Products of Change Conference 2025: Redefining Sustainable Business

The Products of Change (POC) Conference 2025, held on November 5 at London’s Royal Geographical Society, gathered leaders from the brand, licensing, and retail sectors to advance the integration of sustainability as a core business practice. Organized by Products of Change, the event emphasized practical strategies and the tangible commercial benefits of embracing sustainability, especially as many companies approach their 2030 environmental goals.

Industry Leadership and Sustainable Action

Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and CEO of Products of Change, inaugurated the conference with a keynote from Caroline Petit, Deputy Director at the United Nations Regional Information Centre. Petit urged the industry to design products with both people and the planet in mind, highlighting the sector’s critical role in driving systemic and enduring sustainable change.

She emphasized:

“Products can be catalysts for change… create products with people and planet in mind, not for them.”

Consumer Insights on Fashion’s Sustainable Shift

Tamara Sender Ceron, Associate Director at Mintel specializing in fashion and retail, shared key consumer trends signaling increased engagement with circular fashion. Mintel’s research revealed:

• 64% of women aged 16-34 consider the resale value when shopping for clothes.
• 22% actively utilize repair services to extend garment lifecycles.

Sender Ceron stressed the importance of closing the “say-do gap” by making circular services like resale and repair effortless and rewarding, citing:

1. Offering sustainable choices that emphasize quality and resale value — 50% of consumers are willing to pay more for this.
2. Building consumer trust through reliable repair services — 40% are willing to pay premiums for trusted brands.
3. Enhancing convenience and accessibility for circular solutions.

Hilary Strong, CMO of smol, reinforced this by urging a shift from perfection to widespread participation:

“Progress is better than perfection,” highlighting the need to make sustainability easy and accessible for millions, not perfect for a few.

Innovations in Sustainable Packaging and Corporate Embedding

The conference featured dynamic discussions on sustainable packaging, with experts from Tesco, RDP Creative, and LEGO Group encouraging the audience to challenge suppliers and debunk the myth that eco-friendly packaging must be costlier.

Thomas Suchy of IKEA explained the brand’s comprehensive sustainability integration, including upskilling country managers to serve as sustainability officers, embedding environmental responsibility into all facets of operations.

Sustainability as a Consumer Imperative

Nicolai Broby Eckert from Simon-Kucher identified sustainability as the dominant consumer movement of the 21st century, citing that 78% of consumers rank it among their top five purchasing criteria. He warned:

“If you just see sustainability as a compliance issue, you are already behind the curve.”

Industry Optimism and Recognition

Steve Manners, Vice President of Global Marketing and UK Managing Director at Licensing International, expressed optimism about the sector’s collaborative spirit:

“Far from being doom and gloom, real progress is not only being made but is being shared.”

The conference also celebrated exemplary contributions through the annual POC SDG Awards, honoring initiatives aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Partnerships, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Industry Innovation.

About Products of Change

Products of Change is an industry initiative focused on accelerating sustainable practices within the brand, licensing, and retail ecosystems. The annual conference serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing, networking, and celebrating sustainability pioneers driving systemic change.

Author

Ian Hart, Senior Digital Editor UK & EMEA at License Global, specializes in sports, entertainment, and kids’ brands with a keen interest in sustainability-driven market evolution. He has been with Informa since 2018. —

For brands and retailers aiming to embed sustainability authentically and profitably, the Products of Change Conference 2025 underscores the critical importance of consumer engagement, strategic innovation, and cross-sector collaboration—fundamentals essential to thriving in the evolving green economy.

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.