Cranfield Sustainability Network

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our latest Sustainability Netowrk Speaker Series ‘Navigating This Polycrisis: Beyond the ESG Wave with John Elkington’—your energy, insights, and questions made it unforgettable.

John brought his signature ‘helicopter view’, drawing on 50 years as a sustainability thought leader to map out the macrotrends shaping our future.

Here’s what stood out:
✅ We’ve cracked reporting, but now what? Data is everywhere—real change is still too rare.
✅ CSOs: Here today, gone tomorrow? A boom now, but AI and market shifts will transform this role
✅ ESG is fading, impact is rising. The future is about transforming systems, not just reporting.
✅ Regeneration is the next big thing. Sustainability is no longer a side act—it’s the whole show.
✅ Disruption is coming—fast, but this can be a good thing!

The world is changing rapidly, but one thing is clear: this is our moment to rethink, redesign, and regenerate.

A special thank you to John for sharing his insights, and signing books and inspiring our Sustainability Business Specialist Apprentices who were on their annual residential on campus 💡🌱

To receive a link to the full event recording sign up to the Sustainability Network newsletter via our link in bio 🔗

Celebrating winning in the Financial Times Responsible Business Education Awards! 🏆

The Exploring Sustainable Futures game was recognised in the Best Business School Teaching Materials based on Innovative Research category of the awards. Recognition like this is vital to showcase the impact of innovative teaching methods in our classrooms and with our corporate cohorts.

A huge win for our small but mighty team of researchers and creative team 🧠 ⚡️

Find out more: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/press/news-2025/0122-cranfield-wins-financial-times-teaching-award-for-business-sustainability-game

📢Revolutionising the tea industry through regenerative agriculture and empowering others to drive positive change...🙌

Introducing our next speaker Dr Helen Saini🌿

We are excited to welcome Dr Helen Saini, a leading voice in sustainable agriculture and R&D, to the next session of Cranfield's Sustainability Network Speaker Series! Join us for “Spilling the Tea on Sustainability”, where Helen will share her expertise on driving sustainable practices in agriculture.

Dr Helen Saini is the Head of R&D Sustainable Agriculture for Lipton Teas and Infusions, where she leads a team of agronomists and plant biologists based in the UK and Kenya. Helen has led groundbreaking projects such as eliminating pesticide use on Lipton’s tea estates, developing low-carbon fertilisers, and introducing IoTea™, the first digital agriculture management tool for tea.

In addition to her industry role, Helen is a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University and co-leads a BBSRC Prosperity Partnership Grant aimed at creating a resilient and regenerative tea production system.

With over 20 years of experience in R&D across large FMCG firms like Unilever and fast-growing biotech start-ups, Helen holds a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology and a degree in Environmental Biology.

This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from a pioneer in sustainable agriculture. Don’t miss out—register today and be part of the conversation on shaping a more sustainable future!

👉 Join us on campus or online:https://hubs.la/Q02TrFg30

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Curious about the impact of your daily brew?

🌍 Join us for the next Sustainability Network Speaker Series! ☕

We're "Spilling the Tea on Sustainability" with industry innovators, researchers and tea experts.

📅 23 October 2024
📍On Cranfield University campus/Online
🕰 16:30 - 19:30 (Online 17:00 – 18:00)

Join us for an insightful discussion about the future of tea and how sustainability is shaping the industry.

As climate change continues to affect the planet, the tea industry is at a crossroads—facing big challenges, but also exciting opportunities to make a real difference.

We'll dive into the connection between tea production and the environment.

If you join us on campus, you can even take part in a tea tasting session led by one of our panellists and Tea Expert Kurush Bharucha ☕

🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/ekivRJke

What will your business look like in 2050?

Take a trip to 2050 with us! Being a values-led business takes time, and our immersive workshop offers you the time and space to reflect on how your business can maximise it's positive impact in society today.

Cranfield University offers Central Bedfordshire businesses *fully funded* spaces for a workshop to play their immersive Exploring Sustainable Futures game, showcased at COP26 and recognized by the Financial Times.

Using immersive imagined futures, explore what a sustainable world could look like and come back inspired and equipped for action.

It is time to do business better- click here to register for a funded space if you are a Central Bedfordshire registered business: https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/events/central-bedfordshire-scholarship-and-grant-programme-exploring-sustainable-futures-game-experience

If you are local to Brewpoint, Bedford and would like to join, please email [email protected] for more details.

🌿 Biodiversity- Nature's gift to business? 🌿

Join us for an insightful dive into the crucial relationship between biodiversity and business at the Sustainability Network Speaker Series event!

📅 Date: 19 June 2024
⏰ Time: 17:00 - 19:30 (in person) | 17:30 - 18:30 (online)
📍 Location: Cranfield campus
🔗 Register here: https://hubs.la/Q02vGYj60

🌍 The symbiotic relationship between biodiversity and business prosperity is only just starting to be explored. When will business see nature as an ally in the race to slow and reverse the effects of climate change?

🎙️ Featuring expert speakers and thought leaders, this event promises to inspire action and spark meaningful conversations on how we can integrate biodiversity into business practices.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, network, and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future! Reserve your spot now.


📸Image of the beautiful Cranfield University campus

Doing student takeovers of our Sustainability Network Speaker Series is always a joy!

In order to best prepare our leaders of the future, we love to provide a supportive environment where they can practice and thrive.

We are handing over the reins to the capable and resourceful Bhagyashree Chunekar who will be interviewing Dan Sherrard Smith from Mother Tree 🌳

Join this lunchtime webinar for an opportunity to learn about investing responsibly and making an impact today that goes far beyond any other lifestyle changes we’re making for the planet’s good. Dan will open up about the surprising discoveries he made with his own investments as he ventured into his entrepreneurial journey in sustainable finance.

Register for tickets: https://hubs.la/Q02r1KZv0

Want to join our team? 💡

We are on the hunt for an experienced administrator to support the teaching, research and outreach activities of the Sustainable Business Group at Cranfield University.

We are a tight knit team that has embraced a hybrid and flexible approach to work while delivering excellent results. As the demand for sustainability education has risen, our team has grown steadily.

This is for you if you are organised, process-driven, proactive and diligent. An interest in sustainable living is an added bonus.

Find out more and apply: https://jobs.cranfield.ac.uk/vacancy/team-administrator-sustainable-business-group-554505.html

Rosina Watson will be speaking at the 2024 alumni conference “Beyond tomorrow: Navigating AI, sustainability and the global economy” at Cranfield University 🎉

She will share advice on how to rise to the pressure from customers, investors and citizens for business to be part of the solution. Together, explore the capabilities leaders need to contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable future and how these can be taught and developed within your organisation.

Join Rosina, conference chair Professor Joe Nellis and Cranfield faculty and expert speakers to unravel the threads that bind these crucial elements, charting a course for a more sustainable and technically advanced future 🙌

Get your ticket:
https://hubs.la/Q02nGSCM0

Hot off the heels of a fantastic session last night with Lucy Parker learning how to be an Activist Leader, we are excited to announce next month's session...

It is always a privilege to make space for our students to shine, and this next Speaker Series is no exception. Organised and hosted by our current MSc in Management and Corporate Sustainability, Bhagyashree Chunekar, we will look at our money as a force for good. 💵🌍

We welcome Dan Sherrard-Smith, founder and CEO of MotherTree🌳, a platform that makes it easy for values-led organisations to reduce their financial carbon emissions and save money.

Join us for this lunchtime webinar: https://hubs.la/Q02npNK20