Organic Trade Conference 2025
Join Soil Association Certification's conference 'Winning Hearts and Minds' on 6th November in London. Scroll down to book and find out about the event.
How can the organic industry harness storytelling, advertising, and data to stand out, be impactful and drive growth?
We live in an age of greenwashing and greenhushing, at a time when the world urgently needs solutions to the climate, nature, and health crises.
Organic offers credible solutions. The impressive market growth over the past two years demonstrates a growing shift towards responsible consumption. However, organic serves a small percentage of the overall UK market and the media often portrays it as expensive and exclusive.
How can we tackle these challenges and inspire everyone - shoppers, retailers, and policymakers - to recognise why organic truly matters?
What you'll gain
Discover how the organic industry can appeal to the hearts and minds of loyal shoppers while attracting new audiences.
We will release the full agenda closer to the conference. Join us to discuss ideas, build valuable connections with other industry leaders and professionals and enjoy a delicious feast alongside our organic experts.
Event details
Thu 6 Nov 2025 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
The Barbican Centre, Silk St, London, EC2Y 8DS
Join us in person at the iconic Barbican Centre in London for a day of insights and networking.
Keynote: Solitaire Townsend
We’re excited to open the day with Solitaire Townsend, a leading international voice on communicating sustainability. She will share expert insights on how the organic industry can stand out in a competitive marketplace.
Solitaire is a respected sustainability expert, known for her recent book "The Solutionists", her Forbes column and her inspiring TED Talk. She is Co-founder/ Chief Solutionist at Futerra and Chair of The Solutions Union charity.
Her impressive achievements include:
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'Leader of the Year' at Adweek's Sustainability Awards 2023
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United Nations Global Compact SDG Pioneer for the UK
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Named by Positive News as one of three people transforming the climate narrative
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Previous 'Ethical Entrepreneur of the Year'
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Chair of the UK Green Energy Scheme, Trustee of Ashden
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Founder member of the United Nations Sustainable Lifestyles Taskforce
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Board member of the Hollywood Climate Summit
Solitaire holds a Masters degree in both Sustainability and Shakespeare.
Speakers
Lennart Bertel, Chairman, Junges Bioland e.V.
Lennart Nertels has been chairman of Junges Bioland e.V. since 2022, the youth organisation of Bioland e.V., Germany's largest organic farming association. Building agricultural youth structures and representing the interests of young organic farmers in Germany and internationally are central goals of his volunteer work. He is also a young farmer and gardener from Westphalia, Germany. He holds degrees in environmental sciences and political science from the universities of Lüneburg and Hohenheim.
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight, NielsenIQ
Mike is responsible for commercial development with food, non food and e commerce retailers at NielsenIQ. With over 30 year’s retail experience, he is a lead commentator of thought leadership and regularly shares his viewpoints on the ` State of the Nation` with the Media, the City and at Conferences. As a contributor to Global Thought Leadership from NIQ, he supports retailer, manufacturer and financial services clients with retail, business and shopper insight for UK and Western Europe. Mike is also a member of the KPMG Retail Think Tank (RTT).
Dominie Fearn, Founder, The Wild Hare Group and Wild Chain
Dominie Fearn is the founder of The Wild Hare Group, bringing regenerative, organic ready-meals to major UK retailers, and Wild Chain, a data platform proving sustainability through farm-level metrics. Passionate about food, farming, and transparency, she champions British farmers and leads innovation at the intersection of environment, supply chain, and consumer choice.
Michael Hanley, Commercial Director, Soil Association Exchange
Michael leads the Soil Association Exchange sales team as Commercial Director, spear-heading the growth of the company and corporate partnerships at Exchange. He has a varied career, ranging from facilitating and funding environmental research impact, to working with the European Space Agency and space-data companies, to build products and services that capture and map nature-based solutions and wider environmental data.
