Inspiring Generations strategy from ECB

This week, FuturePlus member, the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced an updated Inspiring Generations strategy for the next four years.

The strategy details cricket’s vision to become the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales while growing and uniting the game and leading it through global transformation.

“This strategy is formed from extensive engagement with the cricket network. To now achieve our aspirations will require all of our brilliant Counties to drive the game forward in their local areas. It requires the game’s outstanding charities – the ACE Programme, Chance to Shine, the MCC Foundation, the Lord’s Taverners and SACA – to continue to reach communities that cricket has traditionally failed.

“And it needs the power of individuals – volunteers, coaches, fans and players – to continue to pour their hearts into the game we love. Cricket is a unique game that can reach communities no other sports can. It can inspire the nation and bring people together from all walks of life.” - Richard Thompson, ECB Chair

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket recommended that several of these action plans be published. They set out in more detail how we will address issues identified by the ICEC Report.

Key actions include:

• Boosting cricket in state secondary schools by training hundreds of secondary school teachers.
• Investing £3.5m into the most ethnically diverse areas of England and Wales by 2027
• Increasing the number of young volunteers by 50%, adding 3,500 young people by 2028
• Training thousands of staff and volunteers in anti-discrimination and inclusion

You can read the full strategy here.

To learn more about the ECB’s inclusion strategies, listen to the Business of Sustainability episode, where Alex Smith, Co-Founder of FuturePlus and Polly Milne, Project Director at FuturePlus, were joined by Tessa Whieldon, Head of Female Participation and Growth at the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Hoar Cross Hall named Best Spa and Best Spa for Sustainability

Huge congratulations to the incredible team at Hoar Cross Hall for being recognised as one of The Best Spas in the UK at the prestigious Good Spa Guide Awards 2024!

Hoar Cross Hall is a property of FuturePlus member, Barons Eden.

A special thank you to the 259,479 spa enthusiasts who voted this year, supporting their favourite wellness destinations across the UK.
The Hoar Cross Hall team didn’t just win a spot among the UK’s best spas—they also achieved honours in:

Best Spa for Sustainability, sponsored by Comfort Zone
Best Destination Spa, sponsored by Sothys
Best Day Spa, sponsored by Elemis
Congratulations again to everyone at Hoar Cross Hall! Here’s to many more awards and unforgettable spa experiences!

The Sustainable Investment Report

We're thrilled to announce that FuturePlus has been featured in IFA Magazine's The Sustainable Investment Report 2024.

This comprehensive report, which was researched and written by renowned compliance consultant Tony Catt, offers a deep dive into the evolving landscape of sustainability in investment.

It provides a valuable snapshot of the industry's current thinking and practices in this area, addressing the pressing need for sustainable investment solutions in today's world.

In this insightful feature, he dives into how the FuturePlus platform is helping businesses build trust, efficiency, and resilience through continuous ESG measurement.

As the importance of sustainability grows, our platform provides the tools needed to stay ahead, ensuring that ESG goals are set, monitored, and achieved.

Explore the full report and learn how FuturePlus is contributing to the transformation of sustainable investment practices, here.

Business of Sustainability: Grind

To launch the new Sustainable Futures Live event series, our co-founders and the co-hosts of the Business of Sustainability podcast, Alexandra Smith and Mike Penrose, were joined by Grind | Certified B Corp's Founder and CEO, David Abrahamovitch, for a very special podcast recorded live at Sustainable Ventures.

Together, they explore David's journey from opening the iconic Shoreditch café in 2011 to building Grind into a brand synonymous with sustainability. This podcast was recorded as part of the launch of Sustainable Futures Live, a new event series in partnership with FuturePlus and Sustainable Ventures.

Listen here.

83% of CSOs see C-Suite collaboration as key to achieving sustainability goals

A recent report, The CSO at a Crossroads, explores the evolving role of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) and the increasing importance of collaboration within corporate leadership to achieve sustainability targets.

As sustainability becomes a central focus in corporate governance, CSOs are now moving beyond their roles as innovators and becoming integral to compliance and strategy.

The report highlights that 83% of CSOs believe working closely with other C-Suite executives is critical to driving ambitious sustainability initiatives. This collaboration allows for sustainability goals to be embedded into core business strategies, creating a unified approach across departments.

Another key finding is that 64% of CSOs feel that regulation helps create meaningful strategic impact, giving them a framework to influence business operations more effectively. However, the growing responsibilities of CSOs mean that 50% spend most of their time on “high-impact” work, often focused on compliance and reporting, which can limit their capacity for innovation.

View the full report here.

Mercedes-Benz opens EV Battery recycling plant

Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Primobius to launch Europe’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling plant, aiming to recover over 96% of materials from used batteries.

Located in southern Germany, the facility uses a cutting-edge mechanical-hydrometallurgical process to recycle battery materials, including the valuable metals found in the "black mass" within battery anodes and cathodes.

“Together with our partners from industry and science, we are sending a strong signal of innovative strength for sustainable electric mobility and value creation in Germany and Europe.” - Ola Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz Group’s chairman

The plant is designed to be more sustainable and energy-efficient than traditional methods. By operating at low temperatures of up to 176°F and using renewable energy, including solar-powered roofs with a peak output of 350 kilowatts, Mercedes-Benz significantly reduces the environmental impact of battery recycling.

This process is not only less wasteful but also ensures carbon-neutral operations. With an annual capacity of 2,500 tonnes, the plant will produce over 50,000 new EV battery modules, marking a major step towards closing the battery recycling loop. Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker to achieve this fully in-house, and it plans to expand the facility’s capacity in the future.