What Paint Teaches Us About Capitalism’s Blind Spots

Episode 112 | 9.7.2025

What Paint Teaches Us About Capitalism’s Blind Spots

For most of us, paint is one of life’s small, simple decisions. Pick a colour, slap it on the wall, job done. But Edward Bulmer sees something far deeper — and far more dangerous — lurking beneath the layers.

Listen to the full podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Edward isn’t your average paint entrepreneur. He’s a historian by training, an interior designer by trade, and, in his own words, “a slightly reluctant businessman” who stumbled into the world of paint-making when a project at Goodwood Estate opened his eyes to an uncomfortable truth: the stuff we use to coat our walls is, quite literally, covering our homes in plastic.

It was a revelation that sent him down a rabbit hole of history, chemistry, and corporate accountability. What he discovered wasn’t pretty.

“Since the 1950s, we’ve embraced polymer technology — plastic — to make modern paint,” Edward explains.

“It’s marketed as water-based, eco-friendly, safe. But look behind the label, and it’s often anything but.”

His response? Edward Bulmer Natural Paint — a range rooted in what he calls “ancient wisdom and innovative science”, using natural, plant-based ingredients rather than fossil fuel derivatives. But his mission goes beyond tins of paint. It’s a challenge to business as usual itself.

 

The Problem With Business as Usual

Edward’s views are shaped not only by his career but by his upbringing. Growing up in rural Herefordshire, surrounded by the legacy of his family’s cider business, he saw a model of capitalism that felt personal, connected, and — crucially — fair.

“Family businesses, when they work well, understand that looking after people and place isn’t a bolt-on. It’s part of the DNA,” he reflects.

“But too often, when businesses scale or float, that gets lost. The pursuit of endless profit takes over.”

It’s a sentiment that feels especially relevant in today’s fraught sustainability landscape. With political backlash brewing against ESG, and greenwashing rife, Edward believes transparency is now the most radical act a company can undertake.

His magic wand wish? Simple: ingredient labelling on paint tins.

“We declare what goes into food, cosmetics, cleaning products. Why not paint? If you knew you were coating your home in microplastics and petrochemicals, would you?”

 

Sustainability Isn’t Optional — It’s Survival

Beyond paint, Edward’s critique runs deeper. He’s blunt about the existential nature of the climate crisis, but also about the cognitive dissonance that allows large swathes of the commercial world to carry on as though business as usual is still an option.

“The climate effects are accelerating. The science is clear. But money still drives decisions,” he says.

“Until business understands that sustainability isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the key to permanence — we’re stuck.”

It’s not just philosophical. It’s practical. Edward’s business model is a masterclass in solving multiple problems at once: healthy homes, heritage protection, reduced carbon footprint, and, yes, turning a profit.

“Every part of what we do can be profitable. Sustainability isn’t a sacrifice. It’s good business.”

 

The Optimism We Need (and the Honesty We Lack)

For all the frustrations, Edward isn’t cynical. He’s driven by a quiet, pragmatic optimism — one rooted in action, transparency, and a refusal to sugar-coat the challenges ahead.

“I couldn’t do business any other way now,” he says.

“We all need to start asking harder questions — of the products we buy, the companies we support, the systems we’ve inherited.”

Because whether it’s the paint on our walls, the food on our plates, or the future of our planet — ignorance might be easy, but it’s never harmless.

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The Air We Breathe: Business’s Most Overlooked Health Crisis

Episode 111 | 7.7.2025

The Air We Breathe: Business’s Most Overlooked Health Crisis

Most of us don’t give much thought to the air around us — at least not until we’re stuck behind a bus, coughing our way down a polluted street, or reading yet another headline about smog-filled cities. But for Louise Thomas, the air we breathe has become a very personal — and professional — mission.

Listen to the full podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

After more than two decades working in government, from the halls of Whitehall to the frontlines of international development, Louise made what some might call an unexpected leap. She co-founded Air Aware Labs, a start-up that’s making air pollution personal — literally.

“We’re trying to reduce the huge health burden of air pollution,” explains Louise.

“The World Health Organization estimates around eight million deaths every year are linked to it. Yet there’s so little out there that helps people actually do something to protect themselves.”

It’s not just about knowing there’s pollution — it’s about giving people the tools to avoid it. Air Aware’s technology offers real-time, hyperlocal insights into air quality, so you can change your running route, adjust your commute, or just understand what you’re being exposed to each day.

But Louise’s message isn’t only for individuals. It’s for businesses too — and she’s not afraid to say that many are missing a trick.

 

Why This Matters for Business

Air pollution isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s a people issue. And for businesses, that means it’s also a productivity, wellbeing, and reputation issue.

“Think about your employees,” says Louise.

“If they’re commuting through polluted areas, working in spaces with poor air quality — it affects their health, their performance, even their decision to stay with your company.”

Recent research backs her up. A striking 92% of professionals at a recent mobility conference said they don’t believe employers are doing enough on air pollution. That’s not just a criticism — it’s a huge opportunity for forward-thinking organisations to step up.

“Companies already talk a lot about carbon footprints,” Louise points out.

“But how many are looking at their own nitrogen dioxide emissions, or at the health impacts of where their offices and sites are located?”

 

A Personal Story Behind the Tech

Louise’s path to air quality innovation wasn’t a straight line. It started with a maths degree, a passion for social justice, and a curiosity that led her from Colombia’s grassroots women’s groups to senior government roles shaping international policy.

For years, she admits, she parked her love of data — it didn’t seem there was an obvious way to connect it to the causes she cared about. But with Air Aware Labs, that’s come full circle.

“It feels like it’s all finally come together,” she reflects.

“We’re using data and tech, but for something so fundamentally human — our health, our families, the cities we live in.”

 

Making the Invisible Visible

One of the biggest challenges with air pollution, Louise says, is that you often can’t see it. Unlike floods or heatwaves, its impact is quiet — but deadly.

Yet the statistics are hard to ignore. Air pollution is now considered the second biggest threat to health, just behind high blood pressure. And it’s not just outdoor air — indoor spaces can be just as problematic.

The good news? Tackling it often goes hand in hand with climate action and building more liveable, green urban spaces.

“I live in the city, I love it,” says Louise.

“But I want to be confident that my choice to live here isn’t compromising my health — or my kids’ health.”

 

A Wake-Up Call for Employers

For businesses, Louise believes this is about more than compliance. It’s a chance to show leadership — to genuinely improve employee wellbeing and to turn an overlooked health crisis into a catalyst for positive change.

“This is where sustainability meets human impact,” she says.

“It’s not just about emissions targets. It’s about asthma, heart health, quality of life.”

Her advice? Start small. Measure the problem. Look at commuting patterns. Explore how tools like Air Aware’s app can support staff. And most importantly, talk about it — make air quality part of the wellbeing conversation, not just a side note.

Because whether we notice it or not, the air we breathe is shaping our health, our cities, and our futures. It’s time more of us — especially in business — started paying attention.

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Why Accountability Must Start Long Before the Boardroom

Episode 110 | 3.7.2025

Why Accountability Must Start Long Before the Boardroom

In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we sit down with Andy Norris, an experienced leader in global corporate governance and organisational development. With a career shaped by both frontline experiences and board-level decision-making, Andy shares why accountability — real, uncomfortable, human accountability — begins long before anyone takes a seat at the table.

Listen to the full podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

There’s an uncomfortable truth lurking in the conversation around ethics, governance, and corporate responsibility: most leaders only think about accountability when they’re forced to. By then, it’s usually too late.

For Andy Norris, that’s the crux of the issue. Accountability, he argues, doesn’t start with frameworks, board charters, or glossy ESG reports. It starts with people. And more often than not, it starts with childhood.

“The lessons we absorb about fairness, right and wrong, and responsibility — they shape every decision we make, whether we’re conscious of it or not,” says Andy.

It’s an insight born not from textbooks, but from a career that’s spanned the operational trenches to the boardroom. Andy has worked with multinationals, advised on governance across sectors, and seen firsthand how flimsy accountability mechanisms can be if the foundations aren’t there.

 

🚧 The Flaw in Modern Governance

In today’s corporate landscape, governance often feels like a checklist. Diversity targets? Ticked. ESG policy? Published. Whistleblower hotline? Installed.

But as Andy points out, “You can have all the policies in place, but if people don’t truly feel responsible for their actions — if accountability isn’t part of the culture — those mechanisms collapse under pressure.”

It’s not about removing structures, but understanding their limits. Real change starts earlier, deeper.

 

🛠 Building a Culture of Pre-Boardroom Accountability

So how do organisations embed this ethos? Andy suggests three starting points:

Values before policies: Hire for integrity, not just technical skills.
Reward the uncomfortable: Celebrate those who raise concerns, even when it’s awkward.
Model it at every level: Leaders set the tone — not with slogans, but with actions.

It sounds simple. It isn’t. It requires what Andy calls “the courage to care,” a willingness to have the difficult conversations long before crisis hits.

 

⚡ The Business Case for Ethical Foundations

Beyond the moral imperative, Andy is clear: ethical leadership isn’t just about ‘doing the right thing’ — it’s commercial common sense. Organisations built on genuine accountability attract better talent, weather reputational storms, and create long-term value.

“The companies that succeed,” Andy explains, “are the ones where responsibility isn’t an add-on — it’s part of the DNA.”

 

FINAL THOUGHT

In a world obsessed with quick fixes and external validation, Andy Norris offers a refreshing — and necessary — reminder. Responsibility doesn’t start in the boardroom. It starts long before.

The real challenge? Having the humility, at every level, to accept that.

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The AI Catalyst: Why Humans Still Matter in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Episode 109 | 30.6.2025

The AI Catalyst: Why Humans Still Matter in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In an era where AI writes poems, drives cars, and diagnoses diseases, it’s easy to feel like the machines are taking over. But as AI expert, United Nations advisor, and serial innovator Neil Sahota reminds us on The Responsible Edge, technology is only part of the story. The real question is: how do humans lead in a world where machines increasingly make decisions?

Listen to the full podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

In a thought-provoking conversation with host Charlie Martin, Neil pulls back the curtain on the AI revolution—not with doom and gloom, but with pragmatic optimism.

“People always ask, will AI take our jobs? The real concern is whether we evolve fast enough to create the new ones.”

 

AI: Not Just for Coders

Neil’s background spans IBM’s Watson project to UN policy advising, but what sets him apart is his ability to cut through the tech jargon. AI isn’t just for Silicon Valley or data scientists—it’s rapidly becoming embedded in how businesses, governments, and individuals operate.

“AI is already shaping everything from healthcare to legal contracts. But without responsible leadership, it can easily exacerbate inequality or misinformation,” Neil warns.

For businesses, that means AI literacy is no longer optional. It’s a boardroom imperative.

 

🚀 The Leadership Test of Our Time

AI isn’t just about efficiency—it raises profound governance and ethical questions. Neil highlights three areas where business leaders must step up:

AI Ethics by Design: From bias in algorithms to accountability for machine-led decisions.
Reskilling at Scale: Preparing people for jobs that don’t yet exist.
Policy & Collaboration: Ensuring AI development aligns with human values globally.

“AI will challenge the very definition of what it means to be human in the workforce. That’s why leadership, not just engineering, matters most.”

 

🌍 The Global Perspective

Drawing on his work with the UN, Neil points to AI’s potential to tackle global challenges—from climate modelling to food security. But without collaboration across sectors and borders, these opportunities could be lost to short-termism or technological monopolies.

And while AI hype dominates headlines, Neil is refreshingly candid:

“The most dangerous myth is that AI is inevitable. Its impact depends entirely on human choices—what we prioritise, how we govern, and whether we include everyone.”

 

🎧 Listen to the Full Conversation

This episode of The Responsible Edge goes beyond the AI headlines. It’s a call to action for leaders, policymakers, and anyone curious about how we build a future where AI empowers rather than replaces us.

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The Case for Secret Sustainability Spies

Episode 108 | 25.6.2025

The Case for Secret Sustainability Spies

After years shaping sector-leading ESG strategy at Holcim, Magali Anderson is done waiting for change from the top. Now, she’s building change from the inside.

Listen to the full podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Her new venture—S4: the Secret Society of Sustainability Spies—isn’t a stunt. It’s a philosophy: train people at all levels to embed sustainability into their everyday decisions, no job title required.

“If companies won’t go to sustainability, sustainability must go to the company—whether they want it or not.” — Magali

 

🕵️‍♀️ Changing the System Quietly

As Holcim’s first Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, Magali helped shape the cement industry’s first net-zero commitment and aligned executive pay to ESG metrics. But the CSO role, she says, is being hollowed out—stuck in reporting loops, isolated from the business’s core.

That’s why she’s turning toward “systemic subversion.” The new goal? Empower procurement officers, engineers, and marketers to push change from within—what she calls changing your job without telling anyone.

“Sustainability isn’t a job title. It’s a way of working.”

 

🧠 Why the CSO Role Isn’t Working

Magali is blunt about the burnout plaguing sustainability leaders. When asked why, she doesn’t hesitate:

“Too many CSOs are doing reporting instead of reshaping business models. That’s like asking a CEO to focus only on financial disclosures.”

Her solution: embed ESG where the power is—finance, operations, product. The job of a CSO should be to make themselves obsolete.

“The goal is for the CSO role to disappear because everyone is doing the job.”

 

🧱 Building Holcim’s ESG Edge

During her time at Holcim, Magali led some of the boldest moves in the building materials sector:

  • The first net-zero pledge validated by SBTi

  • Integration of nature targets into business strategy

  • Launch of the Roof Over Our Heads campaign to house 1 billion people

But for all the public wins, her focus was always internal: realigning incentives, simplifying systems, and rooting sustainability in business logic.

“We treated sustainability like a business transformation—not a comms campaign.”

 

🔮 From Oil Rigs to Boardrooms

Magali’s career began in oil and gas. She doesn’t hide it; she embraces it.

“I don’t feel guilty. Guilt locks the past. I use it to unlock the future.”

That honesty fuels her mission now: to help professionals everywhere reframe their roles, histories, and power to act.

 

✨ If She Had a Magic Wand…

No jargon. No tech. Just this:
Tie executive bonuses to long-term ESG metrics.

“You can’t ask factory workers to care about sustainability if their bosses aren’t paid to care.”

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