POC Panel at Expo: Why Sustainability is now Core to Brand Licensing

Products of Change is hosting a panel session on Wednesday 20 May, 16:00-16:45 at the Networking Hub at Licensing Expo, titled: Why Sustainability is now Core to Brand Licensing.

Hosted by Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and CEO of Products of Change, this panel brings together leaders driving real change across beauty, fashion, music, and entertainment: Andrew Xeni (Nobody’s Child), Olivia Kelly (Universal Music Group/Bravado), John Breckow (Disney), and  Siobhan May Gardiner (The LEGO Group).

Together, they will explore how brand owners and licensees can move beyond intent to impact by embedding sustainability into product, partnerships and commercial strategy to future-proof brands and unlock endless opportunity.

The brand and licensing industry has always evolved with culture, responding to shifting trends, retail changes as well as new consumer expectations. But there is one shift that is not a passing phase: the expectation that brands genuinely care – and should care.

Today’s consumers, particularly the next generation, expect brands to care about how products are made, their environmental impact, and the future they help shape. Sustainability is no longer a side conversation in all of this; it is instead now deeply embedded in how business is judged.

Despite changing language and political noise, this expectation has not weakened. Environmental concern now ranks second globally in unprompted mentions when consumers discuss sustainability. According to McKinsey’s State of the Consumer 2025, 61% of global consumers care about climate change, and 51% believe businesses – not individuals – must lead the transition.