Hi friend,

Spring is finally here but we feel like maybe the weather has been conspiring against us lately... What's with all this rain?

But hey, don't let this wave of bad weather get you down. The good news is that it's Friday, and that means the weekend is just around the corner. 🍻

We've got the perfect way to lift your spirits until then. The March issue of nineteen eighty four is here!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy our top picks of the month.

🔍 Fun fact of the month: Tigers are striped on their skin as well as their fur! If you gave a tiger a shave, you'd see their exact fur pattern underneath all the orange. Like having its own feline fingerprint, tigers have around 100 stripes on their body and no two tigers will ever have the exact same pattern. 🐅

IPCC report: Action must be taken now

The IPCC’s AR6 Synthesis Report was released this month, summarising 5 years worth of reports on global temperature changes, emissions, and climate impacts. We’re currently nearing a 1.5C increase above pre-industrial levels by 2030 and the new report is a harrowing reminder that we have the tools to stop a climate catastrophe, but we just aren’t using them. If you haven't seen the report yet, here's a recap on the main messages and the real action business can take today.

Some people might scoff at the the thought of 1.5C increase, thinking 'yeah, and what?'. The sad truth is, despite looking like a small number, an increase like this has dire consequences on everything from species loss to decline in crop yields. These are the biggest impacts of warming we can expect to see if change isn't made now.

Now then, take any domestic flights this year? The Premier League certainly have. After a two month analysis, it was found that Premier League clubs took a staggering 81 domestic flights in just 100 games, with an average flight length of 44 minutes and the shortest being 27 minutes. On top of that abysmal data, nearly half of those were marked as 'positioning', meaning no one was even on the plane in the first place! With the Premier League already having signed to reach a long shot goal of net zero by 2040, it's high time they start prioritising their pledge over picking convenience.

The importance of biodiversity in development

Focusing solely on carbon emissions is no longer efficient. That might be something we all could have guessed, but with the newly released report on the ecology of real estate, new guidance has been provided that highlights the importance of incorporating biodiversity into development as part of overall climate strategy. As the climate crisis and biodiversity loss are deeply interconnected, nature-based solutions can provide up to 30% of the necessary emissions reductions, making them a key part of achieving net zero.

Invisibility cloaks, solar charged puffers, and clothes made from landfill garbage. No, this isn't Harry Potter meets Mad Max, instead it's the beautifully bizarre creations of clothing brand, Vollebak. With a goal to create truly futureproof clothing in a world of resource scarcity and challenging climate conditions, Vollebak are tackling the fundamental challenges of our time. Black lava resistant jacket, anyone?

'Taking and keeping waste out of the system' is the ethos behind the new sustainable speakers from product design studio, Gomi. Made from old e-bike batteries and 'unrecyclable' plastic, the hand-made bluetooth speakers can last up to 30 hours and be easily repaired through the modular design. We need a few of these around the Avery & Brown office to play it loud!

What is your business's reason for being?

You may have heard of ikigai for people, but have you heard of ikigai for businesses? A Japanese concept meaning your 'reason for being', ikigai is now being applied to organisations too, helping to show exactly what makes the difference between core business models that are unsustainable and ones that are regenerative. Some amazing food for thought here for business leaders and those working in sustainability focused positions.

Something's up with the sauce... Ketchup colossus Heinz has recently capitalised on a viral Snapchat post of a restaurant worker refilling a Heinz ketchup bottle with a generic brand in a new playful print campaign going after all the 'ketchup fraudsters' out there doing the same. Through the brand's Instagram page, Heinz has been encouraging lovers of the sauce to tag any restaurants caught doing the same. We guess for some people, it just has to be Heinz?

So here's a quick side question. Who should be in charge of ESG reporting? With sustainability legislation coming around hard and fast, regulatory reporting requirements are putting quite a bit of stress on businesses who don't have their reporting systems already in place. Someone in the C-suite does need to take charge, but it isn't always clear who.

March kicked off for us with a bang with Futurebuild 2023 and luckily we didn't get lost inside ExCel London. For some more pics from the day, take a look at our new throwback post showcasing some Futurebuild highlights.

Russ went viral on his social channels a few times this month, with a Twitter thread on how we can all take action to protect nature reaching 38k views and a LinkedIn post on the madness of the goodie bags given out at the Oscars reaching over 80k views.

We're pumped to be supporting Extinction Rebellion Waverley & Borders! We'll be helping them promote their local campaigning and activities on top of promoting The Big One - a gathering of 100,000 people outside The Houses of Parliament on Friday 21st April. The Avery & Brown team will all be there taking a stand.

In the first of many to come, we published our first white paper this month. Kicking off the series with an introduction to sustainability within the built environment and how marketing plays into that to drive sustainable change. Go give it a read if you haven't seen it yet.

Each month, we feature a different Certified B Corporation, to celebrate the brands which are working hard to create a better business world. To learn more about B Corps, click here.

Our featured B Corp this month is...

PAD studio

'Sustainable spaces that nurture the soul'. Something we probably all need in our lives, right?

Whether it's private homes, residential, or public, PAD studio see architecture as more than just our built environment, it’s about the spaces around us that provide a place to retreat to, reflect in, and grow.

Have you enjoyed this month's nineteen eighty four? Let us know your feedback by dropping us a line at [email protected]!