Shaken Not Burned

Changing the economics of farming with Future Biogas

Food security is back on the agenda. In recent years, disrupted supply chains, war, extreme weather and volatile energy and fertiliser prices have all shown how quickly problems elsewhere can affect what food is available, where it comes from and what it costs. At the same time, there are growing concerns about the condition of the system producing that food: climate risk, declining soil health, water stress, emissions and biodiversity loss. Unfortunately, that’s where the conversation often narrows: we identify problems with the food system and then very quickly arrive at a list of things that farmers should do differently. It’s almost as though the main challenge is persuading farmers to do something different. But wanting to change and being able to change are not the same thing. Farmers need to cut emissions, improve soils, use fewer inputs, protect biodiversity and become more resilient to a changing climate. Depending on who you ask, they may also need to grow different crops, adopt new technologies or change the way they manage their land. How much can a farmer actually change if everything around the farm – markets, infrastructure, finance, supply chains and policy – continues to reward the existing system? In this week’s episode, the first one in our arc focused on agriculture, Felicia talks to Philipp Lukas, founder and chief executive of Future Biogas, which currently operates 11 large biogas plants across eastern England. It recently opened what it describes as the UK's first unsubsidised biomethane plant, where its agreement with AstraZeneca gives that gas a commercial buyer, while the crops feeding the plant are grown as part of local farm rotations and the nutrients are returned to the land. The company sits in an unusual place between farming and energy. Its anaerobic digestion plants take crops grown as part of farm rotations and turn them into biomethane for the gas grid, while returning nutrients to the land. What makes Future Biogas interesting is not simply the technology, but the connections it creates between things we usually treat separately. Biomethane isn't an answer to all of farming's problems. But it is an example of what can happen when something that is good for the soil also has a customer, when waste becomes an input, and when a farm can earn money from its connection to another part of the economy. That matters because many of the things we now want from farming – healthier soils, lower emissions and greater resilience – involve cost or risk somewhere along the way. The discussion covers how anaerobic digestion can give farmers a new market for crops grown in rotation, return nutrients to the land and produce biomethane for the gas grid — and what this tells us about a bigger question: if we want farmers to make different choices, do we also need to change the economics around those choices? If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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The price of uncertainty: who pays when risk becomes reality?

Insurance is supposed to protect us from risk. But what happens when the risks themselves are changing? Risk doesn't disappear because we fail to recognise or price it. Decisions that make sense individually — pumping more groundwater during a drought, building another housing development, keeping water prices low — can accumulate until environmental change becomes economic loss. Insurance is one of the places where that loss becomes visible. Insurers pay some of the bill; the rest falls on households, businesses and governments. As risks increase, premiums can rise, terms can tighten and some things can become difficult to insure at all. But the outcome isn't fixed: insurers look not only at the physical event, but at what's exposed to it and how vulnerable it is. We may not be able to stop a flood or an earthquake, but building standards, flood protection, healthier ecosystems and other forms of resilience can change how much damage they cause. That matters because insurance can be more than a way of paying for damage afterwards. It can signal where risk is building, encourage measures that reduce vulnerability and, through insurers' role as investors, help finance some of the resilience that makes future economic activity possible. In the final episode of our insurance arc, Felicia and Giulia bring together conversations we had in the previous three episodes with Robert Johnston of Clark University, Regula Hess of WWF, and Rachel Delhaise of Convex to explore what insurance can tell us about the changing relationship between environmental and economic risk. From water and the insurance protection gap to rising premiums, resilience and the limits of insurability, they ask a deceptively simple question: do we invest in reducing risk now, or pay for the damage later? If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

How do you make the future insurable? With Convex Insurance

What makes something insurable — and what happens when the risks change?This week on Shaken Not Burned, Felicia talks to Rachel Delhaise, group head of sustainability at Convex Insurance, about how insurers deal with a changing and uncertain climate. As climate risks grow, insurance can become more expensive or harder to find. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the risk has simply become uninsurable. Better climate science and modelling can change how risk is understood and priced; resilience can reduce potential losses; and new financial structures can change how risk and cost are shared. Rachel explains why insurers want to insure, how insurance can act as a signal that underlying risks need to be addressed, and how insurers can use their investment capital to help build resilience, creating what she calls a cycle of insurability. Climate change is altering the hazards we face, but it doesn't determine everything that happens when they hit. Where and how we build, what we protect and where we invest can change the outcome. And underwriting and investment aren't the only ways insurers can contribute. They can also support the science that helps us understand what is changing and what we might do about it. Convex, for example, funds the Convex Seascape Survey, a five-year global research programme investigating the huge but poorly understood store of carbon in seabed sediments — including what happens when those sediments are disturbed and whether protecting them could help keep that carbon locked away. We previously spoke to the programme's lead scientist Callum Roberts about what they're discovering and why it matters. Listen to that conversation here This is the third episode in our arc on the changing economics of risk. In the first, our conversation with Dr Robert Johnston explored how risk can build through decisions that make sense individually but add up to something much more damaging — and why failing to recognise the full cost doesn't make it disappear. Last week, Regula Hess of WWF joined us to look at what happens when that risk becomes loss, the insurance protection gap, and who pays when insurance covers only part of the bill. Next, Felicia and Giulia bring the conversations together to ask what they tell us about where risk comes from, who ultimately pays for it, and what we can do to change the outcome. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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When insurance isn’t enough: WWF and the insurance protection gap

When disaster strikes, insurance may pay some of the bill. But who pays the rest? This week on Shaken Not Burned, Felicia Jackson talks to Regula Hess, deputy head of WWF Switzerland, about the growing insurance protection gap — and why it matters far beyond the insurance industry. When losses aren't insured, they don't disappear. They fall on households, businesses and governments, affecting everything from mortgages and investment to public finances and the speed at which communities recover. But WWF argues that simply expanding insurance isn't enough. Insurance can spread the cost of disasters; it can't stop the underlying risk from growing. That means reducing risk too — including protecting the forests, wetlands and other natural systems that can reduce damage before it happens. Regula describes insurance as an early warning system: when risks become unaffordable or increasingly difficult to insure, perhaps we should pay attention to what that is telling us. There is, of course, an obvious question. If preventing damage makes so much sense, why aren't we doing more of it? Part of the answer is that prevention is difficult to see. Yet research cited by Regula found that every dollar invested in climate resilience and preparedness can save communities up to $13 in damages, clean-up and wider economic costs. Which is why her description of insurance as an early warning system stayed with us. When insurance becomes unaffordable, or risks become too large or unpredictable to insure, it is telling us something. Not simply that there's a problem with insurance, but that the underlying risk is getting out of hand. Perhaps the real protection gap isn't just between what we lose and what insurance pays — it's between the risks we're creating and what we're doing to prevent them. This episode is the second in our latest Shaken Not Burned arc on the changing economics of risk. Last week, our conversation with Dr Robert Johnston explored how water risk can build through decisions that might make sense individually, but can add up to something much more damaging. And why failing to recognise the full cost of those decisions doesn't make the cost disappear. As part of the series, we will also speak to Rachel Delhaise from Convex about the insurance market itself and what happens when a changing climate makes the past a less reliable guide to the future. Finally, co-hosts Felicia and Giulia will put the conversations together and ask what they tell us about where risk comes from, where the costs eventually end up, and what choices we still have before they do. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Water, risk and the economy: when sensible decisions add up to disaster

We rely on water for pretty much everything: growing food, manufacturing goods, building cities and sustaining everyday life. But what happens when the systems we've built around it start to reach their limits? Felicia Jackson talks to economist Dr Robert Johnston, director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University, about why he sees today's water challenge as a systems failure — and how individually sensible decisions can combine into what he calls a catastrophic harmony. We explore why the price of water often fails to reflect its real value, how natural and economic systems are connected, and whether better ways of measuring how nature benefits us can lead to better decisions. Where risk is insurable, we can transfer some of the financial cost to insurers. But insurance doesn't create the risks it prices and alone it doesn’t mitigate them. By the time premiums rise, cover becomes unaffordable or insurers pull back, years of decisions may already have increased exposure, depleted water resources or weakened the natural systems that once provided some protection. That's what this conversation with Robert helps us see: how risk is built long before it becomes visible on a financial balance sheet. This episode is the starting point for our latest Shaken Not Burned arc on the changing economics of risk. As part of the series, Regula Hess from WWF joins us to explore the insurance protection gap and who pays when insurance covers only part of a loss. Then Rachel Delhaise from Convex takes us inside the insurance market itself to ask what happens when a changing climate makes the past a less reliable guide to the future. Finally, co-hosts Felicia and Giulia will put the conversations together and ask what they tell us about where risk comes from, where the costs eventually end up, and what choices we still have before they do. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Managing disruption: climate risk, trust and the future of resilience

As extreme heat and wildfires sweep across Europe, the gap between recognising climate risk and responding to it is becoming harder to ignore. The good news is that the evidence, expertise and many of the solutions we need already exist. Why, then, is meaningful action still so difficult? That was the question at the centre of this special live edition of Shaken Not Burned, recorded at SOAS during London Climate Action Week. Felicia was joined by Julia Davies (We Have The Power and Patriotic Millionaires UK), Gosbert Chagula MBE (Future Impact Ventures), and Dr Harald Heubaum (Centre for Sustainable Finance, SOAS). Their different perspectives point towards a common problem: coordination. Knowledge, authority, finance, incentives and public action remain fragmented — and they operate within systems shaped by unequal power and competing interests. The conversation explores why governments struggle to use the expertise they already possess; why investment continues to favour short-term returns; how wealth shapes politics and public narratives; and what community ownership, trust and individual agency can make possible. It also exposes a problem hidden inside the growing focus on resilience: people use the same word to describe very different futures. What we choose to protect, what we are prepared to change and who gets to decide will shape how societies respond to the disruption already underway. The solutions may exist. The harder task is aligning the power, money, institutions and public support needed to put them into practice. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Infrastructure: built for yesterday, needed for tomorrow

Describing infrastructure as boring was a compliment. A building used to have a relatively straightforward job: keep the weather out and the people inside reasonably comfortable. Roads moved traffic, power systems supplied electricity and factories made things. Once infrastructure had been built, the task was largely to maintain it until it needed replacing. Sure, politicians like to throw themselves behind a flashy, expensive project that raises the profile of their country (example: the HS2 railway in the UK), but what ordinary people need is reliable systems that are ticking along in the background, making everyday life efficient and manageable for the entire population. Still, the reality is that today we need more from our buildings and infrastructure. Buildings are now expected to cut emissions, manage energy demand, protect people from heat and pollution, support health and even help balance the electricity grid. Transport, water and energy networks must withstand conditions they weren’t designed for. Industrial systems are expected to become cleaner, more efficient and more resilient– often all at the same time. Considering that half the buildings that will be standing by 2050 already exist, retrofitting them is the only way to get us to net zero. Meanwhile, cities must manage the relationships among all these systems while remaining liveable, competitive and capable of adapting to a changing climate. In the final episode of our latest arc, hosts Felicia and Giulia explore one of the great challenges of our time: adapting decades-old infrastructure to the requirements of the contemporary era. More often than not, this requires investment in invisible tools, such as sensors and insulation, that most people won’t notice, but will benefit massively from. Rodrigo Fernandes of Bentley Systems introduced us to digital twins and the possibility of understanding cities as interconnected systems. Katie McGinty of Johnson Controls described buildings evolving from inert brick and mortar into active participants in energy, resilience and business performance. Sophie Graham of IFS explored how AI and operational intelligence are changing the way industrial assets are managed. And, it turns out, sensors, insulation, and waste heat recovery aren’t boring after all. We explore what happens when infrastructure stops being passive and starts operating as part of a dynamic system. Can intelligence help ageing assets become more adaptable and resilient? Should we invest less in building new things and more in making existing systems work better? And as buildings and industrial systems begin to sense, learn and optimise, who decides what they should optimise for? The real transformation may not be in the concrete and steel, but in what we enable them to do. This episode explores: The shift from static assets to dynamic, adaptable systems The role of operational intelligence and digital twins in infrastructure The importance of retrofitting and upgrading existing buildings Circularity and reuse of materials in construction The economic and environmental benefits of smarter infrastructure The systemic interconnectedness of urban systems The impact of climate change on infrastructure design The role of AI and data in optimising asset performance If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Sustainability is now operational, with IFS

For years, sustainability has been associated with targets, reporting and disclosure. While those remain essential, they're starting to take a smaller part of the picture. As organisations operate under growing pressure from ageing infrastructure, volatile energy systems, climate disruption and more complex supply chains, sustainability is becoming part of day-to-day operational decision-making. In this week’s episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia speaks to Sophie Graham, chief sustainability officer at IFS, about how AI, data and operational intelligence are helping heavy industry move beyond measuring performance to improving it. Rather than treating sustainability as a separate function, many companies’ engineering, operations and sustainability teams are beginning to work together to make industrial systems more efficient, more resilient and more competitive. From what Sophie describes as "blue collar AI" to grid capacity, ageing infrastructure and the growing importance of operational resilience, the real economy is beginning to change. The conversation doesn't shy away from the fact that AI has its own energy, water and infrastructure demands, raising difficult questions about trade-offs and governance. How do organisations judge whether technological progress creates a genuine net benefit? This episode explores: Why operational decision-making is central to sustainability What "blue collar AI" looks like in practice How operational intelligence is changing the way industrial systems respond to disruption Why making better use of existing assets may matter as much as building new ones The changing relationship between sustainability, engineering and technology teams Why competitiveness, resilience and sustainability are becoming increasingly difficult to separate This is the third episode in our latest Shaken Not Burned arc, exploring how the infrastructure that underpins modern life is being redesigned, managed and increasingly operated as an intelligent system. Together with our conversations on digital twins and intelligent buildings, this arc analyses how operational intelligence is reshaping the systems that underpin modern economies. Whether the challenge is designing infrastructure, managing buildings or operating industrial assets, the common thread is that resilience increasingly depends on making better decisions in real time. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

Rethinking buildings with Johnson Controls

For decades we've largely thought about buildings as fixed assets: we build them, maintain them, and expect them to provide the spaces where everyday life happens. But what if that's only part of the story? The built environment accounts for around 40% of global emissions; much of it was designed for a different climate, and replacing it simply isn't an option. As cities become hotter, energy systems more complex and organisations more dependent on resilient infrastructure, the challenge is no longer just building better buildings – it's helping the ones we already have perform better. In this week's episode, Felicia speaks to Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer at Johnson Controls, about why today's buildings are becoming far more than places we occupy. Increasingly, they are capable of improving resilience, strengthening energy systems, supporting health and productivity, reducing operating costs and creating long-term value for the organisations and communities they serve. The technology to do much of this already exists. The bigger challenge is recognising that buildings are assets capable of creating value. Rather than simply consuming resources, today's buildings can increasingly help manage them, becoming active participants in the wider systems that keep cities and economies functioning. It's a reminder that some of the biggest opportunities in the energy transition may be standing around us. If most of the buildings we'll rely on over the coming decades have already been built, perhaps the next phase of the transition may be about unlocking far more value from the infrastructure we already have. This episode covers: Why buildings are becoming strategic assets rather than simply places we occupy How operational performance is becoming a board-level priority Why resilience, sustainability and business performance are becoming increasingly connected The untapped opportunity in the buildings we already own How digital technologies are changing the way buildings operate Why the next phase of the energy transition may be about improving the performance of existing infrastructure rather than simply building more If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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What makes a city work, with Bentley Systems

Modern cities appear to function effortlessly. We switch on the lights, turn on the tap, catch a train, connect to the internet or walk into a hospital without giving much thought to the systems that make it all possible. Beneath that apparent simplicity sits a network of interconnected infrastructure that keeps everyday life moving. In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia speaks to Rodrigo Fernandes, global sustainability director at infrastructure engineering software firm Bentley Systems, about why understanding those hidden connections is becoming increasingly important as cities face climate change, ageing infrastructure and growing demands on energy and public services. From transport networks and energy systems to water, buildings and public infrastructure, cities rely on thousands of interconnected assets that have to work together every day. Yet these systems are often planned, managed and invested in separately, making it difficult to understand how decisions made in one part of the system can have consequences across many others Their conversation explores how digital twins and better information can help planners, engineers and decision-makers understand interdependencies, explore different scenarios and make better long-term decisions. Along the way, Rodrigo explains why figuring out how infrastructure systems interact is becoming increasingly important for building cities that are more resilient, sustainable and adaptable over time. In this episode: Why cities are systems, not just places How infrastructure decisions shape cities for decades What digital twins really are — and why they matter Why resilience depends on understanding interconnections How better information can lead to better decisions This is a conversation about far more than infrastructure. It's about how cities actually function, why changing them is so difficult, and why understanding the hidden systems around us may be one of the most important foundations for building more resilient communities. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Fashion, efficiency and the problem of too much

Welcome to the final episode in our arc on the fashion industry, where we ask an uncomfortable question: are we trying to make fashion more sustainable, or are we mostly trying to manage the side effects of a system that produces more clothing than the world actually needs? Over the past few weeks we've explored the industry from several different angles. We interviewed Kristina Elinder Liljas at the Apparel Impact Institute about climate risk and why sustainability is increasingly becoming a competitiveness issue. We sat down with Áine Clarke at the Business and Human Rights Centre to discuss to discuss labour and human rights and the social realities embedded within global supply chains. We also spoke to two industry specialists, discussing the potential for fashion circularity with Niccolò Cipriani from Rifò and the world of deadstock and recommerce with Kanchan Bharwani from Empire Apparel. At first glance, there is no obvious reason why those conversations should belong together except that they’re all aspects of the fashion industry. The further we got into the series though, the more we realised that sustainable fashion is not really a story about clothes. It's a story about how an industrial system optimised for speed, volume and cost interacts with water, energy, labour, materials and waste. Once you see that, many of the industry's sustainability challenges stop looking like isolated problems and start looking like the consequences of the system doing exactly what it was designed to do. The choice is not between cheap clothing and expensive clothing. The real question is which costs are currently included in the price and which costs are not. A garment can be inexpensive because the system producing it has become genuinely more efficient, but it can also be inexpensive because part of the cost has been transferred elsewhere — to workers, communities, ecosystems and future generations. Fashion sustainability is often presented as a question of products but our conversations suggest it may be a question of systems and processes. And if that is true, building a more sustainable fashion industry may require far more than making better clothes. It may require asking whether many of the industry's environmental and social challenges are not accidental side effects, but the consequences of a system that has become exceptionally good at delivering exactly what it was designed to deliver. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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The realities of circular fashion with Rifò, Empire Apparel

Fashion is often described as one of the world's most polluting industries. The scale can be difficult to grasp as it feels so personal, but every year, billions of garments are produced, sold, worn briefly and discarded, with consequences that reach far beyond our wardrobes. The industry is worth around $2.4 trillion and is estimated to account for up to 8% of global carbon emissions. It consumes around 15 trillion litres of water each year and is responsible for roughly 11% of plastic waste. Yet many of these impacts are not accidental by-products of the system. They are linked to the way the industry is organised, from production planning and purchasing practices to inventory management and sales. Changing that system is not straightforward. But across the industry, some businesses are trying to reduce waste by keeping materials, products and resources in use for longer This week’s episode, the third one in the fashion arc, is a little different than usual: We've brought together two conversations that explore what "reduce, reuse and recycle" actually looks like in practice. Firstly, Giulia spoke to Niccolò Cipriani, founder and CEO of the Italian circular fashion company Rifò, about what it means to set up a sustainable fashion company. They discuss the realities of building a business around recycled materials, the challenges of fibre recycling, and why suppliers initially viewed discarded textiles as low-value inputs rather than useful resources. Giulia then sat down with Kenchen Arjandas Bharwani, fashion consultant at Empire Apparel, who walked us through the ins and outs of the fashion supply chain – including how perfectly good garments can be discarded for very minor reasons, how deadstock accumulates, and how the off-price market helps find a home for products that might otherwise go to waste. Together, these interviews provide a window into a part of the sustainability conversation that often receives less attention. Instead of talking about 'sustainable fashion', much of the discussion focuses on what happens before a garment reaches a shop, and what happens to it when it doesn't sell. That raises a larger question. If waste is being created at multiple points throughout the system, can fashion become more sustainable simply through better consumer choices, or does it require changes to the way the industry itself operates? Because while individual choices aren’t irrelevant, some of the most important decisions in fashion are being made long before we ever see a price tag. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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Fashion’s fragile supply chains with the Business and Human Rights Centre

The clothes you're wearing have travelled a remarkable distance before reaching your wardrobe. A typical garment may spend months moving through a global network of farms, mills, factories, suppliers, logistics providers and retailers. Raw materials are sourced in one country, processed in another, assembled somewhere else and shipped across continents before arriving in stores. What begins as simple clothing design often passes through dozens of hands before it reaches the customer. Fashion is a $1.7 trillion industry built on supply chains designed for speed, flexibility and low costs. Those same qualities have helped drive growth and keep prices down, but they can also create vulnerabilities when conditions change. As trade tensions, tariffs, climate impacts and geopolitical uncertainty increase, supply chains that appear highly efficient can become increasingly exposed to disruption. Environmental impacts often dominate sustainability discussions, but many of the industry's biggest challenges are social: poor working conditions, labour rights abuses, weak worker protections and the lack of meaningful oversight across complex supplier networks. When pressure enters the system, those risks are often borne by the workers with the least power to influence the outcome. In this week’s episode, Giulia Bottaro discusses what this means for fashion’s future with Áine Clarke, head labour rights in supply chains & investor strategy at the Business and Human Rights Centre. Their conversation explores why modern fashion supply chains have become increasingly vulnerable, how business models built around speed and flexibility can amplify risk during periods of disruption, and why workers often bear the greatest costs when commercial pressures move through the supply chain. The discussion also challenges the common assumption that transparency alone is enough. Knowing where risks exist is only the first step: without changes to purchasing practices, stronger worker protections and meaningful accountability, transparency risks becoming little more than a reporting exercise. As sustainability increasingly becomes a conversation about resilience, this episode asks a fundamental question: who ultimately bears the cost when fashion's supply chains come under pressure? If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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When climate risk hits fashion’s bottom line with Apparel Impact Institute

For years, sustainability in fashion has often been discussed almost as a parallel conversation to the business itself. Some brands publish reports, set targets and talk about responsibility, while others turn their sustainability credentials into a marketing tool. Yet, at the corporate level, many of the real decisions are still being driven by the old metrics of margins, supply chains and growth – but that's beginning to change. Behind the scenes, there is a vast global industrial system increasingly exposed to climate volatility, energy prices, material shortages and carbon regulation. And its stakeholders have realised that sustainability is crucial to competitiveness: climate change can affect energy prices, raw materials and supply stability. In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia speaks to Kristina Elinder Liljas, senior director for sustainable finance and engagement at the Apparel Impact Institute (AII), about how climate volatility is set to upend many companies' forward strategies within the next five years. From supply chain disruption and rising sourcing costs to carbon pricing and energy volatility, they explore why sustainability is shifting from a reporting exercise or a worthy side conversation to a core business issue. In its Cost of Inaction report, the AII looks at the literal price tag of climate risk in fashion. The findings are striking, and the message is clear: inaction may just be the most expensive strategy on the board. For an industry built on speed, scale, and razor-thin margins, sustainability is a matter of corporate survival. This is week one of our four-part fashion arc. Over the next month, we are tearing down the curtain on global supply chains to see how this industry impacts people, the planet, and the bottom line. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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The AI conversation we should be having

AI is no longer just a technology issue, it’s starting to reshape how whole systems operate. Yet we’re not paying enough attention to that yet: most of the focus on AI is on what it can do, with individuals and organisations alike rushing to implement this new technology. But AI capability is advancing extremely quickly, while the systems around it — governance and regulation, infrastructure, organisational learning, labour markets, productivity models and even public understanding — are struggling to adapt at the same pace. And all of this is unfolding inside a world already dealing with climate disruption, geopolitical instability, infrastructure stress, declining institutional trust and widening inequality. In this week’s episode, the final in our AI arc, we explore what happens when AI becomes embedded inside the systems that underpin everyday economic and social life. Co-hosts Felicia Jackson and Giulia Bottaro discuss the implications for infrastructure, institutions, labour, energy, trust and governance — and ask whether societies and economies are prepared for the scale of change we now face. The conversation ranges over stories about AI going rogue, the capability vs governance gap, the physical impacts of something that is still perceived by many as intangible, how AI promises the democratisation of technology while fuelling inequality, and what companies are doing to address these challenges. For businesses, the questions are becoming increasingly operational: what governance, oversight and accountability systems need to exist once AI becomes embedded inside day-to-day decision-making? It’s worth asking: is your business prepared for what happens once AI starts influencing real operational decisions? The arc on AI is now complete! You can find the rest of the episodes (alongside our entire catalogue) here. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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The trust layer: AI and the future of identity with alongID

As AI systems become more autonomous, the conversation is shifting from capability toward something much bigger: trust, legitimacy, identity and participation in digital systems. In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia speaks to Erika Maslauskaite, co-founder and CEO of alongID, about the rapidly evolving world of digital identity, interoperability and cross-border trust infrastructure — and why these questions are becoming increasingly important as AI agents begin acting on behalf of people and organisations. From digital wallets and verification systems to fraud, privacy and governance, the conversation explores the growing tension between convenience, security and control in an increasingly AI-driven world. Because beneath the technology itself sits a deeper challenge: how do societies build systems that people can trust, how do institutions adapt to rapid technological change, and what happens when increasingly autonomous technologies collide with fragmented infrastructure and real-world human complexity. This episode is a grounded and wide-ranging discussion about digital identity, AI infrastructure and the future of participation in an increasingly connected world. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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If AI can build your business, who's in control? With DeepWisdom

Generative AI promised to transform how we work, while Agentic AI is beginning to transform how businesses themselves are built. In this week’s episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia Jackson talks to Ethan Ouyang, who is AI ATOMS Spokesperson and responsible for North America Market & Partnerships. ATOMS is the venture building platform developed by DeepWisdom, one of China’s leading artificial intelligence companies. It has been designed as an agentic AI system, helping businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, integrate AI into their operations. Unlike traditional generative AI tools, agentic AI systems can take goals, execute tasks, adapt in real time and increasingly function as operational actors inside organisations. From launching products to running marketing campaigns and managing workflows, these systems are beginning to shift AI from a support tool to fundamental business infrastructure. This trend is dramatically raising the stakes in today's AI conversations. As AI systems move from producing outputs to taking actions, they are not simply improving productivity; they are beginning to reshape entrepreneurship, business formation and operational decision-making itself. Using DeepWisdom’s platform Atom, AI agents are increasingly able to research markets, design products, launch businesses, run marketing and optimise revenue — pushing AI beyond content generation into execution. But this rapid acceleration of capabilities raises deeper questions. As AI capability expands, governance, ownership, financial models and operational discipline are still evolving. What happens when businesses can be built faster than the systems designed to regulate them? Where does accountability sit when AI agents act on behalf of founders or organisations? And what risks emerge when speed outpaces governance? This conversation explores: The shift from generative AI to agentic AI How AI is transforming business creation and operational execution Human-in-the-loop decision-making and delegated authority Ownership, IP and evolving business model challenges Why governance structures may be lagging behind capability Sustainability, infrastructure, and the resource demands of AI at scale If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

AI is powerful, but why is transformation so hard? With University of Exeter

AI is becoming one of those topics where the scale of the claims can make it surprisingly difficult to work out what is actually happening. We are told it will transform business, unlock extraordinary productivity gains, reshape jobs, and even help solve major global challenges like climate change. At the same time, there are growing concerns about energy demand, governance failures, bias, job losses, and the sheer speed at which these systems are developing. The dominant narrative tends to swing between utopian optimism and existential fear, often without spending enough time on a more practical question: what actually happens when AI is introduced into real organisations, real systems, and real decision-making? This is the focus of this week’s episode, which is the first in our AI series. Rather than debating whether AI is inherently good or bad, Felicia Jackson speaks with Professor Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact at the University of Exeter and Director of DIGIT Lab, about something much more grounded: why so many digital and AI transformation efforts struggle in practice and what that reveals about the limits of technology alone. One of the most useful distinctions in the conversation was between problems that are well-defined and those that are not. AI is particularly powerful when objectives are clear, data is available, and success can be measured relatively easily. In those contexts - pattern recognition, diagnostics, optimisation - it can offer extraordinary value. But many of the most important challenges organisations face are different. Sustainability, climate strategy, major organisational change, and social systems are messy, politically embedded and filled with trade-offs. They are often what researchers describe as wicked problems: issues where there is no single right answer, where choices create consequences elsewhere, and where uncertainty is part of the challenge itself. That distinction matters because it shifts the conversation. It suggests that AI may be extremely useful in supporting parts of decision-making, but it does not remove the need for human judgment. In fact, in many cases, it may make governance, accountability, and strategic clarity even more important. AI is powerful, but power is not wisdom. Better tools do not automatically create better outcomes. What they do do is make it even more important to understand what kind of organisations, systems and governance structures are capable of using them responsibly. As this new Shaken Not Burned AI arc begins, that feels like the right place to start. If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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The mining paradox: a clean future built on a dirty industry

This is the final episode in our mining arc. Rather than revisiting what we’ve already covered, we step back to ask a different question: what does mining actually teach us about how change happens in complex systems? Across the series, one tension kept coming up. The transition to a cleaner economy depends on scaling one of the most environmentally intensive industries on earth. We need more minerals, but we are deeply uncomfortable with how they are extracted. In practice, that tension shows up in whether projects can actually be built. In this episode, we pull those threads together and explore five recurring gaps shaping the sector, from industrial dependence and supply chain constraints, to misplaced faith in quick technological fixes and, ultimately, whether our systems are even set up to deliver the transition we say we want. One insight stands out in particular: trust is not a "soft" issue. In mining, projects that involve communities early and give them a real stake in the outcome are getting approved faster, facing fewer delays and attracting more consistent capital. In other words, legitimacy changes the economics of delivery. Mining makes this dynamic unusually visible because its impacts are immediate and contested - but the lesson for industry is much broader. Whether it’s infrastructure, energy or data centres, more industries are running into the same constraint: formal approval is no longer enough if the people affected don’t believe in what’s being built. This episode is an attempt to make sense of those tensions. Not just in mining, but in how we think about sustainability, trade-offs and what it really takes to deliver change. Key takeaways: Why the energy transition depends on scaling a contested industry The five systemic gaps shaping mining today How trust and community involvement affect speed, risk, and access to capital Why social licence to operate is becoming a constraint across multiple sectors If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

How modern mining must start with trust, with Mokwateh

Welcome to the latest episode in our mining arc! In the previous two episodes, we covered the geopolitics of critical minerals and whether deep sea mining is the innovation we need to meet growing demand for critical clean tech raw materials. This week, we turn to one of the most important lessons emerging from the mining sector: modern projects succeed when trust is built before the digging begins. How mines affect and benefit people, especially those isolated communities that live on resource-rich land, is becoming an essential part of mining operations. Around half of the world’s untapped energy transition minerals are located on or near land inhabited by Indigenous and peasant communities, according to a 2022 study by the University of the Free State and the University of Queensland. As demand for these resources grows, developers are learning that access to minerals alone is not enough. Communities expect to be part of the process, and in many jurisdictions they now have the power to delay or stop projects altogether. That means success depends not just on access to land, capital or permits, but on whether communities believe they have been properly heard, respected and included. In this week’s episode, Giulia interviews JP Gladu, founder and principal at Indigenous-led consulting firm Mokwateh, about what it really means to gain the social licence to operate. JP explains his “involve and support” mantra: involve communities from the earliest stages of project design, not after decisions have already been made, and support them with the resources they need to participate properly. That might mean providing clear information about the project, funding access to advisers and technical experts, or creating intermediaries who can bridge communication gaps and ensure everyone understands what is being proposed. JP argues that this approach not only produces fairer outcomes, but can reduce opposition, improve project design, and ultimately speed up development by addressing conflict before it begins. Key takeaways: Early community engagement is crucial for project success. Supporting indigenous ownership benefits all stakeholders Why partnership improves outcomes for companies and communities alike What other industries can learn from mining’s evolving approach If you'd like to support our work, you can make a small donation at https://buymeacoffee.com/shakennotburned. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?

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