From tropical forests to single planet thinking
A snapshot of the career of Dr Alan Knight, OBE
Born in 1964, Alan Knight has spent the vast proportion of his working career leading the debate on a number of environmental and social issues. His career path reflects that of the growing understanding of these issues – from the environment to corporate social responsibility to sustainable development has mainly worked in the commercial sector but he has also advised Government for many years.
Alan Knight joined B&Q in 1990 at the start of what was going to be one of the most challenging and satisfying periods in his career.
A relative youngster of 26, Alan was recruited by B&Q chief executive, Jim Hodkinson and marketing director, Bill Whiting, to manage the company's environmental affairs. Specifically, B&Q had been targeted as the biggest DIY operator on the issue of tropical timber and the destruction of the rainforests - an issue still at the top of the environmental agenda today. This was a new role for B&Q and indeed, barring The Body Shop, B&Q was one of the first retailers to take environmental issues.
Alan's approach was to talk to people representing all views in the timber industry – from the forest owners and NGOs to timber trade associations. From his discussions, he came to the conclusion that what was needed was a single, credible label to assure consumers that their purchases would not result in forest degradation. He was not alone in thinking that boycotts of buying tropical timber would not solve the problem. As one of a number of like-minded people, Alan worked with WWF and other organisations to create the Forest Stewardship Council, an organisation now widely recognised as ensuring that strict environmental, social and economic standards of forest management are adhered to by those who use the label. Alan was a founding Board member of the Forest Stewardship Council which now reaches over 70 million hectares of forest.
Alan has made over 500 speeches on sustainable development topics in over 40 countries in nearly 20 years. When asked about which speech he thought had made the greatest impact, he didn’t hesitate. "It was in Brussels in about 1995 and it was attended by around 400 people in the timber industry. I was talking about the impacts of forest management, the FSC and relevance to the industry and consumers. At the time FSC was still very much in its infancy and there was still a huge reluctance to support this independent certification lark. Anyway, whatever I said seemed to hit the mark – I definitely sensed the atmosphere in the room change, that they had 'got it'. I felt it was quite a milestone in the whole timber debate and maybe they had reached that point anyway. I could have been just a catalyst."
B&Q's range of more than 40,000 products meant that the timber issue was just the tip of the environmental and social iceberg. Alan's talent was to assess the vast number of potential challenges that B&Q could face and set out plans in a reasonable timescale to address them. But without doing everything at once, he had to decide on the priorities.
One of the early learnings which has stayed with him throughout his career was the importance indirect impacts. B&Q itself was responsible for considerable impacts through its own operations in stores and head office, but the sheer volume of the range and number of products sold completely overwhelmed the importance of the environmental impact of operations. It was this that set him on a road of placing consumer products closer to the centre of the sustainable development debate.
As part of this thinking – that products can have the greatest impacts - he developed a supplier environmental audit and process (for which he earned an OBE in 1998), drafted policies and targets for peat (B&Q was the first retailer to announce that it wouldn’t buy peat from Sites of Special Scientific Interest), and created an industry wide paint labelling scheme (grading volatile organic compound content), which was taken up by both manufacturer and own label brands.
Sounding board
B&Q was a great place for Alan. He was given the freedom to take a wider view of the environmental and social agenda which at the time tended to focus on recycling office paper and the like. He also had the ear and support of the Board. Jim Hodkinson and Bill Whiting were not only ready to listen to what Alan had to say, but they were prepared to take risks even when they were not under pressure to do so. Because of their support of Alan, their trust and forward thinking, B&Q was the first business to support FSC, the first to develop concrete policies for peat reduction, the first to develop a paint labelling scheme, the first to encourage suppliers to act on their own environmental and social issues. "Jim and Bill were not a push-over though," says Alan, "they were hard talking and challenging bosses and who made me question my thoughts and beliefs as well as ensuring that I understood the commercial impacts as well. I still seek out Jim’s advice today - it is many years since he and I have left B&Q but all along I have consulted Jim on many things, as there’s few people who understands retail like he does."
From B&Q Alan moved to parent company, Kingfisher. He was responsible for co-ordinating social and environmental policies for nearly 600 stores in 12 countries, particularly focusing on working with supply chains across Asia.
At Kingfisher he developed a framework and a four level measuring tool to bring some consistency to sustainable development standards across all the operations but this work matured into a more sophisticated framework and measurement system during his next position at SABMiller, the world’s second largest brewer. Here he developed a framework which covered priorities as diverse as HIV/Aids, water usage and availability, climate change and transparency. The framework ensured that all the operations were aware of the key issues affecting SABMiller on a global scale but also allowed the flexibility to select those which were more relevant to them. The supporting four level stairway measurement tool also allowed companies to set their own targets from a minimum standard (which all companies had to adhere to) to a best-in-class level.
Government intervention
Alan's commercial experience and successes on such a wide variety of topics have led to involvement with a number of UK Government committees. For six years he was the chair of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Consumer products and the Environment (ACCPE). ACCPE argued against a general eco-labelling scheme on the basis that all sizes wouldn’t fit all. Instead ACCPE advised adopting the energy label for cars which has been used as a tool to grade road tax charges and also the Energy Performance Certificate in the Homesellers Information Pack. The committee's work was an important influence on DEFRA to focus more on product policies.
In 2000, Alan joined the newly created Sustainable Development Commission chaired by Jonathan Porritt. In this capacity Alan co-chaired the UK Government’s Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and in May 2006 he co-authored 'I will if you will', a report which concluded that people are ready and willing to change but need strong leadership and support from central Government and business. The report also made some clear points:
Choice editing for sustainability means editing out high-impact products and services and replacing them with low-impact ones that consumers see as equally good or better. Governments can set minimum standards or give clear incentives to sustainable options. Manufacturers can decide what products and services to offer and retailers can then choose which products they wish to stock and promote. Manufacturers, retailers and regulators have already used choice editing to raise sustainability standards for certain products like fridges, paints and timber.
Product roadmaps are a policy approach for addressing high-impact products through understanding the issues and range of possible solutions; through clear deadlines for reaching the desired level of transformation; through labelling products as a basis for incentives and standard-setting; through robust incentives tied to product sustainability; through public procurement specifications and through raising the bar through progressive regulation.
The triangle of change which steered the emphasis away from leadership by Government on sustainable development issues to recognise a triangle of leadership to be co-ordinated between public policy, business and consumers.
At the SDC he was responsible for a 'You are what you sell' document published in November 2007 which offers practical advice on how facing up to the social and environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle can improve businesses' competitive edge, as well as benefiting people and the planet. It also introduces the concept of 'if products could talk' – which asks businesses whether they would be proud of the products they sell if all the environmental and social impacts are considered. This concept and the idea of 'single planet living' for businesses have been key elements in the recent speeches and presentations Alan has made.
Single Planet Living – the business
Alan founded Single Planet Living in 2007. Single Planet Living assists consumer-focused businesses to embed the principles of sustainable development. Single Planet Living was inspired by his years of experience and the WWF One Planet Living campaign.
Alan works with businesses and policy makers to understand each other's agenda to support a shift, through the lens of consumer products, to live profitably and within our planetary means.
Single Planet Living – the concept
If the planet were a business and the citizens of the world its customers, the executive board should be anxious. At face value the business is enjoying huge demand and growth. But behind the scenes, the supply chains are being overworked, it is using up resources at an unprecedented rate and causing material damage to its support systems. "Business as usual" looks unsustainable.
But the planet is not a company, nor is there anything closely resembling a board. Governments have the power to create change, but feel constrained without the support of big business. Businesses fear regulation and are reluctant to take action without the support of their customers. Many consumers want to see change but not if it involves a great deal of effort and expense. Competing priorities and vested interests mean that change is slow and laboured.
Take transport for example. As long as governments talk about integrated transport, while car manufacturers talk about 'like-for-like' growth and citizens are deciding between a season ticket or a new car, the potential win-win of prosperity and sustainability is remote. If, however, those three groups worked together, the possibilities become tantalising...imagine a "roadmap" around cars where technological innovation is supported by public policy and consumers are given incentives to make different decisions about when and how to use cars...suddenly, the journey towards a more sustainable and prosperous world becomes not only possible, but exciting too.
You only have to think of organic food, timber from well-managed forests and energy efficient fridges to realise that, by working together, it is possible to transform the choices we make about products and drastically reduce their environmental impact. Since 80% of our environmental impact typically comes from food, home, transport and holidays, aligning consumer products and services with the resources and natural systems of the planet is central to strategies for sustainable development.
At Single Planet Living Alan offers three levels of consultancy:
Deep dive – where he works with a team of people to fully review the SD position and helps develop a forward looking strategy which is both relevant to today's and the likely future environmental and social agenda
Shallow dive – where he is more likely to work with one person, coaching him or her on looking at sustainable development in the context of the overall issues as well as how they fit with a particular business
Poolside commentary – where he will give a presentation or provide a narrative on the concepts earlier discussed, including insight on the current issues
Alan's clients at Single Planet Living
Virgin Group – deep dive
Independent advisor and developing a single global sustainability framework. Alan has reviewed all of the Virgin companies, highlighting the environmental and social product stories for each of them. The product story plan is just part of a wider group sustainability framework which will develop strategies for the major environmental and social impacts of this global business.
Wyevale Garden Centres – deep dive
Currently employed as part-time SD director, Alan is developing a sustainable development strategy and action plan, 'Plan Apple'. Through Alan, Wyevale has identified 10 commitments relevant to the business covering issues such as connection to food, encouraging carbon positive gardening, ensuring the supply chain benefits everyone to promoting personal well-being and inspiring sustainable lifestyles. The action plan is currently being agreed and Wyevale has committed to making the plan public by the end of 2008.
In early 2007 Alan advised the Board to phase out patio heaters because of their unnecessary impact on climate change – Wyevale was the first retailer to take this action. Alan has also advised Wyevale on plastic flower pot recycling and now several stores offer this facility to both media and customer acclaim.
Fortnum and Mason – shallow dive
Advisor and review of F&M's product stories and building a list of sustainable development opportunities. Alan is also advising on stakeholder engagement.
Duchy Originals – shallow dive
Alan is a member of a panel which advises the business. He has worked with the team for many years and together they have shaped the agenda from a purely local, organic focus to one that reflects wider sustainable development topics.
Alan has also conducted shallow dives for Furniture Village, Prudential, Barclays Bank, Lloyds, Hamleys, Coca Cola International, Coca Cola Europe and SABMiller.
Currently Alan serves as a board member of the FSC, is a non exec of DEFRA's SCP steering board, a fellow of WWF, a visiting Professor at Southampton University, and he continues to serve as a SDC Commissioner.