Will RichardsonHead of EcoSystems and Networks, 51toCarbonZero · Sustainability & Net-Zero Strategy Leader | Helping £100m+ Enterprises Cut Climate Risk & Operating Costs | Head of EcoSystems & Networks | Host of Sustainability Solved Podcast

Over 200 episodes taught me more than 25 years of consulting"

1 May 2026 · 3 min

Open source

Sustainability Solved by Will Richardson

1 May 2026 · 3 min

0:00

In this excerpt from the Sustainability Solved podcast, host Will Richardson reflects on insights gathered from 208 episodes and 25 years of consulting with over 500 organizations. He notes that the most successful climate initiatives come from companies that treat their people with empathy, rather than those with the biggest budgets or most ambitious targets. He argues that shaming, lecturing, or scoring points creates defensiveness, citing the oil and gas industry's adoption of the tobacco playbook of sowing doubt. Richardson emphasizes that listening first and offering help is the most effective approach, which led to the creation of the 51 to Carbon Zero model that assigns named climate success managers instead of faceless dashboards. He invites listeners to click the show‑notes link to shape future conversations and promotes free access to his Substack, which curates sustainability news and breaks down business issues in plain terms.

Chapters

Hey, thanks so much for listening. I would love to be able to help you more on what it is that you are listening to and why you're listening to, to me. If you could click on the link in the show notes, that would be awesome because it will help me define what it is that we should be talking about on this podcast. We've recorded 208 episodes of the Sustainability Solved podcast. We've got over 20,000 followers, guests from every corner of the climate space. And the thing that changed my thinking most was not a guest, it was a pattern. When we started the podcast, I expected to learn about new technologies, new regulations, new frameworks, and we did. But the pattern that kept coming back episode after episode was this: the organizations making the most progress on climate were not the ones with the biggest budgets or the most ambitious targets. They were the ones that treated their people with empathy. We could be so much more empathetic to how hard this is for businesses. Proving people wrong, shaming them for not acting fast enough, making them feel stupid for not knowing what Scope 3 means— none of that drives action. It drives defensiveness. The oil and gas industry learned from tobacco industry's playbook. They spent decades sowing doubt, and our response too often was to respond with frustration instead of understanding. After 25 years and 500+ organizations, the single most effective thing we can do is listen first, then help. Not lecture, not judge, and not score points. Just help. That is why we built our model at 51 to Carbon Zero around named climate success managers, not faceless dashboards, because the transition is ultimately a human one. What has changed your approach to talking about sustainability with people who are not yet engaged?
Grab free access to Will's Substack while it lasts. Every week we pull together the top sustainability stories from dozens of trusted sources. Then he breaks down the big issues facing business right now in plain, practical terms. Link in the description.