“The crafting world is full of the idea that more is better. We want to change that, showing that higher quality is better, preloved is better, re used and repaired is better” (Jan, co owner of The Snail of Happiness)…
Read More The Snail of Happiness: Circular Crafting and Community Wellbeing in Rural Wales
“We are resilient, ambitious and committed to working together towards a healthier, happier and more prosperous future for our village and the region. Collaboration and determination are at the heart of everything we do”. (Mari Arthur). Dr Justin John, a…
Read More Tetrim Teas: Brewing a Sustainable Future in Wales
“Here at Ella’s Kitchen we try really hard to be good in sense – not just through the good food we make but also by doing good stuff for our environment and giving stuff back to our local communities” (Paul…
Read More Ella’s Kitchen and Paul Lindley : A Recipe for Ethical Business and Social Impact
“In a time when we have stopped growing and started simply surviving, our individual dimensions of wellness have become unbalanced and, as such, we need a unique, personalized approach to restoring that balance – that of the harmony of wellbeing”…
Read More Kwendalo: A Holistic Haven for Wellness, Education, and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
“Our ambition is to create a world where the value of a company is measured by the good that it does, as much as the profit it makes”. (Will and Nick, Co-founders of Ocean Bottle). Ocean Bottle is a business…
Read More Ocean Bottle: Tackling Ocean Plastic and Empowering Coastal Communities
“Changing the way people eat is an ambitious goal and one that can only be achieved with smart, innovative, and driven people”. (Laurent Guillemain, CEO of HelloFresh). Between 2004 and 2010 Colorado-based Michael Joseph, an Economics Theory graduate of the…
Read More Green Chef and HelloFresh: Pioneering a Sustainable Future in the Meal Kit Industry
“I started Beauty Kitchen to use business as a force for good with an equal weighting on the community, the environment and profit in every decision we make” (Jo-Anne Chidley) In 1995 Jo-Anne Chidley, the co-founder of Beauty Kitchen, graduated…
Read More Beauty with Purpose: Beauty Kitchen & Reposit Leading the Way in Sustainable Skincare
“In our everyday deliberations, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations” (The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy). Seventh Generation is an American Company that sells eco-friendly cleaning, paper and personal care products. It was…
Read More Seventh Generation: Leading Sustainability and Innovation with Biobased Stain Fighters
“The very people growing rice are the ones left behind by the industry and society" (Lincoln Lee) It is not just in the rice production sector that the planet and its people are exploited. In the drive to make as…
Read More Rice Inc: Empowering Farmers, Transforming the Rice Industry
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - Lao Tzu, 5th century Chinese philosopher In the Philippines village women are assembling and selling…
“Many are concerned that modern farming practices are reducing our farming land’s productivity and ecosystem health. Creating a sustainable future is a core part of Câr-y-Môr’s aim" (Owen Haines, co-founder Câr-y-Môr [Love of the Sea]) Câr-y-Môr is a Community Benefit…
Read More Sustainable Seas: The Story of Câr-y-Môr’s Innovative Ocean Farming
“We don’t always want to be about the bottom line" - George Bennell Founded in 1991 as The Fresh Olive Company, Belazu, a Chef-grade Ingredient company, is the brainchild of two lifelong school friends, George Bennell and Adam Wells. On…
Read More The Belazu Ingredient Company: Where Passion Meets Purpose
“I was working for a large pharmaceutical company, and it was all about profit margins and driving more and more for the shareholders” - Mandy Powell The Goodwash Company is the brainchild of two Welsh international sports people, Mandy Powell…
As a modern business, it is our duty to stand for more than just profit...We're dedicated to helping people, protecting the planet and working together - Greggs. Greggs is a national UK bakery retail business that had, in 2023, a…
Read More Sausage rolls and social goals – Greggs Winning Hearts
Sustainability is about the balance of looking after ourselves, our planet and each other – wherever possible, minimising harm and leaving the world and its people in a better position than I found them - Amber Jones Amber Jones is…
“Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected" - Kofi Annan After being accused of teaching politics to her pupils in Zimbabwe, geography teacher…
“I had a yearning to do something completely different with my skill base, something more holistic and community-focused" -Amanda Wood For Amanda Wood, the COVID-19 pandemic was life-changing. Prior to its outbreak in 2020, she was working as a programme…
Read More Seeds of Change: The Micro Greengrocer Cultivating Community & Sustainability
“I wanted people to have a safe space where they could come and tell stories and where they could integrate into the wider community’ - Reynette Roberts Oasis Cardiff aims to facilitate the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into…
Read More Oasis Cardiff: Championing Entrepreneurial Spirit for Refugees in Wales
“I want to be able to look into my kids’ eyes and honestly say, ‘I did everything I could to hinder climate change” (Anders Ankarlid) Founded in 2019, Agood Company is a Swedish B-Corp that employs 28 people, only 14…
Read More Agood Company Turning Profits into Environmental Protection
We pour our heart and soul into our work and believe that the greatest achievements are driven by Passion. - Donna Turner-Not, n-ergy I am immensely proud of our caring, inclusive culture, where we set the highest standards and expectations…
Read More n-ergy’s Impact: Education, Peace, and Reintegration
"Innovation and sustainability aren’t just about what we create, but how we create, and who gets to participate in the process." - Sarah and Julia, Co-founders of The Sustainable Studio In Cardiff, a transformative force is reshaping the creative landscape,…
Read More The Sustainable Studio: Empowering Creative Enterprise and Advancing SDG 16
“We’re in the fight against climate change. That’s what has driven the business so far. I am proud of what I do; this has never felt like a proper job” - James Hygate James Hygate, the founder and CEO of…
Read More Green Revolution: From Garage to Global with Firefly Green Fuels
“The world needs new models of agriculture: farms that are of course productive but also sustainable for many centuries to come; that are resilient—able to adjust to climate change, that are people-friendly, offering plenty of good jobs and supporting local…
Read More Cultivating the Future: Kindling Farm’s Vision for Sustainable, Community-Led Agriculture
“RNCM mobilises musicians to graduate into the world’s confident risk takers, innovators and changemakers” - (RNCM, 2023) In December 2023, the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), based in Manchester, became the UK’s entrepreneurial University of the Year. Founded in…
Read More Harmonising Innovation: The RNCM Shaping Tomorrow’s Musical Entrepreneurs and Changemakers
“Access to safe water is a human right which almost a third of the planet is being denied. But cleaning polluted waterways requires energy, and we must ensure that our efforts to heal the planet don’t inadvertently create new harm"…
Read More Aquacycl’s Vision: Pioneering the Transformation of Water Treatment
“We solve the same problems as regular technology companies. We just look to nature for our inspiration and answers” - Eric Puro NutraIngredients 2021 Start-up Award winner KÄÄPÄ Biotech: ‘Our passion led to the win!’20-Dec-2021 By Will Chu Founded in 2018,…
Read More Kääpä Biotech: Nature-Inspired Medicinal Mushrooms
“I promise to keep sustainability as a key part of our business strategy and to continually promote sustainability to our members, our partners, and our hoteliers. Through these means and through our future innovations, I think it is vital for…
Read More Sustainable Suitehearts: Mr & Mrs Smith Craft Luxury Hotels with a Conscience
“Our business is based on solid values: great products with good design, made ethically and sustainably without doing harm to others or our planet” - Lisa and Philip Ingram LittleLeaf Organic Cotton). Lisa Ingram has a DPhil, four young adult…
"At Bee1, we believe that the most sustainable solutions arise at the intersection of education, innovation, and social responsibility." - Bee1 Mark Douglas, former Director of NatWest Bank across Wales and the Chairman/Founder of NatWest Cymru, transitioned from shaping a…
Read More Bee1’s Trailblazing Path Fostering Climate Awareness in School
“We are a business built on the advocacy of individual users. We are at our best when we arrive at decisions that consider all of the perspectives and look forward with optimism and authenticity” - KeepCup Born in Glasgow but…
Read More KeepCup: Brewing Change One Reusable Cup at a Time
In the picturesque Welsh countryside, farmer Andrew Evans is involved in a pioneering trial with implications for the global environment. At his farm in Welshpool, Powys, he is introducing daffodil compounds into his cattle's diet to reduce methane emissions. The…
Read More The Power of Petals: The Daffodils’ Role in Combating Global Warming
“Love Cocoa and H!P Chocolate are at the forefront of sustainable chocolate innovation” - Richard Koch, British Entrepreneur, Management Consultant and Angel Investor The name Cadbury is world famous, especially in the world of chocolate and confectionery. The Quaker, John…
“We believe in supporting a form of agriculture which will ensure our, and future, generations will have choice and opportunity…” Lucy Watson and Ben Pratt Lampeter, a small university market town in mid-Wales, has a history of sustainable organic food…
Read More Watson & Pratt’s: where shopping is social & produce is local
“I always work with as many local producers as I can to source local, seasonal and organic produce. I am proud to call these suppliers my friends and love the opportunity to create exciting dishes with them” - Deri Reed…
Read More Deri Reed’s Culinary Journey for Community and Planet
"Having the mindset, ambition and motivation to be an entrepreneur is a gift, and it's important that gift is used in the right way" - Jacob Hill Jacob Hill, an award-winning serial entrepreneur and ex-offender, founded Offploy CIC in 2016.…
Read More Offploy CIC: Empowering Ex-Offenders for Better Futures
“I used to channel my energies into the wrong things. I was successful but now I know that if I had channelled my energies into something positive I could have succeeded there too”. (Cooper an ex-offender and Tap Social employee)…
Read More Tap Social: Brewing Change Through Beer, Baking & Second Chances
“The truth is that few companies are making the changes required to their business practices to make the urgent impact we need…” - Tim Etherington-Judge Stephanie Jordan and Tim Etherington-Judge launched Avallen Spirits, a private producer of Calvados (a cider brandy…
Read More Avallen Spirits: The Planet-Positive Spirit Brand with moral purpose
“The sustainable equilibrium of our planet is facing huge challenges. But at The Wellbeing Farm, we are working to create a solution, and to make our green story even greener”. (Celia Gaze) Who would have thought a wedding and corporate…
“We have to think big. Who would have thought 20 years ago we'd have got where we are now". (Dr. Matthew O'Callaghan, OBE) In 2015, food historian Dr Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, was awarded…
Read More Reviving Rural Economies: The Inspiring Story of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association
Recently there has been a change in customer buying patterns with many also wanting to buy sustainable and local products” (Eifion Griffiths). While many businesses claim that sustainability does not fit with the business case and consumers do not demand…
Read More Melin Tregwynt: The Revival of Welsh Wool Production and Sustainability
Jean image Source: http://www.albionman.com/ “Companies with a soul are so much more interesting than companies motivated purely by profit" (David Hieatt) In 1995 at the age of 36, David Hieatt co-founded Howies, a niche active clothing business that wanted to produce…
We are a small company with a turnover of £3 million, but we are making an impact way beyond our size. The manufacturing industry is beginning to wake up and take notice of the climate and ecological emergency around us,…
Read More Crystal Doors Fostering Sustainability and Community Growth
“The fact that something has not been done before, does not mean it can’t be done at all” - (Modvion) Modvion, founded in 2015, is the brainchild of two engineers, Joakim Orneblad and Otto Lundman, who graduated from Chalmers University’s…
“Towards a pollution-free planet with a pollution-free process" - Kristaps Cirius, CMO TerraWaste Largely as a result of man's entrepreneurial innovativeness, we produce 2.01 billion tonnes of waste a year, 86% of which is non-recyclable, and, as a result of…
“Having a greener Christmas isn’t about making big sacrifices. If we each take small steps, collectively we can make a big difference” - Catherine Loveless, London Christmas Tree Rental At a time when deforestation is estimated to contribute some 10%…
“We strive to work within and in harmony with the ecosystem rather than attempting to radically alter and control it” (Jemma Vickers and Paul Rolt) Hebron vineyard, located on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border in the foothills of the Preseli mountains in West Wales,…
“We are all intertwined yet we, humans have the biggest affect, and not always in a good way” (Dr Rhodri Owen). Symbolically bees are associated with love and romance and are considered to be guardians of the natural world. As…
“Focus on the team first, then the customer, then the investor and expect from your team what you expect from yourself. You can achieve a lot, but you are only human” - Dr. Kyle Grant Each year the £70bn garment…
“If everybody in the world consumed resources at the rate we do in the UK, we would need 3.5 planets to sustain us” This was the realisation that prompted three friends, Emma Shaw, Rebecca Trevalyan, and Sophia Wyatt to start…
“We aim to build a strong resilient community that can cope with the challenges of a rapidly changing planet” - ZERO Carbon Guildford. On 21st November 2021, Zero Carbon Guildford was opened in the centre of Guildford, a university town…
“Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity” (Karina Sudenyte) Mother of twins, 22 year old Karina Sudenyte and her husband Maciek Kacprzyk were students at the University of South Wales in Cardiff when they set up “Get Wonky”…
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race” - H.G. Wells, 1866-1946 XO Bikes is not a business with a purpose it is a purpose with a business.…
"The problem is much worse than we think. We have to wake up" - Dr. Monika van den Bos Verma of Wageningen University, Netherlands Food waste is one of the major global sustainability problems. According to the UN Food and…
“We’re not here to take on big plastic.We’re here to keep making better decisions and to partner with people up for doing the same.” What do a group of designers with a love of the sea and surfing have in…
At a time when global food prices are rising higher and faster than at any time in the last decade, an estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. About one-third of the food produced globally contributes some 8…
“The best way to help a community is to give it the faith and knowledge to help itself” - New Scientist, 2nd August, 1962 Rosario, estimated population 1.7 million, is located 300kms (186 miles) North West of Buenos Aires, Argentina.…
Read More Rosario Garden Project: urban regeneration seeds hope
The world can be extremely cruel. While the planet is home to some 7.9 billion people, it can also cause considerable human suffering as can the human population itself. Not only do natural disasters bring suffering but so does man’s…
wastes pic: Bath.ac.uk While research is intended to identify solutions to problems, laboratory-based research can also contribute to them, in particular to the current sustainability challenge. Annually some 5.5 million tonnes of single-use plastic is produced by life sciences research…
Read More LabCycle – revolutionising the recycling of Laboratory Plastic Waste
bottle pic: by tanvi sharma “If bottles were made of gold, nobody would litter them in nature” - Eric Schaffner The damage that plastics can do to the environment is well documented. One million plastic bottles are produced a minute…
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Formerly known a SIFE (Students into Free Enterprise) Enactus is the world’s largest experiential learning platform.…
Read More Egyptian University ‘Chito-Shrimp’ feeds multiple sustainability projects
According to the World Health organisation, 1.3 million people die each year from car crashes caused by human error, while some 4.5 million people are estimated to die from the effects of air pollution and the particulate matter produced, particularly…
Read More Riding the Wayve for sustainable, accessible, and safer mobility
“Why go back to normal when you can go back to better?” - Ruth Anslow HISBE (How it Should Be) is a community of interest (CIC) supermarket in the coastal town of Brighton in West Sussex, England founded by Jack…
"We believe the closer people are to nature, the more they will protect it" - Vivobarefoot Founded in 2012, Vivobarefoot is an innovative London-based shoe company whose pedigree dates back almost 200 years. In 1825 in the village of Street in…
"If all the cattle in the world joined together to start their own country, they would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases” - Bill Gates Globally methane is responsible for 30 per cent of global warming, and the world’s…
“The bee is more honoured than other animals not because she labours but because she labours for others” - Saint John Chrysostom, 347-407 Apart from being a source of food, medicine and wax, bees are a source of life on…
Humanity is the washerwoman of our society that wrings out its laundry in tears - Karl Klaus, 1874-1936 The handwashing of clothes is a simple but time-consuming and energy-sapping task that has been a significant source of invention for centuries.…
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes" - Marcel Proust (1871-1922) The Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on international travel in general and international tourism in particular. With the…
Read More Stella Vita – world’s first solar powered mobile home
"If GM (General Motors) had kept up with technology as the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG" - Bill Gates “Buy cars and other products that have the least impact environmentally” -…
Kay Luan Tay, the recent Vice Chancellor of the International University Malaya-Wales and author of three book on Social and Business Sustainability has wide but unique experience in managing and delivering value across both commercial and non-commercial enterprise. A strong…
Read More GEW2021 interview: the mind behind the investing in others for sustainable futures
“Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill” (Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018). One aspect of the sustainability challenge, all too frequently…
Read More Float8, sustainable and cost-effective solutions to land shortage
MarinaTex, image: licensed to use Plastics waste is a major global problem facing the planet, affecting life on earth both on land and in the sea. The problem is that it is non-biodegradable and can exist in the ecosystem for…
Empowering women to work and have more freedom in how they dress is the aim of “Modest Trends”, a Cardiff-based clothing business stocking fashionable lines intended for generation M Muslim women, aged 16-35, who want to dress fashionably but in accordance…
Originating in the 16th century, but not becoming commonplace until after William Murdoch’s invention of the gaslight in 1802, street lights are now regarded as an essential feature of modern living. Not only do they aid security but they contribute…
Read More “May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out” (J.R.R. Tolkein)
WaterLight (E-Dina) According to SDG 7, by 2030 the aim is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. The problem is that in 2021, only 9 years away, some 940 million people (13% of the…
Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drinks in the world. Its origin dates back some 5000 years, possibly more, and by 2018 188.79 million kilolitres were being consumed, the equivalent of approximately 298.2 billion bottles. However,…
Read More “He was a wise man who invented beer” (Plato, 427-347 BC).
Since Global Entrepreneurship Week 2020, The Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society has posted case examples of systemic, harmonious enterprises that have focused not just on “ making as much money as possible” (Friedman, 1970) but on Elkington’s (2004) Triple Bottom Line of Profit-People-Planet. Each…
Read More Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay (Sallust, 86-35BC)
Though a profound invention that has impacted significantly on modern society, plastics are a major sustainability challenge as they do not decompose and contribute to environmental problems both on land and in the sea, as well as to the health…
Read More “There’s a way to do it better – Find it” (Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
Water pollution: Brian Yurasits, 2019 How did a meal in Glasgow lead to the UK’s first green debit card made from recycled ocean plastic? Well, it is quite simple, over a meal with a friend, one of the co-founders of…
In the USA it is estimated that trucks/lorries (Heavy Goods Vehicles/HGVs) account for 5% of the number of vehicles on the road but 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, while in Europe the Environment Agency estimates that HGVs…
Read More An Innovative UK solution to the Global Pollution Problem Caused by Urban Trucking
(Image credit: North Wales Police) In an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19, it has become law in many countries for people to wear disposable face masks. 129 billion face masks are being used globally each month and in…
Read More The world is green and beautiful, and we are its custodians
In the global knowledge economy, universities have become the catalyst for economic and social development and many have added to their two traditional missions of research and teaching a third mission that involves the transfer and commercialisation of the intellectual…
Read More Innovation for Impact: How Gongali Model Company is Changing Lives in Tanzania
Reception desk, UWTSD. Photo: T. Oseng-Rees. Being brought up in 1980s Norway, “environmental awareness, frugality, creativity, independence and empathy for everything and everyone” is fundamental to Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity St.…
HES 2020-2025 