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Research, case studies, podcasts, toolkits, actions: everything to help you fast track doing business for good. Our services >

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What is The Business Pickle?

Wising up to the business of good

Using business as a force for good can be quite the pickle. While you want to balance profit with purpose, real-world challenges get in the way. We don’t have all the answers at The Business Pickle, but we sure have fun seeking them out.

No lectures or silver bullets. Just lessons learned, research uncovered, and experiences shared by some of the world’s brightest voices on making an impact through business.

Why The Business Pickle?

Commercial research

Our research focuses on business realities, translates academic findings into practical actions, and features global perspectives, businesses, trends, and case studies.

Action oriented

This is not an academic exercise: our services are designed to help business leaders and teams to take informed action.

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Boutique advisory

We are a dynamic team that works to understand your business and team, whether you need a once-off workshop or a roadmap for change.

The team

Simon Smallchua

Strategy

Gillian Pereira

Research

Becky Smallchua

Strategy

Sarah O'Terra

Website & Content

Rachel Lai

Digital

Our principles

Step out of the echo chamber

Cross geographic, industry and cultural borders. Learn from a variety of voices, experiences and contexts that lead to fresh ideas.

Actively challenge our biases, seek out diverse perspectives across regions, cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints. Listen to people different from ourselves, build a diverse team.

No silver bullet

Get to grips with the hard realities of profit and impact going hand in hand, free of sugar coating or hype. Acknowledge that all businesses cause harm in some way, no matter their intentions. There is no perfect system. Do better today than yesterday.

Break down mental barriers by sharing relatable problems, solutions and dispelling myths. Focus on what businesses need and want. Emphasise doing something over being perfect - in how we execute, plan and partner, as well as in our research.

Spark curiosity

Look at persistent problems (pickles) differently: think critically, but with curiosity  and hope, to lead to new solutions -  and maybe prompt others to do the same.

Seek out interesting and unexpected examples, ideas, stories that intrigue us and our community. Make people want to dig deeper. Practise curiosity and be genuinely interested in the topics we explore.

Take the next step

This is not an academic exercise: our research is here to spur on leaders to take action, whether it’s a small step or a step change. Inspire leaders to persevere, to try a new approach, and make research-informed decisions.

The topics we choose and the way we communicate our research are always with an eye to practical action. We help our audience clarify their focus to make improvements. We measure our own impact using data.

Latest episode

SEASON 1
EPISODE 9

The great packaging pileup: finding better ways to wrap up our goods

This is part two of our series on the great packaging pileup: finding better ways to wrap up our goods. How can businesses improve their approach to packaging, maximising its value and eliminating waste? In this episode, we take a closer look at the claims and terms that we see often written on packaging or said about packaging, like recyclable, recycled content, reusable, biodegradable... and try to demystify  what they mean in practice. We give some advice to businesses around how they can tell customers what to do with packaging once it's in their hands. We also share another framework to help businesses improve their packaging approach from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, with an example about the world's largest cosmetics company, L'Oreal.

Explore our research

SEASON 1

We waste a third of our food. What can businesses do about it?

“If food waste were a country, it's the third largest emitter of carbon after China and America.”

DC Central Kitchen
Goterra
Rubies in the Rubble
Supply Chain
Natural Environment
Jenny Costa
Bob Gordon
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SEASON 1

The great packaging pileup: finding better ways to wrap up our goods

We need to fundamentally rethink and redesign packaging systems for the circular economy...

Cradle to Cradle
Kester Black
Refillable India
Supply Chain
Technology
Monica Becker
Anna Ross
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Latest from The Business Pickle

What can you do at The Business Pickle?

Explore our research topics, find support to improve your business impact, or share an idea with us.