General

Going potty for the Environment

Pottery

Well you might be thinking, what is he on about this time, this is blog about energy, water, the environment and all things eco.  Yes, well whilst listening to the radio today, I heard an interview with Emma Bridgewater.  She has built up a pottery business up to about 150 employees and stated that she is “expanding like mad”.  Okay, so you still want to know why I’m going on about this?

Environmental policy

The interviewer asked Emma Bridgewater her pieces of pottery were expensive compared to similar items on the shelves.  Instead of banging on about the usual quality, design and other “benefits” in a totally over-the-top selling manner, she spoke clearly from the heart with honesty.  Her manufacturing costs are substantially higher than the competitor products.  She continued to highlight how the energy usage, the water disposal and the packaging were all vastly more expensive than in say China.  She also suggested that by employing 150 people from the local area provided a much needed boost to the traditional pottery area of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.   Other points she made was that it was not only impractical, but also anti-social to fly out to China to sort out a production problem or similar.

I found this brief interview especially refreshing, because clearly more money could be made from shipping in products from China or India.  But it could also be argued that British made is a very strong unique selling point (USP) and that aligning the business as a social and environmentally responsible one gives this a definitive market edge. 

Summary and conclusion

One thing is for sure from time to time, we all need to replace something or perhaps we want to buy something new.  The question we need to ask ourselves each and every time we make that purchase is, can we buy better.  But not in terms of the product or the price, but perhaps should we pay a little more to be responsible. 

Emma Bridgewater Outlet

Interview source BBC Radio 4 26/5/10

Environmental talk is cheap

I recently attended a sustainable trade fair in Lincoln at the Epic centre, it was intended to show Headteachers, Governors and other stakeholders all about sustainable schools.  There is a massive new school building programme at the moment, so this is a key time to get it right for the next fifty years or so.  Whilst there was a lot of interest, it occured to me that in real terms nothing much had evolved in say the last ten years.  During my numerous chats with people during the day, I soon realised that it was perhaps a losing battle.  I say that because everyone was talking a good game, but I suspect the vast majority we driving to the supermarket to buy vegetables from the other side of the world or perhaps booking that expensive far-away sunny holiday.  There stil doesn’t seem to be enough urgency around the whole issue of eco, environmentalism or sustainability.  We need a drastic change to our lifestyles, our culture and most importantly our self-centred attitudes.  Perhaps this isn’t the right place to write this, but I can assure you that it is straight from the heart.  I started hearing about these problems about twenty-five years ago, how our global impact might affect my great-grandchildren, but now I fear for my our daughter and just how the world might be in ten years from now.

Reduce, recycle and reuse….please.