Simon Mainwaring

We First provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of their good work in ways that build their business

Simon Mainwaring

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New Belgium Brewing, North America’s largest craft beer platform, relies on major operations in Asheville in Western North Carolina. After suffering catastrophic destruction from Hurricane Helene this fall, it reopened its Asheville brewery doors on December 16. The disaster tested the company’s leadership team—and stakeholder capitalism mission. “We’re still dealing with the Asheville flooding crisis,” says Shaun Belongie, […]

New Belgium Brewing, North America’s largest craft beer platform, relies on major operations in Asheville in Western North Carolina. After suffering catastrophic destruction from Hurricane Helene this fall, it reopened its Asheville brewery doors on December 16. The disaster tested the company’s leadership team—and stakeholder capitalism mission. “We’re still dealing with the Asheville flooding crisis,” says Shaun Belongie, …

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Are you one of those people who pre-heats the water in their dishwasher by running the hot water tap? Unnecessary with a modern appliance, says Tara Helms, Dir. of Sustainability, Electrolux Group NA. “There’s a belief that the dishwasher can’t heat the water enough to sanitize and clean your dishes … interesting because dishwashers are designed to do …

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Should the social and environmental damage of the fashion and footwear industry continue expanding unabated, says Anja Sadock, SVP of TrusTrace, the world would descend into even worse trouble than it already has. But, if the industry works together on a transformational model with transparency at its core – and then that model gets emulated in other industries – …

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PATH Water co-founder and CEO Shadi Bakour is a Silicon Valley native entrepreneur who was unwilling to drown in a sea of plastic waste. “In 2014, California banned plastic bags,” Bakour recounts. And what followed was a trend of all municipalities banning plastic bags across the US and globally. “And that was in the very …

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What’s one item in your wardrobe you’re likely to keep over the long haul? One item that most people have at least one of, regardless of socioeconomics and geography?  For hundreds of years, merchants have been making tough canvas, twill, and denim trousers for sailors, farmers, and other laborers—and making those pants to endure the …

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There are three significant tensions in the global olive oil industry, all interrelated. The first is traditional versus sustainable farming techniques, where a great deal of education and workshopping has become essential to support farmers’ progress. The next is the ratio of price to yield – closely tied to supply and demand – where some …

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