Human Magazine - Issue #02 by Ian Irving - The Creator of Human Magazine - Revelations in Modern Business and Culture

human.

THE IRV

TEA

EMILY

Editor-in-Chief Ian (IRV) Irving

Editor

Emily Perryment

EMILY

Creative Director Emily Forrester

Contributing Writers

Angela Melling, Samanah Duran, Caroline Stevenson, Marcus Freems, Sharon Benning-Prince, Chris Hewry, Shehan Perera, Aiste Miseviciute, Stephanie Fleming (LDC), John Pritchard (Palawear), Nicole (Wax+Wick), Maria Tai (MAARĂ? Porto Cervo), Sophie Dunster (Gung Ho), Bob Weinstein, Sara Spinks & Jane Evans-Turner, Helen Parker, Bryce Main, Martha Silcott, Emily Perryment, Emily Forrester and Ian Irving.

AM BRYCE

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recovering, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publishers.

SAMANAH

ALEX

MARCUS

CHRIS

Although the greatest care has been taken to ensure all of the information contained in Human is as accurate as possible, neither the publishers nor the authors can accept any responsibility for damage, of any nature, resulting from the use of this information. The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Human. Rights owned by Kemosabe.

8-9 14-17 26-27 30-3 10_Editors Note

14_What Purpose is Purpose?

20_The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

26_Tiny Bricks, Cute Ducks an 34_Get A Life!

37_Chris Henry on Sus

40_Social Enterpri

46_BEYOUROW

52_Global M 56_The

60_H

CONTEN 8

nd Coperate Social Responsibility

stainability

ises: The Future of Business?

WN meets Foodinate

Migration Material Mindset

How the Last Taboo is Harming our Oceans

4-58 62-63 68-69 74-78

68_Lara Jane Thorpe on Photography & Sustainability 70_Supply Chains and Collaboration 74_Remember Your Greatness 76_LDC: Meet the Maker

88_Luxeat presents Culinary Journeys 92_What We Are Reading

96_Tribe Called Woman

106_Social Procurement at Zurich 110_TrashyFashy

NTS

Editors Note Well, we got here, Issue #2 of Human is now available and it's a cracker. Some outstanding insights, opinions and articles digging into social impact, social purpose and matters of CSR, environmental waste, food and global migration to name but a few. A big shout out to all of our contributors and of course our editorial and design teams who have been juggling the publications delivery with very busy work schedules. Enjoy and join us for the next issue when we will be taking a look at as much culture as possible.

IRV. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“BRAND IS ANOTHER WORD FOR REPUTATION OR IMAGE. AND YOU DON’T GET A REPUTATION JUST BY CLAIMING SOMETHING.” - DAVE TROTT 11

Bob Brown

WHAT PURPOSE IS PURPOSE?

“Brand and Social Purpose” appears to be everywhere. As a marketer of over 25 years I’ve actually worked with very few ‘purposeful’ brands. Of course I’ve worked with and on plenty of brand projects that tick the old CSR box, but the majority of these campaigns or initiatives were merely devised as a box ticking exercise or based on the whim of a chairman/woman. Today, it’s on the lips of executives and board members alike, as companies and brands are increasingly recognising the power of purpose and its potential impact on business growth. I recently read somewhere that companies doing it well are now outperforming competitors by 206%. Many of us marketers and brand leaders are quickly learning that purpose can drive differentiation and relevance in the most commoditised of categories, as companies look to

connect with consumers in more meaningful ways, brand purpose has rapidly moved up the agenda. However, with an increasing number of businesses making it a focus of their marketing, consumers (and me) are understandably getting a little sceptical – particularly when there is not a clear line between the brand, its purpose and more importantly the impact it has on society, life and the planet. We really should question whether it’s really the responsibility of a confectionary brand to try and combat loneliness or indeed a beer brand to make people think differently about feminism (Pink Bottles.. Jeez!!) Recruitment and retention beyond reason, and a disproportionate share of the voice, even in cluttered media environments. It can sustain price premiums and power expansion

into new categories. But, if purpose is so important to brands, why are so many failing to measure its impact? It’s said that some 60% of brands are missing the opportunity to truly engage consumers by failing to measure the impact on society of their purpose campaigns. We’re seeing headline after headline about companies failing and being globally derided. Employees are crying hypocrisy on review sites like Glassdoor, and according to a recent document I stumbled upon called ‘F**king up purpose’, “over a third of employees would now turn to online review sites if they weren’t happy with their company culture”. And customers feel the same. Purposebashing is rife on social media, and the new stats show that many wouldn’t buy from a company that was hypocritical or didn’t treat its employees and the planet well. So, if purpose is so damn important to consumers and brands alike, why are so many brands getting it so fucking wrong? The list is so painfully long and Kendall Jenner and Pepsi are just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s take a look at few that are more fluff than purpose… As a result, ‘purpose’ is becoming a laughing stock, seen simply as more meaningless, marketing jargon. Even recently mocked by a popular satirical BBC sitcom called ‘W1A’. It is precisely because brand purpose is largely being leveraged for marketing, with no more of a real and positive societal impact, than a new flavour or shiny new packaging. In today’s highly cynical and transparent environment, this approach can do more – and more long-lasting – damage than good.

For purpose to resonate as real, last over time and yield rewards, it must be ‘inside-out’. It must be found in consultation with employees so it is really true to the business, to the organisational culture, to the benefits delivered by the products or services. It must be the single most important criteria via which a company evaluates all actions. From the consumers and communities it serves, to new product launches, to its partner strategy, to its organisational structure, to its charitable causes, to its employee recruitment and retention practices and to its communications campaigns. Not a veneer applied to the status quo. No one fucks up purpose on purpose. But too few are purposefully identifying, embedding and enacting it consistently. Let’s face it, every brand can tell some sort of watery story about its origin. The world and its mother is talking about the cliche of brand purpose and trying to imbue their company with some sort of noble cause. But maybe that's the wrong way to look at things. Maybe that's why too many modern brands go through the motions, trying stand for everything and thus standing for nothing. Maybe that's why many are so passive and benign with no real positioning, why 3/4 of consumers wouldn't care if the majority of brands were killed off tomorrow. Lets hope that brands will cease this run of bullshit initiatives that leave positively no positive impact on the world and its societies and start keeping it real. Irv Editor-In-Chief

‘PU A LA SEEN MEA JARG

URPOSEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IS BECOMING AUGHING STOCK, N SIMPLY AS MORE ANINGLESS, MARKETING GON. 17

2018 has seen an explosion of brands asserting their corporate social responsibility (CSR) following growing public concerns about environmental sustainability. And I have no doubt in my mind that the BBC’s Blue Planet II was the driving force. It seemed as though the global sense of inertia was finally lifted following David Attenborough’s exposé of the devastating effects that plastic pollution is having on our oceans. In a powerful and emotive final episode, Attenborough’s parting words were:

‘We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about it. Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet. The future of humanity, and indeed all life on earth, now depends on us.’ Whether the chilling ultimatum or the realisation that there is still time, the penny appeared to finally drop, and more than ever before people are now taking responsibility for their actions. In a need to keep up with the times, brands have followed suit, and companies worldwide are waging war on plastic. Morrisons are the latest to engage with this as they

have reintroduced brown paper bags made from recycled paper. This very simple step will save a staggering 150 million plastic bags every year, the company claims. They are also incentivising customers to bring in their own containers for meat and fish, offering an appetising 100 loyalty points to those who do. Similarly, Adidas, one of the world’s biggest and most fashionable brands, recently launched a collaboration with Parley for the Oceans. The campaign promoted the UltraBoost Parley shoe, which is made from ocean plastic. The partnership also worked to promote ‘Run for the Oceans’, running events where people could come together to show their commitment to the oceans as they raised money and most importantly, awareness. The campaign was slick and remained true to the Adidas brand, as they used their platform to encourage a change in ideology that recycling and environmental responsibility is for everyone, not just ‘eco-warriors’. However, it has become apparent that some brands merely exploit CSR as nothing more than a marketing tool to generate sales. So let’s take a look at some of the good, the bad and the damn right ugly displays of brand purpose that have come to fruition over the last few months…

MASTERCARD WORLD CUP

Ahead of the World Cup, Mastercard announced a campaign in conjunction with the World Food Programme. The goal was simple, they would donate 10,000 meals every time Lionel Messi or Neymar scored. Though at first glance this could be mistaken for a charitable gesture, what they didn’t factor in was the insensitive trivialisation of a global crisis that it promoted. Hunger: a force to be gambled with. Whether a disregard of empathy, or more likely an absence of rational thought, the campaign appeared to ‘forget’ those who it was supposed to help. What’s more, this placed the players in question under high stakes and begged the question: why should two individuals carry the pressure of whether or not thousands of people will be able to eat? Unsurprisingly the campaign received heavy criticism before it was ultimately discarded. Mastercard released a statement saying, “we don’t want the fans, players or anyone else to lose focus of the crucial question of hunger and our efforts to help this cause”, but was this enough to give them clearance? Needless to say, they won’t be receiving our man of the match.

UGLY

D O O G

OLD MOUT CIDER

Born in New Zealand’s Moutere Valley, Old Mout cider has been intrinsically linked to its cultural geography from the beginning of time as it is embedded within the brand’s look and feel. So when they discovered their national species and brand mascot had been placed onto the endangered list, they saw it as their duty to step in. “When we found out that up to 200 species go extinct every day and that our national icon, the kiwi, could be next, we decided we needed to help the little fellas out!” With the help of presenter, Michaela Strachan, and charity Kiwis for Kiwi, they created a short Springwatch documentary in a bid to save the bird from extinction. With enough support, Old Mout in collaboration with the charity hopes to relocate kiwis to sanctuaries on predator-free forgotten islands. To do this, Old Mout promise to donate 20p to the charity for every person that signs their petition and joins them in their mission. While critics may be quick to link the campaign to drive sales of their drink, namely Old Mout Kiwi & Lime, they need to take a step back and take a “bird’s eye view” as all one must do is sign up with an email, no strings attached. They certainly pass our test of authentic moral decency. Live and let fly. If you want to join their mission to save the kiwis, visit: oldmoutcider.co.uk/help-save-the-kiwi

LUSH SPYCOPS CAMPAIGN – STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW?

UGL Y

BURGER KING (RUSSIA)

The Russian division of global fast food chain Burger King left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths following an advert they released in the run up to the World Cup. The advert promised ‘free Whoppers for life’ to any Russian lady able to get impregnated by one of the home players. Tasteless and demeaning in its manner, the post’s rationale was that in doing so, these women would bear the best genes to procure the future success of the national team. Yet, while undoubtedly sexist and belittling, the post also appears to encourage manipulation and exploitation. “We are sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online. [It] does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again,” read a statement that the company sent to The Associated Press. We’re not sure about you, but having to pay the extra few pounds for a burger is a sacri-fries we’d be willing to make for the sake of our dignity and those around us.

BAD

Last month, Lush unveiled an unusual approach to store décor as it layered its windows with fake police tape reading ‘Police have crossed the line’. Coupled with posters screaming 'Paid to Lie', the campaign alluded to the 1968 scandal surrounding the undercover spy unit, Britain’s Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS). In 2011 it was revealed that members of this police force had entered into intimate relationships with those they were infiltrating/ shadowing for work purposes. While the intentions of the campaign were undoubtedly good, it faced fierce backlash with many misunderstanding the campaign and stating that Lush were anti-police or anti-state. Che Donald, the vicechairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales expressed how the campaign was ‘damaging to the overwhelmingly large majority of police who ha[d] nothing to do with this undercover enquiry’. While Lush were quick to fight back that it was not an anti-police campaign and that they ‘full[y] support them in having proper police numbers, correctly funded to fight crime, violence and to be there to serve the public at our times of need’, they reiterated that “as a global campaigning company, [they] believe in using [their] voices, shops and online presence to bring awareness and support to a variety of issues"

GOO D THE BODY SHOP By contrast, Lush competitor, The Body Shop, is a great advocate for authentic, relevant and consistent campaigning as evidenced through their plea to prevent animal testing. ‘I am forever against animal testing’ is one of their key slogans, and their website’s sub-heading reads: 'Cruelty-Free Skincare and Beauty Products’, proving how the campaign has become embedded at the company’s core. They have also been working with charity Cruelty Free International for the last 28 years. And it exists much further than through their online petition. The Body Shop encourages its customers to become activists, while also injecting money into rounds of influencer marketing. While undoubtedly this functions to also promote the brand, the call to action on their social media posts is a link to the petition, rather than to the products page. Ultimately, The Body shop wins our squeaky-clean seal of approval.

Consequently, Lush view their corporate social responsibility as existing beyond the market with which they work. So maybe it’s time we stop fighting and make-up. Or maybe it’s time Lush make-up their mind about a cause they want to fight for and lipstick to it.

"How can a company that seems to pride itself on healthy living be affiliated with a company that serves to do the opposite?"

INNOCENT Innocent, perhaps the most conflicting of them all, adhered to their namesake when they started using recycled plastic in their packaging almost 15 years ago. Last month they stepped things up a notch with the launch of their new bottle which is made up of 50% recycled material and 15% plant plastic. And they’re not stopping there. By 2022, Innocent claim their bottles will be entirely renewable. Pioneering the war on plastic packaging, they are also founding members of The UK Plastics Pact which seeks to champion the recycling revolution. An undeniable force for good... So what’s not to like? In addition to their fight for environmental sustainability, the company announced their focus for 2018 was ‘health and wellness’ in response to the sugar-tax implemented in April. To this end they declared a need for healthier drinks on the market while reiterating that they do not add any unnatural sugars to their products. However, despite their products being made of 100% fruit, the drinks are arguably deceptive in their branding as indisputably ‘healthy’. A 250ml serving of their Strawberry and Banana smoothie contains 26g of sugar while a recognisably unhealthy original glazed Krispy Kreme donut contains a mere 10g. I’ll let you do the maths, but at this alarming rate, can it really be sold without a health warning?

In spite of this, at the very least the ingredients are naturally occurring, and we may even be persuaded to turn the other cheek for the sake of all of Innocent’s other great ventures. For example, Innocent donates an honourable 10% of all profits to charity, with the majority of it going to their own Innocent Foundation which supports global projects to prevent hunger. But just when you may have found yourself trusting Innocent again, Innocent’s brand and communications planner, Jamie Sterry, announced: “We were one of first brands to have purpose truly at the heart. That part of the business hasn’t changed at all as we’ve grown. Our business is probably more relevant in today’s world than we were then.” Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong. What Innocent don’t like to share is their not-so-innocent sell-out to the Coca Cola company. Now we’re under no illusions that companies need investment to grow, but being intrinsically linked to a company who contradicts the very essence of your brand is both hypocritical and spineless; how can a company that seems to pride itself on healthy living be affiliated with a company that serves to do the opposite? But what may leave you even more s-peachless is Innocent’s emphasis on their ‘humble’ beginnings. Where will you draw the line? Emily Perryment Editor

TINY BRICKS,

& SOCIAL CUTE DUCKS

Corporate

RESPONSIBILITY

I love stories. Always have...always will. Here’s a cracker. It’s about two toys. The first is a child’s tiny toy that grew so big it became the most powerful brand in the world. The second one is a small, cute duck that has travelled the world’s oceans and is helping to clean them up. A long time ago in a country far, far away…well 1932 in Denmark, actually…a man called Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys. Two years later he named his company Lego. In 1947 he bought his first plastic injection machine. And in 1958 he patented the design for the small interlocking bricks that would brighten the lives of children the world over. Fast forward half a century… In February 2015 Lego replaced Ferrari as Brand Finance’s “world’s most powerful brand.” And in 2017, according to Forbes and CSR RepTrak®, it became the company with the strongest Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) on the face of the earth.

But I have a love/admire/hate relationship with their little tiny bricks. I love them because their design is a beautiful blend of brilliance and simplicity…and they kept my two sons engrossed during their formative years. I admire them because they churn out a staggering 20 BILLION bricks a year (that’s 35,000 bricks a minute). I hate them because every one of those bricks is made of plastic. ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene to be precise). I hate them (by association) because I learned that in 2010, an estimated 8 MILLION tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste entered the oceans. You ever seen a dead beached dolphin with a gut full of plastic? And I hate them (by personal experience) because I think old Ole was a sadist who, as a child, didn’t get along with his parents, and spent the rest of his life manufacturing something that would inflict the maximum amount of pain to the naked soles of the feet of parents all over the world. Including me!

A Lego brick left in the middle of a kitchen floor is a barbaric damned implement of torture when stood on in the dark at 6am on a Saturday morning. Without slippers. Nowadays, it seems that anything made from plastic (and then thrown away) is viewed by some as The Devil’s gift to mankind. But to be fair, Lego has earned its eco-stripes by undertaking an ambitious suite of sustaining goals, and developing key strategic partnerships with agencies like the World Wildlife Fund. It also ended its partnership of over 50 years with Shell. The centrepiece of this initiative is their Sustainable Materials Centre which is looking to find and implement sustainable alternatives to existing materials by 2030. In March this year, they started production of a range of botanical Lego elements made entirely from plant-based plastic. Yay them! So, I was going to agree with Forbes and give my own personal eco-vote to Lego for doing enough to justify earning their positive social impact badge. Then, for a whole bunch of reasons, I did an about-turn and was going to give it to Tesla instead. But now I’m going to give it to a little yellow duck (and friends).

In 2010, an estimated 8 MILLION tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste entered the oceans In January 1992, a cargo ship called the Ever Laurel, sailing between Hong Kong and the US, lost its cargo of plastic ducks (and other assorted bathtime toys). Around 28,000 of them, to be precise, were washed overboard and ended up well and truly in the drink. Free at last…free at last. Floating all over the world. Carried on the ocean currents. Since then, they’ve washed up on shores around the world, to the delight of those who find them. They were even given a nickname: The Friendly Floatees. They’ve also been doing a seriously cool job while they’ve been floating around. Helping boffins get a better understanding of ocean currents, which could be critical to help combat ocean pollution. In fact it’s thought that about a couple of thousand of them are floating prisoners, trapped inside the North Pacific Gyre.

This is a vortex of currents that’s home to the so-called 'Garbage Patch', a huge floating 'island' of rubbish and debris. Its contents have been estimated to be 90% plastic, and 10% other trash and waste. And some believe that one of the keys to helping us get rid of this giant floating mass might lie with those small, yellow objects of bathtime pleasure. Now I know that the term Friendly Floatees isn’t exactly a brand in the conventional sense. In fact it’s not even one in the unconventional sense. My bad. I realise the irony in the idea that something made of plastic may be instrumental (in a small way) of ridding the oceans of plastic pollution. But I think we owe them a massive debt of gratitude. And once their job is done, I think we should bring them home. Maybe with a parade… In September 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that

includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals. They ranged from no poverty and zero hunger, to gender equality and sustainable cities and communities. Building on the principle of “leaving no one behind”, the new Agenda emphasises a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. Well…I have an 18th Goal that I think should be added to the list. One that says: Leave no duck behind… And finally, in a cute twist to the story, back in 2014, BBC Magazine reported that tiny figures had been regularly washing up on the shores of Cornwall in the UK. Some had entered the sea as abducted beach litter. Some were refugees from cargo lost overboard. And all were made by Lego… © Bryce Main. 2018.

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I realise the irony in the idea that something made of plastic may be instrumental (in a small way) of ridding the oceans of plastic pollution

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"No matter what people tell you, wor 32

rds and ideas can change the world." - ROBIN WILLIAMS 33

“LIFE!” GET A

ACCORDING TO SOME INDIVIDUALS, I SHOULD ADOPT THE CATCHPHRASE AS MY PHONE’S RINGTONE TO REMIND ME OF HOW PETTY AND IRRITATING I CAN BE. But, try as I may to let it go, shit attitudes and ill behaviour bother the fuck out of me.

”

In one recent episode, whilst holidaying in a Dorset coastal town, we encountered a baby seagull trapped in a doorway which had somehow left the nest too early. The young bird and his swooping mother were obviously distressed. A small group of strangers stopped to look out for the bird and discuss the best course of action. Into this tableau came charging a 10-year-old boy, wielding a large stick above his head whilst shouting a grating battle cry at the gull. I stood in his path, and calmly attempted to explain that the bird was only a baby, that it was petrified and that he really shouldn’t be terrifying it any further. He stared blankly at me as though no-one had ever tried to explain anything to him before and was unsure as to how to react. Grendel’s mother then approached (the original version, not the Angelina Jolie makeover), telling me that her boy was “Having fun”, that I should “Get a life!” and that it was “Only a fucking bird”. Encouragingly, the rest of the small gathering rebuked the woman, but I do worry that her outlook will be so prevalent soon that we end up only caring about ourselves and our immediate gratification, and that there will be no small gathering to provide help when help is needed. The rationalisation of shit behaviour dismissed as 'bants' or high spirits is seen on our streets, online and served up by brands and their agencies as something that we, the great unmannered, can identify with. One such example is the Purplebricks TV ad campaign here in the UK. The company is an online estate agency who recently ran a couple of

ads which should surely only appeal to the most self-centric and bullying of viewers. A guy, presumably recently divorced (just trying to give the twodimensional plot a bit of a back story here) is attending a pottery class and is sitting next to a woman (presumably also divorced) when she explains to him that he could have saved a lot of money by using the online estate agency, Purplebricks. Instead of thanking her and bearing it in mind for his next move, he proceeds to throw a tantrum, smashing his own soft clay pot on the wheel. Not content with that, he reaches over and fucks hers up for sharing the information with him. The spoilt self-entitled arsehole.

THE RATIONALISATION OF SHIT BEHAVIOUR DISMISSED AS 'BANTS' OR HIGH SPIRITS IS SERVED UP BY BRANDS AS SOMETHING THAT WE, THE GREAT UNMANNERED, CAN IDENTIFY WITH. The second ad features the father of the bride standing up to give his speech at a wedding, and then launching into a spittle-frothed beratement of his son-in-law for advising him (presumably in a social capacity, rather than as a paid advisor) not to use Purplebricks, which lost him some precious money.

IT WOULD BE NICE IF ADVERTISERS DIDN’T NORMALISE PEOPLE BEING BASTARDS.

IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY Money more precious than his daughter’s big day, more precious than giving his wife good reason to ramp up her loathing of him a couple more notches and more precious than appearing a tyrannical, ranting ballbag, completely unaware of the futility of his actions. What are these adverts trying to say? Are we to chuckle along with the aggressors and think, “Yes, we’d feel like that if we didn’t go with Purplebricks?” Do people behave like this in real life, or is it only in soap operas that people are unable to hold a conciliatory conversation to resolve their differences and end up shouting at the top of their lungs and throwing things at each other? As much as we don’t want everything we watch to be trotted out in the vanilla stylings of Little House on the Prairie (for those of you who can remember it), it would be nice if advertisers didn’t normalise people being bastards. We have quite enough politicians capable of that at this point in time. Perhaps brands should consider that they can run amusing and original campaigns without trying to find humour in bullying or giving way to base instincts, such as nicking your friend’s soft drink whilst she’s asleep next to you on a flight. What will we laugh about next? “Hahaha, remember that time I stole your credit card and went on a four-day bender that you had to pay for with interest? You really are my bestie!” The Old Man and I encountered a memorable case of branding arseholery whilst staying at part of a popular chain of “boutique” hotels a few years ago.

Above the door tag’s small “Please do not disturb” request, there was a massive capitalised headline dismissing the cleaners with “CLEAR OFF”, whilst the other side of the tag ordered them to “CLEAR UP”.

FUNNY? WELL YES, IF YOU LIKE SPEAKING TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT. Now, I’m not an excessively sensitive person these days, but my first job was as a chambermaid during the school summer holidays when I was 14. Whilst undertaking my tasks there, I was exposed to the joys of mopping up slimy man-juice from shower trays and trying to deduce where the guests could possibly think of next to shed multiple pubic hairs which may not have been obvious on the first pass clean. To have this shittiest of shite jobs on shite money topped off with disrespectful door commands, being brusquely dismissed several times over in a day could engender a sense of utter worthlessness in the most resilient of people, which no-one trying to fulfil their duties should be made to feel. Ah, but it’s only a joke. Get a Life. Of course, advertisers, branding ninjas and their clients are only trying to sell their wares, but it would be good if they could do it in a more imaginative way with less reliance on schadenfreude, ridicule, and a race to the bottom of the moral septic tank. And they may even sell more shit. Angela Melling

IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. IT'S ONLY A JOKE. GET A LIFE. 36

on Sustainability Chris Henry

Sustainability has worringly felt like a trend these past 6 months. Since that memorable episode of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet aired and showed the long-term danger of plastic and waste, people have signed up on mass to the ongoing crusade against its threat. Not to say people have got in touch with their eco-warrior side to improve their Facebook like count, but moreso that a lot of people have appeared blissfully unaware of the importance of adopting sustainable practises to aid the world’s cause and preserve its future. Is it too late? I don’t believe so. People have finally wised up and embraced sustainable living and now is better than never. When looking around at the world, what’s worringly remarkable is the plastic or waste footprint that anything can potentially have. Surely my own lifestyle can’t be adding to the problem? As a craft beer lover and beer blogger, I’m grateful for the opportunity to showcase that even an industry as twee and delightful as the craft beer movement could be playing a part, no matter how small, in the world-wide problem. But like in any other industry, there are amazing people working hard to change the world for the better. As a big food lover, I hate to see food go waste, and for that matter beer as well! Toast Ale, the craft brewers from London, are a great example of the craft beer world doing great things for beer and food. With a shocking

44% of bread going to waste, the Toast Team are doing their bit for the cause by using this wasted and unspoilt bread for the better, brewing beer! And with all profits going to food wastage charity Feedback, Toast’s story is one that any environmentally concerned brewer should refer to for inspiration. Sustainable practises can also be implemented in the work place and can even improve beer! Australian based brewery, Mountain Goat’s Company HQ is built from repurposed and recycled materials. The company promote a waste water cleaning and cycle-to-work scheme. Their use of organic malt in their beer is another nod to longterm sustainable living, and the use of recyclable cans as opposed to bottles not only helps heal the planet, but scientifically keeps beer fresh for longer as it allows less space for oxygen to creep in. And my favourite story comes from US based Saltwater Brewery. Through many harrowing documentaries and news items, we’ve seen the devastating effects that straws and beer rings have had on the ocean’s occupants. Their creation of edible beer rings is such a simple idea, and hopefully more manufacturers will follow suit in an effort to preserve wildlife for years to come? Let’s raise a glass to sustainable living. All it takes is for one person to do their bit and pass that message on somehow. The Crafty Chris Instagram @thecraftychris

LET'S WAG

PACKA 38

GE WAR ON

AGING 39

Social Social Enterprises EnterprisesTHE FUTURE OF BUSINESS?

Social Enterprises“Recklessness, hubris and greed” and a company driven by short-termism putting the interests of directors and shareholders ahead of any commitment to its workforce or the communities it worked in. This is how two parliamentary select committees described the corporate culture of the disgraced outsourcing company Carillion.

No doubt Carillion had its own CSR policies, what large company doesn’t? But the crisis helped reveal that CSR alone is not enough and that responsibility goes beyond a few trite words on a website and staff volunteering schemes. Carillion’s demise raised serious questions not just about outsourcing and corporate governance but about the sustainability of our economic model. Should shareholder value be the be all and end all? What are the dangers of our relentless focus on costs? Can business be about more than just the bottom line? It’s pretty fair to say we’re at a turning point. Research by Oxfam shows that, at a global level, 82% of all wealth created in the last year went to the richest 1% , whilst in the UK, 14 million people live in poverty – that’s one in five of the population. In most low-income

households at least one adult is in work, having a job no longer means economic security. These disparities of wealth and opportunity were brought into sharp focus by the shock vote to leave the European Union. Of course, poverty in the UK looks very different from poverty in the developing world but globally we are seeing a rise in inequality and a concentration of power and wealth in fewer hands. If we’re to create a fairer, more equitable society then we need to have a long, hard look at our economic model. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide us with a blueprint for change, adopted by all 193 UN member states in 2015 with the express pledge to “leave no one behind” From ending poverty, achieving gender equality and ensuring clean water for all to taking urgent action on climate change – the SDGs are a comprehensive set of targets and indicators to set us on a course for more inclusive and sustainable growth. Goal 10 is dedicated to reducing inequality both within and amongst countries. Whilst it is member states who subscribed to the Goals we all have a role to play if the ambition behind them is to be made a reality, none more so than the private sector.

Businesses can and must be part of the solution to end poverty and tackle inequality but headlines such as Carillion’s fall, industrial levels of tax avoidance, gender pay gaps and excessive executive bonuses are corroding public faith that business can be a force for good. Something has gone wrong in corporate culture and at the heart of this lies a misconception of how we define value. Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Director of UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and the closest you can really get to a rock star economist – has been arguing that the way we see value needs to change. At the moment value creation and value extraction are being confused. Focusing just on returns to investors and short-term profits, like Carillion, takes value out of the economy whilst value creators (i.e. people working at the company) lose out. We run the danger of conflating what is good for profits with what is good for the economy as a whole and the losers will be the majority of us. Businesses can either create or extract value and if we’re to build a sustainable future then we need a radical rethink around what the

purpose of our economy is, how it is structured and in whose interests it is run. This sounds like a daunting task – how can we fundamentally transform an economic model that is so embedded at a global level? The SDGs provide a framework and a roadmap for action but when it comes to the role of business they are strangely quiet even though the private sector’s actions, for better or worse, have such a big impact on development. The question now is – what kinds of business models are most suited to achieve the SDGs? Luckily there are already businesses showing us that another way of doing things a different way is possible. Social enterprises are businesses which trade to meet a social purpose, re-investing or donating the majority of their profits back into meeting their social or environmental mission. They are working in nearly every sector of the economy from consumer goods to public services and are structured in such a way as to create and distribute value across society rather than extract it. In short, the social enterprise model is one set up to reduce inequalities and this can be seen in where they work, who they employ and how they pay.

enterprises are helping eliminate the persistence of poverty and bringing people and communities into the economy, delivering on the promise of the SDGs. In the UK a third of social enterprises operate in the most deprived communities – creating opportunity and driving local economic growth. 44% employ people from disadvantaged groups such as the long term-unemployed, those with disabilities or ex-offenders and 78% pay the higher Living Wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation. Social enterprises are also more reflective of UK society at a whole and are breaking down barriers of leadership and representation – 41% have female leadership and 12% are led by someone from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background (the UK BAME population is around 12.9%). When first introduced to the concept of social enterprise, it is easy to fall into the trap of seeing them as a worthy but ultimately niche business model operating at the fringe of the economy, nothing could be further from the truth. Social enterprises are viable businesses operating in the open market and they can be more resilient and innovative than traditional businesses. In the last year, 47% grew their turnover compared with 34% of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In the UK, the latest Government estimates suggest that there are just under 100,000

Social Enterpri

From gender equality to decent work conditions, providing access to clean energy and tackling climate change, throughout the world social

Social Enterprises £24 billion to the UK economy and employing in advance of a million people. The majority are SMEs but 5% of these turnover over £5 million. Whether it's quality consumer goods, or cutting edge public services – social enterprises are out there, on the ground delivering on economic fairness and commercial success. Take the ground-breaking Divine Chocolate, a social enterprise chocolate company majority owned by cocoa farmers from Ghanaian co-operative, Kuapa Kokoo. It is competing in the hyper competitive confectionary industry on its own terms, ensuring that the people who produce the product are paid fairly and have a say in how the company is run. Divine is a company which is set up to distribute power and opportunity more fairly with workers and their communities benefiting from decent pay, a share in profits and the dignity that comes with having a real say in how the business operates. The company is also dedicated to women's empowerment prioritising equal participation for female farmers. Other examples include Change Please – a social enterprise using coffee to create jobs and build the confidence of some of London's homeless and HCT Group – a social enterprise bus company turning over nearly £50 million but which re-invests its profits into community projects such as providing accessible transport for people with mobility issues and tackling isolation. HCT also creates jobs in areas of high economic and social deprivation. When we look at the social enterprise model – the stakeholder engagement, the re-investment of profit back into those creating value and the focus on "leaving no-one behind" we can see how business can be used to build a more sustainable and inclusive future.

But surely not all businesses can become social enterprises? Not necessarily. Just last year Cordant Group – a recruitment and facilities management company with a turnover of £850 million announced that it would becomea social enterprise. It's already capping executive pay, capping dividends and looking to put in place profit sharing schemes. In reality however, not all big businesses are going to ditch their shareholders and set up as profit re-investing social enterprises, but it is important that we engage with the corporate world and see it as an ally in our efforts to reduce inequality and create inclusive growth. One way for business to support social enterprises is to buy from them, opening up their supply chains and using their everyday spend to create social impact. At Social Enterprise UK we set up the Buy Social Corporate Challenge to work with large corporates to do just this. Eleven of the UK's biggest companies including PwC, Johnson and Johnson, Amey and Zurich have signed up with the collective aim to spend £1 billion with social enterprises by 2020. This is about going beyond traditional concepts of CSR to embed social impact into their everyday business spend. From stationary to IT services, cleaning to catering - there are social enterprises out there who are open for business and companies have a vital role to play in building the markets to help them thrive; doing their own bit to change lives in the process. It is initiatives such as the Challenge that big business needs to get behind if it going to be part of the solution not the problem. Increasingly the workforce of the future is looking

sfor more from business. The latest Deloitte Millennials Attitude Survey published earlier this month showed that the workforce of the future is increasingly sceptical of the motivations of big business with three quarters of millennials and members of Generation Z seeing them as focusing on their own agendas rather than considering wider society. However, this same demographic also wants and expects business to drive societal and economic change. More people are now wanting to combine entrepreneurialism with social purpose and we are seeing a start- up wave of social enterprises around the world. In the UK 25% are under three years old, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three times the proportion of start-ups compared to SMEs . And it is not just in the UK. Research carried out by the British Council has shown that in India there could be up to two million social enterprises with over half being under five years old. The private sector can be a massive force for good â&#x20AC;&#x201C; creating jobs, security and opportunities. However, too often companies have acted in ways which run counter to the common good. Social enterprises are showing us what the future of business can look like â&#x20AC;&#x201C; profitable but purpose driven, commercial but equitable and structured in a way that distributes wealth and power more fairly. If we are to take on the challenges of the future from runaway climate change to rising inequality, mainstream business needs to take notice and take action.

Social Enterpri Shehan Perera Communications and Marketing Officer Social Enterprise UK

SOCIALGRAM.CO.UK

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Foodinate is an innovative social enterprise, designed to make having an impact on food poverty in the UK as easy as dining at your favourite restaurants. The premise is simple: every time a Foodinate branded meal is bought in a participating restaurant, a hot, nourishing meal is provided for a local person in need. The restaurant agrees to cover the cost of the donated meal, so all the diner has to do is order a meal from the menu that been marked with a Foodinate logo. The meals funded by the program are then served by a variety of food-giving charities across the country.

Giving never tasted so good Hey Caroline, can you give us a brief overview of who you are and what you do? Hi! Sure. My name is Caroline, I'm 25 and I'm the founder of Foodinate - a social enterprise teaming-up with restaurants to create a sustainable impact on food poverty in the UK. It's a simple meal-for-meal program for every "Foodinate" branded meal enjoyed in a restaurant, we ensure a meal is provided for a local person in need. The best part is that it doesn't cost the customer anything extra, since the restaurant agrees to cover the cost of the donated meal! We also work with events venues, whereby for every person attending an event at a “Foodinated” venue, we ensure a meal is provided for a person in need. It was whilst growing up in Manchester that you began to notice just how many people were homeless and without food. Can you talk us through the early development stages of how you began to put the innovative idea together for Foodinate? I guess the first thing to say is that growing-up I always had a million crazy ideas whizzing around in my head. I’ve always had some sort of enterprising activity on the go ever since I was 5 and going around selling weird "perfumes" I made out of bathroom products to the neighbours! However, I’ve never felt a bigger sense of urgency to get out

there and start something new than the times I’d see someone sleeping by the side of the road, going hungry or begging for money and food. Seeing that brings out a physical reaction in me and it always has - I get tensed-up and my brain goes into overdrive. So, I've always been trying to think of a sustainable idea to address the issue in a positive way but the ideas I was coming up with were always so complicated and difficult to implement. But, once I started thinking about how crazy it is that we're already going out to eat in the UK approximately 1.4 billion times per year, yet all these people are going without food. I simplified my ideas down and came up with the idea for Foodinate - which I believed to be a simple way to link the two sides of the same coin together. Foodinate has been identified as being a revolutionary solution to tackle food poverty in Britain. What do you feel are still the fundamental contributing factors as to why there is so much food poverty?

Gosh. There are many layers of complexity. Considering we live in the 7th richest country in the whole entire world, yet more than 13 million people are living below the poverty line, I believe there's a clear argument that the wealth of our country is not being spent in the right places. The last few years have seen big cuts to services that were providing a lifeline for some of the most

vulnerable sectors of society, ensuring many of those who were previously "on the borderline" of homelessness have now fallen below that line. The main difference this has now had is that now, as far as the general population is concerned, is that the problem is much more visible. Additionally, when you consider the increased cost of living, funding-cuts for mental health services and the massive affordable housing shortage - it really is no surprise. This might sound a bit strange but in my ideal world Foodinate would go out of business, because it would mean our service wouldn't be needed anymore. I can only hope that day comes. In 2015, the Booth Centre (the homeless centre serving the meals generated by Foodinate in Manchester), had more than 220 people coming each week for both breakfasts and lunches, which was up 30 per cent from the year previously. What are the statistics showing to this present day? Booth Centre currently serves around 750 meals per week – around 460 of which are funded by Foodinate. You initially launched the pilot study in September 2015, can you talk to us about the trials and tribulations you have encountered so far? Trying to create something out of nothing is always going to be an uphill battle, particularly if it's something disruptive and new. The charity sector is a bit of a dinosaur – it’s been doing things a certain way for a long, long time and it’s very slow to move with the times. Foodinate is a great

example of how “social enterprise” models can create enormous, scalable social impact by approaching the nonprofit world with a different mindset. I believe by not being donation-reliant, and instead creating a commerciallysavvy business model that can serve a commercial purpose at the same time as a social purpose, you can achieve far more sustainable - and scalable social impact. I’d also say that being a female and a young person adds a couple of extra layers in terms of being underestimated and having to constantly prove yourself. However, that's also my favourite part - I kind of live for that moment when I'm having a meeting with someone and I see the look in their eyes change the moment they start to really listen and take me seriously. It's such a great feeling. I love that. What has been the most rewarding winning moment for you? There has been many so it's hard to pick just one (and I realise that is an amazing problem to have!) I would say winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015 because it was such an honour so early on. It was right after the pilot study and I was so shocked I think I actually forgot how to walk for a moment when they called me up to the stage! Additionally, I would say the reaction from the general public (we have received hundreds of messages of support and encouragement from people all over the UK), and it's always extremely rewarding to visit the centres and see and speak to the people receiving the Foodinate meals - it makes the impact we are having that much more real and it's always a proud moment.

Finally, congratulations on winning theÂ RBS and Entrepreneurial Spark 2016 "Boost a Business" award,Â how do you feel that has helped with raising awareness and further exposure on Foodinate? Thank you! Honestly the way that contest played out from start to finish was an incredibly exciting ride - out of the 5 finalists we won with a massive 67% of the total vote, received over 132 messages of support and encouragement from people all over the UK (a couple even as far as India) and I was flown to Edinburgh for the Scottish Business Awards where I got to meet the lovely Leonardo DiCaprio! We've won 9 awards now and with each one it brings an incredible feeling of honour, pride and of course awareness to the initiative! We have such a supportive community around us and people really want to shout about what we are doing - it's an amazing feeling. Samanah Duran BEYOUROWN Caroline Stevenson Foodinate

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can't use the more the more y

e up creativity, e you use you have.” - MAYA ANGELOU

GLOBAL

MIGRATION_ With the current government controversy surrounding those who came on the Windrush, I am minded to remember the stories of my grandparents’ and my parents’ arrival into the UK. Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers came first at the call of the Commonwealth to work on rebuilding the infrastructure in Britain, living with multiple others in accommodation that was neither sanitary or appropriate to house so many and found great hostility amongst the indigenous against them. Again, when my grandmother, mother and her siblings came to the UK, my mother recalls a comradeship amongst the Asian and West Indian migrants but living an insular lifestyle as assimilation and acceptance from the wider community was slow given the language barrier and cultural differences. 50 years on and it seems that there is a perception of assimilation and acceptance but the rise of the far-right across Europe perhaps indicates otherwise. The need to close borders metaphorically and tangibly indicates that we are not opening our arms to migration. Human nature is of self-preservation and a perceived threat (whether justified or not) to such preservation is to close ranks. Enoch Powell’s “River of Blood” of speech incited much racial hatred and gave a sheen of acceptance to physical aggression against minorities. Is there any truth in the message of the speech? One would hope not but given the fragility of Europe currently and the inward migration issues, the race rioting in the USA, perhaps there is a grain of truth

in the rhetoric. My father and certain of his friends fear that one day there may be cleansing of ethnic races in the UK – as a first generation born with mixed race children, I cannot fathom that this would ever be a possibility, and certainly was never brought up to believe that either my race or gender would restrict me from working in a professional role or achieving my goals and neither of my own children seem to see colour of skin or religion and are certainly for their cultural mix and those of their friends, however the spectre of the unknown does remain. Migration will continue, and movement of people has occurred for generations – without it, we become a very singular entity. It is the differentials between us that make us more interesting and I have to applaud the courage of those who transition from far. A recent visit to Ellis Island made me consider the need and desire that people must have in order for them to leave their homeland and travel to a brave new world and what incredible strength it would have taken to go into the unknown, as is the case with many migrants of today, but where there is a necessity, there is strength.

As my grandmother once told me – she had left the bosom of her family, childhood and everything that was familiar to go to an unknown, where it was required, where she could make a better life for her family and even though it was hard and people had not always made it easy to integrate, she had always known it had been for the best for her family and the generations that followed. Sharon Benning-Prince Corporate/Commercial Law

The Material Mindset. SUSTAINABILITY AND QUALITY When you hit the sweet spot and define your own style, it is so easy and effortless to create looks for each day. It all clicks when you can wear the same sort of thing day-in-day-out with a few subtle changes. As I always say, keep it simple, that's what I like, so that's what I do. When you find the balance between style and comfort, I suggest roll with it and keep building on the finer elements of a look. In September 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In True Brute Style, I've picked out two of the seventeen SDGs; Sustainable Cities and Communities "Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically" United Nations. The more people living in urban areas will mean high demand for the necessities, clothes, food, and resources. This can only mean one thing for the retail sector: more product, much faster.

Responsible Consumption and Production - "Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency,

sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all" - United Nations So what does this all mean for our communities...Well, I can be sure to tell you, the Denim, Workwear, Vintage, and heritage style communities have been on the bandwagon since day one. This feature of the Journal won't solely be focusing on style and product, I'll outline a few points that some of my key interests have brought to my attention. Change in consumption and production is needed, and these brands were formed with it already ingrained in their core values. I'll be keeping things pretty positive overall, as it's easy to get wrapped up in the negative side of the environmental issues at hand. We could kick things off and delve into the ins-and-outs of the global commodity we all know as cotton, although this may call for a future blog post about the beautiful crop itself. Yet I think I'll stick to the more style and consumerism side of things on this one. Keep in mind, cotton has been at the center of many key dates in the past. It's almost crazy to think if it wasn't for cotton, and the incredible communities involved in supplying the fluffy stuff, a lot of products/industries wouldn't be what they are today, namely denim.

S A S A

WORKWEAR, VINTAGE QUALITY & FUTURE BRANDS We come from what seems to be a throw-away culture. We see, we try, we click, we buy and then we most likely scrap it. There are many factors that have a large effect on today's fast consumption culture, and social pressure plays a huge roll in this. Fashion trends and the notions of having the latest products has been one of the main drivers of careless consumption. Why not do this with a different mindset and a bit more style. Over the past few years, I've been exposed to both fashion and style from an occupational and interest point of view. I've always preferred the hardwearing rugged side of things, therefore making it much easier to make conscious investments when buying quality goods (although they may be a bit pricey). This may also have something to do with my own personal style and the brands I like. Mix & match plays a key role in my buying decisions. Quality new goods such as The Pike Bros, teamed up with well preserved vintage apparel does the trick for me. It's not for all, but there's always something to suit everyone when it comes to vintage. I've personally taken to a form of workwear styling, I believe it's ultra sustainable to repurpose goods from a few decades ago and integrate them into a modern setting. My views on post-heritage workwear are second to none, the quality and versatility of product being produced today from brands such as Rogue Territory, 3Sixteen, and Dawson Denim are of the highest standard. These are the type of brands that will drive style into the future as they don't need to make a conscious effort to be sustainable. The idea of

sustainability has been woven into their core values before the brands were conceived.

UPCYCLED DENIM AMSTERDAM Here's a great example of a brand who has sustainability and style embedded in their core beliefs. Upcycled Denim was born in Amsterdam NL, a place synonymous for its denim culture. The brand is still in their infancy, and they are sure to have an awesome impact on the denim and interior communities. Brands such as Upcycled Denim are true innovators when it comes to the fastpaced consumption of our everyday lives. Upcycled Denim are able to reach multiple communities that are becoming more aware of material-consciousness. Their first collection is not all about apparel. The living environment is a place that can almost be forgotten when it comes to consumption, everyday items such as pillows, curtains, tablecloths, aprons, oven gloves and more can make a difference when reducing one's carbon footprint (in style). The Upcycled Denim brand is at the forefront of what is shaping up to be a necessity within an ever-growing market segment. Trends are not what makes this niche brand tick, it is timeless style, a love for denim and having a positive impact on the planet. The brand addresses organic behavior and sustainability from a new perspective. Some would say Upcycled Denim are cleaning up what is already proving to be an industry conscious of what they must do to be green. Going blue instead of green would be a more fitting saying for this forwardthinking brand.

STYLE - MENSWEAR - FUNCTIONALITY ADVENTURE - FILM - TECH STYLE - MENSWEAR - FUNCTIONALITY - ADVENTURE - FILM - TECH STYLE - MENSWEAR - FUNCTIONALITY 57 ADVENTURE - FILM - TECH STYLE - MENSWEAR

CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN FASHION AND STYLE What is fashion and style? I guess it's subjective. Each and every one of us has a different perspective on the two. What we do know, is that other than climate change and deforestation, we have pollution. The production of "throw away" products is increasing and to make these type of products there is mass pollution taking place. It may seem a little bias as I'm an advocate of a specific style, but I believe my perspective on the sustainability factors of the clothing industry are aligned with what needs to be done to make a difference. It is our obligation to reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to buying apparel, interiors and really anything that could possibly be "thrown away" for no reason. I'm not preaching that everyone could go out tomorrow and buy a pair of raw selvedge denim jeans

and not wash them for 9 months, as this wouldn't be a viable solution to a global issue. Communities are filled with people who have something in common with one another, the raw cardboardy denim feeling isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's easier than you think to make tiny changes in your buying routines, especially when it comes to buying less for more. Close the gap on your own personal consumption and take one step in the right direction, you never know, you may start to feel different. Anyways, enough about my thoughts, views, and reviews on the planet, Once again cheers for tuning in, have a goodn.

M The Brute Supply Co

thebrutesupply .co/journal 58

woman on a mission.

HOW THE LAST TA HARMING OUR OC

We've all had that moment.

Something for years without a second thought is revealed to have a terrible impact on the environment. Whether it's plastic straws or takeaway coffee cups, something previously innocuous has now become public enemy no.1. But what happens if the eco alternative is, literally, bloody awful?

The Marine Conservation Society counted 20 tampons, plastic applicators, pads and wipes for every 100m of shoreline in their annual beach clean in 2016. These were not discarded on the beach like an ice cream wrapper but had started their journey being flushed down the loo by someone who had no idea where it would end up.

Entrepreneur Martha Silcott had one of these moments while sitting on the toilet. She had recently learned to her astonishment that tampons shouldn't be flushed. This is because they have a nasty habit of blocking toilets and sewers, causing polluting overflow to enter our rivers, with used tampons, pads, applicators ultimately washing up on our beaches.

For the 60% of UK women who flush their tampons, this negative eco-impact comes as rather a shock. The taboo around periods means the subject is rarely discussed. There may be sisterly chats about cramps, or asking for a paracetamol with a shared knowing look, but the messy end of disposal remains off limits, even between best mates, flatmates and sisters. This means ignorance

persists and is passed on through the generations, with mothers advising their daughters to flush tampons, unaware of the impact on our oceans. Ironically it is the predominantly male world of plumbers who seem to understand the impact of tampons better than most women!

Doing the Right Thing

So what exactly are you meant to do then? Binners everywhere know the answer: the Loo Roll Wrap. This unloved, unpleasant ‘make do’ procedure involves wrapping the used item in reams of loo roll and praying there’s a bin. Over half of women in a recent survey with Mumsnet confessed to having done the 'Handbag Smuggle' when caught in a bathroom with a tampon or pad, but no bin.

ABOO IS CEANS

Nappy bags are often deployed for the purpose, but the dreaded rustle and semi-see-through ‘bad plastic’ material, and the general faff involved, does little to improve the process. Martha realised that women would keep flushing their tampons and polluting the waterways if the alternative disposal options remained so unappealing.

with a septic tank, so everyone is using the bin and there's no loo roll left!

In addition to the eco and practical impacts there is also an emotional one - doing the Loo Roll Wrap is awkward at best and deeply embarrassing at worst. There are umpteen scenarios where it goes wrong: at your new boyfriend's flat where you find there's no bin in the loo; at your mother-in-law's house where the bin is frilly basket with no lid; at a home

The solution - what’s so fab about it?

Martha's eureka moment has led to a patented invention that has revolutionised the monthly routine for many women and is rapidly becoming a staple for both the bathroom and the handbag for women everywhere.

FabLittleBag is a new type of disposal bag, one that can be opened with just one hand using ingenious loops. The bags themselves are biodegradable and partly made from sustainable materials. The smooth singlehanded action of Open-In-Seal & Bin is particularly useful when juggling a used tampon with the

other hand. They are opaque which is fab, not because periods are something to be ashamed of - far from it - but because it feels more dignified not to have your bodily waste on display, especially if using a bin at someone else’s house. The piece de la resistance is that they seal tightly closed; so no visual, no smell, no leaks. This means the HandBag Smuggle becomes a breeze, and disposal in any type of bin is no problem. Even public loos with sanitary bins can prove a challenge, as every woman knows who has found themselves faced with a smeared, smelly or faulty bin. If the individual items are sealed away in a FabLittleBag before binning, this bugbear should become a thing of the past.

How women feel is crucial to the whole development of FabLittleBag. Entrepreneur Martha Silcott explains, “Periods are no one’s favourite time of the month but why should we be made to feel embarrassed by them, hiding our tampons up our sleeves at the office, whispering “Code Red” to a female colleague when we get caught short? The taboo is alive and strong and disposal is the taboo within the taboo, making us feel messy and awkward, embarrassed or stressed, or simply irritated. Replacing these feelings with those of feeling confident, relaxed and dare I say feeling good is what I wanted to achieve.” Given our general ‘out of sight out of mind’ mentality, if I was going to convert Flushers to become Binners, an easy, fit for purpose solution was needed. If I could change disposal from feeling awkward or guilt-ridden to feeling good about doing the right thing - I knew that most Flushers would be happy to become Binners and feel good about it! "FabLittleBag started out as an eco mission as I was so horrified to hear about the aquatic pollution caused by flushing tampons and pads. But it has turned into an emotional mission, as we constantly hear from women about how it has transformed their monthly experience. It has helped them to feel better about their periods - more relaxed and confident

as they know that wherever they are, bin or no bin, they will be able to dispose confidently, hygienically and easily.”

Ignorance and Action

Three recent news stories are bringing the subject of period disposal out from behind the bathroom door. The first is the recent discovery of a mammoth 'fatberg' under the streets of London. A fatberg is a sewer blockage made up of cooking oil, tampons, pads, condoms, wipes and other items that should never be flushed in the first place. They congeal together to form rock-hard blockages that often requires major intervention to shift. They can grow to gargantuan proportions, like the “monster” found in Whitechapel which was a whopping 250-metres long. This story has publicised what should and shouldn't be flushed, and has highlighted that what disappears down the u-bend can come back to haunt us. The 130 tonne fatberg is an eloquent warning telling us to bag and bin these items instead. The second development has been the much loved BBC series of Blue Planet 2, which as well as bewitching us with the magical wildlife of our oceans, has also caused horror about the impact of plastics. The high plastic content of a typical sanitary pad is a little known fact, and coupled

with plastic wipes, plastic tampon applicators and the preference for flushing, periods begin to look far from ocean friendly. Some women are admirably moving to reusable products which are better for the environment. However the overwhelming majority are habitual tampon users and are unlikely to switch any time soon. This means the environmental impact will continue unless there's a urgent change from flushing to binning. For these many millions of women, FabLittleBag provides an environmentally conscious method of disposal. Each tampon or pad that is binned rather than flushed is another saved from the rivers and seas. The third development is the breaking of the period taboo. The previously-unmentionable topic has been hitting the headlines as women campaign against the outrageous "tampon tax" and recently exposed "period poverty" in the UK. Once the topic is out in the open it becomes much easier to educate and share information about periods.

Martha says,

"It seems so crazy that in the 21st century we still find periods hard to mention. It is a normal feature of women’s lives, part of a healthily

functioning body and nothing to feel awkward or anxious about. The taboo can lead to feelings of shame and stress, especially at the point of disposal and there is still a lot of ignorance around menstruation per se. A gynaecologist has told me how some women leave tampons in for too long simply because they have no clean, convenient options for disposal, endangering their health. This is a shocking example of how disposal anxiety is putting women at risk. Our mission is to convert Flushers to Binners, to help save the oceans one tampon and pad at a time. At the same time we want disposal to feel relaxing and assured for all women and girls. Sometimes it's the little things that have the biggest impact. FabLittleBag is all about impact and making the unspoken aspect of periods finally feel good. Period." FabLittleBag is available from Waitrose, Ocado, Amazon, Whole Foods, Ethical Superstore and FabLittleBag.com We also work with most UK Water Companies - check if yours can send you a free pack. Martha Silcott CEO, Loopeeze Ltd Inventor of FabLittleBag™

@fablittlebag on Instagram

You can find FabLittleBag in Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods, on Amazon or go to fablittlebag.com

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OUR MISSION IS TO CONVERT FLUSHERS TO BINNERS, TO HELP SAVE THE OCEANS ONE TAMPON AND PAD AT A TIME. 65

“WHERE THERE IS POWER

R, THERE IS RESISTANCE.” MICHEL

FOUCAULT

LARA JANE THORPE on Photography Sustainability

All business in this tough climate should be about flexibility, and photography is no exception.

As with every modern-day business owner, I wear many hats. As well as a photographer, I am a sole trader, a marketer, social media addict, creative ideas person, vintage prop finder, stylist, artist, potter, set-builder, image editor, image librarian and bookkeeper. I am also no longer just a food photographer. I capture products, people, lifestyle and travel. But most importantly, I am a storyteller. I think the industry is better for this jack of all trades approach. It means Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m producing more considered images that have greater depth, as I have a broader understanding of where the image needs to go and what it needs to do. Each style of photography layers newness as it progresses; they are flexible to change in line with the times and trends. We have seen fashion colours jumping into food photography backgrounds to provide vitality, keeping the content fresh. Additionally, movement and action has become the new norm in lifestyle photography as blogging style images are on the rise. This flexibility is the catalyst for success. In an age where 650,000 businesses started in 2016 alone, businesses need to keep spending down to minimum and flexibility is key. Businesses require brand-building on social media, but they often do not have the resources to employ a full-time photographer and content creator to help them. As a brand photographer, I encompass both roles and function as a part of the marketing team. I work in partnership with each of my clients whether this covers two shoots a year or two shoots a month and I am constantly on the search for props and locations and brand collaborations to support those I work with. My philosophy is ultimately: if the client looks good then I look good.

Brands have had to become multifaceted with so many channels to market, and this makes brand building harder than ever before. My goal is to produce a sustainable library of images for each of the brands I work with that can stretch across all

social media channels, their website and press. I see this as giving a brand consultancy, while also giving them leverage to use the images to support all mediums. Believing in the brands I work with is key; I have to believe in them and their products as much as they believe in me, otherwise I would not be able to tell their story. Acting sustainability with your images is a necessity for volume control, however this must not compromise the quality, and it must keep moving onwards and upwards with the trends. There has to be a balance between new trends and being commercial, between telling a story but showing off the product to its best, all while building an emotional connection with your customer. Photography style is changing... It's all about working with the beauty of your surroundings to tell an organic story. In times where AI and screenless interfaces have become the norm, I really believe that people are crying out for connection, for true and real-life stories that generate an emotional connection with brands. I undertake a lot of my work in the south coast of England where we have beautiful British countryside and sand covered beaches. I work with the weather and natural light despite the challenges they bring as they are as much a part of the brand journey as they are mine; we evolve together through the process. Local produce and working with local suppliers are also key to my story telling as they enable the customer to feel immersed in the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey and want to become part of the team. It has never been so important to get your brand story right. So open the doors and allow your customers to see what makes your brand tick and what you believe in all its natural honest glory. Your customers are becoming more aware and conscious on where they spend every day. Lara Jane Thorpe www.LaraJaneThorpe.co.uk

#EqualPay69

supply and colla

S U P P LY AND COLLA

"Some organisations underestimate the damage that can be caused by not adopting and enforcing ethical practices across their supply chain. Command and control from the centre means nothing if it is not rigorously monitored and enforced. For too long, extended supply chains have obscured ethically questionable practices."

the path to improvi 70

chains aboration

CHAINS A B O R AT I O N The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were intended to provide a framework for businesses and whilst certain corporates have moved towards the consideration of the UNGPs and their adherence since their inception, there are still a number of businesses that are not fulfilling their obligations. Why is this case when there is now a plethora of evidence to indicate that consumers and investors have a preference for ethical companies and especially where there are examples of businesses that are showing a strong understanding and adherence of the fundamentals of the guiding principles and could be the collaborators of the future for businesses that are currently falling short. External collaboration between businesses is a conundrum. Whilst there is an expectation that businesses should share knowledge on their supply chains and pool resources, commercial sensitivities may provide to be a restriction for fully transparent collaboration. Internal collaboration is also an issue. If directors and shareholders do not share a common objective with regard to human rights,

then there is a limited cascade effect. Institutional investors and individual shareholders alike also need to be cognisant of the mounting demand upon companies to become more ethical and sustainable and have the ability to encourage the companies into which they invest to be aware of the increasing and fundamental human rights issues. Companies need to be made aware of the potential impact of non-conformance and ensure that they can display an effective commitment to transparent supply chains not only to adhere with legislation but also with regard to long term brand reputation management and the ability to secure contractual relationships. Shareholders and consumers have an immense ability and capacity to place pressure on companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Boards of Directors to make them become aware of conformance/processes and the potential reputation and financial damage that may arise from either non-conformance or a quasiadherence and there needs to be a synergy between all interested parties to reach a common objective for adherence to UNGPs and other human rights legislation.

ing human rights

DO INTERESTED PARTIES UNDERSTAND WHAT PRINCIPLES THEY SHOULD FOLLOW WITH REGARD TO TAKING AN ETHICAL STANCE? The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights are a global standard of benchmark principles for preventing and addressing adverse human rights impacts that are linked to business activity. They encompass three pillars of responsibility that should be maintained: - the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s duty to protect human rights by enacting and enforcing policies and interacting with business to address human rights issues; - the corporate responsibility to respect human rights by considering and acting upon both the direct and the broader impacts that companies have on human rights through their own activities; - access to remedy for victims of human rights abuses related to corporate activity. And although these are non-binding, the Principles have become widely accepted and used as a springboard for both domestic law making and guidance setting for best practice regarding the relationship between business and human rights. These principles have borne the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 which was intended to impose upon businesses over a certain threshold to provide greater transparency of their supply chains and provide statements for their supply chains and supplier chains.

DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? There is no doubt that more businesses are looking into their supply chains with greater scrutiny and certain businesses in the UK are providing considered statements, and the principles and the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 have provided a springboard for other similar legislation in other global jurisdictions, however the investment into supply chains has to be a sustained and continued action and must have a consolidated management input. Shareholders and investors are a fundamental element for a company and can dictate many practices that a company may carry out. Whilst there have been several recent cases of shareholders of certain PLC companies not questioning the ethical practices of companies, with the obligation of disclosure under the Modern Slavery Act (in the UK), the acknowledgement of a moving horizon across Europe and the Americas, companies will become increasingly accountable for their sourcing/manufacturing/ labour practices and will need to ask several questions with regard to a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethical and CSR practices.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COLLABORATION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THE FUTURE A key message for companies is that its shareholders, directors and investors must have a common objective with regard to its human rights goals and the process to achieve these. And once internal collaboration has been forged at the director level, this needs to be cascaded to all employees in a clear and succinct manner to ensure that all employees of a company carry out the relevant processes required to meet the agreed human rights objectives, otherwise there is no consistency in the message. External collaboration is also key and the dissemination of process and information, whether successful or not, is fundamental for other companies. Even unsuccessful projects/processes should be shared so that companies can ascertain what vulnerabilities there are in supply chains. Companies that excel at getting non-financial data to the market also have a first-mover opportunity to help set the standard and tone for non-financial reporting within their sectors. And these companies can shape, rather than react to, the reporting standards that are required of them. There are companies that are being commercially insightful and shaping the way but more discussion and dissemination within industry would expedite the path to improving human rights. Sharon Benning-Prince Legal/Anti- Trafficking Consultant

R e m e m b e r Yo u r Greatness Suzy Kassem

Before you were born, And were still too tiny for The human eye to see, You won the race for life From among 250 million competitors. And yet, How fast you have forgotten Your strength, When your very existence Is proof of your greatness. You were born a winner, A warrior, One who defied the odds By surviving the most gruesome Battle of them all. And now that you are a giant, Why do you even doubt victory Against smaller numbers, And wider margins? The only walls that exist, Are those you have placed in your mind. And whatever obstacles you conceive, Exist only because you have forgotten What you have already Achieved. 75

LONE LONE DESIGN DESIGN CLUB. CLUB.

LDC unites independent designers in hosting experience-led concept stores every 2 months, and creates a resource sharing community for both the brands and the public. The result of emerging London fashion brands’ desire to actively take the reins of their small and independent businesses, LDC gives independent designers a platform to sell directly to customers, building relationships and understanding their customer's needs and wants. Encouraged by the abilities of social media and online presence, LDC began in 2016 with a group of designers joining forces for their first pop-up, realising that together as a collective they were able to harness their united power far more effectively than if they were to work alone. Since then, LDC has grown rapidly as more and more brands wanted to take part, and customers’ interest in discovering new and exciting products grew to enable LDC to host regular curated concept stores, as well as designer-led experiences, events and networking evenings. With a goal of innovating retail and customer experience, LDC gives a united voice to small, independent brands. LDC are proud to work with a growing number of ethical and sustainable brands committed to these values. In 2018 it should be a given that these values are at the heart of all that we do. This May, LDC popped-up with an experience-led “Meet the Maker” concept store in Exmouth Market. This united 15+ independent fashion, accessories and lifestyle designers in hosting an experience-led concept store. It ran over two weeks, with a particular focus on brands with strong sustainable and ethical considerations.

The store also saw the launch of LDCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designer-led workshops which gave the public an opportunity to delve deeper into the stories behind the independent labels, really understand the processes behind the products and generally gaining a better understanding of why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to shop small. By doing so, LDC brought independent designers, with mindful practices, to the mainstream and not only presented that alternative option to those already looking for one, but strived to educate those who may just be starting to ask the questions around where their products come from. It is so important to give emerging mindful designers a platform in the industry, which not only empowers them to reach their customers, but also empowers consumers to shop more mindfully and make informed decisions. This Spring/Summer store was probably the most immersive and empowering yet, giving customers a unique behind the scenes glimpse into the world of small businesses, with a spotlight on ethical and sustainable brands. This July, in the heart of Covent Garden, expect the most exciting new wave of 20+ independent fashion, accessories & lifestyle labels under one co-curated roof. Discover unique and one-of-a-kind products, meet the designers behind the brands, join one of our exclusive daily events AND join one of our highly sought after designer-led experiences. Taking place over three weeks with a host of happenings in-store, this is set to be our longest and most immersive store yet!

SPOTLIGHT ON...

MAARÏ MAARÏ PORTO PORTO CERVO CERVO

MAARÏ Porto Cervo is the perfect fusion between LUXURY & SUSTAINABILITY. The sustainable swimwear brand was created by Maria, a dreamer raised on the stunning shores of Costa Smeralda whom feel in love with the ocean. Tired of compromising on product quality and values when looking for swimwear, she decided to create the most innovative and fashionforward swimsuits that make women shine from the inside. INNOVATION: Natural resources are precious and MAARÏ is devoted to preserving and improving the health of our oceans by using 100% eco-sustainable luxurious Italian fabrics regenerated from fishing nets recovered from our oceans. Thanks to a collaboration with Healthy Seas (an initiative that helps clean our waters from plastic and discarded fishing nets), MAARÏ can assure complete transparency on its sourcing processes and it also donates back to the initiative for every swimsuit sold. The fabric is of the highest quality, performance and wearability to give a sophisticated comfort and a happy conscience! MADE IN ITALY: All garments are designed and handmade with care by a team of skilled artisans with over 50 years experience in the fashion luxury industry, carrying the distinctive characteristics of the Made in Italy heritage. Figure-flattering silhouettes, modern cuts, perfect fit and eternal elegance are essential to each design. Manufacture is very limited as garments are created to fulfil their timeless sustainable purpose. MAARÏ stands for ‘Sea’ in Sardinian language and carries the honest and intense soul of this natural paradise. maariportocervo.com

I’m John Pritchard, founder of Pala, a British eyewear brand with an ideology rooted in ethics and aesthetics. I finally turned my back on my career in digital marketing last summer to go full time into the business. Pala was the result of putting purpose into my work life, by putting social causes at the heart of the business. In doing so I have found a passion and energy for working like no other before. We unite the sale of our sunglasses to the giving of a pair of spectacles via grants directly into vision projects across Africa. This is thanks to our partnership with Vision Aid Overseas, and recently we finished a Vision Centre in Chinsali, Zambia that will now benefit the 75,000 people in that region. Giving a person a pair of spectacles is to provide them a highly effective economic tool. They are a route to empowerment, whether that be reading the blackboard, books or enabling work opportunities in industries where poor eyesight would be either a barrier or just plain dangerous. Pala also partners with an NGO in Ghana working with impoverished weaving communities in Bolgatanga. They make our cases from recycled plastic bags and waste. A sustainable solution and one that has created jobs and opportunity for the weavers. As for our sunglasses? Well they must be good, really good. Positive backstory or not, if the sunnies don’t look or feel good on your face, no-one will buy them. We make sure quality and style are very much at the forefront of the brand. We’re two years in so still very much at the start of our journey - it’s exciting one and I hope we continue to grow and create even more change and opportunity. palaeyewear.com

PALA PALA WAX ++ WAX WICK WICK

Wax + Wick strongly believes in contributing to the circular economy and minimising waste. That's why we have teamed up with our local London pubs, to create a candle from repurposed wine bottles. We bring a refreshing new perspective to the candle industry by incorporating simple Danish design, sustainability and high quality. We want to contribute to the circular economy and raise awareness about the importance of reusing materials, reducing unnecessary waste and recycling when possible. In all our stockists, we are the first upcycled product on their shelves. Not only is it great to see that retailers are changing their views on what should be on their shelves but also seeing consumer habits changing to more sustainable alternatives makes a big change. After starting just over a year ago and going through nearly 20,000 bottles, we’re stocked in over 35 stockists across UK and EU. Our quarterly pop-ups are one of the best parts of the job, and eventually we are aiming to open up London’s first shop made from 100% upcycled and recycled materials. Our founder initially started Wax + Wick Workshop not necessarily for the product but for the conversation the product would open up amongst family at the dinner table or friends at a movie night in. The concept of our products bringing much more than just great scents and actually sparking a conversation that can go much further, is why we do what we do. Because, at the end of the day, how can you bring about change if it doesn’t start with a little conversation piece. waxandwickworkshop.com

We caught up with Sophie, Founder and brains behind Gung Ho, talking about how Gung Ho came about, the importance of ethical fashion and what to do with your skills when you've got something to shout about. Where does the name ‘Gung Ho’ come from and what does it mean? Gung Ho is an old British expression for being enthusiastic. We think the best way to describe it is a slap to the knee with a big smile! When I started the brand we wanted to stay clear of anything naff / cheesy or hippyish as a lot of ethical brands look and feel ethical, which isn't our vibe. We aim to connect with people who buy first and foremost because they like the products, and who only learn of our ethos afterwards leading them to engage with our causes. Even if they don't connect with the cause, they have still supported small local businesses, made a charity donation and bought ethically. What inspired you to start the business? I started Gung Ho as I was raised living a low carbon lifestyle, so a lot of the everyday elements were drummed into me early on. When I was younger I went to a lot of different events with brilliant people doing brilliant projects, but as a teenage girl I couldn't help but feel they looked dated in the way they dressed. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for stripped back, simple cuts, but these people had so much love for what they did it didn't match their personality. I knew I could offer something a bit different. The idea came when I realised that fashion is so often a first impression, so why can't we take that a step further and create clothing that not only makes you look fabulous, but also showcases causes that you feel passionately about!

How did you turn the idea into a business? When I realised I wanted to do my bit and use drawing to illustrate issues and connect with people, I originally thought I would be an artist. I went to do an art foundation and tried silk screen printing and immediately knew this was the way - wearable art that becomes a talking point. As I mentioned, fashion is everyone's first impression, and also a safe way of interacting with people. We all comment and compliment people on what they are wearing, but we're more than pretty faces and have more to say than just "thanks I got this on sale.." which instantly ends the conversation. It's boring. We give out a minizine with every garment that explains the issue behind the item, why it's important and the everyday things you can do to help. Everyone has beliefs and passion. So by putting more meaning into the design we can really connect with others - Gung Ho is for people with something to say. What’s the company’s latest initiative? And what kind of items makes up the collection? We've just launched our new campaign on Plastic Oceans - at the moment we just have sweatshirts, sweatshirt dresses and cushions but later this month we launch the full range - think jazzy tops, blouses and statement dresses. The collection is printed in Gloucestershire, on 100% sustainable tencel, and handmade in London. This is a cause close to my heart as I live on a boat and see the staggering amount of plastic pollution on a day-to-day basis. The charity we are supporting for this collection is Surfers Against Sewage who do some brilliant hands on work but are also great at education which is just as important.

Sophie Dunster

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main goal? Our aim is to be at the front of a movement in design. We want people to use design as a way to engage, make a difference and do good in the world. We believe this shouldn't compromise good design, whatever medium it is in. We collaborate with brands in different fields - we just did a beautiful collaboration with Chalk Designs, a local London jeweller but we want to push this into other areas too. As prints with messaging in them is our thing, you can put this on anything - it's not just fashion. If anyone wants to collaborate - please do get in touch!

"Gung Ho is for people with something to say"

For more information about the wonderful Sophie and Gung Ho, visit her website: gung-ho-design.com or follow her instagram @gung_ho_design for an a beautifully curated, fashion goals feed.

PLASTIC PLASTIC PLASTIC OCEANS OCEANS OCEANS PLASTIC PLASTIC PLASTIC OCEANS OCEANS OCEANS PLASTIC PLASTIC PLASTIC OCEANS 82

L O O K

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@gung_ho_design gung-ho-design.com

Burger Off.

LUXEAT PRESENTS

Culinary Journe

eys Thanks to my lifelong love story with Japan and Japanese culture, I’ve been very fortunate to get to know some of the best chefs in Japan. Chefs who don’t even like to be called chefs, but shokunins; artisans who dedicate all of their lives to their craft. Improving and refining their skills is a continuous journey for them. It all started in Ibiza two years ago when a friend and I invited one of Tokyo’s best Wagyu yakiniku masters, Kentaro Nakahara, and legendary Sushi Chef, Keiji Nakazawa to cook for a small group of foodie friends using local ingredients. The event turned out to be much bigger and more successful than we could have ever imagined and we promised each other that we would meet again in Spain the following year when Takaaki Sugita, owner of one of the best (if not the best) sushi-ya in Tokyo, and Yoshiteru Ikegawa, number one for yakitori and owner of Torishiki, joined in 2017. I have been able to create these exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime cultural exchanges with the precious support of Japan’s largest airline, ANA. Like me, ANA is passionate about bringing people and cultures from around the world together. Because I believe Britain is very underrated when ingredients and particularly great seafood is concerned, this year we

have decided to take things to a whole new level and bring part of Japan’s gastronomy and craftsmanship to London. Once again I am very honored because three exceptional shokunins will join this time too. Two-Michelinstarred Kouji Kimura, a worldwide pioneer in aging fish who is proud to say he never serves it fresh and who will help us to understand why; Japan’s current number one on tabelog.com, Tempura Master Shuji Niitome, who until recently refused to be listed in any restaurant guides; and once the driving force of the event and dear friend, Kentaro Nakahara, whose expertise in yakiniku and Wagyu cutlet sandwich have no equals. It will be a collaboration with Europe’s best soba shokunin, Katsuki Sakurai, who learned the art of hand-made noodles on Yamanashi Mountain with Kunihiro Takahashi, Japan’s legendary soba master.

Culinary Journeys, as presented by Luxeat and ANA will take place between 29th October and 2nd November 2018. If you would like to participate in this unique cultural experience, go to www.luxeat.com Aiste Miseviciute Luxeat

YOU CAN T DO EPIC SHIT WITH BASIC PEOPLE 91

PHOTO CREDIT: HULU

Repeal the Fate

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is an Atwood classic that has recently resurfaced amongst popular culture due to its haunting television-series adaptation. Set in a dystopian near-future, the tale considers the position of women in society, with particular reference to marriage and reproduction, and the implications this has on female agency and identity. In the novel, women are reduced to the roles they are given, (be this: Handmaids, Marthas, Wives or Econwives) and this is evidenced by the capitalisation of ‘Wives’ and not husbands. Those who commit a crime or cannot provide a child after multiple attempts are denounced as ‘Unwomen’ and this reiterates the idea that the ability to reproduce is given precedence over character and personal autonomy.

Although written in the 1980s, its social commentary maintains pertinence today as it touches on issues of gender inequality. Furthermore, though a hyperbolic illustration of the ownership of female bodies, it has undeniable relevance to the recent review of abortion laws in Ireland. Ultimately, the overriding theme of the novel can be summarized by the protagonist’s declaration:

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I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it's shameful or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely.

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WHAT WE ARE R 92

Food for Thought Michael Faber’s Under the Skin Published in 2000, Michael Faber’s Under the Skin interrogates the ethicality of the meat industry and the ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude that many consumers adopt. Despite being published almost two decades ago; its message is more relevant today than ever before in the wake of the vegan revolution. The novel reverses our understanding of hierarchy by introducing a superior alien species and placing humans in the position of animals. Humans, referred to as ‘Vodsels’ are hunted and farmed by the aliens and this serves to accentuate the vulnerability of those at the bottom of the food chain. The story makes for a fascinating read as it forces the reader to question elements of their own morality. When the alien protagonist attempts to decipher the vodsel’s plea for ‘MERCY’, it breaks down strict species-boundaries. This encourages us to see beyond the language barrier and in doing so sheds light on our similarities while reinforcing the need to show compassion. Though the novel’s significance is undeniable, the introduction of a slightly more developed extraterrestrial version of mankind ensures its fictional position, while the thrilling yet unsettling narrative and writing style makes for a truly captivating read. Ultimately, the key message of the novel is that under the skin we are all the same. Emily Perryment Editor

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PHOTO CREDIT: UNDER THE SKIN MOVIE

Change is Simple With all the hype around the environment at the moment, it is easy to feel overwhelmed at this vast amount of change that needs to be made in order to make a difference to the grim reality of the future of our oceans.

These 4 sustainable swaps will not only make your life easier (and cheaper!) the ocean will thank you too. It's the small steps that make a big difference. Lead the way and inspire others with your actions. Trust me, it'll be worth it. Emily Forrester Creative Director (& sustainable swapper)

REUSABLE COFFEE CUP I recommend: Keepcup. Leak-proof and sturdy, a good size for Lattes and Flat Whites alike. uk.keepcup.com

REUSABLE METAL STRAW I recommend: Amazon There are hundreds of variations on the humble straw out there, and this metal variety is definitely the best. Sturdy, robust and stylish, it even comes with a straw shaped cleaning brush. amazon.co.uk

REUSABLE BOTTLE I recommend: Chillys I CANNOT stop raving about my Chillys Bottle. It keeps water cold for 24hours which is a godsend in this heatwave! With everything from pastel colours to bold patterns, there's something for everyone. chillysbottles.com

TOTE BAG I recommend: Anywhere! Try your favourite brand and most likely they'll have a Canvas tote bag for sale. (Mine was gifted from my favourite watch company, Shore but notonthehighstreet.com have some fabulous ones)

Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why” When I first heard this my ego, who I call Edna, huffed at me “You don’t bloody know why you were born!”. And she was spot on, though it seems as if Edna and I are not alone. Everybody is searching for purpose, and through my work with 'A Tribe Called Woman', I have turned this quest into my vocation. Part of being human is the need to belong and form a community. Purpose provides a light to guide us, helps us get back on track when we get lost and unites us with similar souls. Sounds lovely and very straightforward right? Well unfortunately not, truly knowing and then living out your purpose is really hard. Think about the miraculous way human life is created. A multitude of cells joining to first form a heart beat, growing 10,000 times bigger in the first month alone, developing 50 thousand neurons every second and by the time of birth, 100 billion neurons ready to be used. So if getting to the day you were born involved all of that, then the day you find out why wasn’t going to just pop out, is it?

TRIBE CALLED WOMAN

At 'A Tribe Called Woman' we see the struggle we all have with finding -and living- our purpose. We know that ego grabs onto purpose with all

its might and can cause us to load up with fear, doubt, competition, jealousy and other negative emotions. This is the feeding ground of an over active inner critic who loves nothing more than to whip you when you're down. If your ego’s voice speaks first and loudest, purpose whispers gently to you from the day you are born. In life nothing happens by chance, so consider this, your path is made up of orchestrated experiences designed to take you closer to your purpose. We support women with this journey by creating a safe and nurturing space to keep returning back to, so they can hear its calling. I’m passionate about purpose and empowering women to find and live theirs and this started the day I found my why. I always knew I wanted to help others; my Dad is a social campaigner, so spending my childhood marching installed this deep longing for social justice. Later, through a series of unplanned career moves, I ended up in CSR and over a few years and this led to some highly acclaimed work that fundamentally changed lives. It gave me a huge sense of pride, but I felt increasingly isolated. The ‘Aha’ moment came in January 2014 when I underwent emergency brain surgery and survived. Through my critical illness I ignited this profound connection between my brain and my body and instinctively used creative visualisation to help forge the pathways that would enable me to learn to walk again. I’d never felt so alive and clear about why I was born, and that was to help women. All the strength, love and humility I needed to heal myself came from the incredible women in my life, starting with myself. Compelled by my experience and fascination with the brain I qualified as Clinical Hypnotherapist and worked with the subconcious to help people tap into the answers that already lay within them, and I gave them the belief and confidence they needed to act.

The work with women beckoned and in 2015 the call came from Karen, my friend and Founder at 'A Tribe Called Woman.' After taking part in two of Karen’s tribes and enrolling her as a coach, I realised our higher purposes were very intertwined. Our mission is to nurture feminine leadership and wellness in the workplace in a way that supports conscious capitalism and has a positive impact on society. You may be surprised to hear that our work isn’t purely exclusive to women, as the rise of the feminine must include men because there is a need for greater balance between masculine and feminine energies, or matriarchal and patriarchal societies. Karen recently delivered a leadership & wellbeing programme in Mexico with a team of male executives and one woman. The outcome of this was the emergence of a new softer feminine energy that placed wellbeing and greater creativity, connection and collaboration at the heart of business. Our approach links body, mind and purpose together, teaching clients to tune into their core and follow their instincts. Women are empowered to manage their professional, personal, social and wellbeing goals. Purpose is both simple and complex, it has a pulse. A lot of doing creates action, but what you are doing it for and how you are being often gets lost. When we know and live our purpose, it’s important to take care of our wellbeing in order to hear the promptings for change and this requires effort, and training. Our work encourages women to listen to their intuition and what their bodies tell them to follow or not. Then they create clarity & vision, and move forward with a new sense of inner strength and a support system behind them. An action plan is created to take small, deliberate steps every day that will help them to create a legacy in the work they do. We challenge women to engage in a quest that moves them and involves

others and this is usually a creative expression of their purpose. But how does this make a difference to business? Well, this lies in permission. In a hard capitalistic society we are bound by the visible and invisible rules that constitute if we are 'good' or not. Institutions and corporations are run by permissions created in the ‘good of the people’ and the cultural tide doesn’t want us to challenge or step out of line. Inside we’re screaming “I don’t fit in here!”. The image of a trapped bird in a closed cage is often a metaphor used to describe how many women feel when they are at their limit. When this happens, women start to move to the outer circle and unless constructive support is offered, they often take the leap out into the unknown, which explains the growing trend of why so many women are leaving behind corporate jobs to start their own businesses and cultures. We believe and see that permission can be ignited through the wisdom of a purposeful journey, walked alongside a supportive tribe. Our work supports women to open up in a manner that empowers them

and those around them and often the same women who were considering leaving their jobs, find themselves in a different mindset and space. Our latest programme is designed to support companies to thrive by investing in wellbeing at a deeper level. ‘Wellbeing in the Workplace Tribes’ will connect individuals to body, mind and purpose, and call forth the importance of a supportive tribe. Our aim is to connect women to their purpose, and lead from a truly authentic place, and we hope this will create ripples of change within business and society. These cultural shifts created by individual behaviour are far more powerful than tick-box brand purpose statements as these small, but important actions will keep sowing the seeds needed for true gender equality to bloom, and survive. I have no idea how long gender equality will take but I do know I’m so glad I am part of this time and I'm massively excited to meet all those people who feel the same. Helen Parker Partner and Mind Empowerment Expert www.ATribeCalledWoman.com

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OUR MISSION IS TO NURTURE FEMININE LEADERSHIP AND WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE 98

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"PEOPLE BUY A PRODUCT FOR WHAT IT DOES. BUT THEY BUY A BRAND FOR WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THEM." OT R T E DAV

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Flushed pads & tampons cause nasty ocean pollution. Instead, seal them away with the biodegradable FabLittleBag. Unique stylish one handed design. No more awkward moments. Feel the difference. Be the difference.

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"ART IS BORN OF THE OBSERVATION AND INVESTIGATION OF NATURE." CICERO

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Janette Evans-Turner, Head of Procurement at Zurich UK

explains how social procurement is business as usual for the insurance firm...

At Zurich we are committed to sustainability and ensuring that our business activities have a positive impact on society, the environment and the economy. By integrating social and environmental concerns into our business operations we can make a real difference and help effect social change with our business beliefs, practices and profits. In the UK corporate responsibility is at the heart of our business through the way we operate in the marketplace, workplace, community and environment. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS One of the ways in which we deliver on our commitment is by ensuring we have a procurement framework in place that takes into account the economic, social and environmental impacts of our purchasing activity. Our procurement framework enables us to benchmark potential suppliers against a range of factors to ensure their suitability, for example: We have robust criteria in place to help us to assess the products we buy, which includes CR factors, best value and compliance with relevant legislation. We also consider the environmental and social impacts of potential goods and services in our purchasing decisions. . Our approach to procurement also reflects our commitment to promoting supplier diversity. We believe that engaging a wide range of suppliers gives us the potential to work with the most agile and

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innovative companies. We also work actively with our suppliers to enhance CR performance throughout the supply chain. As part of our supplier selection process, suppliers fill in questionnaires which include a section on corporate responsibility. Each supplier’s response and evidence is assessed as part of the supplier selection process. By adopting such a comprehensive and robust approach to social procurement, it helps us to embed social enterprises into our supply chain for the long term. SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL PARTNERSHIPS: WILDHEARTS, NINETY DIGITAL, BELU WATER AND CLARITY In the UK, we’re proud of the partnerships we have in place working with companies that are equally committed to social enterprise. We work directly with socially-responsible companies: digital experts ‘Ninety Consulting’, stationery specialists, ‘Wildhearts’, to embed social values into our supply chain. We’ve established indirect relationships with social enterprises such as Belu Water through our partnership with caterer, Sodexo. Since 2015, Zurich has sourced its stationery supplies from the ‘WildHearts’, a firm which harness business overheads and transform them into positive social impact, with profits from Zurich’s social procurement funding the work of the WildHearts Foundation.

In the developing world, WildHearts fund Microfinance in over 40 countries, investing in predominantly female micro-entrepreneurs to help them work their own way out of poverty with dignity and selfrespect. In the developed world, they focus on social mobility, helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into employment through their multi-award winning entrepreneurial education programme, Micro-Tyco.

We’re equally proud of track record working with Belu Water, whom we’ve partnered with since 2016 via Sodexo. As Zurich’s preferred supplier for bottled water across our UK offices, we’re helping our employees to make a difference in their daily lives through a simple purchasing decision which has a real purpose. Every bottle purchased helps to fund Belu’s support for socially responsible causes across the globe.

In 2017 alone with just Zurich’s business, WildHearts has been able to transform the lives of 1,451 people via microfinance and 756 young people via Micro-Tyco. All 2,200 people are now better off due to Zurich switching their business supplies spend to WildHearts.

More recently, in 2018 we’ve teamed up with social enterprise Clarity, as our new supplier of soap products across our office locations in the UK. Their mission is to create employment, to provide training and to help visually-impaired people to build skills, confidence and independence. Along withtheir partner, The Soap Co, 80% of their employees are blind, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged. Our partnership with Clarity and The Soap Co, helps create more hours of employment for visually impaired or otherwise disadvantaged people.

Since 2016 Zurich has also partnered with digital experts Ninety Consulting. Ninety has a proven track record in digital innovation and have been instrumental in helping us launch our digital platform for Zurich Municipal customers and more recently Zurich’s Innovation Foundry, which takes great ideas and explores how we can bring them to life to make a difference for our customers. Ninety takes their name from the fact that they donate or invest 90% of their distributable profits to good causes. Our partnership with Ninety has also led to numerous IT and innovation awards, proof that social procurement doesn’t just give back to society; it can also drive business forward.

LONG-TERM VISION We’re committed to social procurement and all the benefits it brings and will continue to explore more ways to embed more social enterprises into our social chain We urge other organisations to consider taking a social approach to procurement as part of their wider corporate responsibility strategy, being a force for good in an ever-changing world. Sara Spinks Senior Media Relations Manager Zurich Insurance Plc

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TRASHYFASHY TRASHYFASHY TRASHYFAS TRASHYFASHY TRASHYFASHY TRASHYFASHY T TR During his 25 years as President, Executive Creative Director of Concrete Brand Imaging Group, founder Bob Weinstein has helped create brand images for some of the worlds top luxury lifestyle brands.

It wasn’t until this past year however, while on a shoot in Turks and Caicos for Everything but Water- a luxury swim and resort wear brand- that Bob’s growing concern about the state of the environment found an outlet. While working on a video about plastic pollution in the oceans, Bob stumbled upon an abandoned doll and a lightbulb went off in his head. Why not have a competition to create outfits for the doll using plastic trash found on the beach. Not only would this inspire people to collect trash, it would bring to life this frightening statistic: that by 2050, there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish. And in one flash, TrashyFashy was born. Plans to bring further attention to this worldwide environmental disaster through this initiative are currently in the works.

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___NEXT ISSUE: #3 The Culture of Culture There are some brands that intrinsically link with culture and or cultural moments or trends that have lived way beyond a moment, think Skateboarding, Hip Hop, Grime, Dance, Sneakers and Graffiti. But then also think of the culture of nations and lifestyle, Cooking, Festivals, Music and Fashion. Brands have for a long time tried to become part of culture through their marketing, with most strategies hoping to create a clearer connection between people and the brands they use. At the same time, wider culture also affects marketers more directly, so in the next issue we will look at the impact of culture on brands and brands on culture, we will look at the evidence of how a brand has changed or created culture and then look at how modern brands try so hard yet fail to deliver a truthful and authentic link to culture.

October 2018

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human. Brought to you by Kemosabe. 72-82 Roseberry Avenue London EC1R 4RW __FOR ALL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: Ian Irving - ian@wearekemosabe.com Emily Perryment - emily@wearekemosabe.com

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