S4E13: Sustainability After the Backlash - Mike Barry on What Serious Businesses Do Next
Are we simply moving from the easy phase of corporate sustainability into a harder, more realistic era where companies have to prove they were serious in the first place?
In this episode of Sustainability Forward, we sit down with Mike Barry, one of the pioneers of business sustainability in the UK. Best known for his time at Marks & Spencer, where he helped develop and lead the groundbreaking 'Plan A', Mike shares his insights on the current state of the sustainability movement, the realities of corporate transition plans, and why the social dimension of our future can no longer be ignored.
What You’ll Discover
- Moving Beyond the Press Release: Why ambitious net-zero targets are worthless without a unique, actionable transition plan and how the era of easy sustainability is officially over.
- The Legacy of Plan A: How Marks & Spencer successfully turned sustainability into a core business strategy by redefining "quality" for the 21st century and saving £750 million in the process.
- The Emerging Social Dimension: Why the future of sustainability must focus on human connection, trust, and community resilience in the face of rapid AI disruption and global food system challenges.
Building a meaningful, sustainable business requires a balance of short-term survival instincts and long-term vision. By focusing on core values and remaining transparent, you can create an organisation built to last for decades.
If you've ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes of corporate sustainability or if you just need a dose of optimism about our collective future - this conversation is for you.
Director, Mikebarryeco Limited
Mike is a sustainable business transformation agent, committed to helping business big and small, new and established to prepare for and succeed in the complex transformation to a Society, and Economy that serves it, that is healthier, more sustainable and more just.
He’s the co-founder of Planeatry Alliance that’s helping companies transform the food system by linking their work on human health and sustainability.
Mike was until 2019 Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, spearheading its ground-breaking Plan A (because there is no Plan B for the one planet we have) sustainability program. He co-chaired the Consumer Goods Forum’s sustainability work bringing the world’s largest retailers and fast moving consumer goods brands together to work on issues such as deforestation, plastics and forced labour. He is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a Trustee at Blueprint for Better Business. And Chair of local charity Greener Henley.
He’s worked with organizations such as Tata Consulting Services (TCS), Consumers International, Bloomberg NEF, ITV, Chanel, Ahold Delhaize, Musgraves, Sainsburys, PwC Japan, Unilever, SAP, Panasonic, Grosvenor GB&I, Haleon, Costain, Havas, Kite Insight’s Climate School, Ball, Nestle, Danone, Microsoft, CCEP, Lidl, Ikea, IBM, Nomad Foods, Oxford SM, 3Keel, The Climate Pledge, the Environment Agency, Which, Royal Society of Chemistry, Food and Drink Federation, British Retail Consortium, Edrington, Lagardere, CoGo
