A Conversation With Russ Avery, The Sustainability Marketing Guy
Russ Avery is a sustainability marketing consultant who is passionate about putting planet over profit, something which was incredibly clear in my conversation with him. He has been working in sustainability for over 10 years, and his career is going from strength to strength. Our conversation was really interesting and educational, and I think we can all learn something from it!
What drove you to pursue a career in sustainability?
Everything stems from a passion for the natural world. I’ve always been outdoorsy, ever since I was a kid, and that has developed into a love for the natural world, the environment, and wildlife. I didn’t always want to go into sustainability, though. I did languages at uni and then worked in various temp jobs, but I wasn’t enjoying any of them, so in 2009 I took a step back and had a think about what I really wanted to do with my life, and sustainability is what came to me. From there I started doing a Certificate in Natural and Environmental Sciences with the Open University, and in 2010 I started my journey with a small ocean conservation charity called SeaWeb. I fell into the marketing side of things almost by mistake, and the rest is history.
What’s the greatest challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
I guess it would have to be making the decision to start up on my own as Russ Avery Consulting Ltd. and not keep working for someone else doing the classic 9 to 5. Before I went solo I’d been working in-house as marketing director at 2 different corporate sustainability consultancies for around 6 years, and I was ready for a new challenge. It’s been ridiculously hard work at times but it’s also so rewarding to work for yourself. My motivation has been at an all-time high since starting up on my own. Working in sustainability also helps my motivation as it’s such a purpose-driven sector which is all about doing good.
What has been the standout moment of your career so far?
I can’t really attribute it to a single thing, but if I had to pick it would probably be setting up Russ Avery Consulting Ltd. Since forming the company, I’ve had around 16 sustainability-focused businesses as clients, some of whom I’ve done everything for from scratch, and others who were more established but were struggling to grow, and it’s been really amazing to work with all of them. I’ve got really good case studies of helping these brands to grow, and seeing the results feels great because that’s what it’s all about for me. Another highlight was working for the UK sustainability and carbon reduction team of a multinational engineering firm. I’m just a one-man band, so to be able to say I’ve done something like that feels very rewarding.
Do you think we’re capable of reversing the damage we’ve done to the planet?
We’ll need about 8 hours to answer this one! Unfortunately, I’m going to have to be quite pessimistic and say I don’t think we can undo the damage we’ve done to the planet, for the simple reason that you can’t turn back the clock. However, I think we can absolutely try our utmost to stop things getting to the point of no return, which we’re very close to if you listen to what the scientists are saying. I have to be optimistic about that or I’d lose all enthusiasm to try and do anything about it. If we all lived within our means, I think it would be achievable to stop ourselves from reaching the point of no return. I suffer from climate anxiety and sometimes I have bad days, but overall I try and remind myself of the amazing work that people are doing and that makes me feel more positive. The thing is, there’s so much to tackle, there’s the environmental side of sustainability and then there’s also the whole ethical side too, like tackling modern slavery, which is a huge problem in fashion and the fishing industry. Slavery may look different today but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. There’s a huge amount of work to do, but if we start turning the oil tanker around now, it’s not an impossible task.
What would be your 3 top tips for helping to reduce our impact on the planet?
Really high up there would be to stop consuming so much stuff. It’s become way too easy, especially with services like Amazon offering same-day or next-day delivery, we’re becoming too used to it. We forget about everything that has to happen behind the scenes, like the carbon emissions, where that product comes from, how it has to get to you — it’s scary. It’s a case of supply and demand though, if we all cut down on what we buy, things would start to change. My next tip would be to stop flying. Everyone loves travelling, I get that, but we have to think about the bigger picture. Covid has actually been great for temporary reductions in air pollution, and it shows that if humans just leave things alone for a while, huge changes can happen. People that quit flying often make exceptions for “love miles” which basically means travelling to see family members, but reducing our flights significantly is really important. My third tip has to be to stop buying fast fashion. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the aviation and maritime industries combined. For those who can afford to, buy better quality stuff less often. I’m not going to judge people that can’t afford decent stuff, but they could try and participate in clothes swaps and buy from charity shops. If we all did it, it would have a huge effect.
What would you say is your current 5-year career goal?
In 5 years’ time, I’d like one of my more recent ventures, Avery and Brown, to be a successful digital marketing and creative agency in which my friend Tim Brown and I are the directors, with a great team working for us. I’d like Russ Avery Consulting Ltd. to be more of a business growth consultancy service focused on sustainability businesses, and I’d like Elodie, a firm I launched last year with my German business partners, to be a successful hybrid sustainability consultancy and creative communications agency.
I know a community is really important to you. What can people do to give back to their communities more?
I think lockdown has really brought communities together. People are offering to do their neighbours’ shopping, they’re getting to know each other better, they’re being neighbours like people used to be 50 years ago. We should all buy local and support small businesses in our towns and villages — we all have the power to vote with our wallets, so let’s help those that need it most.
Finally, what do you want to be known for?
Broadly, I guess I just want to be known as someone who tried their best to bring the Sustainable Development Goals to life and helped to achieve them. I’m so lucky to do what I do now, as 2020 is being called the Decade of Action, given that by 2030 we need to have made some huge changes in order to save the planet. If my legacy was just having helped sustainability businesses to grow and to do more of their amazing work, then I’d be very happy with that.
Interview by Lola Sherwin. Find Lola on LinkedIn here.
