#72 The glam plastic-free make-up brand out to fix the beauty industry
In this episode, we’re joined by the trailblazing Nour Tayara, founder of AORA Mexico, a plastic-free makeup brand that’s shaking up the beauty industry. Nour’s on a mission to prove that beauty doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense – or be boring while doing it.
We dig into the big issues:
💄 The beauty industry’s massive waste problem – billions of plastic tubes and palettes that end up in landfills or our oceans
🌍 Why sustainability in beauty often means bland, beige packaging – and how Nour is flipping the script with bold, maximalist designs inspired by vibrant Mexican culture.
✨ Nour’s journey from working at L’Oréal to building a brand that makes you feel good inside and out, while challenging the status quo.
If you’re into beauty, sustainability, or just love hearing stories about people breaking the mould, this episode is a must-listen. Get ready to rethink what beauty can be.
You can also watch this episode on YouTube
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#73 This is how you create an ethical chocolate supply chain
This week, we’re diving into the bittersweet world of cocoa and chocolate with Julia Ocampo, Head of Sustainability and Cocoa Sourcing at Luker Chocolate.
The global cocoa industry faces enormous challenges: poverty among smallholder farmers, deforestation, climate change, and the mounting pressure on food and drink companies to source responsibly.
In this candid and insightful conversation, Julia shares how Luker Chocolate is transforming cocoa supply chains – putting farmers, ecosystems, and communities at the heart of their sustainability strategy.
We explore:
✅ The stark realities of cocoa farming and why ethical sourcing is more urgent than ever.
✅ How Luker’s Chocolate Dream initiative is building resilient, thriving rural communities.
✅ Why agroforestry is a game-changer for biodiversity and farmer livelihoods.
✅ The role of collaboration in tackling systemic issues across the industry.
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to make chocolate sustainable – or how businesses can turn challenges into opportunities – this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable insights.
Tune in now to discover how Luker Chocolate is proving that better chocolate really does mean a better world.
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# 75 The tech business breathing new life into your LEGO collection
In this episode of The Better Business Show, we sit down with Ilya Malkin, co-founder of Sort a Brick, to explore how this innovative startup is transforming forgotten LEGO collections into ready-to-build sets using cutting-edge AI technology. Ilya shares the inspiring story of how a personal challenge with his kids’ LEGO bricks led to the creation of a sustainable solution that’s making waves in the circular economy.
From the challenges of sorting tens of thousands of unique LEGO pieces to the company’s mission of reducing waste and promoting reuse, Ilya offers fascinating insights into the intersection of technology, sustainability, and play. Plus, we discuss the future of Sort a Brick, including its potential to reshape how families and collectors view the value of their beloved bricks.
Whether you’re a parent with a box of unsorted LEGO, a sustainability advocate, or a fan of entrepreneurial innovation, this episode is packed with stories and ideas that will leave you inspired. Tune in and discover how Sort a Brick is giving new life to old toys – one piece at a time.
Topics covered:
The story behind Sort a Brick and its founding mission
How AI-powered sorting technology works
The economic and environmental benefits of reusing LEGO bricks
Overcoming challenges in building a sustainable, trust-driven business
What’s next for Sort a Brick and the potential for expansion
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# 76 The company changing the way businesses think about packaging
In this episode, I take on one of the most heated debates in the UK right now: airport expansion. With the UK government giving the green light to new runways, we explore the bigger questions beyond carbon emissions. Why is aviation still a lightning rod for controversy? Are we having the wrong debate? And why do we need a smarter, more pragmatic approach to how we manage growth?
Then, I sit down with Andrew Hargest, founder and CEO of SupplyClub, to talk about why packaging needs a radical rethink.
We explore:
🔹 How a side hustle turned into a nationwide business transforming how companies source packaging
🔹 The biggest barriers stopping businesses from making better material choices
🔹 Why packaging isn’t just about materials; it’s about systems, incentives, and accessibility
🔹 What the future holds for the industry – from new materials to the role of digital distribution.
Whether you’re curious about the future of aviation, interested in how smart businesses are solving packaging waste – or just love big, thought-provoking conversations, this episode has something for you.
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#79 Beauty and the bot: How AI is helping L’Oréal make better products, faster
AI is no longer just a buzzword – it’s fast becoming a core part of how businesses operate, innovate, and grow. But with so much hype, where do the real opportunities lie? And how do you separate practical value from overpromise?
In this episode, Tom sits down with Oday Abbosh, Senior Partner at IBM, to unpack how artificial intelligence is being used to genuinely transform business – from product development and customer service to complex challenges like supply chain resilience and material discovery.
We hear how IBM’s partnership with L’Oréal is helping the beauty giant rethink how it formulates new products using generative AI – and what that says about the future of research and innovation. We also dig into how businesses can adopt AI responsibly: with the right data, the right use case, and the right mindset.
Oday offers candid insights into:
The biggest misconceptions about AI in business
How to get started if you’re a small or mid-sized company
Why AI’s environmental footprint matters – and what can be done about it
The role of governance, ethics, and transparency in building trust
Whether you’re just exploring AI or already running pilots, this conversation is packed with practical advice and honest reflections on what it takes to make AI work for good.
“One of the biggest misconceptions? That AI is a plug-and-play solution. It’s not. It’s a learning journey – for people, systems, and organisations.”
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#80 Chirrup: Measuring nature with a microphone
Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest, least understood risks facing our food system – and businesses are waking up to it. But measuring nature has never been easy. This time, we meet Conrad Young, founder of Chirrup, a startup using birdsong and bioacoustics to track biodiversity across farmland.
Conrad shares how a quiet moment during the COVID lockdown inspired him to build a technology that helps retailers and suppliers, like Tesco and Diageo, get a clearer picture of ecological health in their supply chains. We explore why biodiversity matters to business, what birds can tell us about ecosystem resilience, and how smart tech is helping brands move from good intentions to real impact.
In this episode:
Why biodiversity loss is a major business risk
The science behind bioacoustics and birds as indicators of ecosystem health
How Chirrup’s tech works – and who’s using it
What farmers really think about biodiversity monitoring
Why nature is finally becoming part of the brand story
Whether you’re in sustainability, sourcing, or just care about the future of food, this one’s for you.
“What we’re doing is putting a robotic ecologist in the field – one that listens quietly and doesn’t disturb nature.”
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#81 Building a better booze brand: How Sxollie is ripping up the cider sector
Cider doesn’t often make headlines in the world of drinks innovation. It’s a category that’s long been dominated by heritage brands, murky labels, and – let’s be honest – a fair amount of concentrate and sugar masquerading as nature’s bounty.
But this week, we meet someone who’s rewriting the rules.
Laura Clacey is the co-founder of Sxollie, a bold, no-nonsense cider brand born in South Africa and on a mission to shake up the status quo. From using single varietal eating apples (not juice concentrate), to pioneering transparency and sustainability in a sleepy drinks aisle, Sxollie is doing everything the big players won’t.
In this episode, Laura shares how she’s taken on an entire category with swagger and purpose, and what it really takes to build a brand that people trust, love, and want more of.
This is cider like you’ve never tasted – and business with serious bite.
“We’ve got one ingredient in Sxollie: the single varietal apple that we use. That’s what cider should be – 100% apples, with no nonsense or secrets”
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#82 From farm to finished product: How to build a supply chain you can trust
This episode is supported by CottonConnect.
What does it really take to build a transparent supply chain?
In this episode of The Better Business Show, host Tom Idle dives deep into one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing brands today: how to create truly traceable, accountable, and credible supply chains – from the farm to the factory to the finished product.
With global regulations tightening and consumer expectations rising, transparency is no longer a box-ticking exercise; it’s a business necessity. But building that visibility, especially in commodities like cotton, is far from simple. It takes technology, policy understanding, and human collaboration on the ground.
To unpack all of this, Tom is joined by two leading voices:
Prakash Philip, Global Director, Strategy and Impact, CottonConnect, who shares real-world experience from working with 800,000+ farmers across South Asia to implement digital traceability tools and regenerative practices that brands can trust.
Baptiste Carrière-Pradal, Founder of 2B Policy, who explains the shifting global regulatory landscape, including Europe’s evolving sustainability rules – and why legislation, more than ever, is driving the corporate race toward transparency.
Together, they explore:
How brands are meeting rising demands for traceability and ethical sourcing
What new regulations (like CSRD and anti-forced labor laws) mean for your business
The realities of tracking cotton and other commodities from field to product
Why traceability must go hand-in-hand with sustainability and impact
What tools, technologies, and partnerships are making it all possible
The role of data, verification, and storytelling in building consumer trust
Whether you're a sustainability lead, a sourcing manager, a policymaker – or simply curious about what transparency looks like in practice – this episode breaks down the challenge and opportunity ahead.
💡 Get ready to rethink what it means to truly know your supply chain.
This episode is supported by CottonConnect. To find out more visit, www.cottonconnect.org
“We’re not just tracking cotton, we’re building systems that support farmer livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and give brands visibility they can stand behind”
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