The Net Zero Business Podcast

Heat Pump It Up! with Martin Fahey, Mitsubishi UK

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With electrification winning the race to Net Zero, this week we delve into the world of heat pumps with Martin Fahey, Head Of Sustainability at Mitsub...

Top Sustainability Trends for 2026 with Andrew Griffiths, PlanetMark

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, I ask Andrew Griffiths of PlanetMark about the big trends in Sustainability for the year ahead. We talk about upheaval in the re...

Transformers: the hidden workhorses of Net Zero with Ayah Alfawaris, Wilson Power Systems

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If we didn't have transformers on our electricity grid to step up and step down voltages then we would get nothing out of it; everything would be lost...

Learn to Love Offsetting

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is the ninth of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide '10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability' where I sum up the lessons I have...

Turning Trauma into Purpose with Stuart Green

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, Stuart Green suffered the kind of loss we all dread. His wife Mia, a human rights and environmental lawyer, was brutally murdered by a hit sq...

The State of the Sustainability Profession with Sarah Mukherjee, CEO of ISEP

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Who better to talk about the Sustainability Profession than Sarah Mukherjee MBE, CEO of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professional...

He's an EV Lover: Jordan Marsden, the EV Guy

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Another fantastic interview for you this week with the EV Guy himself, Jordan Marsden. In a wide ranging discussion, we cover:• The state of the gl...

The Circular Economy is about Raw Materials, not Waste Management

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is the eighth of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide '10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability' where I sum up the lessons I hav...

Power to the People – Delivering Community Renewable Energy with Damian Tow, Brighton Energy Co-op

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by Damian Tow, Director of the Brighton Energy Co-op, to discuss how community based energy systems can thrive in a commercial en...

Net Zero and the Waste Sector with Dr Adam Read MBE, SUEZ

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chief Sustainability & External Affairs Officer at Suez UK Dr Adam Read MBE joins me for a freewheeling and fun conversation broadly ar...

Data-driven Decarbonisation with Freddie House, Sweep

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by Freddie House of the Sustainability data management platform Sweep to talk data. We discuss:The connection between Sustainabil...

My Five Net Zero Predictions for 2026

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! In today's episode of the pod, I make five predictions for Net Zero in 2026 and, spoiler alert, they are much more optimistic than you...

The Uxbridge Fallacy: How the UK's political consensus on Net Zero was shattered by

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This Twixmas I share my pet political theory: that the over-interpretation of the 2023 Uxbridge by-election has led to some terrible and self-defeatin...

Design the Future YOU Want to See

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the seventh of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide '10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability' where I sum up the lessons I ha...

Reviewing the Year in Sustainability with Lucy Siegle and James Murray

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of year to have a look back at the previous 12 months and reflect on what has happened in the world of Sustainability. I'm joined by Ja...

Designing a better world with Vicky Lofthouse, EN:ABLE Sustainability

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of my favourite quotes comes from Mike Monteiro: "the world is not broken, it is working exactly how we designed it to." To discuss how to redesig...

Managing England's Green and Pleasant Land with Duncan Peake, Raby Estates

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I'm joined by Duncan Peake, CEO of Raby Estates, to talk about Sustainability and land management. We cover a huge range of topics, includi...

What I've Learnt in Year 2 of the Pod

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the 104th episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, making it our second birthday! To be honest, I wasn't expecting for it to go on so long, I...

Why Net Zero must be people-led, with Prof Marcelle McManus

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Marcelle McManus has a huge range of clean technology research projects under her leadership at Bath University, but believes strongly that ...

Truckin' on (bio)Gas with Philip Fjeld, CEO of ReFuels

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While much of transport is going electric, Philip Fjeld, CEO of ReFuels, believes that biogas has a major role in decarbonising heavy goods vehicles. ...

Who says you can't put a heat pump in a 16th Century farmhouse? asks Alex Hilton

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By day, Alex Hilton is Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Beyondly, a compliance scheme and consultancy which supports businesses with environme...

Leadership must own Sustainability Strategy

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the fifth of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide '10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability' where I sum up the lessons I have...

How we planted 100 million trees, launched a clothing brand and built a nature-based solutions platform with Derrick Emsley

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Derrick Emsley started his career in nature restoration in Canada as a teenager, before launching the TenTree clothing brand (ten trees planted for ev...

Sustainable Business in Zimbabwe with Maureen Vere

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm always very conscious that the pod tends to feature European or US guests, so this week I'm delighted to reach across the equator to Zimbabwe to t...

Can Sustainability Make Us Happy? with Richard Lupo

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Impending doom, eco-anxiety, sackcloth and ashes – Sustainability is often portrayed in very negative terms, but are Sustainable organisations happi...

Don't try to convert people to Sustainability; use Green Jujitsu

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the fifth of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide '10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability' where I sum up the lessons I have...

Can offsetting drive your Net Zero programme? with Matteo Deidda

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Offsetting is often described as a distraction from decarbonisation, or, worse, a scam or greenwash. At best, organisations often say "we will concent...

How green is your website? with James Chudley

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If the internet was a country, it would be one of the top 5 polluters. What's that got to do with you? Well, if you have a website, then part of that ...

Jeremy Leggett: Solar and Rewilding Pioneer

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Jeremy Leggett decided to abandon the fossil fuel industry in favour of fighting climate change, he didn't take half measures. Cutting his teeth ...

Words of Wisdom: Sustainability Changemakers

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Through August the podcast will feature themed compilation episodes featuring hot takes from our wonderful guests over the last year. This week the th...

Words of Wisdom: The Clean Energy Revolution

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Through August the podcast will feature themed compilation episodes featuring hot takes from our wonderful guests over the last year. This week the th...

Words of Wisdom: Sustainability and Small Business

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Through August the podcast will feature themed compilation episodes featuring hot takes from our wonderful guests over the last year. This week the th...

Words of Wisdom: ESG Investing

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Through August the podcast will feature themed compilation episodes featuring hot takes from our wonderful guests over the last year. This week the th...

In Sustainability, culture and strategy are two sides of the same coin

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the fourth of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have ...

Some Like It (Very) Hot: Prof Jan Rosenow on Decarbonising 'Hard to Abate' Industries

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If we broadly know how to decarbonise surface transport and domestic heating, what about the 'hard to abate' sectors such as steel making and chemical...

Decarbonising the Net with Abby Chicken, Openreach

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Late last year, UK digital network provider Openreach placed the largest order for EVs in history, making a huge leap forward not only in meeting its ...

Engaging the the public on e-waste using the mighty Hypnocat with Scott Butler

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If your senses have ever been assaulted by a psychedelic pink cat rapping about recycling your electronics, then Scott Butler, Executive Director at M...

There's no point in doing the wrong thing well

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the third of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have l...

Carbon literacy, circular business models and the power of listening with Emma Burlow

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, I catch up with Sustainability Consultant, Fractional CSO and fellow podcaster, Emma Burlow of Lighthouse Sustainability Ltd. He...

A nuclear energy renaissance for the UK? with Adam Bell, Stonehaven

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by nuclear whizz Adam Bell of Stonehaven to discuss last week's UK Spending Review which invested a lot of money and political ca...

Decarbonising Eastenders, Manchester University and Stonehenge with Richard Smith, PS Planet

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, I'm joined by Richard Smith of PS Planet, who I first met at the launch of 'Albert', the carbon calculator/assessment system he ...

On Sustainability, stretch yourself, but not too far

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the second of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have ...

Sustainability Accreditation for Small Business with Jo Holmes and David Knight

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to David Knight of Investors in the Environment (iiE) and Jo Holmes of Genee who co-ordinates iiE in the North East and...

The Challenges of a Just Transition with Dr Simona Capisani

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In any transition, there are inevitably winners and losers, but can we make a fossil fuel-free future fair, or as fair as possible while still deliver...

The Future of Energy (it's electrifying!) with Richard Black, Ember

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by the legendary Richard Black, former BBC environment editor, founder of the ECIU and now Director of Strategy and Policy at Emb...

Rule 1 of Corporate Sustainability: Understand YOUR Business Case

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first of 10 special episodes to mark the publication of my guide 10 Rules for Corporate Sustainability where I sum up the lessons I have l...

Neuroscience, Sustainability and all that jazz with Gerald J. Leonard

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to business coach, author and professional jazz bassist Gerald J Leonard. We talk about:• Busines...

Three Deadly Net Zero Fallacies

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I go on a bit of a rant about three fallacies that afflict Net Zero and the low carbon transition. These are:The Not Me Guv FallacyThe 1% F...

Can renewables reduce home energy bills to zero? Octopus Energy's Emma Fletcher explains how

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Fletcher is one of those quite extraordinary people whose ability to get things done is unparalleled. She led a community project to develop a 10...

Is ESG really dead? Sorting the signal from the noise with Georgia Hall

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you listen to the press and pundits, you'd think ESG investing is dead as a doorknob. But what's the reality? In this week's episode, I catch up wi...

The Pod does God: Faith, Sustainability and Small Business with Don Golden

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Don is almost certainly the first ordained minister I've had on the Net Zero Business Podcast, he's also a Sustainability consultant whose core audien...

It ain't easy being green...

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, I discuss a simple precondition of sustainable behaviour in the public and/or employees – you have to make it easy for people ...

Marga Hoek on Capital, Technology & Inspiration: the 3 keys to unlock Sustainability

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the pod, I'm joined by Marga Hoek, entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Trillion Dollar Shift and Tech for Good. The former book set...

Vet Zero: Sustainability at the Royal Veterinary College with Rachel Ward

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this fascinating chat with Rachel Ward, Sustainability Manager at the Royal Veterinary College, London, I think we cover more issues than any other...

Sustainability in the C-suite with Jennifer Geary

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by Jennifer Geary, award winning author of a set of books on how to be a C-level executive, including co-authoring How to be a Ch...

The biggest barrier to Sustainability is just 6 inches wide...

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the podcast, I talk about the need to start casting off mental baggage that is holding back the transition to a low carbon economy....

"Is the electricity grid ready for Net Zero?" with Paul Glendinning, Northern Powergrid

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With electrification emerging as the prime route to the decarbonisation of transport, space heating and many industrial processes, the gazillion dolla...

The Art of Sustainability Communications with Helen Neal

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I'm joined by Helen Neal of HN Communications. We cover a huge number of topics including:Ethics in the PR...

Unpicking the Politics of Net Zero with Michael Liebreich

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk politics with Michael Liebreich, one of the foremost commentators and advisors on the clean energy ...

Demand: the one word that will save the planet

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I muse on the magic that demand brings to the economy: plummeting prices, rising quality and security of supply. Therefore it follows that t...

Business Leadership & Sustainability: Head, Heart & Hands with Profs Julia Binder & Knut Haanaes

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I'm joined by the two editors/lead authors on a new book 'Leading the Sustainable Business Transformation'...

Why Sustainability Will Survive Trump, welcoming the backlash and the Batman paradox - John Friedman

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Net Zero Business Podcast, I'm joined by leading US Sustainability thinker, author and fractional CSO John Friedman. We cover a huge ...

Adapt or die: why decarbonisation is no longer enough with Rupert Read

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Climate adaptation is the Cinderella of climate action, but increasing extreme weather events make it all too clear that we not only have to mitigate ...

Sustainability in 2025: Predicting the Unpredictable

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year!It is traditional at this time of year to dust off the old crystal ball and look forward to the next 12 months, so here's my take on gl...

Twixmas musings: blade flicker, learning from Trump, the cost of not zero, Blockbuster vs Netflix, touching grass

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hope you had a good Christmas. I was going to take a break from the pod, but a number of thoughts kept bouncing around my head, so I thought I would s...

The Vital Role of Soils in the Climate Battle with Prof Karen Johnson

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is huge interest in nature-based solutions for climate change, and the success of these mainly comes down to carbon retention in soil. In this e...

The new Net Zero Carbon Building Standard with Will Arnold, IStructE

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We won't get to Net Zero without Net Zero buildings. So it's not before time that a Net Zero Carbon Building Standard has been drafted by a cross-sect...

2024: The Year in Sustainability with Lucy Siegle and James Murray

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we come to the end of a tumultuous 2024, I'm joined by a crack team of pundits – 'OG' Sustainability Superstar Lucy Siegle and the ever-wise Exec...

Five Big Sustainability Lessons from the first year of the Net Zero Business Podcast

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Blimey. It has been a year since I first launched the Net Zero Business Podcast. In this special birthday episode, I explain exactly why I started the...

Designing Regenerative Buildings with David Cheshire

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode features a fascinating exploration of regenerative buildings with David Cheshire, UK Sustainability Director of infrastructure con...

Solitaire Townsend on the March of the Solutionists

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thoroughly enjoyed this chat with Solitaire Townsend, Founder and Chief Solutionist of Futerra, and author of the fab new(ish) book, The Solutionists....

"Act Local": Place-based Sustainability with Florian Wupperfeld

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the 1992 Earth Summit, we have been urged to "Think Global, Act Local". All too often this slogan has manifested itself in small scale proj...

Are your Sustainability messages falling on deaf ears?

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Management Peter Drucker said "culture eats strategy for breakfast" and nowhere is this more true than in Sustainability. You can have the best strate...

Healthy People, Healthy Planet with Dr Matt Sawyer and Dr Mike Tomson

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'm joined by two hugely experienced doctors and Sustainability champions Matt Sawyer and Mike Tomson who have edited a new book, Env...

Can AI eliminate the Sustainability Reporting burden? with Louis Frank

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With booming numbers of reporting regimes – CSRD, EU Taxonomy, Double Materiality, SFDR etc – Sustainability teams increasingly find themselv...

Putting the world to rights with Brendan May

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Frankly, I'm struggling to sum this episode up! Brendan May of Robertsbridge has been one of the leading voices on Sustainability for decades and in t...

The Litmus Test of Sustainability

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I lay out what I call the Litmus Test of Sustainability. No spoilers, you will have to listen to hear what it is!If you want help to ...

The Guardian's Fiona Harvey on Labour's first three months in (clean) power, international climate politics and COP29

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer's Labour Party won a crushing victory in July's UK General Election on the back of a 'green growth' economic strategy, but how is this me...

Can Regenerative Farming Save the Planet? with Doug Wanstall, Beyond Zero

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With agriculture being responsible for 11% of the UK's carbon emissions, declining biodiversity and polluted water course, is there a Sustainable alte...

Is the future uninsurable? with Claudine Blamey, CSO, Aviva

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is the future uninsurable? In this episode, Claudine Blamey, Chief Sustainability Officer of insurance giant Aviva, explains that the warning signs ar...

Sustainability and Small Business with Jasper Steinhausen

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

And after our August compilation episodes of the Net Zero Business Podcast, we are back with a bang in the form of Jasper Steinhausen, author of Makin...

Words of Wisdom: The Mental Challenge of Delivering Sustainability

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Delivering Sustainability is far from easy and takes its mental toll on practitioners. In the final Words of Wisdom compilation episode of this summer...

Words of Wisdom: Offsetting/Voluntary Carbon Markets

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During August, we are publishing a series of compilation episodes featuring the best bits of our interviews on a particular theme. This time we are lo...

Words of Wisdom: Sustainable Supply Chains

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During August, we are publishing a series of compilation episodes featuring the best bits of our interviews on a particular theme. This time I've coll...

Words of Wisdom: Sustainable Design and Innovation

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During August, we are publishing a series of compilation episodes featuring the best bits of our interviews on a particular theme. As the old cliché ...

Words of Wisdom: Engagement for Sustainability

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During August, we are publishing a series of compilation episodes featuring the best bits of our interviews on a particular topic. First up is the cru...

3 Reasons Why Your Net Zero Strategy is Failing

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I run through the 3 most common failures that lead to a Net Zero Strategy failing. For each, I expla...

Building trust in green marketing with Russ Avery, Avery and Brown

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to Russ Avery of the Avery & Brown marketing agency about his Sustainability career, his ...

Shining a light on offsetting with Nic Alexander, Thallo

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I speak to Nic Alexander of Thallo about Sustainability's most controversial topic, offsetting. We talk about the strengths and weaknesses o...

How to be a Chief Sustainability Officer with Anna Krotova

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's edition of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to Anna Krotova, co-author of a great new book entitled How to be a Chief Sustainabili...

How to sell Sustainability to just about anybody

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's podcast is a long version of a response I gave to a client in a workshop recently. I lay out how I open every workshop I do with a new aud...

Aida Greenbury on turning an environmental pariah into a Sustainability pioneer

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2012, Greenpeace launched a boycott of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), endorsed by a huge number of brands from Gucci to Staples. In this edition of the...

Lucy Siegle on communicating Sustainability in the media, the sewage scandal and ultra fast fashion

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I talk to the wonderful Lucy Siegle (BBC TV, Guardian, Observer and many more) on communicating Sustainability through mainstream media and ...

Mark Shayler of Ape on making change happen, sustainability consulting and meditation for innovation

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When I first started the Net Zero Business Podcast,, I knew I wanted to get Mark on as he always inspires me with his unique insights. Fresh from a co...

The Three Most Underrated Concepts in Sustainability

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast, I set out three powerful concepts that should be used more in Sustainability if we really want to make change happen. If you...

The TRUTH about EVs with Prof Colin Herron

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to Prof Colin Herron of Newcastle University about the transition to electric vehicles and ma...

Introducing the new ISO14068 Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality Standard with Mel Blackmore

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to ISO standard expert and podcaster Mel Blackmore of Blackmore's UK and Carbonology. In our ...

How to be an Eco-entrepreneur with Tobias Webb, Innovation Forum

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tobias describes himself modestly as "a guy who tries to do some useful stuff", but in this interview he shows how much of an understatement that is. ...

How do I get people to forget quick wins and focus on the stuff that matters?

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another Q&A episode of the pod this week. I was asked how to get people away from incremental/quick wins thinking and focus on big bold changes to...

Kit England on Climate Adaptation

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Net Zero Business Podcast, I talk to Kit England of Paul Watkiss Associates about a vital topic – Climate Adaptation. Here's ...