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John Elkington

John Elkington

Business author

Sep 6, 2026

13:31
So we'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
13:34
Well, it's funny.
13:35
I find myself in at least an additional country per week for several months now.
13:42
And as I've gone to places like Warsaw or Oslo or whatever, I find myself saying the same thing, which is that Donald Trump is a gift to the sustainability movement.
13:52
And by that, I mean something that is Not obvious to everyone when they first hear it, but it is a sense that the sustainability movement has, as I mentioned, been running for at least 40 years since the Brundtland Commission report and what preceded that.
14:11
And I think it's become slightly tired, and I think it's become slightly complacent, and I think it's become too complicated for most ordinary people, including many people in boards and C-suites, which is the world that I've largely operated in.
14:26
I think it's also got associated with a lot of other concepts.

14 MINS LATER

28:21
So as well, I'd love to hear your sort of insight into that dynamic as to why didn't we rise to the challenge because of ethics and doing the right thing?
25:12
And John, let's get your first view on the findings as well.
25:16
Well, let me just say, I haven't been unaware of the comments in the chat about wanting to look like a rock star.
25:23
The fact is I spent part of the weekend in an eye hospital.
25:27
I've developed an incredibly acute sensitivity to light.
25:32
Having said all of which, I really like the light that this survey is shining on this community of change makers.
25:41
And I was stunned.
25:43
to see the results because I think it's a very human tendency when facing major challenges to double down, to just try to do whatever you're doing better and faster and so on.

6 MINS LATER

32:05
Does it make sense that the region that has had the most opportunity to lead this agenda so far now wants to change it the most? And what do you think that might mean for European sustainability leadership?
40:57
So we'd love to pick two examples, maybe.
41:01
Well, In my most recent book, which you kindly mentioned, Tickling Shots, I do go into a number of the… You do, absolutely.
41:09
…well and some of the things that did not go quite so well.
41:12
And I just, before I give you a couple of examples, I just say something about the people that I've dealt with, with very few exceptions, have been intelligent people, committed people, well-trained people, with the sort of the interests of their… their employees and their customers and their consumers and their investors very much in mind.
41:35
So I'm not sort of saying that they were stupid.
41:39
I'm not saying that they were idiotic.
41:40
I'm not saying they were villains or, you know, sort of our enemy.

12 MINS LATER

54:13
the way you would apply it and the way you would advise, which I'm sure you do, boards and CEOs and CXs of companies to apply that framework?

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