The UK is ranked last in Europe for bathing water quality. With a small team and limited resources, how have a ‘bunch of surfers from Cornwall’ got parliament to listen and launch a commission on England’s chemical cocktail of stinking sewage?

Today’s guest on All About Business is Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, a water reform charity that’s been around for over three decades.

In this episode, we discuss the dangers of not taking sustainability seriously, how to get the government to sit up and listen and why community lies at the heart of every charitable brand.

Giles Bristow is the CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, a marine conservation charity. Founded in 1990 by a group of surfers in Cornwall, SAS is a powerful environmental movement that addresses a range of ocean-related issues. Giles joined SAS in 2023 and has over 20 years of experience in environmental advocacy.

01:31 Introduction

02:22 What are the problems with the UK's oceans?

08:32 Recent environmental changes

10:41 Why can't water companies solve this?

13:38 Time for systemic change

16:45 Voters against floaters

31:31 Giles' advice for effective campaigning

36:42 Circular economies

38:53 Plastic - it's everywhere

40:40 How to lobby - transparency and connections

45:52 Just Stop Oil – Are they effective?

50:22 Helping businesses become more sustainable

53:55 Community and brand

59:19 Interview round

Links

Check out SAS’s website

Follow Giles on LinkedIn

Follow James Reed on LinkedIn

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more at: https://www.reed.com/?utm_medium=AABshownotes.This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk