BLE 2025 was reportedly the biggest yet for the show, seeing a rise in both attendee and exhibitor numbers, but it was also a big show for POC, demonstrated by the standing-room only Networking Hub for our content session: The POC Power Hour.

With so much to talk about, POC decided to split its hour slot at the BLE Networking Hub, held in partnership with the Global Licensing Group, into two. The first half hour was a crash course through the latest legislation that is impacting the brand and licensing industry right now, as well as the tools POC is creating to support with this, such as the Maturity Index. The second half welcomed Paramount and LUSH to the stage to discuss a real licensing partnership that was both impactful and profitable, as well as sustainable, driving change through the products and the activation.

In case you missed the talk, here are some of the highlights of the conversation:

Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder and CEO of Products of Change, began by explaining who POC is, for those who were joining the session for the first time, and how POC is formed from the brand and licensing industry, for the brand and licensing industry, so everything we deliver and produce is done so through that lens and in direct support of our membership community.

On everyone’s chair was the Legislation Lookbook (which you can read digitally here), providing a landscape assessment of what is happening. Helena went through the EU Green Deal and its four main pillars, and how it is affecting both brand owners and licensees. This is where our Carbon Methodology body of work for calculating Scope 3 emissions and brand and licensing industry comes in, which is pending approval from the World Resource Institute.

Another important POC body of work is the Maturity Index, which will record and show where a brand’s licensees are on their sustainability journey: their ‘maturity,’ as it were. It will be a centralised database to prevent licensees from having to input duplicate data for all the brands they work with, and will enable them to see how they compare against other manufacturers, and where they need to be for us to hit the 2030 targets.

Meanwhile for brand owners, it provides them with all the information laid out in from of them on the sustainability of their licensees, so they can transparently assess their journey and make informed decisions as a result. This technology will be free for all of our POC Members to use, and brand owners who are members can send it to all of their licensees to fill out. It will enable the industry to assess its progress and shortfalls, but also for us as POC to see where we can offer further support to propel the industry towards its more resilient and sustainable future. Read more about the Maturity Index in our magazine here.

LUSH and Paramount: a licensing match made in heaven

Helena then welcomed to the stage Alex Filletti, senior creative director, Paramount, and Steve Sheffield, collaborations account executive, LUSH, to speak about their ongoing partnership.

Alex explained that the collaboration began with Paramount’s campaign for SpongeBob called Operation SeaChange, centered around marine conservation. “We had a list of companies we wanted to work with and of course, LUSH was at the top of the list for many reasons, but maybe the biggest one was sustainability,” said Alex. Paramount and LUSH are now on their third collaboration: the first being SpongeBob, followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the third due for launch next year.

Since LUSH came off social media platforms, it was looking for ways to reach new audiences, and so began its licensing programme back in 2021. When Paramount approached LUSH with Operation SeaChange, Steve said “it felt like the perfect opportunity to kickstart collaborations within our LUSH ethics and DNA.” He added that a tight creative brief can massively inspire creativity and product development, which is exactly what happened with Paramount, with LUSH producing its first ever fully plastic-free range for SpongeBob.

LUSH already has strong ethical and sustainability standards woven into its identity, with 66% of its products sold unpackaged, 100% recyclable packaging and a closed loop internal recycling system, and 100% free from animal testing, with most of its products also being vegan. But the collaboration with Paramount and the prescription to go fully plastic-free for the range pushed LUSH even further, leading it to develop new packaging solutions, such as a metal tin for its jellies, and the iconic burger box for its Crabby Patties.

Both Alex and Steve agreed that the joy of the SpongeBob brand married so well with LUSH’s fun image and handmade products.

“We thought about the product, but also the packaging and how we integrate LUSH’s branding into our world,” explained Alex, “But also the point of sale in the store: when you went into a store it was like you were entering Bikini Bottom. It was really magical. And the amazing LUSH team also did games on their website which linked to cleaning up ocean plastic as well. So really bringing that message home.”

When it came to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle range, Steve admitted he is a big fan of the comics, and a lot of this passion went into the products; “I was able to put a lot of Easter eggs in there, that only the really hardcore fans would pick up on,” said Steve. To which Alex added: “Our fans could tell it was designed with love; it felt really authentic.”

One of the standout products from this collection was the pizza slice, with bath melt piped on top like melted cheese. “When we went to see it in store when it first opened, it was great to see fans taking pictures with the products […] it got us that engagement in a different retail channel, which not necessarily the Turtle fan would think to be there,” commented Alex.

The LUSH and Paramount collaboration is what brand licensing is all about: extending the recognition, nostalgia and fanbase of a brand into new categories and creating experiences and moments for consumers. But not only did they do this, but they did it while driving a marine conservation campaign and creating some very real innovations all in the name of sustainability – it can be done! And the sustainability parameters that guided this collaboration are what enabled it to be so creative and impactful; no compromises, just fantastic product and consumer engagement – without the environmental footprint.

For more conversations like this, join the Products of Change Conference on 5 November. More information here.