AI, Unity, Shade, Greenwashing & Strings
Good Business - Sustainability | Strategy | Impact
May 30, 2025
AI Spy a Problem
With summer in full swing, you might be looking for inspiration on what to eat, wear, or read. But before you dive into that trending summer reading list, double-check it’s real, as some AI-generated versions have included made-up books by famous authors. Planning to visit a buzzy new restaurant in London? Make sure it actually exists, even if it is trending on Google. And if your horoscope tells you to “avoid all triangles today,” maybe take that with a pinch of salt.
These are the more amusing consequences of AI gone unchecked. But they sit on a spectrum that includes far more serious issues, like AI-generated medical misinformation, political deepfakes, and market manipulation.
The need for stronger AI governance is becoming urgent. A new report from Sustainalytics shows that shareholders are stepping in, pushing Big Tech companies to adopt clearer oversight. Proposals calling for transparency, ethical guardrails, and board-level accountability are gaining traction, even as broader ESG enthusiasm slows.
For companies, the risks are real: reputational damage, public mistrust, and operational disruption. For investors, these incidents are red flags. As AI becomes embedded in everything from customer service to content moderation, vague assurances no longer cut it. Shareholders want to know who’s responsible, how decisions are made, and what happens when things go wrong.
This isn’t just about avoiding risk, it’s about building long-term value. Companies that treat AI oversight as a strategic priority, not a compliance exercise, are more likely to earn trust, attract talent, and stay ahead of regulation.
We don’t have all the answers yet. But with growing shareholder momentum, boards are starting to ask the right questions.
Resilience reimagined
When disaster strikes, we want to help. Offers of food, shelter, and equipment flood to those tasked with the recovery effort. This generosity can be overwhelming and often what is needed is not what is offered. Co-ordinated responses tend to be ad hoc and analogue, meaning first responders spend time and resources trying to source what is needed.
As climate change increases the likelihood of natural disasters, we need better options. Enter a new initiative called Unity, bringing together central government, local authorities, emergency responders, businesses, and communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from major disasters and emergencies, protecting business continuity and strengthening national resilience.
Unity is a new digital platform that reduces the impact of floods, fires, storms, terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, and pandemics, saving lives, protecting assets, mitigating risks and helping the country recover faster. Agencies, first responders and voluntary organisations can source equipment, services, and other support that they need, quickly and efficiently with full visibility of what is available.
Participating businesses share information about the materials, items, and services they can offer in the event of an emergency, from food, clothing, transport and logistics support to chainsaws and horse boxes (both unexpectedly important in the aftermath of storms and flooding). Unity brings businesses and community organisations into live response for the first time in a more scalable and effective way, allowing them to provide direct support to emergency responders within minutes and within the current command and control structures.
Unity is the product of a partnership between our friends at Secret HQ, a purpose-led digital strategy and innovation business and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on a pilot on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. The prototype has been funded centrally by MHCLG and following on from successfully testing the platform with emergency responders and support organisations, such as the British Red Cross and Islamic Relief, the Unity team are now looking to work with more businesses and community partners, with an ambition to roll out nationally following successful pilots.
It’s a simple and elegant solution to the question of how to improve resilience in the aftermath of disasters, and addresses both the natural desire to help and ensures that communities get back on their feet quicker, with less disruption. A true win-win for businesses and people. If you would be interested in learning more about Unity, and how to get involved, get in touch with us and we’ll be delighted to connect you.
The Dark Side of the Sun
In the UK, we tend to romanticise the sun, celebrating its appearances with open arms. Yet, as our summers intensify, this enthusiasm comes up against a stark reality: the rising threat of overheating.
The summer of 2022 was a testament to this shift. For the first time, temperatures exceeded 40°C, prompting the Met Office to issue its first ever red warning for extreme heat. This led to significant disruptions, including school closures and around 3,000 deaths in the UK.
Shade the UK is a community interest company on a mission to change this. Through promoting awareness and influencing change, it aims to adapt our built environment and public spaces to protect against a changing climate and its unequal impacts. Some of the measures are straightforward – simply planting trees is an impactful way to cool streets and buildings – and the organisation has a comprehensive set of hot tips for adapting buildings. London’s Cool Spaces tool or Tree Canopy Map are useful resources while there are many measures we can take indoors to protect ourselves and others. We have plenty to learn from countries already dealing with significant extreme heat, and the C40 Cities programme’s Cool Cities Network aims to facilitate knowledge sharing – some of the best of the bunch are highlighted in the Aviva Climate Ready report we helped develop last year.
Heatwaves are the deadliest natural disasters, causing three times more deaths than all other forms combined in Europe. As we continue to cherish our hot and sunny days, it's imperative to recognise and address the challenges they bring. By reimagining our urban landscapes, we can ensure that our love for the sun doesn't come at the cost of our well-being.
Battle for Green
It’s not every day that cleaning product rivalry makes headlines, but when it comes to green claims, a little competition can be a good thing. In the UK, eco-cleaning pioneer Ecover recently successfully challenged its competitor, OceanSaver, over greenwashing in its advertising.
OceanSaver’s ads claimed its laundry pods were “plastic-free,” “fully biodegradable,” and “contained zero microplastics.” Ecover disputed these assertions, pointing out the pods use polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), a synthetic polymer considered a plastic. While OceanSaver argued PVOH is water-soluble and excluded from EU microplastics regulations, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the evidence provided did not specifically substantiate the claims for OceanSaver’s products. Studies cited by OceanSaver did not relate directly to its laundry pods or prove full biodegradability under typical washing conditions. As a result, the ASA ruled that the ads were misleading and ordered them to be withdrawn.
What does this mean for the rest of us? When brands compete on transparent eco-credentials, it can be a win for consumers and the environment alike. Rivalry keeps brands honest and pushes them to back up their green promises with real science, not just clever marketing. It also helps shoppers make truly informed choices, cutting through the noise of “green” buzzwords.
As more brands try to outdo each other on sustainability, the risk of greenwashing grows. But so does the scrutiny. If every bold claim is likely to be challenged by a competitor (and checked by regulators), the whole industry is nudged toward higher standards. In the end, a little healthy competition might just be what we need to keep green marketing clean.
Strings Attached
What if the strings that once played your favourite songs could now support your favourite cause? The guitarwrist turns that idea into something you can wear.
At first glance, a used guitar string doesn’t seem like much. It’s bent, dull, and ready for the bin. But in the hands of the team at The guitarwrist, it becomes something completely different: a piece of wearable purpose.
Imagine wearing a bracelet crafted from guitar strings once played by Ed Sheeran or Slash. Picture owning jewellery that once played the songs you love from artists like Coldplay, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses or legends like Paul McCartney. This is precisely what the guitarwrist makes possible: famous musicians donate their used guitar strings, which are transformed into handmade bracelets, rings, and necklaces. Each piece sold raises funds for charities chosen by the artists themselves.
What’s truly special about this initiative is how it emotionally connects people to sustainability. Not just reducing waste, but rethinking what waste even is. Turning something disposable into something meaningful changes our relationship to materials. It encourages us to look beyond recycling towards creating deeper connections between the things we own and the stories behind them. This approach not only reduces landfill waste, but it also invites people to engage with sustainability in a personal way, through the music and causes they care about.
As the guitarwrist beautifully puts it, it’s “recycling with resonance.” It’s a powerful reminder that sustainability isn't just practical, it can also be personal, emotional, and deeply meaningful.
