Pope, Cows, Climate Action, Emissions & Tech
Giles Gibbons
Good Business - Sustainability | Strategy | Impact
April 25, 2025
1. The Green Pope
When behaviour aligns with belief, the world pays attention.
When Pope Francis passed away, many headlines remembered him not just as the head of the Catholic Church, but as the “Green Pope”. Why? Because he didn’t just speak about climate change, he acted on it.
In the world of sustainability, we often talk about strategy, policies, and long-term targets. But we also know the biggest shift doesn’t come from plans. It comes from behaviour.
Pope Francis understood that. In 2015, his encyclical Laudato Si’ called on all of us (not just Catholics) to care for “our common home”. But beyond words, he led with action. He made the Vatican the first carbon-neutral state, had solar panels installed on Vatican buildings, supported the UN climate agenda, and repeatedly urged governments to protect the most vulnerable (Reuters).
As Earth.org highlighted, what made Pope Francis different was how he acted with quiet purpose. He didn’t try to stand out but because he stayed true to his values in his actions, people listened. His own behaviour made the message stronger.
And that’s relevant to everyone. Whether you are part of a company, a team, or a community, real leadership isn’t declared, it’s demonstrated.
2. Beefing with the books
You’ve heard of money laundering. Now meet its rural cousin: cow laundering – where cows jump not over the moon, but over regulations. Cattle farming is now the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon forest, as pastoral fields are being expanded into areas previously covered by natural vegetation. With the biome reaching a tipping point, international pressure puts farmers in the spotlight. While many companies put considerable effort into building deforestation free supply chains, some are taking advantage of its complexity to keep doing business in the shadows.
The problem is mostly concentrated in the early years of the cows’ lives, as many are bred and raised on illegal farms. To hide their true origins, some farmers mix groups of cows from different places and move them around several establishments. With regulation only demanding clarity on the immediate origin of the whole herd, individual cows go unnoticed. When they finally reach fattening centers, undercover cows are completely blended in with the group and receive the same legitimate certification as their peers. So, when they are finally slaughtered and packed, their meat is purchased in the international market as deforestation-free.
Can policy be enough of a tool to fix those loopholes? As of now, no. There is no federal law governing meat tracking in Brazil, although one is in the works. These types of initiatives, however, in many cases are challenged by the difficulty of gathering information on the earliest steps of the supply chain. Consequently, even though companies do manage to reach their targets and meet international standards, they might be unwittingly being supplied by illegal farms. Technological solutions as blockchains are perceived as the best alternative, but they are still far from becoming reality and could be too costly for national scale implementation.
So maybe the real puzzle is not how many cows you can fit in a washing machine (as the old joke goes), but how to take them out of it.
3. Silent support slows climate progress
It’s a safe bet that most Friday 5 readers care about tackling climate change, and probably equally safe to assume a lot of us have, at times, felt alone in that fight. But what if we told you your peers care more than you think and underestimating each other could be slowing progress?
A groundbreaking survey across 125 countries found that, on average, 89% of people want their governments to do more to combat climate change. Over 66% of people said they would be willing to contribute 1% of their income to help the cause, yet they believed only 43% of others would be willing to do the same.
So why does this matter? It’s well known that social norms strongly influence our actions, if we realise others care, we are more likely to act ourselves.
This normative influence is illustrated in a recent experiment, participants were offered the chance to win a pot of money and asked how much of it they would donate to a carbon-cutting charity. On average, participants donated half, keeping the rest for themselves. However, when participants were told that 79% of people think citizens should fight the climate crisis (as opposed to their estimate of 61%), donations rose by 7%. This suggests by simply highlighting the true level of support for the cause we can activate social instincts to follow those around us and accelerate progress.
Bridging the gap between real and perceived support could also influence governments to do more. In one UK study, 72% of the public supported local onshore wind development, yet only 19% of MPs thought most of their constituents supported it, creating barriers to progress. Widespread understanding of the actual level of support could therefore be key in instigating governments to make a change.
The fight against climate change can feel isolating, but we must not underestimate the power of sharing our values and commitments with those around us, whether that’s other businesses, individuals or government members. We don’t need to convince people to care, just remind them many of their peers, friends and neighbours already do.
4. Emitted in Britain
What do Trump-induced ‘buy local’ movements mean for emissions?
From Denmark to Canada, consumers around the world have responded to Donald Trump’s trade war by doubling down on purchasing local goods. Now it seems that even Brits are finding themselves stirred to economic patriotism: recent survey data shows that 71% of UK consumers have said they’re more likely to buy “Made in Britain” products. It’s a natural response to rising prices and global uncertainty – but as consumers rush to support homegrown goods, it’s worth asking: does local always equal sustainable?
It’s tempting to think so. Local products = shorter supply chains = lower emissions, right? Sometimes, yes. But in many cases, no. A tomato grown in Spain under the sun may well have a smaller footprint than one grown in a heated British greenhouse. A pound of lentils grown in India and shipped to the UK will always have lower emissions than a pound of British beef. Transport emissions often make up the smallest contribution to a product’s whole lifespan carbon emissions. So, while “supporting British business” is a worthy goal, it may not be the best thing for sustainability.
What this really reveals is how hard it is to make the right choices. Consumers are being nudged into patriotic purchasing, but a nuanced picture of sustainable sourcing depends on how something is made, not just where. Buying local isn’t always the greenest choice – but it can be, if businesses commit to sustainable practices and clear storytelling. It’s time to raise the bar on what “Made in Britain” really means.
And for all of us navigating increasingly murky waters: the goal isn’t just local or global. It’s low-carbon, ethical, transparent.
5. The real downgrade
What if your next phone upgrade came with better resolution but a bleaker view?
That’s the idea behind Back Market’s latest viral campaign. The French company, one of the leading online marketplaces for buying verified refurbished tech, is urging consumers to rethink the cost of “fast tech.” The campaign features two images of a couple taken 15 years apart, one on an iPhone 3G and the other on an iPhone 16. The difference in image quality is striking, but so is the backdrop: a once-majestic glacier, now reduced to bare rock.
It’s a clever gut punch, reminding us that the real downgrade may be happening outside the frame. Back Market’s campaign calls out our obsession with the latest models, and the environmental toll of a throwaway tech culture.
To put it into perspective, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, and less than a quarter of it was properly recycled. That’s enough discarded phones, laptops, and gadgets to circle the globe in truck.
So maybe the smarter upgrade isn’t a new device. It’s fixing what we have, handing it down, or buying refurbished. Back Market, and other providers like giffgaff | Certified B Corp, make that easy, offering professionally restored devices with flexible pay-as-you-go options and even cashback for your old tech. A smoother experience for you, and a smaller footprint for the planet.
