10 April, 2026

Last month, Good Business attended Edie 2026 in London.

Events like this can sometimes feel heavy, given the scale of the challenges being discussed. But it’s also motivating to hear how organisations are dealing with the same issues, and to compare notes on the practical responses starting to take shape. Alongside seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones, the conversations focused on what people are actually doing, rather than what they should be doing. Here are some of our takeaways from the two days:

One panel returned to a familiar but still relevant point: sustainability gains traction when it is framed in terms the organisation already recognises. Examples from the British Army, shared by Brigadier Tim Symonds OBE, highlighted this clearly. Rather than starting with net zero targets, the focus was on operational outcomes: planting trees to create a more challenging training environment, with carbon sequestration as a co benefit, while solar panels have been presented as a route to energy independence, not just emissions reduction. It was a reminder that influencing decisions often means translating sustainability into the language of boards, leadership teams and business functions.

Several discussions reinforced that climate risk is already affecting UK businesses, showing up in different ways. In one session, Nick Brown from Premier Foods described how extreme heatwaves and drought are disrupting agricultural production, affecting ingredient availability and pushing up costs across the value chain. Elsewhere, Emma Howard Boyd and Sir David King pointed to the Thames Barrier as a reminder that even successful infrastructure now relies on increasing levels of maintenance, upgrades and long term investment.

Nature and water are starting to show up as constraints and a cost. Discussions on these topics featured more prominently than in previous years, but with a more practical emphasis, focusing on where water availability and efficiency are already influencing operational decisions. An example from Grundfos reinforced that water efficiency often lands best when framed through the P&L: cost, risk and operational efficiency first, with sustainability and water savings as co benefits.

Reporting featured heavily, particularly ESRS and the forthcoming SRS. Views shared by Márcia Balisciano from RELX, Reaa Chadha from our friends at Suntory Food and Beverage Europe, and Michael Evans from International Airlines Group reflected two broad approaches: treating reporting as a minimum requirement to free up time for action, or leaning into it as a way to embed impact along the way, using structure and scrutiny as a useful stick.

A session with Emily Coon from St Austell Brewery brought the focus back to people. Her work emphasised community, connection and meeting suppliers where they are, before moving forward. Climate action was positioned as a business opportunity rather than a compliance exercise, and the need for practical support for suppliers, especially micro-suppliers and farm managers, stripping out jargon and complex asks that risk disengagement.

By Budd Nicholson