Drive The News Sept 25 2022

This week our client Faith In Nature we’re the world’s first business to appoint Nature to their Board of Directors. This move makes them legally bound to consider the impact of their business decisions on the environment. They have enlisted Paul Powlesland, of Lawyers For Nature to the Board alongside two other lawyers who will work in rotation. Paul was recently in the news after he challenged the ethics of the implementation of UK law and order by holding up a blank piece of paper in Parliament Square. This was in response to the arrest of the woman holding up a piece of paper that stated ‘abolish the monarchy’ in Edinburgh as the Queen’s funeral cortège arrived. More info here on the appointment here: https://www.faithinnature.co.uk/pages/avotefornature

Castell Group has just surpassed a development pipeline milestone of 450 homes and £85M in project value. Castell is a land development and construction company that specialises in unlocking and maximising land developments for the construction of highly sustainable, social, affordable and disabled adapted homes throughout South Wales. After raising several millions of pounds in finance during 2021, Castell has fully committed to providing homes for those truly in need and is on track to achieve the ambitious targets of building 250-300 homes per annum by 2025.

The Party Kit Network has stopped over 280,000 single-use items from heading to landfill! In the last year, our network has had a big impact on waste through the hire of eco-friendly party kits. Part of the emerging sharing economy, party kits contain reusable tableware which can be used again and again. Kits are lent within the local community making it easier to avoid wasteful disposables like paper plates and plastic cups. There are now over 400 kits in the UK and more across the rest of the world, helping to make a sustainable option more accessible. Party kits are a great example of where positive community action has a real environmental impact: reducing waste, reducing demand for new resources and lowering our carbon footprints.

We decided 3 months ago to double down on our investments into our service offerings and have, as of this week, launched our premium celebration trailer 'Tilly'. Tilly can travel to anywhere in the UK to help companies or private individuals celebrate any event. We can offer well being events, parties or simply a well stocked bar to help elevate the big occasion. Already Tilly has completed 4 events from 50 to 300 attendees and we are very excited to help our customers celebrate Halloween, the World Cup and Christmas over the next few months with our premium but reasonably priced offering.

I'm pitching to anyone covering small businesses over Christmas and how we are adapting our models to the rise in the cost of living at a time when we should be making our biggest profits. I run my own natural skincare brand and set it up in lockdown. My first year Christmas was unreal with sales through the roof as we were still in lockdown and people just wanted to send each other lovely things! I also think we were spending more as we wanted pick me ups. Second year was okay too. This year I honestly cannot predict how things will go. It will either be my worst ever Christmas sales wise or people will want to treat themselves to cheer themselves up and will spend more. I am also having to change my way of selling too, I am now advising how much people can get out of my products for the cost as opposed to a more ingredient focused sale. Offering sample sized products and apps like Clearpay. Whilst all the time worrying about rising costs of ingredients and trying to avoid passing this onto the consumer! It's going to be a very interesting few months from a consumer, high street, financial angle story and covering how businesses are expected to perform and adapt over the coming months! Also covering how consumer shopping habits may change this year too and how us small businesses should keep an eye on that.

After four days manning the House of Upcycling stand at London Design Festival's headline event, Design London, it's apparent that not only is the world of interiors seeking design innovation, it's also seeking a solution to the elevation of its sustainability kudos. Every conversation had with visitors to the stand, whether interior designers, retailers or journalists, included the 's' word. Reference to constant supply chain issues post-Brexit, reduction in financial outlay as well as minimising the depletion of natural resources, is making turning what people waste into what people want a uniquely attractive proposition. Within the past week the House of Upcycling has been mentioned in the podcast for the interiors industry, Interior Design Business, as well as during a 'Discussions at Design London' interview with sustainable design-focused journalist Roddy Clarke. A sure sign that high-end creative reuse is becoming the major new influencer in the interiors industry's response to 21st century lifestyle changes. Chris Billinghurst, Founder, The House of Upcycling