Products of Change Conference 2025: Redefining Sustainable Business

The Products of Change Conference 2025 took place on November 5 at London’s Royal Geographical Society. Leaders and innovators met. They came from branding, licensing, and retail. They pushed sustainable business practices. Products of Change hosted the event. License Global featured it. The team stressed clear steps to mix sustainability with business. This mix helps companies hit their 2030 goals.

Keynote Insights: The Role of Industry in Sustainability

Helena Mansell-Stopher leads Products of Change. She opened the event with Caroline Petit, Deputy Director at the UN Regional Information Centre. Caroline urged industry peers to see products as change agents. She asked them to design for both people and the planet. This call set a steady tone. The words linked hope and real steps to fight climate challenges.

Consumer Trends Driving Change in Fashion and Retail

Tamara Sender Ceron from Mintel spoke about data. The numbers showed a clear shift in fashion:
• 64% of women aged 16-34 check resale value when they buy clothes.
• 22% use repair services to keep clothes longer.
• 50% will pay more for quality sustainable items.
• 40% pay extra for brands they trust that offer repair and resale.

Tamara tied data to idea. She urged closing the gap between words and action. She listed clear steps: offer value in sustainable products, build trust through repair services, and ease access to circular options.

Hilary Strong from smol, a sustainable cleaning brand, made a simple claim. Her phrase read, “Progress is better than perfection.” Her words spoke of clear action. They encouraged everyone to join sustainability, even with faults.

Packaging, Corporate Sustainability, and Consumer Demand

Speakers from Tesco, RDP Creative, and LEGO Group challenged old ideas. They argued that sustainable packaging need not cost more. Their words urged companies to think in new ways about suppliers. Thomas Suchy from IKEA then explained a key point. He showed that every country manager learns sustainability as a chief role. This learning roots the idea deep in the company’s culture.

Nicolai Broby Eckert from Simon-Kucher gave a consumer view. He said 78% of buyers list sustainability as a top five need. His point was clear: if you see sustainability only as rule-following, you miss the mark.

Community and Recognition: Encouraging Collective Progress

Steve Manners from Licensing International spoke with hope. His words, “Real progress is made and shared,” rallied the group. At the conference, leaders in sustainability received POC SDG Awards. These awards honored work that matched UN Sustainable Development Goals:
• SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
• SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13 – Climate Action
• SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Conclusion

The conference proved that sustainable business is a duty and a chance. In steps, companies bring consumers in, stitch sustainability into their culture, and spark innovation. Leaders in branding, licensing, and retail now set a new pace. They move from mere compliance to deep, lasting change.

About the Author
Ian Hart is Senior Digital Editor for U.K. & EMEA at License Global. He cares about sports, entertainment, and children’s brands. Since 2018, he has built a strong path in brand and licensing journalism.

Design Delight Studio curates high-impact, authoritative insights into sustainable and organic product trends, helping conscious consumers and innovative brands stay ahead in a fast-evolving green economy.