Collective Action, Flooding, EU ETS, Supermarkets & Netflix
Giles Gibbons
Good Business - Sustainability | Strategy | Impact
February 20, 2026
1. Collective action
Are we at the beginning of a pendulum swing back towards progressive, values-based business and sustainability? Could Davos come to be seen as marking a turning point, with the likes of Mark Carney crystallising the need to fight for a new approach to international affairs? Will the recent wave of corporate leaders being more vocal about sustainability gather momentum?
It’s no doubt too early to say, and the counterforces remain very strong. But we’ve published a new thought piece on our website which builds from the idea that the fightback is in its ascendancy.
In some ways the hand of business is increasingly being forced. Taking a stand becomes less optional when political, social and cultural factors start to impede directly on the business world’s ability to operate. But alongside these dynamics, there is also, perhaps, a sense that ‘enough is enough.’ The changing fabric of events and the blurring of lines between business and politics gives companies just cause to enter the fray. Some business leaders are ready and willing to grab hold of this. Those for whom staying silent has been hard. Who want to use their power and influence for good.
This doesn’t mean it’s become easy. The atmosphere is still febrile and there’s every chance that a business pushing out on an issue could becoming a lightning rod for criticism or punitive action. In the face of this tension, we argue that there can be safety - and strength - in numbers. Acting collectively allows businesses to articulate shared interests without placing the full burden on any single organisation. It enables companies to take principled positions on foundational issues such as the rule of law and freedom of trading while reducing individual exposure. It also creates space to engage on more values-driven topics, where appropriate, through a lens of common standards rather than corporate posturing.
In an era of geopolitical tension, values wars and growing state intervention, we think collective action and resolve could be a powerful tool, which turns the weak signals of change turn into something stronger and, perhaps, more permanent.
2. Flooding is on the UK's doorstep
It’s always good to see our work make the front pages of the national news, particularly when it brings urgent climate risks into sharp focus.
This week, research and a report we helped write for Aviva made headlines in major national news outlets, including The Guardian and the Daily Mail. The findings are stark: one in nine new homes built in England between 2022 and 2024 are in areas of medium or high flood risk, up from one in 13 in the previous decade, potentially rising to 1 in 7 homes by 2050 as climate impacts intensify.
The human implications are becoming harder to ignore. Earlier this month, residents of a terrace in Ynysybwl, Wales, were forced to leave their homes because they can no longer be protected from flooding - labelled the UK’s first “climate evacuees”.
A key part of the challenge is insurance. New‑build homes fall outside the Flood Re scheme. This was a deliberate safeguard introduced in 2009 to discourage further development in high‑risk areas by preventing new properties from receiving subsidised cover. Yet, as this research makes clear, development in these areas has continued, leaving many households exposed without the safety net the scheme provides.
Front‑page headlines alone won’t solve the issue. The government’s target to build 1.5m homes is creating pressure to build in areas at higher risk of flooding. Aviva’s recommendations speak directly to this tension: stronger national planning policy, mandatory resilience measures for all new builds, and clearer information for buyers about long‑term flood exposure. In other words, pair the ambition for more homes with the safeguards needed to make them liveable, affordable and insurable for decades to come.
3. Controversy in costing carbon
There’s a technical economics debate rumbling in Brussels that could have outsized consequences for Europe’s decarbonisation prospects. EU leaders are clashing over carbon pricing ahead of a critical review of the EU’s flagship climate policy, the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The purpose of the ETS is very simple: by putting a price on carbon, it forces polluters to account for the environmental cost of their emissions. Since its launch in 2005, it has helped drive emissions from power generation and heavy industry down by 50%, while channelling billions into clean investment. The EU is now reviewing whether and how to tighten and expand the ETS to align with its long-term climate targets.
Not everyone is happy about the change. Many EU nations that rely on industry are arguing that high carbon prices are straining their industries and harming competitiveness, particularly as global rivals face weaker constraints.
Yet this is exactly what the carbon pricing mechanism is designed to do: make pollution expensive. This is a textbook conflict between short-term economic comfort and long-term environmental outcomes. The pain of rising prices is felt immediately, while the benefits of decarbonisation arrive largely in the future.
But, as recent analysis of the UK’s net zero transition by the energy system operator shows, the fastest net zero pathway is the cheapest one. It won’t all be smooth sailing but the lesson for businesses is clear: decarbonisation requires upfront investment and the real cost lies not in acting, but in delaying.
4. 'Free' food for thought
This week, we came across a bold headline: New York is getting the first-ever completely free grocery store that is stocked with pantry staples and open to all. No checkout, no loyalty card, no catch. And if you’re thinking that sounds too good to be true, then you’re not alone.
Crypto-based prediction platform Polymarket is behind the idea, though details about the store’s location and how it will be managed remain, for now, unclear. While the logistics (and longevity) of the pop-up are still murky, it sparked a conversation at Good Business about different models tackling food access.
Co-ops have long been one answer. In Brooklyn, the Park Slope Food Coop has offered members groceries at lower cost in exchange for a few hours of work each month, a kind of “your time is money (saved)” model that’s been running for decades.
Then there are brand-led efforts. In the UK, Community Shop, run by social enterprise Company Shop Group, offers discounted groceries alongside skills and support programmes for those experiencing food insecurity. McCain has backed this initiative by funding the Eastfield Community Shop in Scarborough and donating products to help families access affordable food and community support.
Supermarket chain Iceland has taken a different tack, offering interest-free micro-loans of £25–£100 through Iceland Food Club, so households in need can buy essentials without falling into high-cost debt.
None of these initiatives come with the headline sparkle of “everything is free”, but they’re quietly reshaping how communities access food with dignity. The impact is real, and in a world of rising costs, that might just be the recipe for change.
5. The Plastic Detox
Plastic is so woven into modern life that we barely notice it anymore. Beyond the obvious places, it quietly shows up in everyday items, like clothes, furniture, cosmetics, coffee cups and takeaway containers. An upcoming Netflix documentary, The Plastic Detox, asks us to stop and look at where plastic appears in our lives, and what all that plastic is doing, both to the planet and to us.
The film, premiering on 16th March, explores how plastic production and waste affect ecosystems and communities, and the challenge of breaking free from materials designed to last forever in a world that urgently needs them not to. Beyond the environmental impact, the documentary also looks at how plastics affect our health as they’ve become embedded in everyday routines, shedding microplastics and chemical additives that we ingest, inhale and absorb, often without realising it. Scientists interviewed in the documentary link this constant, low‑level exposure to a wide range of health concerns.
By following six couples attempting to reduce the amount of plastic in their daily lives, the film asks whether small, practical changes – reducing exposure, choosing different materials, rethinking design – might add up to something more meaningful, both for individual health and for our planet.
We’re particularly pleased to see this documentary on Netflix. With its global reach and ability to set the cultural agenda, Netflix plays a powerful role in shaping what audiences see as relevant, credible and worth paying attention to. By commissioning documentaries like The Plastic Detox, it brings environmental issues into living rooms worldwide and makes systemic challenges feel relevant to our everyday lives. It’s a great example of responsible and environmentally conscious programming that we’re looking forward to watching.
