Investing in Sustainability with Ryan Williams of NextWorld Evergreen

Sep 8

Going green is set to be big business in the coming years, thanks, in part, to growing consumer demand for products that are good for the planet. But this can also be good news for brands, as embedding Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into your core strategy can help deliver long-term value.

In today’s episode, we speak with Ryan Williams, Operating Partner of NextWorld Evergreen, about how brands and investors are taking sustainability seriously, even when some experiments fail. Ryan also shares his tips for purpose-driven brands seeking mission-aligned equity and explains why profitability is the single most important thing mission-driven brands can do, plus a whole lot more!

Tune in today to find out why ESG and sustainability principles are critical for the next 10 to 25-year time period and how they contribute to a brand’s resilience and long-term success.

Key Points From This Episode:

Why ESG and sustainability principles are critical over the next 10 to 25-year time period.
The resilience of brands that incorporate ESG and sustainability into their business strategy.
How Ryan fell in love with consumer brands and felt more connected to the social impact of his work as a scientist.
The intersection between disruptive innovation and consumer buy-in for market viability.
How collaboration and obstacles during development can encourage product innovation.
What drew Ryan to the study of toxicology and how it has served him on his career journey.
Ryan’s experience of working at Clorox and what he learned during his time there.
Ryan talks about his role as ‘Good Cop’ and ‘Global Greenskeeper’ at method products.
Some sustainability case studies from Ryan’s time at method, including what he calls “spectacular failures.”
An example of how Ryan offered technical support for business strategy at method.
Ryan describes his position at NextWorld Evergreen, an equity firm focused on sustainability.
Find out what NextWorld Evergreen looks for in their conscious consumer brands.
What Ryan’s role at Operating Partner entails, such as implementing ESG frameworks.
Why their acquisition of Alter Eco was one reason Ryan wanted to join NextWorld Evergreen.
Ryan’s tips for purpose-driven brands seeking mission-aligned equity: make every decision through the lens of your mission.
Why the single most important thing mission-driven brands can do is achieve profitability.

Tweetables:

“[Clorox] is where I really fell in love with brands. I had spent my whole career up to that point as a scientist and publishing papers that go into technical journals.” — Ryan Williams [0:06:35]

“While [method’s recycled plastic bottle] was disruptive, it was supported strongly at the shelf by the retail partner, Whole Foods, who we launched the product in partnership with, consumers were just not buying it.” — Ryan Williams [0:13:22]

“Our partners in our LP really understand the resilience and the benefits of brands that incorporate ESG and sustainability into their business strategy.” — Ryan Williams [0:20:13]

“We understand that ESG and principles around sustainability are critical over the next 10 and 25-year time period.” — Ryan Williams [0:22:25]

“The most important thing for purpose-driven brands to do is to make decisions through the lens of the mission. There are going to be two or three things that are core to your mission; focus on those every day.” — Ryan Williams [0:25:36]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ryan Williams on LinkedIn

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn