Future insights for the
workplace of tomorrow

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Health Insights live.

It's great to be back with you today for our third episode of the year.

As your health and well-being partner, we've designed the series to discuss the health care challenges facing employees across the UK.

As part of our commitment to keep you updated on the latest clinical and wellbeing trends.

So you always feel one step ahead.

Today we'll be discussing the connection between Planet Health and people's health as the climate crisis accelerates.

The connection between individual wellbeing and sustainable planet is becoming increasingly apparent.

Research from the BUPA Wellbeing Index shows nearly half of Gen Z and millennials feel the burden of climate change on their shoulders, and 45% of those who are employed say their motivation at work would increase if they had the opportunity to contribute to the sustainable and eco friendly initiatives to leadership.

Today, we'll explore why organizations must prioritize sustainability to protect our environment, but also supports the health and wellbeing of their people.

Our data shows that the value of sustainability in the workplace can extend well beyond its environmental impact.

Organizations that adapt sustainable practices can benefit from employee satisfaction, retention and productivity, all of which contribute to the well-being of their people and the planet.

Like many industries, health care has a large role to play, and our panel will be discussing how innovation can drive more sustainable practices across health care and how you can empower your workforce to participate in more sustainable health care initiatives, too.

It's crucial we recognize our collective responsibility to collaborate and work together as individuals, communities and organizations only through combined efforts can we truly succeed in making a more sustainable world.

So for today's session, I am pleased to be joined by all three experts joining our panel is Dr Claire Scully, director of Healthcare Insight for BUPA.

Welcome.

Thank you very much.

Anna Russell, Sustainability Director for BP UK.

Morning.

Morning, and Max Craven, co-founder of Celsius Innovations Ltd.

So we're going to get going now.

Send us your questions throughout the session and we'll answer as many as we can in a bit a little bit later on.

And of course, we'll have some lovely polls and you'll have a poll, so we'll come to those later as well.

So lots to get through.

Let's get started.

And Claire, I think I've come to you first, so to kick off the conversation.

Can you tell us how you see climate change and the environment impacting human health now and in the future?

And vice versa?

Oh, gosh.

Big question.

I guess I'll start with it sounds like a bit of a silly basic statement to make, but really our health is really impacted by the environment around us, whether or not that's the food we're eating, whereas not that we're breathing, even the weather.

All of these things influence our sense of health and wellbeing.

In fact, I actually live down by the sea, so I'm reminded quite often just by the buildings around me that this is not a new concept.

Hundreds of years ago, people were traveling to the sea to get a you know, to support their health and wellbeing.

And I probably even argue that more recently where our relationship with nature might not be as close as it might have been when we're living inside and we've got, you know, really busy lifestyles that this relationship between us and the world around us might not be as close as it might have been in that in the past.

And this is all in a time when the environment is under such extreme pressure.

You know, we've got the U.

N.

secretary general talking about global boiling.

I've lost count of the number of headlines I've seen about storms and wildfires and extreme weather events.

And the number of temperature records have been exceeded in the last 12 months.

That kind of simply astounding.

I think we have to recognize all of these things have an impact on our health.

And it was about two years ago now that the show with about 250 million health care professionals, including BUPA, came out and said, look, this climate crisis, it's a health crisis.

And I probably go slightly further than that actually.

I don't think we're just talking about climate here.

You've probably all seen the headlines, you know, about things like microplastics in the environment, air pollution, sewage and pollution in our water, all of these things.

We've got implications for our health.

So really simple way to think about it.

This climate crisis, it's a health crisis that's that's really interesting.

A bit concerning, although I'm very jealous, if I'd say.

Anyway, back to the concerning bit.

Can you tell me a little bit more about what you mean by this health crisis?

Okay.

So I'm going to give you a few examples here, but there's many more that we can pick from.

And I think the first place to start is climate change, right?

So think about climate change.

You think about hotter planet, you think about global warming.

And what does that mean for our bodies now?

Our bodies like to keep temperature as close as they can to 37 degrees.

If it's getting hotter, they'll do things like sweating.

They'll shed divert blood to the skin to try and get rid of some of the excess heat and keep your core organs, you know, as close to that temperature.

It probably counts your heart, your lungs, your liver.

And when you're doing things like sweating, of course you're losing water that can lead to dehydration.

You're sending blood flow to the skin that's taking it away from those core organs.

And it can put real pressure on your body.

Now, particularly if you're someone who potentially has underlying health conditions, you're older or you're young, that can put you at a potential risk.

And I think it was estimated that, you know, the heat that we had just in England in 2022, there was 2800 excess deaths as that were attributable to that fact.

So it can be quite significant numbers if we move on.

Think about climate change that has a really, really close and very unhelpful relationship with air pollution as well.

So those fossil fuels that we burn, the ones that, you know, helped to create the climate crisis, that also not great for our air quality.

And of course this can have really significant impacts when it comes to people's health.

And I think in the UK alone, the government has estimated that 36,000 people die in a way that's connected to manmade air pollution every year.

So again, quite, quite startling figures.

And I'd also think about our food supply.

So, you know, sustainable, healthy, balanced diets depend on stable ecosystems to be able to to provide those ingredients.

So if you disrupt our nutrition, you disrupt our fresh water supplies, This can have really significant population level health impacts that we need to be aware of.

And if I move on, then to start thinking about infectious disease, climate change has been linked to changes in where infectious diseases are seen in the world.

So a really good example of this is dengue fever, which traditionally you'd find in tropical climate, and it's been picked up in places like France.

So just being aware of some of these things as well.

And I've talked a lot there about physical health.

We mustn't forget about mental health.

We have a whole other topic about mental health.

And one stat that really strikes me is, you know, over half of people that have survived an extreme weather event will go on to have some kind of adverse health, mental health outcome.

And I think that's really quite shocking as well.

And then the last point I would make is actually the health care systems themselves not only are having to face into this changing health care burden, but they need the resilience themselves to deal with these extreme weather events and the storms and the impact that might have on their own infrastructure and ability to deliver high quality care.

So all in all, a really simple way is thinking this this climate crisis, it's a health crisis.

And the actually end there.

As you mentioned, the role of health care.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Yeah.

So I appreciate this is quite a complex picture.

Right.

And actually, health care itself is a significant polluter within all of that.

So you might be surprised to know that I think 4.

4% of global emissions can be attributable to health care.

So to give you some context around that, if health care was a country, it would be the fifth largest polluter in the world.

So, you know, you think that think of health care.

You don't necessarily think about it as the pollution and waste that it creates.

But yeah, significant thing that you have to face into.

And I guess before we go any further, if you don't mind, Richard, I just wanted to touch on the fact that this can all seem really alarming.

You know, I come from a scientific background and I've spent many times thinking quite overwhelmed and shocked by all of this.

And I, in fact, went to the OECD live event back in July, and I had a lady, fantastic lady called Solitaire Townsend.

And she was talking about actually, we as humans, we're incredibly innovative.

We'll find all the solutions, the technological solutions we need for climate change.

What really matters is a mindset as we go into that, are we thinking about this in a fatalistic way, or do we really think we can make a difference?

And I, for one, am certainly not perfect.

You know, I have a diesel car.

I've flown in a plane in the last 12 months, but I really try and make those decisions from an informed perspective and to keep that positive mindset, to say, Look, every difference we're making here, it does have an impact, It does change things and kind of keep keep that thought process in my mind throughout whatever whatever I'm doing.

And I guess I should probably get back to your question, Richard, which is more about sustainability in health care and actually what you mean when you talk about sustainability and health care.

And the one way that I think about it is how do we deliver high quality care not only to today but also into the future?

And that's huge, right?

That's a massive statement.

So the way we think about that is thinking of three P's, right?

The first of those PS is prevention.

So the most healthy thing that you can do, the most sustainable thing you can do is to keep healthy in the first place and not need any kind of health care intervention.

So prevention first, If you can't do that, think about the health care pathways, the check and piping pathways that you're utilizing to deliver that care.

How are you making sure that you're getting the right people to the right treatment at the right time and really driving as much efficiency through the system as you can and really excited about some of the innovations and the opportunities that they provide in that space.

And then the third, once you thought about prevention, you thought about pathways, actually, how do you make sure that there's clinical practices for people in practice are as sustainable as they possibly can be and supporting clinicians to make environmentally sustainable decisions wherever they can?

A Probably advocate for a fourth if as me, which is our personalization, the health care.

I need the health care you need Max and Richard.

They're all going to be different.

So how do we really focus in on the health outcome that we're trying to achieve and therefore help to drive as much efficiency through the system as we can?

So hopefully that answers the question.

Yeah, that's a long answer.

Thank.

Now slides to think about slightly or slightly scary.

Actually, one take out for me is is the mindset point of when, you know, when you speak to millennials and judge said they definitely believe they can make a difference whereas one observation would be a lot of people don't and I think that's really important.

Anyway, I'll stop off like I'm coming to you now.

You ready?

Ready.

So the challenges climate change presents are concerning for all of us.

Can you talk to us about the burden that employees may feel by this and the impact it can have on all of business?

Yes.

So let's just start with the burden on employees or people at work.

And I think, you know, listening to Claire and you know, all of the facts and stats, it would be actually weird if people weren't worried about this.

And, you know, we've seen it play out in front of our eyes.

So over the summer, parts of the world have been on fire only yesterday.

Obviously, the those poor people in Libya who've been affected by those terrible floods, which is the result of storm Daniel.

So and thoughts with the people there.

You know, it's happening right in front of our eyes.

So no wonder people are worried about this.

And in our people wellbeing index we saw that 60% of people really anxious about the climate crisis.

And as you said in your introduction, that in particular, you know, Gen Z or Gen Z, as much as my children say, you know, they really feel the burden of this on their shoulders.

So thinking about what is the role of business and what can organizations do to make a difference.

And I'd go back to your point, actually, Claire, about, you know, the mindset and the mindset that businesses can have and one of hope and action and not false hope and not false positivity, but actually making it part of what they're about as an organization.

So number one, actually making it clear to their employees that sustainability is a big part of what they're about and that they're acting on the climate crisis, setting goals to get to net zero, trying to reduce their impact, but also engaging their people.

And part of that process and as you said in the introduction, that, you know, about 46, 45% of people, you know, they feel more motivated at work if they can be part of that.

And I think increasingly this will be a point of differentiation for organizations.

So most people want to work for an organization that is doing something in this space.

They may not be getting everything perfectly, but they're actually doing something to make a positive difference and reduce their impact.

So I think a lot that organizations can do to play a really positive role.

All right.

Thank you.

Most people wanted to make a difference themselves.

So 100% at work and in their personal lives as well.

And organizations can help with that.

You know, thinking about things like green benefits as well.

So, yeah, yeah.

All right.

Thank you very much.

And come back to your class.

So you mentioned that preventing ill health is a principle of sustainable health care.

Can you help a bit?

Can you explain a bit more about what you mean by this?

Yeah.

So I'd argue actually that the health care intervention with the lowest carbon footprint is one you didn't have.

So actually an advocate, one of the most sustainable things you can do is keep yourself healthy, keep your family healthy, keep those people close to you, healthy workplaces healthy, and your colleagues healthy.

That might be through adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors.

It might be just understanding your health risks and, you know, things like health assessments that can support you in doing that.

And but what's great about often adopting these healthy lifestyles is not only does it stop you from needing health care, which you know, and the environmental impact, but that may help, but also often these behaviors themselves can be good for the planet.

So think about active commuting or things like the Healthy Cities program.

You know, these things about getting yourself active and also minimizing your environmental impact at the same time.

And it's often those things that are good for your health are also good for the planet.

And I think it can often be a really great way to be able to sell in that co benefit, if you like.

You know, it's a feel good factor if you like.

So yeah, it's a really great way to be thinking about how you keep yourself healthy and at the same time do something is great for planet.

So that's a great practical step is know first steps are all doing something, stop actually needing the health care in the first place.

Okay, cool.

I'll come back to you on it.

So there are many ways that employers can encourage preventative health care.

Can you share a practical example of how to engage your workforce in sustainable practices that are also good for your health?

Yeah, absolutely.

So I think, first of all, a quick start.

We did some research earlier this year, which was pretty alarming that about 38% of people in the UK say they spend less than an hour outside, which is phenomenal.

I'm doing that.

I mean, phenomenal.

So, you know, you think about many of our jobs, they're sedentary, they're inside.

So the more that employers can do to actually create a culture of permission that is okay to actually get out and, you know, you will be more productive as a result of doing that.

And this is something where, you know, BP has absolutely put its money where its mouth is to make this happen for its people.

So you just referred to our fantastic Healthy Cities program.

So in the UK it's not just a UK program, but in the UK we run this in June and at its simplest level, this is all about getting people to get out and increase their step count and build habits that last.

So we encourage people to at least try to move 6000 steps a day, which is generally for most people that's super doable.

How many were you doing a day, Richard, by the way, during the challenge, can you remember 20 or 20,000?

Excellent.

You were quite up there with the people doing 30,000 steps a day, mate.

Me neither.

But it was just a fantastic way for people to challenge themselves, to work in teams, build a bit of healthy competition, but also build healthy habits that last.

And particularly those things, as you were talking about, where there is so many simple things that we can do that are better for us but also better for the planet.

So people told me, you know, I'm not taking that car journey anymore.

I'm making a point of walking.

But also then the knock on effect of thinking about what you eat, which we were just talking about as well.

Actually, you know, if we eat largely a locally sourced plant based diet and it's better for us, but it's also better for the planet.

So just a brilliant program in terms of kind of engaging people in small, really doable ways, but also to make it enjoyable and fun and to gamify this type of thing for people that's really important.

But the other ingredients of healthy cities, which I absolutely love, is that we all were driven by a further purpose, which was about we were moving to raise money to invest into projects in our communities that improve people and planet health.

So three moving.

We were powering up a fund for the BUPA Foundation and we're now starting to spend we raised nearly £1,000,000 to invest in local projects, so we had our Green Community Grants Fund from the BUPA Foundation.

So that's going to be investing in hundreds of projects across the UK.

So it could be, you know, school allotments, outdoor classrooms, community gardens, sensory gardens for disabled people, just so many fantastic projects where there's that double benefit of improving things for people and their health, physical and mental, but also better for the planet.

And we also are working with our partner trees for cities to plant more urban forests, including in schools as well and beyond.

The UK, we're working with WWF in UAE to plant native trees, so more tree planting also in Egypt with Ferry Nile to clean up the Nile to fish and plastic out of the Nile.

So lots of fantastic ways where we're benefiting local communities and we are gearing up now for Healthy Cities 2024.

So a big invitation to everybody listening, watching to take part is a fantastic thing to get involved in.

Really easy to do.

And it's the buzz that we had from doing it was just I mean, you were part of it, Richard.

I mean, it was amazing, wasn't it?

Just kind of how many people loved it and it was building teams as well.

There were so many kind of additional benefits that come from it.

So please get involved.

Thank you very much.

I love your passion for it as well.

Oh, I love it, most of it.

So it's great.

I mean, one thing you said that really strikes me is creating the culture and the environment where people don't need to seek permission.

But, you know, really prioritize.

I think even during the working day, slightly embarrassed.

I didn't get out for an hour.

Yes.

Do it today.

Please tell people that working from home makes sense.

Not an excuse.

Yeah, I still do it.

And as we move into the winter months becomes even more important to get out into daylight as well.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

So.

Okay, cool.

I'm coming to you in a minute, Max.

Don't worry.

It's a cracker.

So you got it right.

Okay, So.

So this is our first poll.

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath, so the question is, does your organization encourage employees to take part in initiatives that are beneficial for both people and Planet Health?

Yes or no?

It's a pretty simple answer.

We'll come back to that a little bit later on.

Right.

It's not straight away match, I promise you, is brilliant in a second.

But our currency is on tenterhooks now.

So, Claire, what role does technology, technology and innovation play in advancing sustainability goals in health care?

Oh, really?

Good question.

Health care is actually disruptive.

It being disruptive at the moment by all of the scientific and technological developments that are happening, whether or not it's digital health care absolutely exploding and giving us different ways that can we deliver care in more convenient settings, whether or not we think about genomics, which is offering this fantastic potential for personalized and precision medicine, whether or not even the much hyped AI, which has been everywhere for the last six months and the opportunities that offers within the health care setting, you know, all of these things have the opportunity to help us to be really efficient in the way that we're delivering healthcare, making sure we get the right treatment to the right person at the right time and in the most efficient way.

Now, if you remember that second part, I talked about clinical pathways.

All of these things have such potential.

If we can bring them into the system in a way that's really thoughtful, we can help to be able to deliver at least the same health outcome, if not better than what we currently have in a way which is using comparatively less resources.

And that's, you know, I think, a really exciting opportunity if I think about it and I'll give you a couple examples, always helps bring it to life, doesn't it?

Telehealth.

So if you think about BPAs digital app Lua that is delivering video consultations and teleconsultation, you know, you can have that in any location that's stopping the need for unnecessary travel.

It's helping people to have care in a time and place that's convenient for them.

But you can see this obvious potential environmental impacts from that as well, which is fantastic.

If we can help to reduce unnecessary travel and to give you some specifics around that, BP uses the same kind of app, same chain of technology over in Spain.

And in 2022, I think they're through the use of video consultations and downloading medical reports digitally.

They I think it was about 8000 net tonnes of carbon dioxide were avoided in Spain.

So, you know, these things can add up.

I think also remember and I think it comes back to one of the points that Ana was making that these tools can great reminders for people you can utilize for them to be able to show actually the carbon that's being saved by utilizing the app.

And that can be another great way to reinforce to people where they're making a sustainable choice and how that can be really impactful.

And another thing that I think about is that accessibility to health care if things like Silver Cloud, So that's online cognitive behavioral therapy that we already offer access and can support people to help think about their own mental health and it can help to embed healthier habits, particularly if you're having issues with negative thought patterns potentially and helping you to identify those.

And therefore it can help reduce the risk for mental health issue in the future.

So, you know, again, I guess it's similar to the point that was making with prevention is where can you help people to identify those sustainable behaviors, those things that, you know, potentially have an upside for the environment, but also good for your health and helping your workforce, your family, you know, people that are around you to be able to adopt these behaviors.

Right.

And, you know, obviously with with with digital solutions, often people engage much earlier than they might otherwise have had to go and see someone as well.

So it's kind of best around.

Yeah, absolutely.

Great point.

Thanks.

So I'd love to invite you into the conversation.

Now we've heard from Claire about the importance of digital health solutions, which is exactly what your business is all about.

Can you share the inspiration behind starting your business and how it aims to improve people's health and wellbeing?

My pleasure.

So Celsius innovations, One of our mission is to tackle one of climate change and climate change adaptations.

Biggest risk it's hit, which you mentioned earlier, and Heat has been listed as one of the top eight risks on people's health wellbeing, but also productivity.

So it's right there in the debate of, you know, sustainability and health and including solutions currently are not adapted to our needs.

The many rely on air conditioning and they're very carbon intensive.

So our approach was to saying instead of cutting down the whole room, why should we not try and kill ourselves?

That might use less energy and be actually more adapted to needs.

This is why we're developing a smart wearable cooling device that is worn on the wrist.

And the basic principle is it applies cold here, which is the most thermally sensitive areas of your body with a knife, and you trigger safe and natural mechanisms that help the user cool down.

That's the sort of basic principle behind it.

And you can have many different applications from women going through menopause.

We suffer from hot flushes.

Industrial workers, elderly people, but also the estimated 2 billion people already suffering from heat related health issues whenever there's a spike.

So as a startup, we have to focus in one first area.

And actually working with BUPA for disruptive program, we are first focus is to develop the most efficient and affordable cooking device for menopausal hot flashes, because that in itself is a very strong demonstration of what thermal discomfort can do and has a huge impact on women of just one statistic, but which is quite daunting that amongst hot flushes, amongst other menopausal symptoms lead to one in ten women quitting their jobs.

So you're wondering, you know, was that normal done?

And surely then, you know, technology can be applied to this issue.

So that's why we're developing this swivel cutting device and going back to, you know, digital health and tech.

The smart element of the device is that it's connected with sensors that can help learn about a person.

Personal animals convert and detect and track when a hot flash is about to happen and automatically activate itself to preemptively provide cooling relief for the menopausal hot flashes, but also in a personalized way.

Yeah, Innocence.

Yeah, absolutely.

And if it helps all those people leave the workplace.

Amazing.

I mean, fantastic technology, right?

Okay.

And I'm coming back to you.

So innovation is critical to making organizations and the products and services they deliver more sustainable.

How can businesses proactively engage their workforce to think outside the box and find solutions that will truly move us on in terms of sustainability?

Great question.

And so two things.

So I think number one, there's something about everyday innovation as well, and it goes back to the point about mindset as well.

So I have sustainability in my job title, but actually I think it's everybody's job.

So how do you create a culture where, you know, I think it's a team sport and everybody can get involved?

And so it goes back to that point about empowering your employees, giving them permission to be part of that and a very practical level, you know, creating platforms for them.

So, you know, we have a green team across BP UK.

We have specific green teams for different parts of our organization, such as at the Cornwall Hospital.

So there's kind of that every day innovation and having that that culture.

But the other part is direct and specific innovation and platforms as well.

So Max very kindly mentioned our eco disruptive program, which we're now into the third year of, you called it season three, which I thought maybe didn't even hold up.

I know it's like we're on Netflix, except when I say eco disruptive is just a brilliant program where we get people in our organization to apply to be part of that.

So it's part of their learning and development and they get put into squads.

So typically those kind of 6 to 8 people in each squad and we have six squads and what they do is work in an Agile way using Agile with a Capital eight, the Agile tools, but also an Agile mindset to seek out amazing startups and organizations that are trying to solve some of the toughest sustainability challenges, such as How do you have healthier cities?

How do you decarbonize?

How do you deliver more sustainable health care in the way that I was talking about earlier?

So it's absolutely brilliant program.

And once we get down to the final six in the UK, we also have our colleagues doing the same over in Australia and New Zealand and Asia Pacific and also in other parts of Europe and Latin America.

We have another set of six teams doing the same thing.

So we will have 18 finalists and then gets whittled down to one winner.

And what I love about Eco Disruptive as well as it just being a fantastic way to engage our people, not just the people who are taking part, but also the wider workforce it actually brings action to the organization on sustainability topics.

So for example, in in the UK, we've been trialing a couple of things that have come directly out of that program.

So two things at the Cromwell Hospital.

So the first is an organization called Upcycled, and they create textiles from ocean waste plastic and other waste plastics, and they are recycled into these textiles, which we then used for off scraps and uniforms at the Cromwell.

And the feedback from our people is that they're actually better and they prefer them to what they have before.

So not only is it more sustainable, it's actually better for all people.

The other thing that we're doing at the Cromwell and this came out of season two of Eco Disruptive, is working with an amazing startup called Sage Tech.

So what they do is capture and then recycle anesthetic gases.

So anesthetic gases, they're many different types, but they have a really bad effect on the environment, actually worse than CO2.

So it's really important that we find ways to make sure obviously, you know, people are looked after properly, but we we minimize the impact on the environment.

So we're working with them to capture and recycle the gases.

And then, of course, I'm really delighted to be working with Max as well on the cooling device.

And many congratulations to you too.

You that I needed it last week when it was so hot, but just a fantastic organization.

And, you know, we wouldn't have been working with Max and trialing his device with some of the women in our workplace had we not have the program.

So, yeah, I think innovation is absolutely crucial to that point about actually creating hope and driving action.

Yeah, brilliant.

Thank Eco these great so many great examples of that.

And by the way, anyone who's watching for Netflix, the rights are available on your mobile see behind the scenes sometime soon.

Okay.

But in the interim we've actually got a short video to to really show you what that's all about.

Just go to what people they are videos of the six finalist go and place your vote because we need your opinion.

Right.

Okay, Max, I'm coming back to you now.

So as a finalist of the super eco disruptive program, can you tell us a little bit about your experience as a start up on the eco program and why it may be helpful for other organizations to adopt a similar approach?

It's going to be hard to say that, you know, in a minute or two, but the experience was incredible.

I think the main point for us, we probably were the underdog of season two.

We're at a very early stage as a startup and we were trying to build the first prototype, but we're lacking funding but also support and different skills.

And I think credit to Dubai and the engagement towards sustainability that took a risk in accepting this into the program, being quite honest because we had everything to prove.

And I think that's down to the fact that my squad was empowered to make those decisions about selecting the start of things.

An important aspect.

They're the ones who have funds allocated because there's a grant associated to the program.

And so there was this almost mutual responsibility for that.

You gave me a chance.

Now we've got to make this work and we have two months and a half to do a first prototype for a device that's quite unique to it.

So engineering engineering was is quite complicated and it was an absolute train of events.

But it was it was pretty incredible across the two months.

I think the synergy with the with my squad was one of the best things because you could see they were from my perspective anyway, they're very excited to use their skills for something outside of their day to day role, but also something they felt had, you know, a different another impact, a higher impact than just the day to day role within Dubai.

So it's really like surprised and almost, you know, impressed by how much engagement it retweeted.

I needed that day to day job on the side, the amount of work they pulled in to support us.

That really drove me.

I think I've know that much in those three months to deliver the the first prototype that we did successfully.

I think is really credit to the to the squad.

And the second aspect I think that quite interesting is how so extreme a startup in a large company as BUPA, where fast and agile and very little resourced, we can do things quick but we can't do that much.

It's almost like a bit the opposite for a large corporation.

We have a lot of resources but has more processes, red tape and approval to get in place.

So it's a culture shock.

That was really good because on one end, I think from people's perspective in my squad they were very excited to hear me say, okay, we need to do this, this and this in the next three months.

And ultimately how are we going to do this?

So therefore, we need to push in internally to get this done.

The best way of seeing people gives them in that respect the common challenges.

With this.

We want you to be agile and take inspiration from what startups you know, how startups have to work on Our own was also good to face face up a little bit with the realities of that level of cooperation And then this is what we aspire to see in terms of delivering due processes, due diligence and things like this.

It's almost a good test to see at that level as well.

If you needed to get the buy in internally from a senior executive within a large corporation.

So I think that shock of culture is probably where the value is the most mutually beneficial.

Yeah, we certainly learn a huge amount from the likes of yourselves about moving quickly, getting stuff done in financial services organization.

No way that okay, Claire coming back to you.

So as is and as mentioned, addressing the challenges, sustainable health care requires a culture change and effort from right across the board.

From a clinical perspective, what changes are we working on at BUPA to make that to make the health care we offer more society more sustainable.

So really great question, Richard.

And I guess if you remember my acronym back at the beginning, we talked about kind of prevention, we talked about health care pathways.

I guess what we're talking about here really is this clinical practice.

How do we make sure that, you know, without compromising any quality of care that we're delivering the most environmentally sustainable clinical practices and, you know, empowering our clinicians and health care professionals and those caring to be able to make those decisions.

And I think Anna's given some great examples, like with pet medical because, you know, anesthetic gases are highly polluting.

I think people it's one of those things that not many people outside the sector might know about, but it's and not only has sage type medical come through and, you know, I think the Cromer was the first UK hospital private hospital to actually start capturing recycling these gases.

It's also, you know, seen a change in that green team so they've now stopped the use of one particularly highly polluting gas called dash fluoride.

And you're using clinical clinically appropriate alternatives.

So, you know, we don't have all the answers by a very, very long shot.

But certainly these steps, they were empowering those people that are there that understand the clinical practice to make those decisions about where there are opportunities to do things differently.

And there's been examples of where we've had single use, you know, clinical equipment that's being utilized were often with metal handles and even the batteries in it where we've been able to find, you know, recyclable alternatives to those which have been utilized that the Cromer Hospital.

So I think, you know, even though sometimes it might seem that some of these things like changing the scrubs or, you know, bringing in a canister that can help to support us in recycling our esthetic way can seem quite standalone actually.

What they really start to empower people that this is a change.

You know, like Anna was saying a few minutes ago, this is a team.

This is a team challenge.

We're all facing into this.

And we each know our little part of the pie and puzzle that we can make the difference as we move forward here.

But it's driving actual change by the science.

So yeah, change your working practices, which is great.

Okay, Max coming back to you.

So what lessons have you learned along your journey that might be valuable for other businesses looking to create sustainable solutions but fail the task is too big or that it's too late to start?

First thing, I think it's never too late and you have to start somewhere.

I think there's every organization, regardless of the size, will face the challenge of trying to, you know, instill change or create something new is daunting.

You look at the end picture and it looks like there's so many steps ahead of you for a startup or for, you know, lots of is different challenges, but the result is the same.

You look like you're going to fail.

So I think it's I would say take steps, take the first steps, identify things that are achievable.

I would say first, you don't have to resolve the whole equation at once.

I think you need those first reachable goals to have first success is to build upon, especially within a large organization.

And I think it's easier to say than done.

But allow or tolerate failure for START starters is key to fail too, that you have key learnings that you build upon perhaps internally for a large organization like create an environment that because that's how it felt to be disruptive, where people can get it wrong and you won't get, you know, it won't even sort of, you know, they will have to pay for it in a way more or less toward an environment where experimentation and failure iterated, because in a way the learnings you make are different form of success and, and and win.

And I think perhaps the five one thing to really empower your team and invite them to act as in-house entrepreneurs because the there's so many untapped resources within staff within their roles that once you tell them you know, how would you do this?

Here's your project, here's some autonomy, it's the most I mean, personally, having worked for large organization before and as a startup funder is the most empowering and exciting thing you can do because then it really it gives you so much energy and drive that you know, comedy, good things, you know, motivation and creativity and new output can come out of it.

Yeah, great.

You've all mentioned empowerment.

It's interesting how people generally know where to go and they also fail fast.

I mean, that doesn't always fit with big business, does it, more?

Toto It's interesting the two cultures coming together and I'm going to come back to you.

So how can businesses cultivate a culture of environmental stewardship within their business to help ease the burden, some employees might be feeling?

Yeah, I think a couple of things on this.

So I think the first thing is it starts at the very top.

So said lead from the top.

And that's about having a clear strategy and building it into your wider strategy as well so that sustainability is woven through everything that an organization does.

And also, you know, the point that you were making as well, Max, about actually enabling and empowering action, and sometimes that's putting your money where your mouth is as well.

And particularly, you know, if I look at BUPA, you know, huge respect in terms of things like the eco disruptor program where, you know, all of those six finalists get £25,000 and work with the squads.

As you said, you get some of those, you know, they may not all be 100% successful, but actually, you know, creating, creating that culture of innovation as well as part of it.

So I think yeah, leading from top is, is crucial and also being honest about progress as well.

So setting clear targets, you know, we have very clear targets on our pathway to get to net zero by by 2040, but also letting people know where you are and how they can contribute.

So I think there's also a really important part about listening to your people and understanding what matters to them and what's going to make a difference.

Because quite often, you know, it's the people who are working in our call centers, those in our health centers and our dental practices and the Cromwell Hospital, they quite often have the answers and know what needs to be done.

So when we do, people pulse surveys, listening to our people, we always ask about sustainability and that and get good feedback.

Not all of it positive, by the way, but you know, it's all good feedback about things that we can act on.

And then I think the last point I'd make as well is that it's easy to kind of make everything sound all over.

You know, it's it's fluffy and it's going to cost us a lot.

But actually, where were the opportunities in your organization to drive improvements either commercially or in terms of customer experience or people experience through sustainability initiatives?

So I'll give you a couple of examples.

So recently we've been getting rid of the kitchens in our care homes.

And so this is, on the face of it, about decarbonization.

So we're switching to electric kitchens, but actually there were additional benefits as well.

So number one, our chefs get a better working environment because it's less hot because they're not kind of burning gas on an open flame so that the feedback from them is they absolutely love it.

But actually they've been saying the residents in our care homes have actually been saying the food is even better because of the way it's been cooked.

So, you know, lots of benefits that you can drive commercially as well.

I think the other thing that I'd call out on this is in terms of energy management as well.

So, you know, we have a real laser focus on that to make sure that we reduce our emissions.

But at the same time, sure, we're reducing your energy usage and consumption, you're reducing your costs as well.

So I would say, you know, seeking out those opportunities where you can have a better experience for either your people or your customers, but also drive commercial benefits as well as the sustainability ones.

Yeah, So, so really active listening to people.

Absolutely.

And also for anyone, if you get a smart meter, that's a bit scary.

I just a small no lights on in my house anymore.

But this is it It drives behavior.

Yeah.

Shocking, isn't it?

Anyway, right, Max, come back to you.

So keen to learn from you.

Hey, we talked about culture already, but given the challenges around driving behavior change, what advice would you give to organizations on how they should communicate with their sustainability mission, to inspire their people to make more sustainable choices?

And I think the thing you just put a spotlight on Being honest and genuine.

I think people will gain a very educated know about, you know, sustainability and greenwashing.

So the thing is this as the woman buy into it.

And so another piece of advice I receive a live event from Jack Harrison is a specialist in media production and storytelling sustainability said something interesting.

So be also honest about your failures and what you're not doing it because it's hard for an organization that from day one to day ten have changed everything about the operation, their supply chain, you know, the product, the services, how they deliver it, how to make that more sustainable.

So focus on where you can start and get results and be honest about the fact that perhaps you're not doing it elsewhere yet and there's plans to do it, but you don't need to hide it.

And I think that sort of honesty, you know, gets people more engaged because they feel it's genuine.

And perhaps another thing I will say alongside start from the top, because you're right, otherwise you won't be credible.

I would say from the start, involve your team and ask them what they would, what it would mean for them, where they would want to get engaged in this way.

Even from communicating the first ideas.

There's a buy in because people have been involved as opposed to perhaps trying to do.

We just said to direction, you know, at the top, having them involved in the design in the early phases of the design of a program towards sustainability and engagement internally are things going to have a big effect as well in the way you can communicate it?

Data Great.

Thank you.

So engaging for people and linking linking back to that great stuff.

Okay, so Anna, this our last scripted question.

So I've run ready for I've got I've got my part here and lots of other questions.

So what do you think the risks are to businesses who don't think about sustainability as part of their talent strategy?

I think it's pretty simple, to be honest.

I think people will vote with their feet because people want to work for organizations and doing the right thing.

They might not be getting everything right, as you said, but actually the the thinking about how they can reduce their impact on the environment, but but also contribute to society as well.

And, you know, our research shows that Gen-z in particular, you know, nearly half of them will leave organizations or not join organizations if it doesn't align with their values and if they're not acting on this.

So I think, you know, the risks are huge and we know there's such a war for talent at the moment that actually it's an opportunity for organizations to think about, well, you know, how can I put this front and center of what we're about as an organization to make sure that we are an attractive employer.

But I'd also go back to what you said, Max, about being honest and not greenwashing.

But do you think also that there's a risk of, you know, organizations should not over claim in this space?

So I think that point about, you know, really being clear about what is the journey you're on, but also being open about where the gaps and and needs are to do things better.

But I think at the end of the day, you know, is where where we started, wasn't it?

People want to work for organizations that are doing the right thing and that have purpose to them.

Yeah.

All right.

Thank you all about people always comes first.

Absolutely right.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Look, we know you have a policy of how to get another one.

Please get your questions in as as you go through that.

We've got a few here.

We'll ask in a moment from you.

Probably want to tell you how the first one.

So we asked, does your organization encourage employees to take part in initiatives beneficial for both people and Planet Health?

A 74% of you said yes, which is which is a really good result.

Okay.

So the next poll, which will get you going on is do you think your people and sustainability strategies recognize the connection between planet health and people health?

Yes or no?

Right.

We'll let you answer that one.

I'll give you the answer in a minute.

I'm going to come to some questions here, so I'm first going to come to you, Clare question from the audience.

So what are the most important things that health care providers can do to become more sustainable?

Is it plastics, gases, egg and O2 and O2 water emissions or waste?

Oh, that's a big list.

All of them.

Yeah.

I think eco is the anything everywhere all at once.

Yeah.

And you know, and I think we've talked a lot here about behavior change in culture where go go where the energy is.

And sometimes there are things we're very simple quick fixes which can you can utilize to to build confidence around the stuff.

But have a look.

You know, the first thing to do is to understand where you carbon footprint exist.

What's your scope?

One, two and three look like, You know, what is your waste profile looking like and then making those decisions based on the point.

But I think it's kind of been underplaying quite a few things.

Is this circularity as well?

You know, where can you reuse and repurpose and recover within within your supply chain as well?

So you're thinking around from that perspective as well.

So go after.

Oh, thank you.

I have a really good point about.

Yeah, as well.

I think so.

Two things.

I think the first is that it's a set and it's a team sport both in your organization, but also I think people we believe we can't solve all of this on our own.

So we need to work with our customers, We need to work with our supply chain, we need to work with the health providers.

So private hospital chains and clinics that we work with.

So I think it's that collaboration point that you were making is absolutely vital and making sure that that we're really focused on on doing all of that.

And the second thing about health care as well, and kind of touched on this as well about and with kind of working on a lot of connected care pathways.

So what we mean by this is that then you can as a as a patient or a customer, you can get faster access to care.

So some of that could be done digitally.

But let's say, you know, you had an MSC issue, you can get treated pretty much straight away.

In one of our clinics, there were fewer appointments, so there's less travel.

So overall, the kind of the the environmental impact of your treatment is reduced, but also you get better care as well.

So it's another example of one of those ways where actually everybody's winning, say, better outcomes for the patient, but also better outcomes for the planet as well.

Yeah.

All right.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Right.

The next question to you, Max.

So one of my menopause symptoms is cold flushes rather than hot.

Can Max's device be adapted to heat rather than cool?

This could then be used by everyone.

That's excellent question.

I'm glad that asked.

Actually, yes.

The principle of the cool technology means that we can very easily switch from heat to something from hot to cold sensation.

And actually our current prototype Controlling we volunteers has a mode for heating.

So have you to organize a trial if someone wants to volunteer because we actually haven't had that use case ID except for tell us who you are and will hook you up.

Okay.

So the last question for today, and it's coming to Your Honor.

So making big change depends on all of us.

One, knowing how to make small positive changes and to actually making them helping people know how is key.

What are your thoughts?

Oh my goodness me.

Yeah.

So actually I would say, you know, keep things simple as well.

So, you know, we talked about the healthy Fitness program, actually.

So if you giving people a goal, you've got collective action as well.

But you know, really simple challenge that will make a difference and and using little nudges as well I think helps with that.

And the other end of the spectrum, though, and it goes back to enables and empowering people is actually kind of a goes back to a slop meter as well.

It's about data putting data in the hands of of people so that it kind of they know what's going on.

So one example I'd give is that we obviously run a care home business we need to heat and cool those homes and not use this energy.

In the past, we never shared the information with the care home managers about how much energy they were using.

We now do so they understand, you know, what that kind of energy profile looks like and putting the data in their hands so that they know, well, what can they do to actually make a difference?

And if it's kind of spiking one month for no obvious reason, what's going on?

So I think as well, putting data in people's hands just in the way that you have it in your hands with the smart meter, it starts to drive that behavioral change as well.

So I think, you know, all of the things that we've talked about this that that kind of whole mindset piece, so encouraging that that mindset, giving people permission, but also giving them the information as well so that they can go and act accordingly.

Yeah, great.

Thank you very much.

Great.

Thank you to all of you.

It's been a great session today.

Thank you.

Hope you have all enjoyed it at home.

It strikes me that this is a huge opportunity.

Ask you, one of the key takeouts for me was the health care that you don't need is probably the best for the environment.

Being healthy, looking after your own well-being.

And for you, of course, looking after your well-being is super important.

So as well as empowering your people who probably know the answer and this is just such a big topic for business.

So thank you very much today.

And anyone who like to follow up with any further questions, we'll try and get those answered for you.

So look out for our next session soon to remember to check out our Academy for Practical Health and Wellbeing tools to support your people.

Thanks for joining.