September’s Autumn Fair is partnering with Products of Change (POC) to deliver a series of one-on-one and group educational sessions and workshops for attendees, as part of the next stage of its Power of One campaign to empower and energise retailers and consumers to change the future of retail, one step at a time.
A membership network, educational platform, and content hub, curated by experts across multiple disciplines within sustainability and the consumer products industries, Products of Change sets out to educate and to inform change across business.
Through its partnership with Products of Change, Autumn Fair, taking place at the NEC from 4-7 September, will be offering visitors a ‘how to’ element to facilitate the implementation of sustainability measures at retail and across product categories. Currently, gift industry members include Belly Button Designs; Talking Tables and Rainbow Designs.
“With a breadth of partners across multiple categories including brand owners, manufacturers and retailers, Products of Change is extremely proud to partner with Autumn Fair this year to offer a cross-category expertise on implementing better sustainability and driving positive change across business,” says Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and ceo of Products of Change.
“With audience demand for more sustainable products, and more ethical business in general, greater than it has ever been, and with so many companies implementing so many fantastically forward-thinking business practices already, we’re very excited to be able to play our part in the transition to a more sustainable – and regenerative – future for businesses, people, and the planet. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand in Hall 6; H40.”
During the show, Products of Change will be delivering one-on-one and group educational sessions and workshop tasters, as well as practice guides for all attendees keen to learn how to better align their business or products with core sustainability measures. Visitors will be shown the importance of transparency across supply chains as well as the benefit of working as a community towards a common goal of better sustainability and positive change across the consumer products industry.
Helena Mansell-Stopher, and POC advisor and net zero ambassador June Kirkwood will be at the show for all four days – September 4-7. On Monday September 5 and Tuesday September 6, Mike Swain, founder of Pack IDS and senior advisor to the UK Packaging Council, will be speaking about sustainable packaging. James George, POC ambassador of circular Principles and strategic advisor at Pyxera, will be focusing on the circular economy on Tuesday September 6 and Wednesday September 7. Visit Products of change – Autumn Fair 2022
Daniel Mayhew, event director at Autumn Fair, commented: “As the conversation surrounding sustainability within the retail and consumer product sectors deepens, so too, has our commitment to supporting the journey of our community. Power of One creates a forum to educate and inspire, and our strategic partnership with Products of Change enables us to provide much-needed educational sessions and workshops for our visitors to learn how they can make changes, to talk about what needs to be done to change the future, what already is being done, and how to support customers to take the right steps in becoming more sustainable. The campaign has really accelerated for Autumn Fair 2022 and we will continue championing the brands, suppliers, and retailers we work with along the way to help change the face of retail.”
Another key element of Autumn Fair’s Power of One initiative is its Sustainability Trail which spotlights the fair trade and more environmentally conscious brands, allowing visitors to easily find them through the sustainable filter on the show’s exhibitor list, and also highlighted in show guides and via the Autumn Fair App.
The Power of One campaign has, this year, also committed to three pledges to help drive better sustainability and wellbeing:
Pass It On – With the circular economy at its heart, Pass It On empowers customers to reuse, repair, and recycle their best-loved items to give products a second lease of life and reduce the impact on finite resources.
Do You Need It? – Showcasing the power that small steps have to make a huge change, Do You Need It encourages retailers to offer customers alternatives to single-use items such as receipts.
Checking In – A pledge that asks staff the questions that matter, from time off to a healthy work/life balance, Checking In takes care of the beating heart of the retail industry.
For more information on Power of One visit Power of One – Autumn Fair 2022
For Products of Change visit www.productsofchange.com
Top: The Products of Change line-up includes, from left to right: Helen Mansell-Stopher; June Kirkwood; Mike Swain and James George.
