In this episode, Saif Hameed is joined by Shannon Bouton, CEO of Delterra, for a wide-ranging conversation about waste, climate and the systems that govern how materials move through our economy. Speaking from snowy Michigan, Shannon brings a global perspective shaped by years of hands-on work designing waste management systems across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and increasingly, the United States.

The discussion explores the often-overlooked connection between waste and climate change, particularly the role of organic waste and methane emissions. Shannon challenges the idea that waste, climate and environmental issues can be treated separately, emphasising instead that they are tightly interconnected parts of a single planetary system. Together, Saif and Shannon unpack why waste has become more visible to consumers and companies alike, and why it has largely avoided the political polarisation seen in other sustainability debates.

A significant portion of the conversation digs into what makes a waste system “leaky,” why certain materials like PET bottles are more likely to be recovered than sachets or thin films, and how economic incentives shape what actually gets recycled. Shannon explains why designing packaging for recyclability, not just recycled content, is critical, and why simplification for consumers may be one of the most powerful levers companies have.

The episode also tackles complex topics like waste-to-energy, extended producer responsibility, and emerging innovations—from advanced recycling to biological solutions for organic waste. Throughout, Shannon offers a clear takeaway for sustainability professionals: there is no silver bullet, but thoughtful system design, material simplification, and aligning economics with environmental outcomes can drive meaningful change at scale.

The State of Sustainability Podcast is where we unpack the topics and trends of corporate sustainability, hosted by Saif Hameed, Founder and CEO of Altruistiq.

To find out more about what we do at Altruistiq, visit Altruistiq.com

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

On the latest episode of the State of Sustainability, host Saif Hameed discusses the "wholesale functional shift" and organisational overhaul that defined 2025, where sustainability teams were frequently moved under procurement or legal departments to address supply chain resilience and compliance. Saif also highlights a "general demotion" of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), noting that many of these roles have transitioned from reporting directly to the CEO to sitting deeper within the executive chain. This structural change is accompanied by a growing demand for harder technical skills - such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and data science - as companies move away from generalist roles to focus on carbon as their primary, and often solitary, metric.

Looking toward 2026, Saif offers a "cynical realist" outlook, predicting a continued "sustainability freeze" and "green hushing" where companies talk less about their achievements while reducing budgets and incremental initiatives. He anticipates a massive vendor shakeout among distressed software and consultancy providers, alongside a significant "retrenchment" of 2030 climate targets as businesses realize many of their original goals were aspirational rather than achievable. Despite these challenges, Saif emphasises that supplier-specific carbon data is becoming "table stakes" for procurement and that actual progress is being made at a much larger scale than a decade ago.

To find out more about what we do at Altruistiq, visit Altruistiq.com

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

The State of Sustainability Podcast is where we unpack the topics and trends of corporate sustainability, hosted by Saif Hameed, Founder and CEO of Altruistiq.

This time Saif speaks with Buffy CEO Leo Wang about how the bedding brand successfully built a sustainable product while pivoting its market message away from environmentalism toward consumer concerns about safety, comfort, and performance.

Key Takeaways:
• Initial Intent vs. Market Reality: Buffy began around 2017/2018 with the idea that the mass consumer was ready for bedding informed by sustainability values, but mass distribution quickly showed that leading with this message alienated customers.
• Safety and Trust as the Wedge: For many North American consumers, "sustainability" often translates to concerns about safety and trust, focusing on whether a product is safe for the household and family, rather than purely environmental impact.
• The Sugar Pill Strategy: Buffy intentionally "architected" its product to be highly sustainable (the "medicine") but prioritized performance and comfort messaging (the "candy") so the broad audience would unknowingly buy the ethical product.
• Performance is Paramount: Consumers often exhibit weariness toward sustainability claims, worrying that ethical products will be less soft, "crunchy," or defective compared to traditional alternatives, making performance an overriding purchase criterion.
• Sustainability as Table Stakes: Deep sustainability has become "table stakes" for D2C brands - a basic check mark that assures the consumer they are not a bad person by buying the product, but not a primary purchase differentiator.
• Distribution Demands: Distribution channels, including mass retail and digital advertising, force businesses to appeal to the "least common denominators" of consumer criteria, making financial stability and consistency critical over expensive, deep-seated ethical claims that customers rarely absorb.

To find out more about what we do at Altruistiq, visit Altruistiq.com

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.