Future-fit businesses in action at the POC Conference

The focus for the Products of Change (POC) Conference this year is firmly on efficiency, circularity, cost-savings and the business-case for sustainable change, which is why POC is lining up a roster of speakers and organisations that will demonstrate sustainability isn’t just about responsibility – it’s about resilience and scalable business models in a fast-changing world.

The 2025 Products of Change (POC) Conference on 5 November, will bring together brand owners, retailers, and manufacturers to the Royal Geographical Society, London, as well as online, for another unmissable display of sustainable innovation and collaboration.

Join the Conference to discover how future-fit businesses are cutting costs, building resilience, and leading transformation across brand, licensing, and retail. It will explore how embedding sustainable practices – like circularity – goes beyond impact reduction to deliver cost-savings and business efficiencies.

Opening the Conference will be Open Planet, the creators behind David Attenborough’s powerful new documentary, Ocean, who will share how storytelling is helping to inform, inspire, and accelerate climate action.

Following on from last year’s conversation by Matt Young from Bravado, this year will see Hallotex discuss its partnership with the merchandising arm of Universal Music Group to pilot a closed-loop textile-to-textile recycling model. Over 400,000 t-shirts and other items have been sent from Bravado’s warehouse to Hallotex’s facilities where they will be recycled into an estimated 280,000 new t-shirt blanks to feature in UMG’s artist collections in the autumn. The initiative, developed for Billie Eilish, is believed to be the most extensive artist merchandise upcycling programme attempted at this scale.

With packaging, particularly in relation to EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) at the forefront of many business’ minds, POC will bring LEGO in to share how it is driving significant cost savings and business efficiencies with innovative packaging design, demonstrating that when sustainability is embedded rather than an addition, it can reap considerable business results.

Continuing the discussion on packaging will be Tesco, who will showcase how its approach to packaging has evolved to stay ahead of the EU legislation, by setting the bar of reduced impact both internally and with its suppliers.

Innovating a new business model with purpose built into its very framework, household essentials company Smol, will showcase how a product’s use and then disposal has been designed in from the very beginning, creating a solution that isn’t just sustainable but more efficient and convenient for the consumer.

“Across our community, we’re seeing the brands we work with step into a powerful role – not just adapting to change, but leading it,” said Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and CEO of Products of Change. “This conference is about showing what’s possible when we stop thinking in silos and start building together.”

The 2024 Conference saw record-breaking attendance and visitors from some of the biggest names in retail and licensing, such as the BBC, Penguin Random House, Paramount, Warner Bros, Mattel, Universal Music Group, Disney, and the Natural History Museum.

“As the landscape continues to shift – from tightening legislation to rising consumer expectations – we’re seeing businesses rethink how they operate, and how they can work better together,” added Helena. “This year’s event is about showcasing those leading that transformation – and inspiring others to join them.”