ADVISOR INSIGHTS
TURNING THE PAGE ON SUSTAINABILITY
ABOVE: David Sprei (left), commercial director at Penguin Ventures, and James George (right), POC advisor.
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hen we spoke with David, one thing was clear: this isn’t a story about ticking boxes or polishing a halo. It’s about something far messier – and far more interesting: it’s about starting. Because let’s be honest – no one’s cracked it yet. Not Penguin, not the industry, not any of us. There’s no glossy playbook for building a more sustainable future; there’s just a determination to take the first, slightly clumsy steps and learn as we go. At Penguin Ventures, that beginning has been ref reshingly honest: acknowledging that noise is everywhere, that perfection is nowhere, and that asking better questions – of themselves and their partners – is where real progress starts. It’s not about virtue signalling or throwing around buzzwords. It’s about taking responsibility, quietly and consistently, in a world that’s already moving fast.
RIGHT: James caught up with David on Penguin Venture’s sustainability journey so far.
Products of Change’s lead advisor, James George, has been working closely with the team at Penguin Ventures on their sustainability strategy. James sat down with David Sprei, commercial director at Penguin Ventures to share their story and their progress so far. David, hello! Good to see you again, so an easy one to start with... Starting out on your sustainability journey, what sparked the initial push for Penguin Ventures to embrace environmental responsibility? “Inspired by the progress that has been made in the publishing side of our business, we decided we also needed to be part of the changing world, and to be accountable for our impact. There’s been so much noise in the industry, and it was time to make a start. That’s the easiest part, because this is a journey with no initial map. There is no end in our journey.” What are some early steps you’ve taken to integrate sustainability into your business practices, and what challenges have you encountered along the way? “Our initial focus has been understanding what our licensees are already doing in this space. To understand this, we need to ensure we’re asking the right questions and collecting consistent and useful data to see what’s being done, what we need to do, and how to achieve this. We have identified some quick wins which we could implement immediately. For example, we had already begun exploring ways to reduce our footprint even before formally starting this journey. During lockdown, we reduced the number of physical samples required during the product development process. This not only streamlined
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