Andy Wales: The Water-Food-Energy Nexus - Why Everything you Consume is Connected

We are used to tackling challenges as single issues – rainforest depletion, overfishing, water scarcity – to name but a few. NGOs run compelling campaigns on single issues, companies develop issue-based targets, and most critically governments set policy and regulation in issue-based silos. But the scale of the resource crunch that we will see in the coming 20 years, with 3 billion more middle class consumers, means we will be forced to see, and manage, the connections and trade offs between these issues. At the heart of this is the water-food-energy nexus. We need new campaigns, new corporate strategies and new policies which consider these connections and drive dramatic efficiency and productivity improvements, the right land use choices and product innovation. And all this whilst meeting the legitimate needs and desires of those 3 billion new middle class consumers.

About Andy

Andy Wales is Global Head of Sustainable Development for SABMiller plc (www.sabmiller.com), one of the world’s largest brewers. He leads the group's approach to prioritising economic, social and environmental issues within the group’s strategies and business plans, including risks such as water scarcity and opportunities such as promoting local economic growth through smallholder farming. He also leads stakeholder engagement for the group.

Previously Andy held Corporate Responsibility Director roles at the environmental services group Severn Trent, and textiles firm Interface, Inc.

He holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, a masters degree in Sustainable Development Strategy from Middlesex University and a BA in English and International Development from Sussex University.

In 2009 he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2010 he was appointed a London Sustainable Development Commissioner. He is Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and of Forum for the Future. He is lead author of the book ‘Big Business, Big Responsibilities’, published in 2010 by Palgrave Macmillan (www.bigresponsibilities.org). His favourite beers include Peroni from Italy, Royal Challenge from India and Miller Chill from the United States.