Earthrise Summit

Session 1 | Society & Impact Stage

Phones too big for women's hands, grab straps out of reach on public transport, safety test dummies unadapted for female bodies… just some of the ubiquitous design fails resulting from homogeneous design teams tackling product innovation. Now, as we confront the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, there’s a huge opportunity to learn from our mistakes. We need tech solutions built for everyone but to get them, we need to tackle the lack of diversity in climate tech communities now. Join us as we discuss where we are, what needs to change, and lay out a roadmap for better climate solutions with fairer outcomes.

Session 1 | Profit With Purpose Stage

Our ability to tell stories through words, music, film, and performance is one of the facets of human life that differentiate us from other species. As the climate crisis accelerates, our leading creators have a critical role to play. Join Gail Gallie and a panel of global creatives, thought leaders and influencers to explore the role of artists and creativity in engaging people on climate activism and how we can mobilise our creative community ahead of COP26 to shape hearts and minds.

Session 1 | Eco-Entrepreneurship Stage

Behavioural economics teaches us that people perceive a loss more painfully than they enjoy the equivalent gain. We need to find ways to make the green option the easiest and cheapest option (not the morally righteous but most expensive and inconvenient option) for every industry and every application. Enter the technology opportunity. Join Lucy Yu from the Octopus Centre for Net Zero who will present the case that getting to zero carbon isn’t just a case of swapping old tech for new tech. From understanding consumers to behavioural science, this session will breakdown just how critical tech will be in helping us get there.

Headline Session | Earthrise Stage

As a celebrated entrepreneur, writer, environmentalist and super model, Lily Cole needs little introduction. Through researching her book Who Cares Wins, Lily met with some of the greatest thinkers and innovators on the planet; those working on solutions to our biggest challenges, people committed to creating a more sustainable and peaceful future for humanity. Live from her rural home, Lily will will be invited to offer her insights on climate action and talk about how she sees innovation, activism and hope as vital bedfellows in tackling some of the world’s most pressing and difficult problems.

Session 1 | Earthrise Stage

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050, which is unimaginable and terrifying in equal measure. But what if there was a way of stopping our addiction to plastic and making packaging disappear? Join entrepreneurs Sian Sutherland (A Plastic Planet) and Lise Honsinger (Notpla) for a lively fireside talk about the pioneering work their respective companies are doing to switch off the plastic tap and make packaging disappear. From lobbying governments to working with industry on viable alternatives to plastic, from educating consumers to creating new laws banning export of plastic waste, here's a talk not to miss.

Headline Session | People & Purpose Stage

Jimmy Chin has spent his life living and working in the natural world. As an Oscar winning filmmaker, athlete, and possibly the world’s most accomplished climbing photographer, there are few people as well placed to talk first hand about the importance of the natural world to the human imagination. Jimmy has worked with some of the best adventurers, climbers and skiers in the world on their most challenging expeditions, and is currently making a film about one of the 20th Century's greatest conservationists, the North Face Co-Founder, Doug Tompkins. This fireside talk on environmental action and stewardship is a rare opportunity to put your questions to a genuine legend.

Session 2 |Profit With Purpose

How do brands define and activate their purpose? Join a panel of entrepreneurs and corporate innovators as they break down how to build a purpose-driven business. Paying special attention to their own businesses as well as highlighting best-in-class examples of companies that have taken a stand on everything from sustainability to the gender pay gap, we will get a better understanding of how successful businesses reimagine their relationships with customers and instead create a trust-based community of loyalists - aligned around human connection.

Session 2 | Eco-Entrepreneurship Stage

Financial institutions across the world are waking up to the importance of sustainable finance. There’s little doubt that directing capital into economic activity that supports a better world, and away from endeavours that do not, is a matter of acute urgency. In this session chaired by James Alexander (Chief Executive UK Sustainable Investment), our panel will bring together bankers, fund managers and innovators from ESG focused startups to discuss, debate and figure out how the financial services industry can become a force for good.

Session 2 | Society & Impact Stage

Rewilding is a seductive, if not still slightly controversial, concept in conservation circles. Those for it include high-profile figures such as David Attenborough, who believes that the restoration of biodiversity can help restore stability to the planet - and this belief is gaining traction. Take Anders Povlsen, the Danish entrepreneur and Philanthropist, who is currently restoring the land on his estate in the Scottish Highlands, reversing the damage caused by generations of overgrazing. This experiment is being observed with keen interest, but there remain sceptics. Join advocates of rewilding including Ben Goldsmith as well as those less convinced for a lively debate about the issue.

Session 2 | Earthrise Stage

As consumers become increasingly savvy at spotting greenwashing, there’s never been a better time for purpose-led founders to take the leap and launch their business. Join our panel to explore the ins and outs of building a progressive and purposeful brand which both understands the importance of consumers’ environmental and societal concerns and stands up to social media scrutiny. From landing the right packaging to minimising your company's carbon footprint, from treating your people with respect to standing out for the right reasons, here is a masterclass in getting it right from some of the best-in-class brands of the moment.

Session 3 | Society & Impact Stage

In 2020, the UN issued a stark warning: the world is facing its worst food crisis for 50 years, with the impact of climate change hitting those most at risk of hunger hardest. This isn’t an inevitable path. As as our climate changes, so must what, and how, we eat. Join food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart for a discussion about the hypocrisy of food waste and why farming needs to become our single biggest tool in bringing about systemic change. Using companionship or the sharing of food as a starting point, Tristram will be joined by Saasha Celestial-One, the co-founder of OLIO as well as other innovators on a mission to fix the food problem.

Session 3 | Earthrise Stage

By 2050, experts predict that two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities, putting enormous stress on everything from transport infrastructure to sanitation provision, public services to energy supply, clean air to green spaces. Our expert panel will discuss a blueprint for what our future urban landscapes will need to look like to meet the commercial, social and environmental questions we face. The session will highlight the effect new technologies are having on meeting the challenges of future city life and work - exploring its impact on everything from real estate to education, financial services to manufacturing, energy to culture, security to the environment.