What Every Large Business Owes the Next Generation.
Here's an honest number to start with: your supply chain emissions are, on average, 26 times higher than everything you control directly. Most boards have never seen that number. And the generation you're trying to hire right now already knows it.
Let's be honest about what "owing the next generation" actually means for a large business. It's not a slogan on a careers page. It's three very specific things landing at once: a regulatory deadline, a talent market that's already voting with its feet, and a supply chain most businesses haven't been honest with themselves about. Over the next eight minutes, we'll go through what's genuinely owed, why it's less frightening than it sounds, and what to do about it this quarter.
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I'm Will Richardson, Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero and a sustainability advisor with 25 years in the field. I founded Green Element in 2004 and spent two decades building it into one of Europe's most respected sustainability consultancies before it merged with 51toCarbonZero in November 2025. Climate action is both an obligation and an opportunity, and that's the thread running through everything I write here. I co-created Compare Your Footprint, carbon accounting software recognised as a key player in the Global Carbon Accounting Software Market, and I'm a Fellow of IEMA and a Chartered Environmentalist. Each week, I break down what's actually happening in sustainability: the data, the regulation, the greenwash worth calling out, and the practical steps businesses can take right now. No jargon, no doom-mongering, just clear thinking for people who need to make real decisions. I also host the Sustainability Solved podcast with Charlie Luxton, 200+ episodes and counting, where we talk to the people building the solutions. Based in Scotland. Writing for business leaders who want sustainability to make commercial sense, not just moral sense.
UPCOMING WEBINAR: The Scope 3 Blind Spot: What Your Supplier Data Isn't Telling You
Scope 3 emissions are often the biggest contributor to an organisation’s carbon footprint, yet many businesses are making decisions based on incomplete, outdated or estimated supplier data. In this webinar, we’ll explore the biggest blind spots in supplier emissions data, why they matter for reporting and decarbonisation, and how leading organisations are moving beyond spreadsheets and assumptions to build a more accurate, scalable approach to Scope 3. LIVE ATTENDANCE BONUS: complimentary gap audit of your top 10 suppliers. Wednesday 16 September | 1pm BST https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/webinar-supply-chain/
