JUST A THOUGHT

When it comes to protecting the planet, the younger generation can teach us a thing or two, says Frugi CEO Sarah Clark.

WHO’S LEARNING FROM WHO?

I recently joined Frugi as CEO, running a wonderful collection of brands with sustainability at their heart, including Frugi organic childrenswear, Totsbots reusable nappies and Bloom & Nora reusable sanitary products. On joining, I had always considered myself reasonably eco-conscious. I’m a cyclist, which is mostly planet-positive and makes me keen to protect the environment that I enjoy. I’m on a proactive journey to have ‘more-meat-free-days’, I do the easy stuff like recycling and turning off lights and appliances, and Covid has at least trained me that I don’t need to constantly travel to get things done. Is it enough, in this the ‘decisive decade’? The EU has dramatically increased its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. By delivering an 8% emissions reduction every year between 2020 and 2030, we can limit global warming to ‘only’ 1.5 degrees Celsius. Any temperature above two degrees would lead to the disappearance of almost all reefs and increased intensity of extreme weather events. 70% of Earth’s coastlines would experience rising sea-levels, which would result in flooding, beach erosion and salinization of water supplies. At three degrees of warming hundreds of millions of people would be displaced from their homes. With such consequences at stake, it would seem the answer is therefore, no – I’m not doing enough. And I’m not alone. In a survey we conducted of five hundred 35 to 44-year-old females, only 18% regularly used reusable coffee cups, only 50% turned the tap off during toothbrushing and only 58% took reusable bags in for grocery shopping, to name but a few of the surprising statistics. We have an internal mission statement within our group to ‘inspire the next generation of eco-heroes’; we want to provide sustainable clothes and reusable products which enable families and communities to enjoy quality time together, in a way that respects our planet. We also put our money where our mouth is and donate 1% of turnover to brilliant charities and initiatives such as Eco-Schools, which puts sustainability and the

Inspire the outdoors at the very heart of the next generation of curriculum. However, in the last few months eco-heroes of onboarding onto the business and the brands, I have started to ask myself – who’s learning from who? Certainly, in my case, I would say it’s the younger generation of my nieces, nephews and godchildren that has inspired me to up my eco-game… Having grown up in the era of ‘the tampon lady’ coming into schools, I had never entertained reusable sanitary until now. My 14-year-old niece, on the other hand, had been the one to proactively request reusables, and she and her friends are open and confident in discussing and using period pants and the like. Thank goodness for their foresight, given that women use on average 11,000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime, generating 200,000 tonnes of waste per annum in UK alone. 2 billion menstrual items are flushed down Britain’s toilets each year, with sewage-related debris making up 9% of beach litter.

Our younger generation can also teach us a thing or two in pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle. The UK is certainly a leading light in this area, with 21% of the population vegetarian, compared to 2% in Spain, 5% in the US and France, 12% in Germany. However, within that <25-year-olds are three times more likely to be vegetarian, with females 18-25 years-old the most likely to be vegan. With my generation lagging so woefully behind, you’ll be relieved to hear that we still have a role to play, however. I was traumatised the other week to understand that our children spend less time outside than maximum security prisoners. Whilst our youngsters clearly have a lot of heart for protecting our planet, it seems they should certainly be out there enjoying it more. Whilst Covid has been an incredibly tough period for all of us, we all know how instrumental engaging with nature is for our mental and physical well-being, and a survey by Natural England showed that 46% of working adults were spending more time outside during the pandemic than before. And so perhaps the different generations can learn from each other – we must respect and protect the planet, in this the ‘decisive decade’… but let’s also carve out the quality time to get out there and enjoy it!

As the UK finally gets back to some sort of new normality (albeit cautiously), many people are happily embracing a return to a more familiar way of life, including returning to work.

But while some are happy to get back to the traditional 9 to 5 and all that comes with it, many have realised it just isn’t for them anymore.

Spending time at home during lockdown over recent months afforded many people the opportunity to seriously think about their future career plans, including whether starting a business or becoming self-employed could be a viable option. And clearly it proved to be, as figures published by the Office for National Statistics show a significant increase in the number of new companies created in the UK during the second half of 2020. Whether needing to replace lost income through redundancy or furlough, wanting to stay active and develop passions and hobbies or repurpose existing skills into a new business, or simply taking the opportunity to realise a dream of starting something of their own, there are many reasons why people are relishing the challenge of starting their own business. People like Karen Cornelius who, after a 20year career in veterinary nursing, decided to pursue her dream of helping people live a more eco-friendly life and launched her new business The Refill Hut in St Austell earlier this year. Whatever their motivation, one thing these new

Focus Start Run Grow

entrepreneurs agree upon is having the right support behind you is essential. Whatever your situation, we can help get you where So, if returning to a regular 9 to 5 has lost its appeal, you’re looking for a new challenge, or you want to be you simply want to turn your hobby, passion or skills into a new business, Outset Cornwall offers a fully-funded award-winning support Call 01209 311063 or visit programme that can help you get started. www.outset.org/cornwall to start your journey To find out more, visit www.outset.org/ cornwall and make your business dreams a Funded by reality with expert help from the Outset.

Outset Cornwall is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, HM Government and the Outset Foundation.

We know what it’s like to grow a business in Cornwall.

Let us help you cover all the bases, get to know our in-house team of experts with an initial meeting – it’s free.

www.rrlcornwall.co.uk

Chartered Accountants & Chartered Tax Advisers

Truro Office | 01872 276116 Penzance Office | 01736 339322