In our latest impact story, we meet Caroline Mason, a sustainability and ESG expert, founder of consultancy Seeds to Thrive and former head of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture at The Co-op.

In my business, it’s very easy to be bombarded with information so I needed to find a few highly credible sources to inform both myself and my clients. As an environmental, social and governance (ESG) consultant, my work involves running workshops or developing client strategies. What I find really helpful is being able to dip into AFN Network+ newsletters: it’s my go-to source to give me confidence and a reminder to do more research. I think of the Network as a due diligence checklist of all the topics that are being talked about externally, which helps me identify gaps in my clients’ strategies and how we are going to plug them.

My involvement in AFN Network+ came when I spoke at a Big Tent event and when I hadn’t long stepped out of my corporate career as head of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture at The Co-op. With a background in farming, I’ve worked in the food industry and retail for over 20 years in high profile leadership roles in sustainability. It’s quite an expansive background and unique in covering the whole supply chain. People are fascinated by the retail machine; it’s a huge operational juggernaut, literally at the coalface of changing consumer trends, weather and politics. But it’s so hard to keep on top of a mobile landscape as one person. I read all of the AFN Network+ newsletters and digests as I find they offer pulse points about what’s going on. They’re comprehensive, clearly written and cover the hot topic of the moment. I particularly enjoyed the webinar on ‘what next for food and farming at the COPs’ two years ago, because only a handful of people could go so it was insider access. In terms of further impact, I have come across people through the Network who I have then connected with on LinkedIn, which has helped my clients on their sustainability journeys.

I also appreciate the academic credibility of the people involved in webinars, and how they give more people access to the latest information. It’s that ability to tap into a network of highly credible people in the industry across a broad spectrum of academics, farmers and consultants that I appreciate most. It feels like what the AFN Network+ has done is map out webinars alongside the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If you look at the value-added content that’s being shared, the intellectual knowledge exchange is contributing to net zero and the SDGs.

It’s also unique because it doesn’t make me feel like I’m not moving fast enough or I don’t know enough. You’re not made to feel guilty for the reality of where we are. For me, the aggression in some sustainability circles turns me off. Whereas the AFN Network+ feels warm, friendly and informative and that we’re all in this together. The scale of what we need to achieve can be scary, but within the Network I don’t feel like I’m on my own.