Charlie Cotton’s approach to sustainability is driven by one simple but powerful belief: true change happens when businesses embrace continuous improvement. As the founder of ecollective, Charlie has transformed how companies tackle their carbon emissions, pushing them to go beyond offsetting and focus on actual reductions. In our ‘9 Questions With’ series, Charlie discusses his journey from the travel industry to founding ecollective, his unwavering commitment to sustainability, and how his team helps businesses lower their carbon footprint year after year. With a strong belief in the power of innovation and collaboration, Charlie continues to lead the charge for a more sustainable future.

What started as observing a shockingly high number of single-use water bottles consumed during a 10-day trip led Charlie Cotton to found ecollective, a company dedicated to helping businesses reduce their carbon footprints. As a sustainability leader, Charlie challenges companies to go beyond simple carbon offsetting and invest in real, lasting solutions that lower emissions and cut future costs.

Through ecollective, Charlie has worked across industries to drive supply chain sustainability, reduce carbon footprints and create innovative approaches to climate responsibility. A thought leader in the field, he offers valuable insights into the challenges businesses face in achieving true sustainability and how technology, including AI, will shape the future of corporate responsibility.

Read on to explore Charlie's perspective on how companies can make a real difference in the fight against climate change and how leaders can move beyond the status quo to create lasting, impactful change.

Team Reblue: Charlie, every sustainability leader has their own origin story. Could you take us back to those pivotal moments or experiences that sparked your passion for sustainability and ultimately led you to founding ecollective? Was there a particular "aha" moment that made you think, "This is where I want to make my impact"?

Charlie Cotton: I used to work for a travel company and in the space of a week, I learnt just how many water bottles one person typically uses on a 10-day trip. It was a shockingly high number for a company that had 1000's of customers. At the same time, whilst looking at options for travel companies to be more sustainable, none of them seemed to address this desire to constantly improve. They all had a system which was if you tick 70% of our boxes you are certified as being sustainable which went against my desire for constant improvement. So I started to ecollective, to help measure the carbon footprint of companies and then reduce it, every single year.

"We want to have reduced the amount of CO2 going into the air. Not just thousands but millions of tonnes of CO2."

Team Reblue: At ecollective, you've made a strong push for actual carbon reduction over just offsetting. What inspired you to take that approach, and what are some of the biggest myths you've had to debunk for businesses trying to grasp what true carbon reduction means?

Charlie Cotton: Far too many people are offsetting when what the world really needs is lots of people changing "business as usual" so that we emit less CO2 into the air. The problem is that reducing is hard, whilst offsetting is easy. But the tide is turning with more and more companies spending less on offsetting and instead investing that money into their own low carbon solutions such as solar panels, heat pumps and EVs which lower their emissions as well as their future bills.

"Far too many people are offsetting when what the world really needs is lots of people changing 'business as usual' so that we emit less CO2 into the air. The problem is that reducing is hard, whilst offsetting is easy."

Team Reblue: How important do you think authenticity is when it comes to a company’s sustainability efforts? Could you share a story of a company that particularly impressed you with their genuine approach?

Charlie Cotton: There are so many companies doing great things but probably not communicating it that well. I am so impressed by the reduction results of the Business Design Centre, this is all done with simple and consistent improvements to the business, that also happened to reduce CO2. I also really like travel companies who carbon label their trips online (there are quite a few we work with), for me this tells the customer that this company is aware they have a footprint but they are not hiding from it. In fact, quite the opposite, they are measuring the carbon footprint of what they sell and using those results to design better low carbon trips in the future.

"AI will not replace sustainability managers but they can be a good aide in speeding up paperwork, measurements and reporting."

Team Reblue: Working with so many companies trying to lower their carbon footprints, what's been the toughest challenge you've seen them face in reducing emissions? And how did they overcome that hurdle?

Charlie Cotton: Reducing the carbon footprint of suppliers is a challenge. You need to get them to start measuring and then reduce emissions which is hard work! Secondly, the other major challenge is time. Most of our clients are short on time to put into place new reduction strategies.

Team Reblue: Supply chain sustainability is often called the 'final frontier' of corporate sustainability. From your work at ecollective, what creative approaches have you seen that get suppliers genuinely invested in sustainability—not just ticking a box?

Charlie Cotton: There are a few, from putting sustainable impact into contracts, hosting webinars for them, rewarding the best businesses who reduce the most to proactively finding solutions for their suppliers. Canopy & Stars really stand out here. Most of their footprint comes from suppliers and each year they are trying new tactics to see what works and what doesn't, so that they are a little bit more knowledgeable each year.

"The tide is turning with more and more companies spending less on offsetting and instead investing that money into their own low carbon solutions."

Team Reblue: The concept of 'economic nutrition' in tourism is fascinating. Could you break down how this idea evolved at ecollective, and perhaps share a success story where technology helped create meaningful local impact?

Charlie Cotton: The most positive impact the tourism industry can bring is money. Money from traditionally wealthy areas to areas that are less developed. The problem is, does that money stay in the local community. Economic nutrition is exactly that, how much of your holiday money benefits the local area you visit. The numbers are typically far lower than you would expect. We use this information along with the carbon footprint of the trip to help companies tweak their itineraries so each year, their trips impact the planet less (CO2) and benefit local communities even more ($$$).

Team Reblue: AI is shaking up pretty much every industry. How do you see AI playing a role in sustainability, and what are some of the most exciting ways you think it could transform corporate sustainability in the coming years?

Charlie Cotton: AI will not replace sustainability managers but they can be a good aide in speeding up paperwork, measurements and reporting. They may also help with energy efficiency too. This is great because at the moment far too many people are spending too much of their time on the measurements and reporting and not enough time actually reducing emissions.

"There are already amazing businesses out there who have a tiny carbon footprint, especially when compared against their competitors. This shows it is possible, as these companies are making money and have happy customers."

Team Reblue: If you had five minutes to speak with every C-suite executive out there, what would you say to them about the future of sustainability? What’s the one key message you’d want them to truly understand?

Charlie Cotton: You may have a choice to do it this year or maybe next year, but it will soon no longer be a choice and those who delay will pay the most in the long run.

Team Reblue: Last one, looking ahead—when you reflect on your work at ecollective decades from now, what impact do you hope to have left behind? And with everything you've seen, what gives you hope for the future of our planet?

Charlie Cotton: This one is very simple, we want to have reduced the amount of CO2e going into the air. Not just thousands but millions of tonnes of CO2e. In terms of hope, they are already amazing businesses out there who have a tiny carbon footprint, especially when compared against their competitors. This shows it is possible, as these companies are making money and have happy customers. We do not need new technology, we have all the tools we need. We just need to implement them.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Cotton.