This year’s Products of Change Conference (POCC), which is being held on 6 November at London’s Royal Geographical Society, kicks off with an opening keynote address from Moksha Roy, allegedly the world’s youngest sustainability advocate at eight years old.
Moksha started volunteering for UN Sustainable Development Goals projects at the age of three, and is now an ambassador of UN initiatives such as UK Water Week, speaking at climate conferences and events.
Following on from this there will be a presentation from Tony’s Chocolonely, discussing its founding by three Dutch journalists in 2005, after they recognised the dark side of the chocolate industry, rife with child labour and modern slavery.
Tony’s is a B Corp and Fairtrade certified with the objective of revolutionising the entirety of the chocolate industry. One of the ways it is doing this is by the launch of its Open Chain, an initiative to foster transparency and traceability in the chocolate supply chain. Tony’s trade marketing and events manager, Georgina Savva, and UK&I food service manager, Hannah Perry, will be presenting this session.
Products of Change advisors will also be taking to the to discuss everything to do with the latest requirements and timelines for compliance to global legislation. This will be followed by a deep-dive into the EU’s Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) with FSC Blockchain, DK Books, Carousel Calendars, UPM and the Consumer Goods Forum. They will discuss how businesses of all sizes are preparing for this change, especially given the proposal of a year-long extension to the compliance deadline.
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Another company taking part in the conference will be Bravado, the merchandising arm of the Universal Music Group, with its president, Matt Young, showcasing the company’s plans for its sustainability journey, and its achievements so far.
Primark will be discussing circularity and its latest initiatives with its head of circularity, Nick Lambert, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about how the company is working with industry partners, driving innovation and fostering cultural connections on its path to a sustainable future.
A cross-sector panel, led by POC advisor, James George, will join retail, brand owners and licensed manufactures into an open discussion about implementing sustainable change. The panel will include the likes of Asda, Lego, Poetic Brands, and Bravado, sharing their challenges and exploring solutions for the industry.
This will be followed by Tracey Richardson, head of partnerships at Louis Kennedy, an organisation which helps world leading brands, retailers, charities, and licensors work together to deliver measurable impact. As part of this work, Louis Kennedy commissioned its research report on what makes such partnerships successful, the results of which Tracey will present in this session.
Decarbonising children’s print media is the focus of the next session, which will reveal the groundbreaking way competitor companies in the industry came together to create a standard and forward-looking plan for the sector.
In the vein of collaboration, next on the agenda is Dunelm, Fabacus and Pure Table Top, discussing their innovative joint project to utilise and demonstrate the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a regulation which is part of the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). A DPP serves as an identity card for a product, informing whoever scans it about its sustainability. Pure Table Top, Fabacus, and Dunelm, will showcase the first homewares DPP and explore its implications for the industry.
Products of Change will present a pioneering body of work on developing a comprehensive Scope 3 methodology for the brand and licensing industry, led by the Walt Disney Company, Lego, Universal Music Group (Bravado), the BBC, the Jamie Oliver Group, Paramount, Manchester City and others. A panel at POCC will explore how these leaders are setting new standards for sustainability and accountability, hosted by Lego, South Pole, and the BBC.
The world of toys will be represented by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) president and ceo, Carmel Giblin. With 90% of the world’s toys made from plastic, finding alternatives to virgin feedstock is crucial. Experts from the Ethical Supply Chain Program (ESCP) are developing a standardised process for Recycled Materials Chemical Safety Assessments (RCSA), which will streamline data sharing and improve both cost and resource efficiencies.
Staying with toys, the final session of the day will be exploring the groundbreaking work of a biotech start-up, Bio-Fluff to create a material that is fully biodegradable, free from plastics and toxins, and vegan-friendly, achieving a remarkable reduction in CO₂ emissions by 75-80%. Roni Gamzon, co-founder and CCO at Bio-Fluff will deliver this presentation and discuss plans for a working group after the conference aimed at scaling up this innovation.
The Products of Change Conference concludes with the POC Members Awards,celebrating all the outstanding achievements of members, and offering an invaluable opportunity for attendees to network and connect with industry peers.
See the full agenda here.
