🌱 Wrapping it up: A look back at 2022, and a few brands to remember this festive period.
Featuring a heartfelt thank you from the Following the Footprints team!
Happy Monday!
Throughout 2022, the Following the Footprints team has been constantly “wowed” by the achievements of the consumer goods brands we follow. We’ve loved digging into and sharing the stories of what’s happening behind the scenes, as brands re-design and retrofit their practices to lessen their impact on our planet. From the countless brands we’ve heard from we know that the journey is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one - particularly if stories and resources are open sourced by those leading the way. So, to those doing this and inspiring all of us, thank you.
Thank you also to all of you who have engaged with us in 2022 - from reading our content to sending messages of encouragement, to joining us at events and spreading the word. It’s been an incredible year, and we’re ending it feeling very grateful.
So, in our last newsletter of the year we’re looking back on a busy 2022 at Following the Footprints, and looking ahead to what 2023 has in store.
Let’s get stuck in…
Good News Last Week
Quick Take: Our Year In Numbers
Brand Spotlight(s): 7 Brands to Browse This Winter
> Good News Last Week
🎯 Toast Ale, the social enterprise brewery that uses surplus bread to make beer, announced it’s raised more than £2m from investors including National Geographic Society and Heineken. As Toast Ale donates all its distributable profits to charity, investors will have to abide by their ‘Equity for Good’ investment model which requires shareholders to reinvest any capital gains they make from reselling Toast Ale shares into social impact businesses and funds.
🎯 Lucky Saint and Neom both announced they’ve certified as B Corp
⭐️ Gousto and Xampla won the SEAL Awards 2022 Sustainable Innovation Award, for the world's-first edible stock cube they created. The edible packaging is made from pea protein.
⭐️ Zara launched their Resale programme, powered by Recurate. They’re paying their sellers in cash 100% of sale price, and are prioritizing a streamlined buying experience, meaning that ZARA is going all-in on becoming the #1 destination to buy and sell pre-loved Zara items.
⭐️ Pizza Hut announced they’ve submitted their near-term and Net Zero Science Based Targets to the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) for validation. They’ve worked with Energise to achieve this, as part of their commitment to the Zero Carbon Forum.
⭐️ Pentland Brands, the parent company to brands like Speedo and Berghaus, announced its progress over the last 12 months since they announced their ’100-1-0’ sustainability strategy. This includes signing up to the Science Based Targets initiative, supporting 165,000 people across communities in the UK and changing their employee bonus scheme so that bonuses are only triggered if the business first delivers its annual ‘Positive Business’ targets.
⭐️ Sainsbury’s announced they’ve removed single-use plastic lids from a wide range of products including yoghurt, custard and cottage cheese - aiming to save 71 million pieces (or 220 tonnes) of plastic each year.
⚡️Veris Strategies announced their special edition COP27 Veriscope, a debrief for the food and drink industry.
⚡️An 11-year-old zip turtleneck with visible pilling was submitted by Woolpower to the Scandinavian Outdoor Award, and was picked as the winner. Highlighting how the outdoor industry needs to do better when it comes to sustainability, the jury selected the item for its bold step to challenge the industry.
> Click on each link to read more.
> Quick Take: A Look Back
Our Year In Numbers…
It’s been a busy year for this team of 6! Let’s take a look at some highlights:
1 Festive Drinks event in collaboration with Raye the Store and City Harvest London.
3 inspiring companies interviewed via our ‘Meet the Partners’ series - Sweep, Zevero and Altruistiq.
22.5 volunteering hours spent at City Harvest’s Acton depot, sorting and grading surplus food to be redistributed to communities in need across London.
47 newsletters published, each with a week of good news, a quick take and a brand spotlight.
~430 pieces of good news shared in our weekly Good News Roundups.
£500 raised for City Harvest London.
1,063 subscribers came along for the ride.
46,678 - how many times our work has been read by you.
Since the beginning, we’ve championed radical collaborations and innovative initiatives (say that 3 times fast) - wherever they’re found. This year we’ve been so blown away by the work done across the FMCG industry.
So, alongside our own stats, we thought we’d showcase some steps taken that we’ve found particularly inspiring too:
Accolade Wine announced they’re partnering with ecoSPIRITS on the launch of ecoSPIRITS’ new glass-based, globally-scalable circular wine solution. Read more here.
Allbirds announced the launch of its first plastic-free plant-based leather sneaker, the ‘Plant Pacer’. They’ve partnered with Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) to achieve this. Read more here.
Arbikie Distillery announced they’re planning to be the ‘first’ green hydrogen-powered distillery, after they’ve secured planning permission to build a 1 MW wind turbine on their Scottish farm which will allow the production of the fuel. Read more here.
Boucheron launched a new capsule collection, with jewellery made from Cofalit, a material produced from waste asbestos. Read more here.
Dame and Finisterre announced the launch of their reusable period pad set for World Ocean’s Day, to combat the single-use period products that a vast majority of end up in the world’s oceans. Read more here.
East London Liquor Co launched their ‘Project Refill’, allowing customers to use ANY existing 70CL spirits bottle, over which a branded paper based label will be applied after re-fill. Read more here.
Elvis & Kresse announced they’ve completed construction on their new HQ. It’s powered by renewable energy (it’s 91% self sufficient), is built to ‘passive’ construction standards with straw bales, harvests rainwater and a wetland based sewage treatment system. Read more here.
Joules announced the launch of its resale platform, the newest phase of its partnership with Reskinned as part of its ‘Joules ReWear’ programme. Read more here.
Notpla announced the launch of their new seaweed-coated packaging for the takeaway food industry, and won the Earthshot Prize. Read more here.
Patagonia announced that 100% of the company’s voting stock is being transferred to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, created to protect the company’s values; and 100% of the nonvoting stock has been given to the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature. Read more here.
Peregrine announced its transition to 100% regeneratively sourced wool. Read more here.
Rubies in the Rubble launched their 100% recycled and 100% recyclable squeeze ketchup bottles. This innovation included the cap and valve. Read more here.
Timberland launched ‘Timberloop’, inviting customers to return used Timberland products to be refurbished or disassembled and then upcycled. Read more here.
Toast Ale announced their collaboration with Co-op, brewing surplus bread from Co-ops bakeries to create a Hazy Pale Ale which will then be stocked exclusively on Co-op shelves. Read more here.
When in Rome launched a paper wine bottle in Ocado, matching capacity and price point of other brands. Read more here.
Wildfarmed partnered with Marks & Spencer to bring their loaves made using regenerative flour to 500 stores across the country. Read more here.
It’s been a true joy for us to cover this inspiring news each week.
> Brand Spotlight(s)
7 Brands To Browse This Winter
Ho, ho, ho..ly moly, it’s our last brand spotlight of the year. So, we’re looking back at some of the brands we’ve featured and loved in 2022 - reflecting on what you can learn from them, and some of our favourite festive items too.
To be clear: This is not a gift guide - we know that times are challenging with looming climate tipping-points, an economic cost of living crisis and so much more happening around the world. It’s also not a list of our favourite brands or initiatives either (with 50+ brands featured this year how could we ever choose?). Oh, and it’s also not sponsored in any way either.
Instead, count this as a festive reminder of 7 brands we’ve covered, for you to add to your reading list and browse this winter…
Food & Drink
Who they are: Alter Eco drives the confectionary industry forward, by focussing on genuine fair trade, workers rights and supply chain transparency. They also broke the mould by creating the first compostable chocolate wrapper back in 2013.
Take a look: Our favourite product is their Salted Caramel Truffles.
Read our digest here.
Who they are: Another confectionary producer doing incredible things is Bantu Chocolate. Their ‘true cost’ guide on all their products, showing you exactly how much each element of your bar costs, is what we’d love to see more and more businesses doing.
Take a look: Our top choice is their Makossa 66% Chocolate.
Read our digest here.
Who they are: If you couldn’t tell, we love chocolate. But we also love wine, especially when that wine supports the boosts biodiversity & supports the reintroduction of 2 missing species back to the UK. Thanks to the likes of the Uncommon wine, protecting nature is getting just as much airtime as protecting the pockets.
Take a look: Our favourite is the Rose Wine Spritzer.
Read our digest here.
Cleaning & Clothing
Seep:
Who they are: Household cleaning products are used in each and every household and release a terrifying volume of microplastics. Economies of scale here leads to a pretty bleak image of plastic pollution. We love Seep’s plastic free alternatives and commitments to charity, all whilst not breaking the bank.
Take a look: Our go-to top choice are the Eco sponge scourers.
Read our digest here.
Kair:
Who they are: With a two step approach - education and circular products - Kair are redefining how consumers approach reducing emissions, one clothing wash at a time. From recyclable and refillable products, to extending garments life through tips and gentle solutions, we love Kair’s approach to washing.
Take a look: We personally love the Cedarwood, Amber and Iris bundle.
Read our digest here.
Who they are: The UK has been hit by a week of sub-zero temperatures, wind chill and snow, and what better brand to keep you cosy than Cotopaxi. Created with sustainability in mind, Cotopaxi shows that being good, kind and fair can also be bright, colourful and affordable.
Take a look: Our favourite products are the one-of-a-kind Bataan Hip Packs.
Read our digest here.
Hair & Beauty
Who they are: A bathroom cupboard essential, and well known in the skincare space, UpCircle shows us that value can be found in things that already exist, we don’t always need to harvest new - from coffee grounds, to residual chai and even those pesky olive stones!
Take a look: Our staple choice is the night cream with hyaluronic acid, made from repurposed blueberries, a by-product of the blueberry juicing industry.
Read our digest here.
There you have it! Just some of the incredible brands we’ve featured in 2022, that you can support, learn from and maybe even pick up as a last minute gift.
> A Quick Look Forward
We’ve got our eyes on the horizon… here’s what’s coming up next:
It’s been a whirlwind year, and we’re going into 2023 more excited than ever about all the projects and plans we’ve been working on behind the scenes.
So what does Following the Footprints have in store for 2023?
From finally incorporating to new shiny websites - we won’t give too much away just yet, but keep your eyes peeled for:
More events: Our Festive Drinks was just the beginning, and we can’t wait for what’s in store.
More contributors: New voices, expert opinions and more - we’re lining it up!
More resources: MEASURE was just the start.
More ways to engage: Watch this space for our brand new website.
More brain power: Tempted to join the team?
More community: We’re set on bringing sustainability-orientated action takers in brands together, to support each other.
To those who subscribed to our content back in February 2021 and have followed us since, to those who have just discovered us (and everyone in between), we would like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you. We’re a volunteer-led project, doing this simply because we believe it should exist, so your support really means the world.
So, until our next newsletter on the 9th January, we’re wishing you a restive winter break, and a great start to 2023.
