How can businesses cut costs, reduce e-waste, and improve sustainability without compromising performance?

In this episode of The Impact Files, we sit down with Daniel Ward-Murphy, Marketing Director at Circular Computing, a company challenging the assumption that organisations must always buy brand-new laptops.

Daniel shares how Circular Computing has developed a remanufacturing process that delivers laptops that are cosmetically, operationally, and in warranty terms equivalent to new devices, while significantly reducing environmental impact and cost.

The conversation explores the hidden sustainability challenge within the IT sector, from the minerals, water, and carbon required to manufacture laptops to the growing problem of electronic waste. Daniel explains why habit and perception remain the biggest barriers to change, and why organisations should rethink long-standing technology procurement practices.

We also discuss the commercial case for remanufactured technology, including potential savings of around 40% compared with equivalent new devices, as well as the role of public sector leadership in accelerating adoption. Daniel reflects on Circular Computing’s growth journey, the realities of scaling an impact-focused business, and the importance of maintaining a “no compromise” approach to quality.

Finally, he shares insights into the marketing challenge of driving behaviour change, why sustainability initiatives must often become the customer’s own idea, and his vision for a future where remanufactured technology becomes a mainstream choice for businesses worldwide.

Visit Circular Computing at: Circular Computing

Contact with Daniel at: linkedin.com/in/danielwardmurphy

In this episode, Ned and Ruth speak with Ben Schneider, CEO of ITGUYS, a London-based outsourced IT support provider serving around 50 organisations and managing hundreds of devices across the capital.

Ben shares his personal journey from childhood involvement with the Woodcraft Folk and a career in environmental organisations such as Friends of the Earth, to growing ITGUYS from a one-person bicycle-based operation into a purpose-driven business. He explains how environmental values have remained central throughout his career and ultimately led the company to become a certified B Corp.

The conversation explores the often-overlooked environmental impact of technology. Ben discusses practical ways organisations can reduce their technology footprint, including extending device lifecycles, improving recycling practices, reducing unnecessary data storage, and encouraging employees to switch devices off when not in use.

He also reflects on lessons learned from experimenting with remanufactured laptops. While the sustainability benefits were compelling, higher failure rates highlighted the importance of balancing environmental ambitions with client reliability and productivity.

The discussion examines how businesses can integrate sustainability into IT procurement and supplier selection, with examples including EcoSend, renewable-powered hosting providers, and alternative technology platforms with stronger environmental credentials.

Looking ahead, Ben predicts increasing regulation around technology circularity, device recycling, AI infrastructure, and carbon reporting. He argues that organisations must start viewing IT not only as an operational necessity but also as a strategic lever for sustainability.

His key message: sustainable IT is not about one quick fix. It requires a systems-thinking approach that balances performance, security, cost-effectiveness, and environmental responsibility across the entire technology ecosystem.

Visit IT Guys at: https://www.itguys.com/

Connect with Ben: ben@itguys.com

In an inspirational story of personal and business development, Ned and Ruth speak with Kim Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of North South Wines. From a simple idea and a handful of suppliers to importing 20 million bottles annually and achieving £40 million turnover, Kim shares the remarkable background behind one of the UK’s fastest-growing wine distributors.

Kim reflects on ‘falling in’ to the wine industry, the lessons she learned from FMCG sales training, and how North South Wines was built through strong partnerships, entrepreneurial drive, and a commitment to doing business differently.

A major focus of the conversation is North South Wines’ sustainability journey. Kim is honest about knowing little of the B Corp movement initially, but having recognised its transformative power and worked hard to become the UK’s first B Corp-certified wine distribution business, she transformed the company’s approach to people, profit, and environmental impact.

She discusses practical initiatives including lightweight wine bottles, supplier sustainability assessments, carbon literacy training, electric vehicle adoption, and employee volunteering programmes. North South Wines’ position as sustainability leaders in wine distribution means they have a powerful voice to influence others, and to lobby for needed change.

North South Wines have a strong commercial tale to tell, and the discussion also explores the commercial case for sustainability, revealing how long-term investment in people, culture, and responsible business practices has strengthened profitability, customer loyalty, and brand differentiation in a highly competitive market.

Kim speaks candidly about her own challenges during COVID-19, including burnout and mental health struggles, and how that period ultimately helped reshape both her leadership style and the future direction of the business. Strong employee engagement and an agile, positive company culture are interwoven with commitment to environmental sustainability, and together they drive an impressive story of commercial growth.

Visit North South Wines at: https://northsouthwines.co.uk/

Connect with Kim at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-wilson/

In this episode of The Impact Files, Rachel Foster, Founder and Director of certified B Corp The Agile Communications Agency, shares her journey from trainee print journalist to a leading exponent of agile methodology for communications and PR.

Rachel discusses how she built a purpose-led business helping organisations tackle ‘gnarly’ communications challenges around climate action, sustainability and community engagement. Her clients include the University of Oxford, the International Transition Plan Network, and major brands navigating sensitive stakeholder issues.

We hear how Rachel:

• Has developed a nationally recognised training programme with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), becoming a specialist in applying agile principles to PR and marketing;
• Has built a model that works for her and her clients, using a flexible network of specialist collaborators rather than a traditional agency structure which creates value for local creative businesses while delivering work for global organisations;
• Models her commitment to employee wellbeing and community contribution, operating a four-day week and delivering 100 hours a year of local volunteering;
• Believes storytelling will continue to matter, and sees how emerging technologies, AI and changing digital platforms are reshaping - but not replacing - the power of human communication.

Connect with Rachel at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-foster-agile/

Visit the Agile Communications Agency at: https://agilecomms.agency/

In this episode, Phil Korbel, co-founder of the Carbon Literacy Project, talks to Ned Wells and Ruth Davis about his remarkable journey from BBC radio producer to climate action pioneer, and how a simple idea in Manchester grew into a global movement.

Phil shares how a life-changing tandem cycle ride from Sydney to the UK sparked a lifelong commitment to sustainable development and community engagement.

After founding a charity focused on community radio and social inclusion, Phil became increasingly focused on climate change, driven in part by parenthood and a desire to answer an anticipated question from his daughters: ‘What did you do to stop this blooming mess?’

With that question as a spur, Phil was led to create the Carbon Literacy Project. Working on Manchester’s first Climate Action Plan, he recognised a critical gap: while organisations were discussing technologies and policies, few were thinking about how to engage people.

The result was Carbon Literacy, a practical, action-focused framework that equips people with the knowledge and confidence to take meaningful climate action in their workplace and beyond.

Since launching 13 years ago, the Carbon Literacy Project has certified more than 164,000 people across over 50 countries, spanning every continent, including Antarctica. Phil explains how the organisation’s adaptable model enables businesses, public sector organisations, educational institutions and communities to develop training tailored to their own context and challenges.

The conversation in this episode explores the business case for carbon literacy, the importance of workplace engagement, how climate action can reduce costs and attract talent, and why effective communication must focus on relevance rather than guilt. Phil also discusses the organisation’s ambitious goal of reaching one million carbon literate citizens by 2030 and the exciting opportunities ahead for international growth.

Visit Carbon Literacy Project at: https://carbonliteracy.com/

Connect with Phil at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-korbel/

In this episode, Ned and Ruth are joined by Michelle Miles, founder of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance (SWA), to explore her entrepreneurial journey and how she is putting sustainability at the heart of the wedding industry.

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Michelle left school at 16 and began her career in events and public relations, gaining early experience which included working for the House of Commons. In organising influential events, Michelle discovered the power of bringing people together. After years working across the events sector, she became increasingly aware of the environmental impact of large-scale events and began exploring how sustainability could be integrated into her work.

Following redundancy from a production agency role in 2009, Michelle launched her own event agency, Fusion, which remains successful today. Her growing passion for sustainability led her to create the Sustainable Wedding Alliance in 2020, initially as a community to connect like-minded wedding professionals who were until then working in silos.

From that starting point, Michelle’s identification of what the wedding industry was really crying out for led to SWA’s evolution into something more. It is now a membership organisation that provides sustainability training, accreditation, independent verification and ongoing support for wedding businesses. Michelle explains how the organisation works with more than 150 businesses, creating a ripple effect across thousands of weddings and industry professionals.

Michelle also discusses the balance between purpose and profitability, the importance of transparency and community, and why she believes collaboration is replacing competition within the wedding industry. Looking ahead, she shares her vision for a future where sustainable practices are the norm, and the Alliance can focus primarily on connecting and inspiring businesses rather than teaching sustainability fundamentals.

Visit Sustainable Wedding Alliance at: https://sustainableweddingalliance.com/

Connect with Michelle at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellemilesevents/

James Rutter has spent much of his career exploring how ideas can create meaningful change. Now Chief Strategy Officer at Cook, James began his career in business and finance journalism. While he enjoyed uncovering and shaping ideas, he increasingly questioned whether they truly mattered. A personal purpose exercise later helped him define his guiding principle: ‘to find, shape and share ideas that matter’.

The belief at Cook that business can and should be a force for good, has shaped both James’s career and the company’s growth. Over more than 15 years, he has helped guide the business’s strategy, culture and brand, and now seeks to share those lessons with other purpose-driven organisations.

Today, Cook employs around 2,000 people, generates approximately £150m in annual sales, operates four production kitchens and runs around 120 shops nationwide. James believes its success comes from aligning strategy, culture and brand: strategy provides clarity of direction, culture creates the energy to deliver it, and brand becomes the external expression of that culture.

Influenced by Simon Sinek’s work on purpose, Peter Drucker’s thinking on culture, and strategist Alex Smith’s distinction between ‘company story’ and ‘customer story’, James argues that memorable brands are built from authentic culture rather than marketing alone.

While Cook has long championed purpose and played a role in the growth of the B Corp movement in the UK, James is clear that customers ultimately buy great products, not missions. Purpose matters most when it strengthens the organisation behind an outstanding product or service.

Two themes run through James’s story: the importance of clarity in connecting impact and commercial goals, and the belief that long-term purpose requires the courage to stay focused through inevitable short-term setbacks.

Visit Cook at: https://www.cookfood.net/

Connect with James at: https://www.james-rutter.com/contact or https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-rutter-8972079/

Martin Knowles, Co-Founder of Sales Untangled®, tells us about a career in which he’s moved from ‘avoiding sales roles’ to building a successful consultancy focused on ethical, relationship-led selling.

In this episode, Martin provides a thoughtful definition of ‘sustainable sales’.

He shares his experience of the way many business owners struggle with sales because traditional approaches often feel pushy and transactional. Through Sales Untangled®, Martin helps organisations develop more effective sales cultures by focusing on listening, understanding customer needs, and creating mutual value rather than simply pitching products or services.

Martin’s definition of sustainable sales includes the building of long-term relationships with customers, employees, suppliers, and communities. He argues that lasting business success comes from trust, curiosity, and genuine human connection.

The conversation also explores:

• Building sales functions that support sustainable growth
• The role of B Corp principles in responsible business practices
• How repeat business and referrals are driven by strong relationships
• The opportunities and challenges AI presents for sales and customer engagement
• Why human connection will remain essential despite advances in technology

Visit Sales Untangled® at: https://salesuntangled.co.uk/

Connect with Martin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinknowles/