20:19,106.7588126 Yeah, but my CSR report will not come up before three, four months from now. 215 00:20:19,136.7588126 --> 00:20:21,641.123892 I don't have, the workflows to get on a data information. 216 00:20:21,856.123892 --> 00:20:23,86.123892 Pretty sure everybody had it. 217 00:20:23,86.123892 --> 00:20:28,155.3529169 But just to, to make an example out of it is you need to monitor it on a quarterly basis. 218 00:20:28,155.3529169 --> 00:20:36,215.3529169 You need a tool to consolidate the information because otherwise you are not setting up yourself in the best position to act, react, and change the course of the trajectory. 219 00:20:36,425.3529169 --> 00:20:39,790.3529169 And if you don't do that chance it are, you won't be in business by the end of the decade. 220 00:20:39,795.3529169 --> 00:20:40,215.3529169 Definitely. 221 00:20:40,252.5184498 --> 00:20:41,212.5184498 That's super important. 222 00:20:41,266.3960008 --> 00:20:42,810.5910122 And thank you for sharing that story. 223 00:20:42,838.618223 --> 00:20:43,867.4957741 I think a lot. 224 00:20:43,872.4957741 --> 00:20:52,35.7157287 ecopreneurs that I've talked to on this podcast has always been like, okay, yeah, I was doing this one thing and it was just like I need to do more There's something more that I need to do here. 225 00:20:52,35.7157287 --> 00:20:56,362.2350031 And I think your kid brought that up to you and you were just like, yeah all right, let me do this. 226 00:20:56,373.4028035 --> 00:20:57,297.756545 I gotta do this. 227 00:20:57,325.5343228 --> 00:21:02,245.5343228 We don't have enough time to just wait around and wonder if it's going to happen or wait for somebody else to do it. 228 00:21:02,245.5343228 --> 00:21:04,644.1624407 It's we gotta take life by the hands and start going for it. 229 00:21:04,644.1624407 --> 00:21:05,334.1624407 So I love that. 230 00:21:05,334.1624407 --> 00:21:06,444.1851165 I think that's really great. 231 00:21:06,449.1851165 --> 00:21:22,12.0876108 And so what would you say is for any company out there like looking at these sustainability solutions, what like a first step to gathering all this information that you need to look at this holistically you talk about, you have on the platform and everything. 232 00:21:22,357.0876108 --> 00:21:31,88.0286539 To get started, what would your suggestion be? When we talk to client, we tell them if you don't match this four criteria, our solution might not deliver the best value for you. 233 00:21:31,98.0286539 --> 00:21:34,858.0286539 And there are 4 starting point is first, sustainability, has to be core business strategy. 234 00:21:34,868.0286539 --> 00:21:37,628.0286539 It has to be right up there with any other strategic topic. 235 00:21:37,988.0286539 --> 00:21:42,910.60235 Second, it has to be supported and vetted and Lifted by the CEO. 236 00:21:43,240.60235 --> 00:21:44,650.60235 It has to come from the top. 237 00:21:44,980.60235 --> 00:21:46,120.60235 That's the second criteria. 238 00:21:46,120.60235 --> 00:21:52,230.60235 The third criteria is there need to be a certain budget set aside by finance to fund those projects. 239 00:21:52,560.60235 --> 00:21:56,280.60235 That will challenge and change the way that things are being done in a company. 240 00:21:56,550.60235 --> 00:21:58,700.60235 That's the third criteria, really essential. 241 00:21:58,920.60235 --> 00:22:00,412.847248 And the fourth, somebody has to be in charge. 242 00:22:00,417.847248 --> 00:22:01,417.847248 Somebody has to be accountable. 243 00:22:01,447.847248 --> 00:22:07,427.3823954 That could be the CSO, that could be somebody else, but accountability has to be held at the highest level of the C-suite. 244 00:22:07,697.3823954 --> 00:22:11,587.3823954 Someone has to own it, and then that person needs to be able to embark other people. 245 00:22:11,587.3823954 --> 00:22:34,453.2554113 That's where the platform comes in because it's easier to get people to get embark when you provide them with things they can leverage rather than ask them to stare at a white wall and pouring, okay, how am I gonna cascade that 20% reduction objective in my space? I'm in IT? What the heck can I do about energy consumption? Actually there's a lot you can do about, but if you don't give them access to potential ideas. 246 00:22:34,496.3052979 --> 00:22:37,45.9651618 then you are not setting them up for success. 247 00:22:37,225.9651618 --> 00:22:49,511.1805813 So if once you've got these four steps and they need to be done by the organization without our help, before we can have a conversation once they've got there, then we can ask them, it's all about, because again every context is different. 248 00:22:49,721.1805813 --> 00:23:02,561.464028 It's all about, Have you already made some pledges? Have you made an SBTI pledges on temperature? Have you made some other pledges, like B Corp? Have you made a pledges for a plastic free fuel world? What is it that you've committed to so far? And then I'll give something to start with at the same time. 249 00:23:02,566.464028 --> 00:23:04,716.384663 We'll tell them, if you need to do some assessment. 250 00:23:04,744.9220779 --> 00:23:11,644.9220779 In the tool and services library, you'll find ton of potential providers that could do a carbon footprint assessment, that could do a product footprint assessments. 251 00:23:12,34.9220779 --> 00:23:15,724.9220779 Then you can decide that you wanna start with that because you know this is your best selling product. 252 00:23:15,729.9220779 --> 00:23:16,654.9220779 Maybe you wanna start with that. 253 00:23:16,864.9220779 --> 00:23:19,384.9220779 Maybe you wanna start with a smaller selling product to have a pipe. 254 00:23:19,744.9220779 --> 00:23:24,584.9220779 There's so many different use cases and a way to approach it that we don't believe there's a just one size fits all. 255 00:23:24,584.9220779 --> 00:23:26,134.9220779 So what we do believe. 256 00:23:26,144.9220779 --> 00:23:36,599.9220779 If it's not a strategy business issue, if it's not owned by the leadership at the top level and with a public commitment made, if there's no money size set to change things and no one's in charge, you'll never do a good job about it. 257 00:23:36,609.9220779 --> 00:23:38,276.8721913 Yeah I completely agree that's great. 258 00:23:38,281.8721913 --> 00:23:50,347.6885178 And what do you see as like the biggest obstacle for any of your clients coming on board that you helped them overcome or help them see? the one thing we know and it's documented by statistics down both in North America and Europe. 259 00:23:50,347.6885178 --> 00:23:54,277.6885178 It's 65% of companies don't know where to start. 260 00:23:54,467.6885178 --> 00:23:55,2.6885178 That's amazing. 261 00:23:55,242.6885178 --> 00:23:56,952.6885178 They don't know where they got this big thing. 262 00:23:56,966.0785405 --> 00:24:02,513.1420326 We've got this, okay, CO2 minus X water minus Y energy renewables up by Z. 263 00:24:02,523.1420326 --> 00:24:03,243.1420326 Fantastic. 264 00:24:03,248.1420326 --> 00:24:24,423.7996289 So what we help them think is we help them understand that in the library they can do some searchers on these assets, and then they'll look at description of best practices, description of king technologies, description of solution set, and then they can start having conversation even where they're a small team or the group of dedicated team that they just, took out just to have a crack at potential ideas and maybe it'll do workshop or something. 265 00:24:24,423.7996289 --> 00:24:27,810.171511 But the one thing that they have a lot of difficulty overcoming. 266 00:24:27,829.9787673 --> 00:24:35,949.9787673 How do I translate that strategic figure into operational initiatives? The operationalization of the strategy is the hardest part. 267 00:24:35,954.9787673 --> 00:24:38,624.9787673 You can set up a strategic intent, and that's funky thing. 268 00:24:38,924.9787673 --> 00:24:43,904.9787673 If you look at this, BTI, a lot of company made pledges, and I'm really thrilled about this. 269 00:24:43,914.9787673 --> 00:24:53,199.9787673 Now, ask them, how many of them would he have a clear operational plan to deliver on those pledge? That number might be lower than 5% from the last conversation I had with some of the people in there. 270 00:24:53,379.9787673 --> 00:24:55,689.9787673 So the intentions is there, which is fantastic. 271 00:24:55,689.9787673 --> 00:25:04,554.3325088 You have to have an intention, but they're struggling with, and now how do I deliver? Now the funny thing about is once you start going public on your assumptions, people will held you accountable for it. 272 00:25:04,954.3325088 --> 00:25:11,144.6953205 So they can be your shareholders, there can be your clients, there can be your financial partners, or it can be your staff saying we pledge on that. 273 00:25:11,384.6953205 --> 00:25:12,674.6953205 We haven't moved the needle. 274 00:25:12,691.6227582 --> 00:25:14,71.6227582 One centimeters on edge. 275 00:25:14,81.6227582 --> 00:25:17,922.2576788 What is it that we intend to do? Actually we're working on it. 276 00:25:17,922.2576788 --> 00:25:18,706.7928262 Don't start working it. 277 00:25:18,826.7928262 --> 00:25:23,341.7928262 Ask yourself if you do search on that, is that doesn't sound like a fair option to consider. 278 00:25:23,641.7928262 --> 00:25:24,1.7928262 Yes. 279 00:25:24,1.7928262 --> 00:25:24,301.7928262 No. 280 00:25:24,421.7928262 --> 00:25:25,721.7928262 Is it? It's a fair option to consider. 281 00:25:25,961.7928262 --> 00:25:28,691.7928262 How does stregically get at our level? Actually, we need to change this. 282 00:25:28,691.7928262 --> 00:25:35,917.1896516 We, okay, so now we have an idea of something that could potentially be orchestrated to take a chunk off this big strategic target. 283 00:25:35,922.1896516 --> 00:25:47,426.4073387 and boil down into ops or manufacturing or IT or marketing or HR, and that's how you start building it because there's never be a one stop solution magic, one silver bullet that does not exist. 284 00:25:47,666.4073387 --> 00:25:53,696.4073387 What you need to do is cascade at operational level in every domain and then get them to stack a back. 285 00:25:53,701.4073387 --> 00:25:55,821.4073387 And that's where your small rivers, makes great rivers. 286 00:25:56,151.4073387 --> 00:25:57,31.4073387 I think that's the French saying. 287 00:25:57,31.4073387 --> 00:26:03,904.4572253 I may have translated it wrong, but the idea is you only got all the small actions, which are not small because they're not made by individual. 288 00:26:03,914.4572253 --> 00:26:13,864.4572253 they made by individual in their decision making process as part of a role in an industry, meaning that when they decide to change something, they've got the full might and volume of the company. 289 00:26:13,864.4572253 --> 00:26:14,644.4572253 I'll take an example. 290 00:26:14,654.4572253 --> 00:26:21,848.0853432 In Europe, when you go to get your car to be serviced and maintenance, you usually get your car back with a lot of plastic on the drive wheel. 291 00:26:21,853.0853432 --> 00:26:24,936.7361369 And on the driver's seats, that plastic is usually single-use. 292 00:26:25,5.0694702 --> 00:26:32,916.2259328 Now if one person in one position as a purchasing manager, decided to say, I'm gonna source a different bioplastic from seaweed, fully recyclable. 293 00:26:32,916.2259328 --> 00:26:33,786.2259328 That's one decision. 294 00:26:34,146.2259328 --> 00:26:38,431.2259328 But what the impact is with the number of cars that being serviced throughout Europe. 295 00:26:38,791.2259328 --> 00:26:42,511.2259328 That one decision has a tremendous amount of impact at scale. 296 00:26:42,600.9538239 --> 00:26:47,430.9538239 If that person decided at home, I'm not gonna use plastic anymore, I'm gonna use some other bags, fantastic. 297 00:26:47,430.9538239 --> 00:26:50,320.9538239 But only him or her in our, your personal environment. 298 00:26:50,590.9538239 --> 00:26:55,200.9538239 If he or she makes a conscious business decision, then the impact gets scaled. 299 00:26:55,440.9538239 --> 00:27:04,620.9538239 And if everybody in a business position can make a business decision to change things at scale within its own company, they will ripple off and then it will stack up and then we'll get there. 300 00:27:04,680.9538239 --> 00:27:05,970.9538239 We'll curve the climate trajectory. 301 00:27:05,980.9538239 --> 00:27:06,880.9538239 Yeah, definitely. 302 00:27:06,880.9538239 --> 00:27:07,660.9538239 I fully agree. 303 00:27:07,660.9538239 --> 00:27:15,550.6703772 And that's, one of the big things about this podcast is really looking at, okay, what are businesses doing because that's how we are going to solve this climate crisis. 304 00:27:15,550.6703772 --> 00:27:31,97.7678829 Because they can actually have an impact, especially when say you are a bioplastic manufacturer and you're supplying these bioplastics it can be, your whole company is based on how well you are impacting and making a more sustainable planet. 305 00:27:31,157.7678829 --> 00:27:51,957.2350031 And so if we can support these companies through this podcast, but listening to this podcast and going on and supporting them from here, you can really see that this ripple effect that we can have because, we can wait around for the government to provide, funding and put regulations and all these things, but it is not going to be nowhere near as fast or in the timeline that we need. 306 00:27:51,962.2350031 --> 00:28:22,356.5774067 Working with these companies where, the government is just never going to have the fire under their butt to like, get things moving when you're well, when that's a very European or North American opinion, but if you're somebody that's in one of these Highland in the Pacific, you might have not under fire under water coming up fast, but totally be the main issue of governments is not, the fact that they don't have any power is the fact that their power as a specific timeline of existence, they only have there's the next vote coming up and that could undo whatever they've done so far. 307 00:28:22,361.5774067 --> 00:28:25,392.5524634 And that's why we need governments to put in new regulation. 308 00:28:25,397.5524634 --> 00:28:26,765.4549577 We need governments to putting funding. 309 00:28:26,765.4549577 --> 00:28:27,305.0354566 Definitely. 310 00:28:27,605.0354566 --> 00:28:30,332.7905586 But are they the best vehicle to execute. 311 00:28:30,471.5320552 --> 00:28:39,811.4867038 I don't think so when in the US in the 1930s when they had this whole program built, the Hoover dam, it was, public ordering but it was private, company delivering. 312 00:28:40,201.4867038 --> 00:28:47,551.4867038 And that way it is the private companies that can deliver massively at scale because it's on their own best survival interest to start with. 313 00:28:47,620.6363636 --> 00:28:47,890.6363636 Yeah. 314 00:28:47,980.6363636 --> 00:28:57,444.9220779 Private companies know how to survive and they've survived covid and went to digital transformation and remote working and six months we've been talking about this digitalization of the workplace for a decade. 315 00:28:57,684.9220779 --> 00:28:59,94.9220779 We did that in last than six months. 316 00:28:59,104.9220779 --> 00:29:03,239.9220779 Yeah, because when you have to, if it's for your survival, you do it right. 317 00:29:03,244.9220779 --> 00:29:04,821.2145949 And so that's the same thing here. 318 00:29:04,850.9198103 --> 00:29:15,332.2576788 We put these things into place and if it's for your survival, because if people stop buying your product because it's not sustainable, what are you gonna do? You're gonna sell a sustainable product. 319 00:29:15,337.2576788 --> 00:29:33,528.9130076 And where do you see, the industry going over the next few years? Where do you see these sustainability initiatives being placed into these companies? Do you see this as increasing with more companies actually knowing what they're doing, and having a plan and process in place? Or what do you see for the market? I think we're in a restructuring space. 320 00:29:33,550.863121 --> 00:29:41,382.2803546 When you think you look back we were talking about ESGs or corporate social responsibilities and for the previous two decades there's a lot of focus on carbon and that's all. 321 00:29:41,382.2803546 --> 00:29:50,637.7338693 There's a whole different set of stories, a why carbon is there and why do we put a price on carbon who actually suggested that to start with? And then there was the social aspect of equality in it. 322 00:29:50,692.7338693 --> 00:29:57,529.400536 From our personal convictions, we'd rather still a bit less educated, but on the thriving planet than all educated on the dying planet. 323 00:29:57,529.400536 --> 00:30:01,449.400536 And that's why we say we need to focus on the environment and that's what led us to create the Green Link. 324 00:30:01,469.400536 --> 00:30:08,554.400536 But what's interesting is ever since we created ourselves and we went to the market early in 2020, actually we started at the very beginning of Covid. 325 00:30:08,824.400536 --> 00:30:13,828.6295609 What we've noticed is the topic became, more and more pregnant at company board level. 326 00:30:13,838.6295609 --> 00:30:21,738.9130076 Obviously there are heat domes in, the west coast of Canada the floods in Europe, the dry summer, the wildfires, the cost of insurance. 327 00:30:21,769.5479283 --> 00:30:26,510.2735518 Some companies cannot get insured anymore because they're located in California. 328 00:30:26,510.2735518 --> 00:30:30,815.9538239 And as a winemaker you won't find a wine insurance anymore because just you are in a bad place. 329 00:30:30,905.9538239 --> 00:30:31,325.9538239 Basically. 330 00:30:31,330.9538239 --> 00:30:32,135.9538239 There's nothing we can do. 331 00:30:32,165.9538239 --> 00:30:34,453.538858 Insuring you will cost us more and more, and you as well. 332 00:30:34,693.538858 --> 00:30:40,602.7338693 So because of that, over the last two years, we've seen a building pressure from regulation from a financial world to do better. 333 00:30:40,632.7338693 --> 00:30:42,222.7338693 We've seen a tremendous increase. 334 00:30:42,222.7338693 --> 00:30:49,561.9969078 I think there was a 30% uptick of job posting on sustainability in LinkedIn in Europe, from 2021 to 2022. 335 00:30:49,631.894867 --> 00:30:53,231.894867 Definitely public companies are getting out there, getting the skill. 336 00:30:53,231.894867 --> 00:30:54,800.2508761 There's a shortage of skill on that. 337 00:30:55,130.2508761 --> 00:30:59,290.2508761 And also you don't need to be an expert in everything you need to build to have this holistic understanding. 338 00:30:59,290.2508761 --> 00:31:02,607.6885178 And then you rely on expertise because no one can know everything. 339 00:31:02,607.6885178 --> 00:31:06,913.8336425 The myth of the poly-educated person of the Renaissance cannot stand anymore. 340 00:31:06,972.9039373 --> 00:31:11,201.9742321 You need to be a massive generalist a specialized generalist to understand everything. 341 00:31:11,201.9742321 --> 00:31:16,777.8245722 We are thrilled about is we're seeing all these companies taking bolder moves in terms of getting the staff in, getting equipment. 342 00:31:17,167.8245722 --> 00:31:19,117.8245722 And we believe that they will go forward. 343 00:31:19,117.8245722 --> 00:31:23,594.0603999 2023 might be a year, where we'll reach a tipping points because the more and more. 344 00:31:23,659.0603999 --> 00:31:27,739.0603999 Clients and prospects we talk to realize that they need to actually deliver now. 345 00:31:27,739.0603999 --> 00:31:29,539.0603999 And they can't deliver without the knowledge. 346 00:31:29,539.0603999 --> 00:31:33,868.7996289 They can't deliver without the teams and they can't deliver without the tools to manage all that. 347 00:31:33,868.7996289 --> 00:31:36,628.7996289 So we are very confident in the space that it will go there. 348 00:31:36,988.7996289 --> 00:31:54,857.6091527 And one of the thing that really thrilled about is, Even though the last two years conversation was about just carbon, we now have clients that tell us where product design modules can you add externalities can you add toxicity? Can you add renewable energy or recyclable percentage as part of the component that we'll be making our decision based on, we say, absolutely, we can do that. 349 00:31:54,857.6091527 --> 00:31:59,736.0445269 It's part of the, our blueprint anyway, so what we are thrilled about is looking at what we thought. 350 00:31:59,756.0445269 --> 00:32:01,826.0445269 So as you need to take a step back and. 351 00:32:01,845.8971346 --> 00:32:05,985.8971346 The global, the non-planned boundaries, you need to look it from a global perspective. 352 00:32:05,995.8971346 --> 00:32:12,573.6295609 While we were seeing the whole business world just focused on one, now they're anticipating what's coming up next. 353 00:32:12,578.6295609 --> 00:32:19,819.8086992 I had a conversation with saying well, we've got this requests from our biggest client to tell them exactly what's our carbon footprint per product. 354 00:32:19,829.8086992 --> 00:32:25,359.8086992 But I don't wanna make a choice of a partner that will just do carbon, cuz I know six months from now they'll ask us about water. 355 00:32:25,539.8086992 --> 00:32:26,49.8086992 Not right now. 356 00:32:26,79.8086992 --> 00:32:26,829.8086992 In July. 357 00:32:26,949.8086992 --> 00:32:36,997.9833024 In July when the planet will be on fire again, then they'll say, okay, we need to actually make sure that we don't have as much water consumed in the production of our raw materials. 358 00:32:36,997.9833024 --> 00:32:39,997.9833024 So they know that it will be CO2 last year. 359 00:32:40,155.0354566 --> 00:32:44,240.0354566 2023 will be about water being part of the decision making process. 360 00:32:44,480.0354566 --> 00:32:47,480.0354566 And my hope is that then we'll reach plastic in 2024. 361 00:32:47,480.0354566 --> 00:32:48,20.0354566 And others. 362 00:32:48,20.0354566 --> 00:32:58,830.1034838 And others so in a way, what we're seeing is the space getting more mature staff and talenting companies get more mature on their journey, the conversation being addressed more broadly at C-suite level, board level. 363 00:32:58,854.8086992 --> 00:33:06,107.7338693 And you got the pressure from financial new providers that tell them you need, we need to understand exactly how are you doing on sustainability before we're gonna lend you any money. 364 00:33:06,187.7338693 --> 00:33:06,907.7338693 That's interesting. 365 00:33:06,907.7338693 --> 00:33:09,517.7338693 The notion of the pressure coming from the customers. 366 00:33:09,757.7338693 --> 00:33:13,302.7338693 RFPs are, give me an RFP that doesn't have a sustainability component right. 367 00:33:13,302.7338693 --> 00:33:13,572.7338693 Days. 368 00:33:13,582.7338693 --> 00:33:17,919.049062 Then, that might be an mitigation as to how mature organization, but it's almost everywhere. 369 00:33:18,117.847248 --> 00:33:24,142.0195836 That being said, again, this is a very European G 20 centric things, not the case in all part of the world. 370 00:33:24,142.0195836 --> 00:33:27,38.1647083 But if you're able to provide them, that's why you wanna go digital. 371 00:33:27,38.1647083 --> 00:33:28,568.1647083 That's why you want it to be multilingual. 372 00:33:28,640.262214 --> 00:33:40,550.262214 If we could help them do better right now, by leveraging exists, we'll achieve the same thing that telecoms companies have done in Africa and South America, where instead of going to landlines before going to mobile. 373 00:33:40,648.5955473 --> 00:33:43,168.5955473 They just jumpstarted and went straight to mobile. 374 00:33:43,408.5955473 --> 00:33:54,32.8132344 So if these companies in India and in other places want to do better and have access because it's digital, it's affordable to knowledge bases and find out new ways of doing things on your Mars, then they may start. 375 00:33:54,407.9266131 --> 00:33:57,437.9266131 Correcting things right now where they are, it means that everybody can improve. 376 00:33:57,437.9266131 --> 00:34:02,99.91074 So it's really, for us is important to make sure that everyone can access to that knowledge. 377 00:34:02,99.91074 --> 00:34:06,719.91074 Cause everyone has the ability to change something regardless of the geography or the industry. 378 00:34:06,769.91074 --> 00:34:07,519.91074 He or she is in. 379 00:34:07,529.91074 --> 00:34:08,129.91074 Yeah, definitely. 380 00:34:08,179.91074 --> 00:34:10,926.0558648 That's super important and I love how you mentioned the telecoms. 381 00:34:11,8.3914657 --> 00:34:15,69.2191301 You're just jumping straight to mobile and I think that's what we need to do here. 382 00:34:15,339.2191301 --> 00:34:27,933.8563183 And I love that you guys are providing a multilingual platform and everything because everyone needs this information, especially those developing countries, because they don't need to go through the whole process of coal and doing all the things that we did. 383 00:34:27,933.8563183 --> 00:34:34,87.7905586 Like they can just jump over, start with renewable, start with solar power, start with, different sustainability solutions. 384 00:34:34,92.7905586 --> 00:34:36,547.7905586 Start with not even using plastic to begin with. 385 00:34:36,552.7905586 --> 00:34:37,507.7905586 Like absolutely. 386 00:34:37,507.7905586 --> 00:34:39,141.6363636 Like using different options and. 387 00:34:39,856.6363636 --> 00:34:42,87.7474747 Building that from the ground up is so useful. 388 00:34:42,122.3052979 --> 00:34:47,557.3052979 You can take the lessons that we've learned over this time and just, jumpstart it. 389 00:34:47,867.3619872 --> 00:34:50,652.2826221 It's something that this young generation is eager to do. 390 00:34:50,677.9402185 --> 00:34:58,491.2055246 They're eager to challenge it because they know they'll stick around the planet for a couple of years to come, or the case to come, hopefully, and therefore they want make sure they'll end up in a better place. 391 00:34:58,491.2055246 --> 00:35:14,941.4209441 So by getting them to get to go on board and challenge them inside their industry and get them knowledge of that type of tool exists is essential because then they can go and start changing the way they operate, use all the technologies, less fumes, less pollution, less health problems. 392 00:35:14,956.2735518 --> 00:35:19,601.2735518 So much benefits to it that the question is what's refraining me from not doing it? Definitely. 393 00:35:19,651.2735518 --> 00:35:20,131.2735518 I love that. 394 00:35:20,141.2735518 --> 00:35:27,880.4345496 And I love to ask this question, and I know we've talked a little bit before, what are you currently learning right now So one of the things I wanted to understand is why is it. 395 00:35:28,77.1012162 --> 00:35:38,36.3075654 even we've seen the curves of climate and we've been talking about we were never in a position apart from the very few enlighted scientists and others to really grasp how fast the changes will be comin'. 396 00:35:38,61.3075654 --> 00:35:51,21.5229849 We're talking about exponential changes and one thing that we're really striking is when you look at the International Energy Agency prediction on solar panel production they had to revise it every year because the curve was not linear. 397 00:35:51,21.5229849 --> 00:35:52,473.6204906 It came exponential. 398 00:35:52,863.6204906 --> 00:36:09,96.953824 So I was asking how is it that we as humans are not able to grasp and to anticipate those exponential changes? And I've been reading a book called A thousand Brain, A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins, fantastic book and what the book describe as so 20 years of neuroscience research. 399 00:36:09,96.953824 --> 00:36:18,263.6204906 And he describes in very precisely that actually we are neurobiologically wired to linear thinking is the way our brain works is by anticipating what's supposed to come next. 400 00:36:18,263.6204906 --> 00:36:30,153.6204906 And we have what he calls framework reference, meaning that previous knowledge of what are the potential outcomes, which is the reason that when you have a red ball coming up in your view, you look at it and you see it because it's not something that you are supposed to be expecting. 401 00:36:30,158.6204906 --> 00:36:33,333.6204906 And therefore, if it's different, then it will strike you and get your attention. 402 00:36:33,513.6204906 --> 00:36:35,723.6204906 Now when the ball falls downward because of gravity. 403 00:36:35,723.6204906 --> 00:36:36,473.6204906 That's something you expected. 404 00:36:36,473.6204906 --> 00:36:38,993.6204906 If the ball was up, then you'll be surprised again. 405 00:36:39,383.6204906 --> 00:36:47,603.6204906 But meaning by that is we're so accustomed to linear thinking that we cannot understand neurobiologically unless you make a conscious approach to it. 406 00:36:47,993.6204906 --> 00:36:52,935.5932797 But at least from a, like regular thinking about, you just anticipate things to go just up or down. 407 00:36:52,972.8381777 --> 00:37:05,369.1987219 In a linear fashion, but actually what we've seen is that it's, it's not a butterfly effect? It's actually you amp up by one degree or one 10th of a degree, and then you've got massive changes in geo storms and in heat domes and everything. 408 00:37:05,369.1987219 --> 00:37:06,779.1987219 And it's compounding effects. 409 00:37:06,959.1987219 --> 00:37:10,122.1012162 You've got heat domes, you've got wildfires, you've got wildfires, you scorch the earth. 410 00:37:10,122.1012162 --> 00:37:12,527.1012162 and the rain comes, then you got mudslide that'll take everything out. 411 00:37:12,527.1012162 --> 00:37:14,657.8041641 And then there's the story that happened in West Canada. 412 00:37:14,734.2667491 --> 00:37:20,472.7134611 But it's really is how can we not anticipate that because we're biologically wired to linear thinking. 413 00:37:20,472.7134611 --> 00:37:29,885.0037106 Now, when you are aware of it, then you need to be able to build up storytelling techniques and aggregation techniques to understand this is how it will act and this is how you need to think. 414 00:37:29,885.0037106 --> 00:37:31,311.171511 And again, you retrain. 415 00:37:31,710.2758194 --> 00:37:37,440.2758194 Your brain do not just have the reference frame of linear thinking, but to expect exponential changes. 416 00:37:37,740.2758194 --> 00:37:48,116.2168625 And I was really lucky because that's that's what we did for two and a half years at my previous Deloitte National Innovation, director position and being part of the Global Innovation Committee as was looking at exponential technology. 417 00:37:48,146.2168625 --> 00:37:48,876.2168625 And we knew. 418 00:37:48,881.2168625 --> 00:37:50,63.1669759 They were changing really fast. 419 00:37:50,63.1669759 --> 00:37:52,594.538858 the progress made in AI and Quantum and others. 420 00:37:52,604.538858 --> 00:37:57,559.0966811 I've had the luck for two and a half years to be based in these exponential changes of technology. 421 00:37:57,559.0966811 --> 00:38:03,812.4073387 So I came to understand that we live in a science fiction world that was invented 25 years ago, and that's not gonna stop. 422 00:38:03,817.4073387 --> 00:38:06,532.4073387 And therefore, I'm not surprised when I see these things. 423 00:38:06,561.60235 --> 00:38:12,531.60235 What I'm surprised about is people were not getting it, and that's why I say I need to understand why is it they're not getting it? Because we got access to the same information. 424 00:38:12,801.60235 --> 00:38:17,141.9878376 Hence, back to the book about the the Thousand Brains, A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins. 425 00:38:17,436.7837559 --> 00:38:18,411.7837559 Yeah, that's great. 426 00:38:18,411.7837559 --> 00:38:23,481.7837559 it is super difficult for us to understand when things don't grow linearly. 427 00:38:23,641.7837559 --> 00:38:32,769.5048444 But lots of things don't have that growth rate, so being able to understand when things do have exponential growth it's a great way to train your mind. 428 00:38:32,769.5048444 --> 00:38:38,565.0377242 And I think that's really important that you're exploring that I look at the price of solar panels, it's an exponential curve. 429 00:38:38,565.0377242 --> 00:38:38,640.8427128 Yes. 430 00:38:38,645.8427128 --> 00:38:39,305.8427128 Straight down. 431 00:38:39,310.8427128 --> 00:38:39,485.8427128 Yeah. 432 00:38:39,815.8427128 --> 00:38:41,135.8427128 And it's gonna keep on doing that. 433 00:38:41,135.8427128 --> 00:38:53,266.8177695 So once you accept that as a rule of, as an evolution path, then from a financial perspective, you can prediction, okay, I'm gonna start with just one panel, but by next year the next panel I buy will be cheaper, We say the same thing to our clients. 434 00:38:53,266.8177695 --> 00:38:58,517.2032571 They told us how can we make sure that we have budget for, changing entire fleet in five years? And we say, don't worry about it. 435 00:38:58,522.5207174 --> 00:39:02,152.5207174 You just budget for what the prices are of the EVs right now. 436 00:39:02,162.5207174 --> 00:39:06,72.5207174 Because the way technology is working next year, your quote might be 25% less. 437 00:39:06,82.5207174 --> 00:39:09,742.5207174 So there's no need for you to try and set aside a massive budget for five, six years. 438 00:39:10,42.5207174 --> 00:39:11,752.5207174 We know the price will go down. 439 00:39:12,22.5207174 --> 00:39:13,252.5207174 It is, it's meant to be. 440 00:39:13,252.5207174 --> 00:39:15,203.4957741 The exponential curves are there. 441 00:39:15,203.4957741 --> 00:39:21,353.4957741 So just start with managing what you can do in the timeframe that you have for a management decision making, which is usually a fiscal year. 442 00:39:21,376.2168625 --> 00:39:32,831.1148217 Take the assumption what you have, build on that, and then midway through the year revise it because guess what? Technology will that increase for us will have come down as you said before if we have a new bioplastic manufacturer. 443 00:39:32,865.4572253 --> 00:39:41,910.3211709 Company might have 10 times new orders and they may have the production lines and therefore the pricing costs might have, dribbled down by new 10, 15%, which makes it's more affordable for you. 444 00:39:41,910.3211709 --> 00:39:42,480.3211709 The more you order. 445 00:39:42,750.3211709 --> 00:39:46,92.7588126 It's a virtual circle in the end, but you have to understand that things will change. 446 00:39:46,102.7588126 --> 00:39:50,362.7588126 and you need to factor that in the way that you approach decision making in sustainability. 447 00:39:50,632.7588126 --> 00:40:06,790.5592661 Whether it's from a technology changes, whether it's from adoption changes, there's a lot of thing that's gonna be happening because we live in a wide connected world with, so much computing powers and our fingertips and knowledge that we just beginning to learn how to master it and harness it for the greater good. 448 00:40:06,847.2259328 --> 00:40:07,542.2259328 Yeah, definitely. 449 00:40:07,642.2259328 --> 00:40:11,62.2259328 And just a last couple questions so we can finish up here. 450 00:40:11,225.8086992 --> 00:40:22,180.6613069 What is one tip that you would have for any green business owner or any ecopreneur here on the podcast listening in? What is one tip that you would have for them to grow their green business or just get started. 451 00:40:22,185.6613069 --> 00:40:27,741.4662956 So if we're talking about a company that wanna to green their business our thing is, just start with something that. 452 00:40:27,770.0263863 --> 00:40:29,540.0263863 Already makes sense, already exists. 453 00:40:29,540.0263863 --> 00:40:34,430.0263863 And you can start with the pilot and then prove the case that you can be done and repeat and again, and expand it. 454 00:40:34,435.0263863 --> 00:40:39,750.8994022 If your question is about a company that does green business advisory, there's a lot thing that we can do on that. 455 00:40:39,824.4254793 --> 00:40:43,142.464028 If people are business consultants on system, you reach out to us, we'll grow together. 456 00:40:43,147.464028 --> 00:40:52,935.1170893 There's a lot of things that we could do together if you're in the Cleantech and ultimately material, I would say have a really lookout as what already exists so that you don't spend your time reinventing the wheel. 457 00:40:52,943.5751391 --> 00:40:56,973.5751391 There are some breakthrough technologies and we're glad there are new technologies coming up. 458 00:40:57,13.2803546 --> 00:41:02,713.2803546 But however, what I've seen a lot of times a startup that are just creating a me too product. 459 00:41:02,777.4753659 --> 00:41:06,471.8744589 I've got dozens of stories like that, whether in Europe or North America. 460 00:41:06,471.8744589 --> 00:41:09,831.8744589 We're saying we're gonna build on the new generation solar panel will already exist. 461 00:41:09,836.8744589 --> 00:41:13,453.6318285 Why don't we just bring it, oh, the new generation of robot actually exists in, in, in New Zealand. 462 00:41:13,463.6318285 --> 00:41:14,693.6318285 Oh no, we want to build it here. 463 00:41:14,748.6318285 --> 00:41:17,601.5343228 It's already, working your drawing board. 464 00:41:17,781.5343228 --> 00:41:23,377.8268398 So I think it all comes down to one thing is remember, we are 8 billion people on the planet, so be humble. 465 00:41:23,477.8268398 --> 00:41:26,223.9946403 If you think that you're onto something, do the research. 466 00:41:26,238.0422593 --> 00:41:29,808.0422593 Partner with the people that have the technology, because it's won't be a silver bullet. 467 00:41:29,868.0422593 --> 00:41:36,26.5229849 And if you're trying to make the world a greener place, it's a really good idea because that's the only way we're gonna be having a future. 468 00:41:36,194.878994 --> 00:41:37,11.0921459 Yeah definitely. 469 00:41:37,445.139765 --> 00:41:43,317.6227582 Business is a team sport, so find those people that can support you and help you guys go farther as fast as possible. 470 00:41:43,317.6227582 --> 00:41:43,900.5025768 So that's great. 471 00:41:43,900.5025768 --> 00:41:55,132.4980416 And, if anybody is interested in learning more about the Green Link, how can they get in touch with you? Follow you where can they find you? So first of all, we got our website, www.thegreenlink.co, 472 00:41:55,262.4980416 --> 00:41:55,922.4980416 c o. 473 00:41:55,934.448155 --> 00:41:57,516.4436199 I'm, my email is very simple. 474 00:41:57,521.4436199 --> 00:41:57,636.4436199 It's. 475 00:41:57,654.1760462 --> 00:41:59,654.1760462 bernard@thegreenlink.co. 476 00:41:59,881.1116648 --> 00:42:07,861.1116648 And you can also follow me on LinkedIn and follow our LinkedIn page, our corporate LinkedIn page, while you've got some news sort of about what we do and the things that we've seen that are interesting. 477 00:42:07,866.1116648 --> 00:42:15,93.5719823 Cause we are always sharing information, knowledge and sources that we believe will make the be better place if a lot of people know about it. 478 00:42:15,144.5470389 --> 00:42:17,485.2273111 That's the best way to reach out is website. 479 00:42:17,485.2273111 --> 00:42:22,736.179692 You got a demo contact page, email, reach out to me and follow me on LinkedIn and there's ping me. 480 00:42:22,856.9279913 --> 00:42:23,336.9279913 That's great. 481 00:42:23,366.2930707 --> 00:42:27,843.7307124 Thank you so much, Bernard, for coming onto the Green Business Impact Podcast here. 482 00:42:28,23.7307124 --> 00:42:35,223.7307124 It's been awesome learning all about all that you do and talking all about sustainability and what needs to happen to make this world a greener place. 483 00:42:35,223.7307124 --> 00:42:37,83.7307124 So thank you so much for coming on the show. 484 00:42:37,388.7307124 --> 00:42:39,488.7307124 Thank you, Billy, for having, it was really a blast. 485 00:42:39,493.7307124 --> 00:42:45,98.7307124 And I think that it's essential that you're actually spreading the news about all the different actors because it's an ecosystem play. 486 00:42:45,104.0368349 --> 00:42:47,54.0368349 We'll not make it on our own, we'll make it together. 487 00:42:47,84.0368349 --> 00:42:52,514.0368349 And that's what's important is we need to be aware of that these solutions, these providers, this businesses exist. 488 00:42:52,519.0368349 --> 00:42:54,584.0368349 And then you can say, okay, let's connect the dots. 489 00:42:54,584.0368349 --> 00:42:55,634.0368349 Let's go at it together. 490 00:42:55,634.0368349 --> 00:42:59,714.0368349 Let's have a crack at it, because that's the only way that you can actually solve a huge problem. 491 00:42:59,714.0368349 --> 00:43:00,974.0368349 It's one little piece at a time. 492 00:43:00,984.0368349 --> 00:43:01,794.0368349 Giant Lego set. 493 00:43:01,804.0368349 --> 00:43:06,24.3996467 They build a giant Eiffel tower, but it's how many dozens of thousands of pieces. 494 00:43:06,24.3996467 --> 00:43:06,954.3996467 It's one by one. 495 00:43:06,954.3996467 --> 00:43:09,594.3996467 Then you get this beautiful thing, so we need to connect the dots. 496 00:43:09,594.3996467 --> 00:43:12,482.2001002 Everybody can learn from each other and then we'll make this place. 497 00:43:12,487.2001002 --> 00:43:25,127.2001002 And if you enjoyed this interview with Bernard where he is helping companies of all sizes lock a plan in place to achieve their sustainability goals, then I invite you to check out this interview with Frogeex. 498 00:43:25,147.2001002 --> 00:43:36,657.2001002 They have created a marketplace where you can find companies that are already doing great work to fight the climate crisis, making it easy for you to find the B2B services that you need to meet your sustainability goals.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}AI-powered Action Plans to Achieve Sustainability Goals for Companies | The Green Link #podcast