June 27, 2023

Episode 47: Sustainability and Collaboration in the Freelance Era with Laura Hunter

In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, host and HUDDL3 CEO Dane Groeneveld interviews Laura Hunter, a sustainability professional and founder of The Now Work, who shares how she applied her humanities degree to service and sustainability. They discuss the importance of genuine action over greenwashing, the rise of freelance work in the sustainability industry, and the impact of technology on seamless collaboration.

Guest Bio

I’m a sustainability professional whose work for the past 8 years has spanned communications, sustainability strategy and entrepreneurship.

I’ve had the privilege of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver global re-brands, public campaigns and sustainability strategies for some of the world’s most influential organisations in tech, fashion, food and culture.

I’m the founder of The Now Work, the dedicated flex talent platform for sustainabile development. Our mission is to connect world-changing people to world-changing work.

I’m also on the Board of Trustees of Futerra Solutions Union, a non-profit here to use the power of culture to accelerate sustainable development solutions.

Previously, I was on the global leadership team at Futerra, the mission-driven change agency whose clients include Google, Danone the UN and YOOX-NET-A-PORTER.

I have taught all things sustainability as a Guest Lecturer at Kingston University and London College of Fashion and have been invited to speak on sustainability communications at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, IEMA and ADCE Europe.

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Recap & Takeaways

[00:11 – 02:49] How Laura took a humanities degree and applied it to service and sustainability
[02:50 – 05:52] The creative side and storytelling of sustainability
[06:00 – 09:01] How teams are coming together in the sustainability industry
[09:04 – 10:59] The concept of greenwashing creative work without the sustainability action, jumping on the marketing bandwagon
[11:01 – 13:28] The Now Work, building better connectivity for sustainability professionals to connect
[13:30 – 14:38] A place for deep subject matter experts
[14:40 – 16:46] Privilege and DEI in sustainability
[16:46 – 17:40] What attracted Laura to independent work
[17:41 – 20:26] Control as an excellent motivator for people
[20:26 – 22:12] By 2027, almost half the US labor market is expected to be freelance
[22:12 – 24:30] Different shades of full-time and part-time work
[24:31 – 26:42] Discussing building teams and what to look for
[27:11 – 29:20] Technology as an enabler of seamless work
[29:21 – 31:29] A framework for solving problems with technology
[31:29 – 33:56] Fractional work and getting the opportunity to dig deeper into other industries
[33:58 – 36:30] A development component of Laura’s SaaS platform, The Now Work
[36:31 – 39:54] Seeing impact in the fashion and creative industries
[39:53 – 43:11] Emerging focuses in fashion around sustainability, living wages, and de-growth
[43:13 – 47:29] A history of fossil fuels and coal, thinking about the challenges of sustainability
[47:30 – 48:39] Get ahold of Laura