Simon Mainwaring

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

Posts

 
January 2, 2026

How Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Program Turns AI Anxiety Into Youth Ingenuity

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Artificial intelligence is having a moment — a loud, unruly, impossible-to-ignore moment. It’s the thunderclap in every boardroom, the whispered worry in every classroom, and the headline nobody can escape. And with every new advancement, the chorus of questions gets louder: Where’s this going? Who’s in charge? Are we even ready? But walk into a […]

Artificial intelligence is having a moment — a loud, unruly, impossible-to-ignore moment. It’s the thunderclap in every boardroom, the whispered worry in every classroom, and the headline nobody can escape. And with every new advancement, the chorus of questions gets louder: Where’s this going? Who’s in charge? Are we even ready? But walk into a …

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November 25, 2025

Cascale Expands Into Furniture For Data-Driven Systems Change

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Rick Ridgeway has always been drawn to the edges of what’s possible. As one of the original architects behind the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, now known as Cascale, and a longtime leader at Patagonia, he’s spent the last 15 years proving that the biggest lever for sustainability isn’t competition, but collaboration. Now, that model is evolving again. At …

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November 19, 2025

Generation Restoration Meets Trillion Trees: Business, Imagination And The Century Of Ecology

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Tim Christophersen’s Generation Restoration couldn’t land at a more pivotal moment. The dialogue around sustainability has become crowded — an alphabet soup of ESGs, CSRs, and new, shifting regulations. But beneath all the jargon is something simpler: our relationship with nature itself. Christophersen’s book calls us back to that foundation, offering not just a roadmap but as …

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October 7, 2025

DUER’s Quiet Revolt Against Fast Fashion

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The apparel industry has trained consumers to constantly expect more—more drops, more trends, more discounts—while the costs of that model are passed onto people and the planet.  Against that noise, DUER, a Canadian performance apparel brand founded in Vancouver by denim veteran Gary Lenett, is building a different kind of signal: clothing that looks good, …

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September 17, 2025

Starbucks Reimagines Coffeehouses As Community Lifelines

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One of the most dramatic effects of the COVID-19 crisis was the way it redefined the role of business in caring for its stakeholders during times of crisis. Acting much like first responders, companies across the board took unprecedented steps to ensure the health and well-being of their employees, customers, and communities in the form …

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August 27, 2025

Nespresso’s Path To Trust: Circularity, Regeneration, And Transparency

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The coffee industry is at a crossroads. Climate change is pushing growing regions uphill, consumers are asking harder questions about sustainability and waste, and packaging is now a persistent part of the design and consumption conversation. For the single-serve category, from coffee to bottled water to snacks, the environmental footprint of packaging remains a central …

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