ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The EU's new green claims rules went live on 27 September, and they change what every business selling into Europe can say about sustainability. In this week's countdown I take you through the 10 sustainability stories that mattered most to business, ranked by how much coverage they got across Trellis, ESG Today, edie, Bloomberg Green, Semafor and more.
We cover why Climate Week NYC sold climate as energy security, the FCA's comply-or-explain shift on UK sustainability reporting, ISO's net zero standard going back for revision, El Niño's hit on food and commodity prices, fashion's new plan for secondhand clothes, and the first tools to measure the carbon footprint of AI. Stay to the end for three facts you won't see in the headlines, including where the world's spare calories really go.
If you work on net zero strategy, carbon accounting or Scope 3 reporting, this is the week to check your green claims against the evidence behind them. Come and talk to me here - https://tidycal.com/willrichardson/ssbywrpodcast30
If you advise organisations on sustainability yourself, have a look at our referral programme: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/
Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence, and tell me in the comments which story matters most to your business.
#Sustainability #NetZero #CarbonAccounting #Greenwashing #ESG
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I'm Will Richardson, Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero and a sustainability advisor with 25 years in the field. I founded Green Element in 2004 and spent two decades building it into one of Europe's most respected sustainability consultancies before it merged with 51toCarbonZero in November 2025. Climate action is both an obligation and an opportunity, and that's the thread running through everything I write here. I co-created Compare Your Footprint, carbon accounting software recognised as a key player in the Global Carbon Accounting Software Market, and I'm a Fellow of IEMA and a Chartered Environmentalist. Each week, I break down what's actually happening in sustainability: the data, the regulation, the greenwash worth calling out, and the practical steps businesses can take right now. No jargon, no doom-mongering, just clear thinking for people who need to make real decisions. I also host the Sustainability Solved podcast with Charlie Luxton, 200+ episodes and counting, where we talk to the people building the solutions. Based in Scotland. Writing for business leaders who want sustainability to make commercial sense, not just moral sense.
