Behind the Headlines — Sustainability Leadership at The Guardian with Julie Richards

Summary

In this episode of our podcast, Jonas, co-founder of The Sustainability Circle, speaks with Julie Richards, Sustainability Director at The Guardian, about embedding sustainability into a global media company’s operations while staying true to its values and environmental journalism. Julie shares practical insights on balancing bold sustainability commitments with business objectives and fostering collaboration across teams to drive impactful change.

Topics covered include:
• Reducing the environmental footprint of newspaper production and distribution.
• Making bold decisions, such as eliminating fossil fuel advertising.
• Engaging stakeholders to align corporate actions with sustainability goals.
• Leveraging environmental journalism as a catalyst for corporate responsibility.

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Timestamps:

01:45 Julie’s Journey to Sustainability Leadership

06:01 How Strategy Experience Fuels Sustainability Impact

07:20 What Makes Sustainability at The Guardian Unique

09:38 Tackling the Environmental Impact of News Publishing

12:10 Cutting Waste in Operations

15:47 Engaging Stakeholders to Drive Sustainability Goals

17:51 Deciding to Stop Fossil Fuel Ads: Balancing Risks and Values

23:48 Managing Reader Expectations with Bold Action

26:21 Walking the Talk: Aligning with Environmental Journalism

28:09 The Role of Guardian Journalism

31:05 Final Thoughts

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Julie: A lot of the improvements we can make come from the supply chain, but I was really interested in exploring what we can control internally. What are the changes we can make within our own operations, independent of a supplier making adjustments?

Julie: Thanks very much.

Jonas: Good to have you. Let's dive right in! We always start these episodes with a bit of an intro and some background about our guest. Can you share a bit about your journey—how you ended up at The Guardian? I know you transitioned from the role of Strategy Director, so it might also be interesting to hear how you shifted from a more general strategic focus to sustainability.

Julie’s Journey to Sustainability Leadership

Julie: Sure, happy to! My background before joining The Guardian was in strategy consulting. I worked for over five years with one of the big four professional services companies in the UK, primarily in the media sector. I collaborated with clients in news, TV, film, and some telecoms on strategy and business transformation.

In 2016, I joined The Guardian following some consulting projects I had done with them. I started in the Strategy and Delivery team, reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer. My role was Delivery Director, where I translated the company’s big-picture goals into tangible changes. This included managing programs, tracking progress, and ensuring initiatives delivered the intended results. It was a time of significant business change, as The Guardian was undergoing a financial turnaround.

By 2019, after stabilizing financially, we began focusing on the company’s longer-term direction, including its purpose and brand identity. My first project in sustainability was leading our B Corp certification process, which helped identify gaps in our environmental action. I proposed and led efforts to measure our carbon emissions, set reduction targets, and eventually built out the sustainability function.

What drew me to sustainability was the opportunity to learn and upskill in a rapidly evolving field. I also enjoyed working on targets and goals that I owned, as opposed to simply facilitating processes for other teams. My role allows me to directly contribute to the company’s overall strategy and success.

How Strategy Experience Fuels Sustainability Impact

Jonas: What I find fascinating is your background in strategy delivery. Achieving a green transition requires delivering on drafted strategies, so I imagine your experience in strategy helps in your current role.

Julie: Definitely. My strategy background gave me a solid understanding of the business. I already had knowledge of the company’s overall goals and strong relationships across key departments. This perspective has helped me focus on how improving sustainability performance strengthens the company overall.

I approach sustainability with the mindset of identifying what each department needs to do to achieve our goals. It’s also important to align sustainability efforts with other business objectives, such as commercial goals, staff retention, and engagement. I firmly believe sustainability can enhance the overall success of the business.

What Makes Sustainability at The Guardian Unique

Jonas: We don’t need to introduce The Guardian to our listeners, but could you share what makes its sustainability efforts unique compared to other companies?

Julie: Our environmental journalism sets us apart. While I handle the corporate aspects of sustainability, our environmental journalism is world-class. It often sets the agenda on major topics and investigations, from scientific developments to exposing polluters. This coverage shapes our identity and our readers’ expectations.

Additionally, we’ve been vocal about environmental issues and embedded sustainability into our brand and strategy. For instance, in January 2020, we stopped accepting advertising from fossil fuel companies. It was a bold decision, but one aligned with our values. Few media companies have followed suit, which highlights how unique our approach is.

Tackling the Environmental Impact of News Publishing

Jonas: Newspapers seem like a significant part of a media company’s environmental footprint. Can you explain what corporate sustainability looks like for The Guardian?

Julie: Sure! When we measure our carbon emissions annually, about two-thirds come from our newspaper operations. This includes the paper, printing, and distribution processes, which are heavily influenced by the volume of newspapers we print. For instance, we have a daily newspaper, a weekly magazine sold globally, and printed papers distributed in the UK and Ireland.

Paper emissions vary depending on the producer’s efficiency and energy sources. Printing is energy-intensive, and distribution often relies on diesel-powered trucks. On the digital side, we measure emissions from servers, internet networks, and the energy devices consume to access our content. However, digital emissions are a smaller fraction compared to print.

Cutting Waste in Operations

Jonas: You once shared an example about deciding how many editions to print and ship. Can you explain how that process works and its impact on the footprint?

Julie: Sure. Since newspapers account for two-thirds of our emissions, reducing waste has a big impact. Our publishing team oversees newspaper operations and aims to avoid overprinting while ensuring availability for readers. This balance is tricky because selling out in every retailer might indicate unmet demand, while overprinting leads to waste.

My role as Sustainability Director involves adding a sustainability perspective to this decision-making. For example, we explored predictive data science to optimize print volumes. Although we didn’t pursue that project, it sparked discussions and led our publishing team to challenge wholesalers to improve distribution accuracy.

Sustainability often requires influencing other teams and encouraging them to view challenges through a different lens. Collaboration is key.

Deciding to Stop Fossil Fuel Ads: Balancing Risks and Values

Jonas: Let’s discuss your decision to stop taking fossil fuel ads. From the outside, it seemed risky but also aligned with your values. How did that process unfold internally?

Julie: A few factors made this decision easier for us than for others. First, our journalism has consistently emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis and the role of fossil fuel companies in slowing progress. Second, we’re owned by the Scott Trust, which prioritizes long-term survival over short-term profits.

The decision was rooted in our commitment to integrity. While fossil fuel companies’ ads were a minor revenue stream, we believed rejecting them was the right thing to do. It simplified operations by removing internal debates about such campaigns. Moreover, it resonated with readers, who financially support our journalism. Their positive response reinforced the idea that bold actions can build stronger connections with our audience.

Walking the Talk: Aligning with Environmental Journalism

Jonas: Does your environmental journalism put pressure on the company to “walk the talk” and adopt sustainability measures?

Julie: Absolutely. My role involves ensuring our actions align with the values and recommendations in our journalism. For example, our reporting on carbon credits and market issues led us to avoid carbon offsets as a company. Having expert journalists on these topics is invaluable in guiding our decisions.

The Role of Guardian Journalism

Jonas: How does The Guardian balance presenting information versus advocating for action on environmental issues?

Julie: Like most news organizations, we distinguish between reporting facts and publishing opinions. Our opinions, especially on environmental issues, often focus on the need for faster action and innovative solutions.

We aim to inspire hope by providing clarity about the world’s challenges and offering imaginative solutions. While we don’t tell readers what to do, we empower them with information to make their own choices and take action.

Final Thoughts

Jonas: Any final thoughts or advice from your experience at The Guardian?

Julie: Sustainability roles can be challenging because they require addressing diverse topics and overcoming resistance. My advice is to always tie sustainability efforts to the company’s overall strategy. Showing how sustainability helps others succeed fosters collaboration and support.

Jonas: Great point. Even compliance frameworks, often seen as a chore, can serve as strategic starting points.

Julie: Exactly. While compliance may seem dry, it raises sustainability’s profile with executives and boards, creating opportunities for impactful actions.

Jonas: Thank you, Julie, for joining us. This was a fascinating conversation!

Julie: Thanks very much. I really enjoyed it.

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