The words ‘sustainability’ ‘purpose-led business’ encompass so many things beyond just cutting emissions – paying your employees fairly, looking after their mental and physical health and supporting other values-aligned organisations, to name just a few.
Fortunately, events like the Better Business Summit exist to bring together these themes and the people who are their strongest advocates, to share learnings and challenges. Over two days at the Manchester Metropolitan Business School, we heard from so many people and organsiations doing inspiring things: here are our key takeaways:
1. Employee ownership can change the world
Employee ownership empowers workers by giving them a stake in the success of the company, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and long-term thinking. When employees are owners, they are more likely to feel invested in their work, leading to higher productivity and greater innovation. If more companies adopted employee ownership models, it could reduce inequality, improve job satisfaction, and create a more sustainable economy where people benefit from the success they help create. The model can also reduce shareholder greed.
2. We need more sustainable products, especially in healthcare
Sustainable products in healthcare are critical not only for reducing the environmental impact of medical practices (the NHS uses enough disposable pvc medical devices to fill Wembley stadium each year), but also for ensuring that future generations have access to the resources they need. Pioneers like Simon Hall from Airway Medical Ltd are forging forwards in this space by creating ISO certified medical devices from sustainable materials.
3. The sharing economy is the future
The sharing economy is reshaping the way we think about ownership and access, allowing people to share resources, skills, and services on a more collaborative basis. By reducing demand, we can break the cycle of harmful overconsumption and reduce the amount of waste we create. Party Kit network is doing fantastic work in this space.
4. We’re still behind when it comes to accessibility
Despite major strides in technology and design, accessibility remains a significant challenge in many sectors. Particularly for the deaf community, many services and platforms still lack basic features like captioning, sign language interpretation, or visual alerts, which are crucial for ensuring full participation. In both digital and physical environments, the deaf community often faces barriers that others take for granted, from inaccessible customer support to media that doesn’t consider visual or text-based alternatives. We need to prioritise inclusive design, better representation, and more investment in solutions that make information and services universally accessible.
