Mark Jones

Amid the growing rise of the ecommerce market globally, consumer habits and priorities are evolving rapidly. For today’s consumers, sustainability stands out as one of the most significant trends. Driven by heightened awareness around climate change, plastic waste and unethical labour practices, consumers are actively seeking out brands and retailers that prioritise environmental and social responsibility.

This shift in consumer mindset presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses looking to adapt and meet these changing expectations. On one hand, implementing sustainable practices throughout the supply chain and product lifecycle can be complex and costly. 

On the other hand, brands that authentically embrace sustainability principles stand to gain a considerable competitive advantage. Numerous studies have shown that consumers, particularly younger demographics, are willing to pay more for products and services aligned with their environmental values.

According to figures from Statista, in the biggest urban areas worldwide, carbon emissions due to ecommerce logistics are forecast to hit around 25 million CO2 metric tonnes by 2030. To tackle these sustainability challenges, organisations must think differently, implementing sustainability initiatives across their supply chains.

THG, a digital first consumer brands group, is tackling these issues head-on. With its portfolio of leading beauty, health, wellness and sports nutrition brands, THG operates three distinct businesses - THG Beauty, THG Nutrition and THG Ingenuity, each scaled from the UK to hold global leading positions in their respective sectors.

As THG’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Mark Jones oversees all of THG’s strategic and co-implementation across environmental and social aspects of the business. Joining in June 2023, the role represents an exciting opportunity to build THG’s sustainability strategy, THG x Planet Earth.

Jones' passion for sustainability was ignited in an unlikely place – his first job after achieving his Master’s degree at an agricultural technology company in rural Lincolnshire. "My sustainability journey really started in my first role after my Master's degree," Jones recalls. "I joined an AgTech business based in Kentucky but was located in Stamford, Lincolnshire."

While his initial responsibilities centred around health, safety and the environment, it was implementing the company's environmental management system that sparked his interest. “During the implementation, I discovered a love for waste and waste management,” Jones said. “This sparked my interest in sustainability and how it impacts business operations and wider supply chain.”

That early experience drove Jones to delve deeper into circularity models and supply chain sustainability as his career progressed through roles at major tech giants like Amazon and Amazon Web Services. “Much of my career and sustainability experience has been in the tech world and across supply chain and operations,” he notes.

Today, as THG’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Jones appreciates the company's fast-paced yet logical approach to innovation. “We're encouraged to take on programmes, start small and then look at scaling and automating them,” he explains. “What I love is that we use innovation and technology in combination and apply it at scale.”

However, Jones believes THG's biggest asset is its people and culture. “Team members are very willing to support each other regardless of department," he said. “This helps my team take our initiatives and work across functions to scale them broadly with speed.”

With an average employee age of just 29-30 years old, Jones finds his sustainability message resonating. “This new generation is much more passionate about sustainability,” he remarks. “It's great to see that engagement as it really helps amplify our message on a wider scale.”

Read the full story HERE.

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