Researchers have found 51 solutions that could set off a wave of positive change for the planet.
The research comes from the University of Exeter’s Green Futures Solutions team and the Earthshot Prize. It looks at positive tipping points, the moments when a good idea grows fast enough to keep spreading by itself.
We picked out five that we’re already seeing actioned by our clients, so you can see what real business change for the better looks like in practice.
1. Deforestation-free supply chains
Commodities such as beef, soy, timber and cocoa account for around 70% of tropical forest loss. That gives buyers a real chance to change things.
The researchers say that when buyers, financiers and regulators act together, forest-friendly sourcing can change how millions of producers work.
Here’s an example from our clients: Greenwood Plants. This wholesale plant nursery supplies new builds, commercial sites and infrastructure projects. After measuring its carbon footprint with us, it committed to becoming one of the largest nurseries to go peat-free.
The team also cut back on the wood it buys and swapped single-use plastic for reusable netting on deliveries. Managing Director Melanie Asker says the industry needs to do more than grow plants.
2. Clean household energy
The World Health Organization links around seven million early deaths a year to air pollution. More than two billion people still cook and heat their homes with polluting systems.
Pay-as-you-go models and rural electricity networks could cut harmful fine-particle emissions by up to 80%.
Here’s an example from our clients: By Word of Mouth. This London catering and events company has set out plans to switch to electric and end its reliance on gas. It also plans to move to 100% renewable energy, as part of its goal of reaching Net Zero by 2037.
3. Protected oceans
Marine life recovers inside protected areas, and the researchers found those areas play a big part in helping it spread. Once fish stocks rebuild, they spill into nearby fished waters.
Fishers then see the benefit and back more protection, so the network can keep growing. The global High Seas Treaty, which came into effect in January, shows what coordinated action can achieve.
4. Circular packaging
Around 40% of the world’s waste still ends up in open landfills. Food waste adds more than one billion tonnes a year.
Seaweed and mushroom alternatives to disposable packaging are starting to change that. London-based Notpla, the 2022 Earthshot Prize winner, has replaced more than 32 million units of single-use plastic with seaweed-based materials in three years.
Here’s an example from our clients: Concept Products. This UK supplier of protective workwear and festival site equipment has replaced plastic cups with biodegradable ones, at no extra cost to customers. It has also swapped plastic fencing covers for biodegradable hessian.
Its customers include Festival Republic, which runs Leeds, Reading and Wireless, and Glastonbury Festival. The business has won around £1 million in new work linked to its sustainability achievements.
5. Clean, flexible electricity
Solar, wind and smarter grids are already the cheapest way to make electricity in many markets; storage is the next step.
Here’s an example from our clients: NORR. This global architecture and engineering firm has 800 staff across the UK, US and Canada. Between 2023 and 2025, the emissions from the electricity it buys fell by 51%.
Several of its offices already run on green power. The team is now building the business case for moving all of them to 100% green power by 2030.
Which one could you make an impact with?
Every business can start somewhere. Try our free sustainability assessment to find out where you stand today, or read more client stories here