The sustainability podcast

Shocking ocean plastic statistics in the headlines, plastic bottles floating in rivers, shopping bags in the street – we’ve all witnessed plastic pollution in one form or another. But while plastic pollution is a global problem, plastic itself is a useful and effective material. So how bad are plastics for the environment and how can we reduce their impact? Find out in this month’s sustainability podcast.

Guests: Rob Kaplan, Founder and CEO of Circulate Capital, Dominic Charles, Deputy Director of Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, Livia Heinzmann, Head of Sustainable Investment Framework Classifications, Credit Suisse, Sina Dorner-Muller, Head of Sustainable Investment Framework Methodologies, Credit Suisse

Host: James Gifford, Head of Sustainable & Impact Advisory, Credit Suisse

As the world presses ahead with its net zero targets, there will be a huge increase in demand for green technologies. But the construction of these technologies requires the mining of significantly more minerals than we are mining today. Do we have enough critical minerals for the clean energy transition and how can they be mined in a sustainable way?

Globally, 1.4 billion adults do not have access to banking services. This means they live in a cash-only world where they cannot save for their future, take out loans to support their business and family, or buy insurance. We speak with Accion and StepChange, two non-profit organizations doing their part to educate people about financial services and create a more financially inclusive world for all.

Thousands of companies are developing innovations that can help move the world towards a more sustainable economy. And while innovations in areas such as electricity production are crucial to achieving climate goals, other sectors and technologies with significant emissions should not be overlooked. Agriculture, for example. We discuss how cultivated meat, treeless wood and fertilizer replacement can lead to a more sustainable future.

Cities and regions are facing increasingly severe weather patterns and natural disasters as a result of climate change, with some populations more vulnerable to the effects than others. In the second of this special three-part series, we explore some lesser-known climate adaptation innovations that could help communities adjust to the current and expected effects of climate change.

When we talk about the energy transition, we tend to think of solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles. But these technologies alone are not enough to get the world to “net zero”. In this special three-part podcast series, we discuss emerging technologies – probably unbeknown to most – that could make a really big difference in addressing climate change.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the most ambitious legislative action the US has ever taken on addressing climate change, which could have a profound effect across industries for the next decade and beyond. Betty Jiang discusses Credit Suisse’s new report, “A tipping point in climate action”, which estimates that total federal climate spending under the Act may be double the headline figure.

Paul Polman, ex-CEO of Unilever, thinks it’s time for business to step up when it comes to climate change and inequality. Anna-Lisa Miller from Ownership Works says that employee ownership drives superior company performance and generates greater economic opportunity for workers. We discuss new, practical ideas helping business transition to a “net positive” future.

On the path to net zero, carbon credits are a critical instrument in a broad toolkit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some say carbon credits should, first, go to nature-based solutions to protect biodiversity before investing in industrial carbon reductions or removals. Our experts discuss the opportunities – and complexities – within carbon markets.

The International Energy Agency’s pathway to a net zero future requires almost 90% of global electricity generation in 2050 to come from renewable sources. But is this goal realistic? Industry experts discuss whether it’s possible for renewables to displace fossil fuels in the energy mix, how soon and at what cost.

Financial literacy and the gender wealth gap are two sides of the same coin. There is a business case for financial institutions to promote the financial inclusion of women to ensure a remarkable growth impact. Supporting women by means of an actionable plan and raising the confidence in them as investors, on the other hand, would reduce the existing wealth gap. Join our talk with the amazing women from various branches of the financial sector to hear how they #ChangeTheGame.

Guests: Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President & CEO of Women’s World Banking, Eva-Valérie Gfrerer, Founder and CEO of Morphais, Nannette Hechler-Fayd'herbe, Head of Global Economics & Research and Chief Investment Officer EMEA, Credit Suisse.

Host: Kathy Norman, Global Head Social Sustainability & Strategy, Credit Suisse

Globally, equal pay is a recognized human right, and Target 8.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for equal pay for work of equal value. We talk to some amazing women from the sports and finance sectors to hear what they are doing to level the playing field when it comes to gender imbalances, and how, collectively, women and men can #ChangeTheGame.

Education Technology has been around for two decades and promised great things, but only recently has it started to live up to that promise, with governments and innovators investing in the area, and the cost of devices and internet data plummeting. The sector was transformed on an unprecedented scale by COVID-19, propelling the future of learning by five to ten years.

We look at the post-pandemic challenges and opportunities in EdTech, what’s driving new innovative solutions, and how education supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

When it comes to a sustainable food system, we ask if consumers should be in the spotlight – alongside the more common focus on corporates and governments. Can consumers make an environmental impact by changing their habits; what should those new habits look like; and what’s the data behind the claims?

With food-price inflation and disruption across global commodity markets, we look at the role of technology and innovation in helping to maintain a more stable, sustainable food system for the ever-growing global population. Our experts discuss the environmental impacts of agriculture, farm subsidies and the upcoming disruptive innovations in the food-tech sector.

Shareholder engagement methods have long been used when it comes to executive pay. But how can companies be persuaded to step up when it comes to sustainability? What is the role of constructive dialogue versus more activist tactics, and do they really work to change a company for the better?

Episode 3 explores these and other questions with an impressive panel of experts.

The fashion industry is an important source of jobs and economic activity, especially in emerging market countries, but it is notorious for being stuck in a pattern of take-make waste, which causes devastating environmental effects and economic losses. It's estimated that nearly 60 percent of all clothing produced ends up burned or in landfills within one year of being made. Not only that, the apparel industry is widely associated in the public imagination with sweatshops and poor working conditions in low-income countries.

Episode 2 looks at where sustainability efforts are focused in the garment industry ecosystem and what it takes to make a real impact in the sustainable fashion universe.

In a recent op-ed that caused a stir in the financial industry, Tariq Fancy, the former Chief Investment Officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock, claimed that ESG funds are mainly making money for Wall Street and doing little for the social and environmental causes that they are supposed to support. On the other hand, demand for these funds is soaring, and investors are increasingly aware of the power they have to make impact with their wealth. So, what’s the real deal?