In With the New

Gage Mitchell is host of the podcast called ‘Brands for a Better World', and in this episode he is interviewing Avril to discuss the environmental impact of digital advertising as well as to discuss strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of digital campaigns.    Learn more here, in the show notes. 

Jonathan Wise, is the co-founder of Purpose Disruptors, an organization aimed at transforming the advertising industry to support a sustainable future. Jonathan shares his personal journey through advertising strategist to what led him to found Purpose Disruptors.    Learn more here, in the show notes.   

Brett Christoffel, is the founder of All Y'alls Foods, a company producing plant-based protein snacks. Brett shares his personal journey through dietary changes to becoming a vegan and starting his business.    Learn more here, in the show notes.   

Duncan Meisel is the Executive Director of Clean Creatives. Clean Creatives offers a pledge for like minded PR and advertising agencies to only partner with companies who have a climate policy or are actively working towards bettering the planet.   Learn more here, in the show notes.  

Rose Hartley is Head of Sustainability at Misfits Market, about the company's efforts to combat food waste.  Hartley explains their model, educational initiatives, and the impact of their merger with Imperfect Foods.   Learn more here, in the show notes.  

Sabrina Kon is from Chop Value, a company that recycles chopsticks into various products. Over 80 billion single-use chopsticks are produced and used annually and Chop Value's main goal is to partner with restaurants worldwide to reuse this waste and turn it into unique pieces of furniture.    Learn more here, in the show notes.  

Amanda Mesluk, is the Senior Sustainability Manager at Flair Airlines. Flair is reducing the amount of emissions released in aviation, through operational efficiency. This includes fleet renewals and fuel efficient aircrafts. With one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the aviation industry, Flair has a 30% less carbon emission footprint then their older counterparts.  Learn more here, in the show notes.

Susan Hollingshead, is the advisor to early-stage clean energy companies. Susan shares her role in the B Corp movement and her work in contaminated property redevelopment. Listen in to learn more about Susan's work with B Corp companies and their goal to make renewable energy better. Learn more here, in the show notes.

05Carly Snider is the Executive Director of Pact Collective, a non-profit collective uniting the beauty industry to take responsibility for our package waste and work collaboratively toward more circular solutions for beauty. The collection occurs in various ways, including in store collection bins and mail back options as this waste is then upcycled, downcycled or considered for a mechanical recycling solution. Learn more here, in the show notes.  

Monika Patel is Director of Communications and Marketing at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) of Canada. FSC is all about promoting sustainable forestry, ensuring responsible sourcing, as well as adherence to environmental and social standards. Learn more here, in the show notes.

Julia Marsh, is the CEO of Sway, a company creating sustainable seaweed-based packaging solutions. In this day and age, plastic is used in a so many products and has become a big issue in the world of sustainability. Julia shares the benefit of Sway and how it tries to combat the use of plastic in packaging through the use of seaweed. Recently, there has been a transition where seaweed has worked in machines that have historically only ever worked for plastic, which is showing to be a huge benefit.  Learn more here, in the show notes.  

Eben Bayer and Sarah-Marie Cole are the co-founder and CMO of My Forest Foods. A company specializing in meatless meat products made from mycelium. Listen in to learn more about My Forest Foods approach to creating better products and changing the way people view plant based foods. Learn more here, in the show notes.

Matt Semmelhack, CEO and co-founder of Boox, talks about how companies making environmentally friendly products don't always use sustainable packaging when it comes to getting that product to the consumer. That's were Boox comes in to create zero waste shipping solutions for e-commerce. Learn more here, in the show notes.

Sarah Pinner is the co-founder and CEO of Beni, an AI-powered search engine for finding resale items. Beni aims to simplify the process of buying second hand items and promotes sustainable fashion. Having alternative ways to purchase clothing is a great way to save money and contribute to a better environment. What makes Beni unique is the browser extension, which allows people to shop online and see if a specific (or similar) product is available on the resale market. Learn more here, in the show notes.

Douglas Horne is the founder of Evanesce, a company that creates sustainable packaging solutions. Doug and Avril discuss Evanesce's innovative plant-based, fully circular food and beverage packaging technology. Many companies use harsh chemicals to develop compostable or recyclable products, but not Evanesce. Evanesce is different because their products are made with a combination of starch and fibers from existing waste. These starch and fibers are then turned into compostable food service items and consumer packaging. Douglas shares his vision and goals of working with major companies in the fast food and service industry to create a shift in how food and drinks are packaged. Listen in to learn more.   Learn more here, in the show notes

In this special follow-up episode of In With the New, Avril speaks with Elysabeth Alfano to get practical tips and advice for impact investing.   Elysabeth discusses her company, VegTech Invest, and its unique Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) that allows anyone to invest in plant-based innovation and why this is a better option for most people.    Learn more here, in the show notes.

In this episode of In With the New, Avril interviews Andrew Wanliss-Orlebar, Chief Strategy Officer for Futerra. They discuss the impact of the communication sector on climate change and the existing challenges. Andrew shares the concept of the “brain print” and how it shapes how communication affects consumers. The brain print is about how an industry or a sector can influence people based on messaging. The brain print is crucial in changing behaviors and encouraging people to improve.  Learn more here, in the show notes. 

Jordan Schenck is the Chief Brand Officer at Flashfood, a technology company working to eliminate retail food waste by connecting consumers with great deals on food nearing its best-by date.   Food retailers in Canada and the USA send 40% of their food to landfills. That means expired fruits, vegetables, meat, and packaged items past their best date are thrown out.   Jordan shares how Flash Food and its app solve this problem by partnering with different retailers.    Learn more here, in the shownotes.

Sara Smith, the founder of Wrappily, creates smarter, more environmentally friendly gift wrap products. Sara shares that despite consumers' best intentions, most traditional wrapping paper cannot be recycled and ends up in landfills, generating an estimated 2.3 million pounds of waste yearly. Sara discusses how Wrappily's newsprint-based, recyclable wrapping paper is a more sustainable choice for beautifully wrapped gifts for any occasion. Learn more here, in the show notes.   

Lauren Gregor is the Founder and CEO of Rent-a-Romper, the first shared closet for little ones to help parents and the planet. Lauren discusses what inspired her to start Rent-a-Romper, how consumer mindsets towards clothing rental have changed in recent years, and the many ways that Rent-a-Romper is working to make children's clothing more sustainable. Listen in to learn how it all works.   Learn more here in the show notes.  

Spencer Williams is the CEO and President of West Paw, creator of American made, high quality, eco-friendly dog toys, beds, leashes, and collars. Always looking to push the envelope in sustainable manufacturing, West Paw uses recycled ocean-bound plastic, recycled-plastic-bottle stuffing, and a proprietary fully-circular plastic that can be ground up and recycled into new toys again and again.   Check out the show notes here.  

In this episode, Avril Tomlin-Hood speaks with Ted Fleming, founder of Partake Brewing, about his mission to craft a variety of award-winning, expertly brewed, low-calorie, non-alcoholic beers that people are proud to drink anywhere. Ted discusses the rapid growth of the non-alcoholic beer segment and shares the challenges and rewards of growing Partake, including the positive impact the company has had on its consumers.   Check out the show notes here.  

Desirée Dupuis is a social entrepreneur and founder of Kove Ocean Foods, a seaweed-based CPG food brand, along with VOES & CO, an ethical, sustainable vegan fashion brand. Desirée is passionate about living a life of purpose and making an impact in the world by creating permanent, sustainable change. She has been living a vegan lifestyle since 2008 and is proud to use her voice to advocate for animals as well as the planet. Check out the show notes here  

Tara Milburn is the founder and CEO of Ethical Swag. In this episode, Tara shares her passion for using business as a force for positive change and shares how she started Ethical Swag, a sustainable promotional products company.   Check out the show notes here.  

Adam Molson is the VP of Rental Communities and Sustainability at Daniels Corporation, a Toronto-based real estate developer committed to building communities that positively impact the environment. Daniels is on a mission to decarbonize real estate development by focusing on the whole-life carbon impact of the homes they design and build.    Check out the show notes here.  

In this episode of In With the New, Avril speaks with Christie Lagally about her journey from aerospace engineer to founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods. Rebellyous Foods is on a mission to build a world where food production is not a dirty business, and they've started by creating the perfect plant-based chicken nugget—one with the same juiciness and texture as a chicken nugget – and at a similar price point. Check out the show notes here.  

Did you know that the current food system feeds animals and not people? In this episode, Avril interviews Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest, about the inefficiencies of the current food production system and the need for a more sustainable approach. She delves into the impact animal agriculture has on the planet and what people can do to move towards more environmentally friendly options.   Check out the show notes here.  

Are you looking for a way to find trusted vegan and cruelty free products? In this episode, Avril interviews Vikas Garg, the founder and CEO of the abillion app. They discuss Vikas' personal journey to veganism and how it inspired him to create the abillion app. After his parents fell ill, Vikas started thinking more seriously about the role food plays in his life. He decided to go vegan, which really instilled a sense of purpose in his life. This led to the creation of the abillion app, which is a social commerce platform for the global vegan movement.    Check out the show notes here.

Genia Mineeva is the founder of BEEN London, a sustainable, handmade accessories brand that British Vogue named one of the most innovative fashion companies in the world. Genia started her career as a political journalist in the BBC newsroom, where her inquisitive nature led her to question why so many reusable or recyclable materials end up as waste. What she discovered led her to launch BEEN London to give new life to innovative materials rescued from landfills. Designed and manufactured in East London, BEEN London has had a real, measurable impact on the fashion industry by proving that waste can become beautiful, inside and out.   Learn more here, in the show notes.

In this episode, Avril speaks with Jeremy Lang, founder and VP of Sustainability at Pela. The company is best known for its biodegradable phone cases and its countertop composter, Lomi. We live in a world where the food system is broken. So much food is either lost or spoiled. What makes Lomi incredible is that in just 3-5 hours, it breaks down food scraps into nutrient-rich plant food. This leads to easier waste disposal and reduced food waste sent to landfills.    Check out the show notes here.

Dr. Lara Ramdin is the Chief Innovation and Science Officer at Upcycled Foods Inc., which powers the B2B upcycled food economy with product development expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a growing portfolio of ingredient solutions. The company's patented food upcycling technology creates proprietary ingredients that are delicious, versatile, clean-label, and nutritious from food that would have otherwise gone to waste. Upcycled Foods' flagship product, ReGrained SuperGrain+®, is the industry-leading upcycled ingredient made from rescued brewer's “spent” grain (BSG) that has already been cultivated, harvested, and used once but still has more to offer.

Keri Andriana is the Founder of Amschela, a UK-based luxury accessory brand that focuses on encapsulating the intrinsic charm of the modern-day contemporary woman with on-the-go sustainably made pieces for life. Amschela is PETA-approved and strives to use high-quality, environmentally friendly certified materials that are sustainable, serve to reduce our carbon footprint, and are not harmful to animals. The brand is also a champion of social mobility impact, providing opportunities to young people who wish to work in the fashion industry.  

Craig McIntosh and Carissa Campeotto are the Co-founders of Trendi, a Vancouver-based tech company reducing food waste by using robotics and automation to upcycle it into valuable products. Trendi's BioTrim units go direct to the source — farms, fisheries, distributors — to convert surplus or unsalable (visually nonconforming) foods into shelf-stable, nutrient-dense single commodity ingredients. Because these products are processed on-site at optimal freshness, they retain a “straight from the farm” flavor but in a compact form that can be stored and transported for a fraction of the cost of fresh produce. Trendi uses the resulting freeze-dried or pureed products in its smoothie machines and also distributes them to manufacturers. 

Ani Wells is a sustainable fashion consultant, impact communications specialist, and the co-founder of Simply Suzette, a storytelling platform and consultancy exploring the juxtaposition of sustainable fashion with a focus on denim. Ani works closely with market leaders in the denim world, advising them on sustainably focused campaigns and communications to create global impact. She has had the honor of leading the Conscious Fashion Campaign in collaboration with the United Nations and Transformers Foundation due to her depth of knowledge in sustainable production and the denim supply chain. She is passionate about telling the stories of the people behind the supply chain, championing sustainable innovations, helping brands use their businesses as a force for good, and helping consumers navigate the blurry world of sustainable fashion.

Kimberly Chamberland is the Founder and CEO of Big Mountain Foods, an award-winning plant-based food company established in 1987. Going back to her vegetarian roots, she has established herself as a true culinary expert and pioneer in her own right. Today Big Mountain Foods remains a family-owned business with distribution across North America. They are committed to sourcing local, cruelty-free, sustainable, plant-based ingredients and developing food that not only tastes great but is good for you. 

Jessica Malach is the VP of Marketing and Insights at Social Nature, a product discovery and trial platform powered by almost 1 million natural shoppers. She leads their United States and Canadian consumer insights and brand partner programs.  Jessica began her career in the natural health industry in 2004, leading company growth strategies with senior roles at Alive Publishing Group, Vega marketing team prior to a $550 million USD exit, Bullfrog Power renewable energy company, and Pinto product data and personalization tech provider recently acquired by SPINS. She is passionate about sharing knowledge with the industry and has been a contributing speaker on marketing and consumer health trends to Strategy Magazine, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Whole Foods Magazine, Nosh, Plant Based Foods Association, Canadian Health Food Association, and the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Graham Stewart is the founder and EVP of Fibre52, a cost-effective, eco-conscious processing technology which massively decreases the environmental impact of cotton dyeing. Graham has decades of experience as a textile and apparel production fiber to brand specialist in the textile industry in production, marketing and leadership roles. For the past two years, Graham has been developing Fibre52's patent-pending technology which retains cotton's natural properties, resulting in stronger, kinder fabric that offers moisture-management performance and strength properties that rival petrochemical-based textiles.

Sasha Bricel is the Director of Marketing at Nature's Path Foods, a pioneer in the organic food movement, and a leader in sustainable food design and development. Sasha is responsible for bringing Nature's Path brands to the world, growing the Nature's Path Organic Leadership legacy, and driving leadership effectiveness. Sasha is a Cannes and D&AD award-winning marketer and leader with over 10 years of experience working with some of Canada's biggest companies to manage and build purpose-led brands that aim to change the way the world works.

Lindsay O'Donnell is the Founder and Marketing Director of Piquant Marketing, a creative and strategic marketing agency that has worked with over 100 vegan and vegetarian food and wellness brands. Lindsay's passion for growing and supporting "foodpreneurs" and food brands started at Whole Foods Market and led her to found Piquant in 2016. Lindsay is also the co-owner and marketing partner of Planted Expo, Canada's largest plant-based event.

Emma Smith is the Founder of Zimt Chocolates, handmade artisanal chocolates that are vegan and certified organic. Zimt was founded in 2011 with the aim of supporting those who are most vulnerable through sales of chocolate and by spreading knowledge and opening hearts. Zimt is an ethical vegan company at heart and makes decisions consciously for environmental and human rights reasons. Their ingredients are certified organic, they use coconut sugar and nectar to sweeten their products, and they were an early adopter of biodegradable packaging. Zimt is committed to donating a portion of its sales to support animal rescues and organizations doing life-changing work to improve the lives of people vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

After working in the fashion industry for over fifteen years as a brand manager for top international brands, Silvia Jeane Gallo founded jeane & jax in 2014 with the vision of combining her fashion expertise with her compassion for nature. Today, jeane & jax designs and produces stylish and luxurious vegan handbags, with the mission of providing consumers with ethical and sustainable alternatives to animal-based leather goods. jeane & jax uses only sustainable premium recycled vegan materials and/or plant-based fabrics. Their commitment to creating ethical products extends to every level of their supply chain, including manufacturing. jeane & jax works only with factories that offer employees a safe, healthy and equitable work environment, and have been audited and certified to meet these standards.

Originally from just outside of north London England, Joey's career as a fashion designer has taken him across five continents. It was in 2019 that Joey decided to switch from designer to factory owner and start Veshin factory in Guangzhou, China. Veshin (pronounced V-shin) is built on a philosophy centred on sustainability, transparency & environmentally progressive values, and is an original equipment & design manufacturer (OEM/ODM) specializing in luxury bags & accessories made from leather alternatives. Veshin works with brands during the product design and manufacturing stages to help them switch to cruelty-free leather alternatives. By sourcing next-gen materials and chemical-free dyes, Veshin helps brands replicate the look, feel, and performance of leather without the environmentally harmful practices. Currently Joey resides in Colombia where he is piloting Veshin's second factory, located in Latin America.

Brent Baker is the Lead of New Business Development for MIRUM®, Natural Fiber Welding's (NFW) categorically new, plant-based, and plastic-free leather alternative material. Brent supports designers and makers around the world to reduce reliance on plastics and animal products to shrink their footprints and expand their creative palettes. In an industry awash with incremental solutions, NFW is driving a systems-level shift away from petroleum-derived products and toxic chemistries with their family of plastic-free materials.  Outside of MIRUM®, NFW is bringing to scale CLARUS®, a novel yarn treatment technology that imbues natural fibers with the performance of synthetics without the plastic, PLIANT® a 100% bio-based, recyclable, and moldable outsole for footwear, and TUNERA®, a 100% bio-based foam to replace plastic composites for internal components for consumer products.

Kelly Drennan is the Founding Executive Director of Fashion Takes Action (FTA), Canada's only non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability in the fashion industry. Her role at FTA is to remove the barriers to sustainability that exist for the entire fashion system, through initiatives such as the annual World Ethical Apparel Roundtable conference (WEAR), Sustainable Fashion Toolkit, and My Clothes My World, FTA's youth education program. In 2017, Kelly was the recipient of the prestigious Clean 50 award given to Canada's climate leaders, where she was recognized for Education & Thought Leadership, and was the first recipient of the award for the fashion industry. In 2022 Kelly won the Sustainability Award given out by the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA).

Sandra Nomoto is a content writer, editor, and marketing consultant for cruelty-free businesses. Sandra's communications career began in the public relations industry in 2005, and in 2012 she founded Conscious Public Relations, Inc., a B-Corporation certified PR agency for socially and environmentally responsible companies. Sandra authored The Only Public Relations Guide You'll Ever Need and Vegan Marketing Success Stories, the world's first vegan marketing book. She also co-hosts VEG Networking Canada, where plant-based and vegan companies connect and collaborate.

Amelia Eleiter is the Co-founder and CEO of Debrand, a leading textile recycling solutions provider in North America. Amelia and co-founder Wes Baker launched Debrand to help the world's leading apparel brands achieve their product sustainability goals. The company specializes in the secure reverse logistics of obsolete, damaged, or returned goods, with a focus on extracting as much value as possible from our planet's finite resources.

Steven Bethell is the Co-founder of Beyond Retro, a line of unique, reworked items handcrafted from carefully selected vintage fabrics. Beyond Retro has been the leader in vintage clothing in Europe for over 15 years and was featured on the cover of Vogue, in the Huffington Post, and worn by Adele. Steven is also the co-founder of Bank & Vogue Ltd., which works with over 250 charities and private collectors to maximize the value hierarchy of textiles, based on the belief that everything has the potential to not only avoid landfills, but generate profit. 

Emily Wilson is the Co-founder and CEO of Living Tree Foods, an emerging plant-based food company that aims to remove the barriers to eating a plant-based diet by making accessible vegan versions of traditional animal products. As an advocate for animal welfare and environmental sustainability – with a passion for plant-based foods – Emily launched Living Tree foods with her first creation: delicious cashew-based cheese spreads. How Emily's passion for animal rights and sustainability and her love of food fueled her journey from law student to food company CEO.

Madeleine Shaw is the Co-founder and Director of Partnerships and Impact at Aisle (formerly Lunapads), the #1 B Corporation in North America for sustainable period care products. Lunapads was one of the first ventures in the world to commercialize natural menstrual care, now a thriving industry. Madeleine has also championed initiatives for public institutions to include free access to safe and sustainable menstrual care products to address gender equity, poverty, and climate concerns. With 28 years of experience as a social entrepreneur, she is the author of The Greater Good, a guide to starting your own social impact initiative. Madeleine is also the Founder and Chief Community Officer of Nestworks, a family-friendly, co-working space and community.

Anita Spiller is the Head of Social Responsibility and Executive Communications at Tru Earth, an award-winning, global, eco-friendly household product company. Tru Earth has eliminated 100 million plastic containers and donated 19 million eco laundry strips within three years. In her role, Anita leads the CSR team with the aim of disrupting the CPG industry, eliminating single-use plastics and microplastics, and donating zero-waste products to organizations in need.