Business of Sustainability

What does sustainability look like when your business builds the infrastructure for the world's biggest sports events?In this episode, Alex Smith is joined by Paul Berger, Group CEO of Arena Group, the company behind the temporary structures, grandstands, and hospitality venues at events including the Paris Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and Wimbledon.Paul shares the story behind Arena's first global ESG strategy, why a company already doing so much good had to bring it all together under one framework, and what it means to embed sustainability into the DNA of a fast-moving, high-pressure global business.From managing supply chains across four continents to converting a Paris rugby stadium into an Olympic swimming venue, this conversation explores the real business case for ESG; and what progress over perfection actually looks like in practice.If you're a business leader thinking about how to move from fragmented sustainability efforts to a coherent, credible strategy, this episode is for you.Arena Group is a retained FuturePlus sustainability partner, IMPACT CERTIFIED, and works with FuturePlus across consultancy services including PlusCarbon and fractionalised Head of Sustainability support.Visit arenagroup.com to learn more. For more episodes and resources, visit future-plus.co.uk.

Most businesses are already using AI. Far fewer have the governance in place to use it well. In this bitesize episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO, Polly Milne explore what responsible AI adoption actually looks like through an ESG lens.They cover why governance needs to come before scaling, what safe experimentation looks like in practice, how to think about the environmental cost of AI use, and why human oversight is still the most important factor in getting real value from the technology.A practical listen for any business leader navigating AI adoption right now.More at future-plus.co.uk

Sustainability claims in hospitality are under more scrutiny than ever.A new EU directive coming into force in September means vague language like "eco-friendly" or "green" won't cut it without verified evidence to back it up. And it doesn't just apply to businesses based in the EU, it applies to any business marketing to EU travellers.In this bitesize episode, FuturePlus CEO Alex Smith and COO, Polly Milne break down what the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive means in practice, why corporate bookings are going to drive faster change than you might expect, and how the link between sustainability certification and major booking platforms like Booking.com and Expedia is reshaping how hotels compete for business.For more information on FuturePlus: https://future-plus.co.uk/

Most SMEs assume sustainability is something to tackle once the business is bigger, better resourced, or more mature. Ray Stephens, Founder and MD of Reuben Digital, disagrees.In this episode of the Business of Sustainability, Alex Smith sits down with Ray to talk about what it actually looks like for a small digital agency to take sustainability seriously, not as a box-ticking exercise, but as a genuine business strategy.They cover: Why Ray's sustainability journey started with becoming vegan, and where it led The commercial case for SMEs acting now, from cost savings to staff retention Why the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, profit) changed how Reuben Digital thinks about its business How to green your tech stack without it becoming overwhelming Why Ray stepped back from B Corp and what FuturePlus gave him instead The AI energy problem and why governance matters more than enthusiasm Learn more about Reuben Digital: reubendigital.co.uk Learn more about FuturePlus: future-plus.co.uk

Most businesses track what they've already achieved on sustainability. Fewer have a clear picture of where they're heading and why that gap matters.In this bite-size episode, Alex Smith speaks with Leo Cohen, Sustainability Executive at FuturePlus, about why the distinction between actual and ambition scores is so important for SMEs, how a three-year roadmap helps businesses work on the right things at the right time, and why accountability, not just policy, is what separates credible ESG from box-ticking.For more information on FuturePlus: https://future-plus.co.uk/