Mark Shayler

Catch Mark Shayler on Do Radio: It’s Not About Trees with John Lunn 15th - 21st June 2026.

Mark Shayler is a sustainability consultant, speaker, author and creative thinker who has spent more than 35 years helping organisations design better products, reduce waste and build more sustainable business models. He has worked with organisations ranging from global brands such as Patagonia, Tesco and Coca-Cola to smaller entrepreneurial businesses, helping them align commercial success with environmental responsibility.

He is the author of several books, including You Can’t Make Money From a Dead Planet, Do Present and Do Disrupt, and is a long-standing contributor to the Do Lectures community, where he has been involved since its early years as a founding partner.

Known for combining systems thinking, creativity and practical business insight, Mark’s work focuses on helping organisations move beyond compliance and short-term thinking towards more regenerative and resilient approaches to value creation. His central belief is that economy and ecology are not opposing forces but deeply connected systems that must work together if businesses and communities are to thrive in the long term

Show Notes

In this episode, John Lunn speaks with Mark Shayler about sustainability, creativity and why the future depends as much on imagination as it does on technology or policy.

A long-standing member of the Do Lectures community and one of the UK’s best-known sustainability thinkers, Mark reflects on more than three decades helping organisations rethink how they design products, use resources and create value. From global brands to small businesses, his work has consistently focused on a simple challenge: how do we build businesses that thrive without damaging the systems they depend on?

The conversation explores the changing role of sustainability in business. Mark argues that the language may be shifting from sustainability and net zero towards resilience, regeneration and competitiveness but the underlying challenge remains the same. Increasingly, organisations are recognising that long-term success depends on reducing waste, using resources more intelligently and creating business models that can endure.

A central theme is the power of imagination. Mark believes many of today’s challenges stem from our tendency to imagine the worst rather than the best. The same creative capability that fuels anxiety and fear can also help us design better futures, stronger communities and more regenerative ways of living and working.

The discussion also touches on generational change, hope and the role of purpose in business. While acknowledging the political backlash surrounding sustainability, Mark remains optimistic that younger generations, changing consumer expectations and a growing understanding of long-term value will continue to drive progress.

Throughout the episode, there is a sense that sustainability is no longer a separate agenda. Instead, it is increasingly becoming part of a broader conversation about resilience, regeneration and how organisations can create lasting value in a rapidly changing world.