Engaging with the next frontier of sustainability

Here in deepest Cornwall, it’s felt like we’ve had all four weather seasons thrown at us within 48 hours. From heavy rain pounding down as we got off the train at Bodmin Parkway to the freezing cold and wind when the first of around 2,500 of us arrived at the Eden Project early the following morning. Fortunately, some glorious sunshine soon followed with the hot sun streaming in over multiple panel sessions taking place under the Eden Project’s vast world-renowned domes with their incredible rainforests and gardens.  

The immediate weather of course is the least of the problems worrying the crowd here. Yes, some are focused on the bigger climate question, but more seem to be acknowledging that sustainability has to be rethought in a much broader context. For most it is about resilience but also how to fix what many agree here is a broken Britain, against a global backdrop of geopolitical volatility and an AI-driven technology revolution. Taken together these factors raise questions over the workplace of the future, the skills we now need and the key role of ethics and judgement that only humans can currently really bring. All this as we deal with risks on all fronts – from misinformation to a fragile supply chain. 

This is my first time attending Anthropy. Now in its fourth year, this week it has brought together more than 600 speakers and contributors across more than 200 sessions. An astonishing 900 organisations are here. The emphasis is on building a better UK, a very ambitious and broad thematic. Talked up by some as a mini-Davos for the UK, the agenda covers everything from the energy transition to the future for agentic AI to rebuilding trust institutions and the media. Throw in discussions on the importance of soil and high-profile ‘fireside chats’ with the likes of the Director General of Technology at GCHQ, the ‘brain food’ here is a truly eclectic mix with an opportunity to forge great new connections - and reconnect with existing ones. 

Discussions here have been truly varied with one covering the convening power of local councils, emphasising the risks of acting in silos. Sharon Thompson, the Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council (still embroiled in its long-running bin crisis), sat alongside Mark Hyde, the CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation. Both highlighted the critical importance of bringing together different stakeholder groups to solve society’s big challenges. They cited examples of how this has led to changes in outcomes.  

Leaders from the voluntary sector to banking are here in force but the sustainability focus tends to focus on the role of sustainable business in the context of community and social impact. That said, Sarisher Mann who leads Sustainable Finance Engagement for BNP Paribas told me about the bank’s launch this month of an incredible new “glacier melt awareness” green bond for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The bond is specifically designed to raise awareness around the rapid melting of glaciers in Asia and to finance projects that help vulnerable communities adapt to these changes. Complex financial instruments that can help solve complex environmental challenges.  

If I am honest, I arrived at Anthropy under that heavy rain as something of a sceptic. Was this going to be just another talking shop, I asked myself?   

It’s true there is plenty of talking but I also found the atmosphere underpinned by curiosity and driven by a mindset where if we all make small changes and act with a multi-stakeholder mindset, that we have a chance of solving some of our big societal challenges. The conversation here say on climate and sustainability is more open and unfiltered by political and media constraints. Businesses have a real chance to convey their narrative and have more freedom to acknowledge the tensions they face.  

If there’s one word that sums things up here, it is hope.