Ethos 25 is out now! We caught up with publisher and co-founder, Fiona Shaw who also founded Baltic Creative based ‘Wordscape’, to find out more about this incredible publication that now boasts more than a decade in print.
Tell us who you are and your role in Ethos.
I’m Fiona and I’m the publisher of Ethos magazine, and one of its three founders.
Ethos 25 is out now, and after more than a decade since the first edition, tell us a bit about the vision behind it, why it started.
We started to share stories about businesses doing things that were responsible, sustainable and innovative. We’d been asked to do something specifically about social enterprise, but we wanted to widen it out from that – I really believe in the idea that we make choices about what we buy and where we get it from; that we know how much things cost – and why. Thats’s our clothes, what we eat – where we spend our money… I genuinely believe that business can be a force for good. But you need to know which businesses are doing things better for that to work.
Across the time of delivering Ethos, what do you think have been the changing patterns of businesses wanting to generate good from what they do? And what is next?
I do! But to be honest, it’s not going in the right direction at the moment. It’s definitely not a linear path. I think we were starting to make progress – and in lockdown there was a genuine sense of celebrating what mattered – like the people who care for us and the small businesses that contribute so much. But I think it’s stuttered since then. Businesses are wary about getting things wrong or over-claiming on their achievements. It’s call ‘greenhushing’ and I think can be put down to the pile-on effect of social media platforms. But there’s also been a rolling back of environmental and diversity and equity commitments that’s been led by politicians. You all know who I mean.
Across 25 editions, what have been some of the stand out interviews or articles?
I like the lesser-known stories, where people are doing it because it matters to them. So, in this issue, it’s the MonkeySox story; last year I went to see Ventete in London, who make an amazing inflatable cycle helmet and a couple of summers ago I spoke to Haeckels in Margate; Madlug was another great story, too. While I love it when a big brand talks to us – we’ve had Patagonia, Ben and Jerry’s and Lego as cover stories (amongst many others) and these big cover stories give people an easy way in… But I love talking to founders. People who’ve started a business to solve a particular problem they see in the world. You just get a different feeling from them, and it’s great! I love talking to people about what they do and what makes them tick, basically!
What is the focus of Ethos 25?
This issue is about turning ideas into action. So one of the big stories is about TEDx, and that community of speakers who share their experience of starting something or doing something. I think lots of us have all sorts of ideas, inventions and hot takes all of the time… but they generally don’t make it as far as becoming a ’thing’. There’s a boldness to starting something, trying something and just taking the plunge – we should probably all do a bit more of it!
Why do you think Ethos is important to its readership, and those who haven’t yet discovered it, but should take a look?
People tell us they like it because it’s a physical thing that they can take away and read; and that it often makes them think about something differently. It might introduce them to something new, or hear a new perspective on something. We launched it with a crowdfunder, so we have readers in about 30 different countries. It means there’s always lots of stories you might not have come across before, as we try and include a real spread of experiences and ideas.
I also think it makes you realise that things can be better without being perfect – but they can still be fun, or not too serious. A lot of work around sustainability and responsible business can feel very serious – but that doesn’t necessarily make it accessible.
Our designer Roy (at Kula Studio, across the road) also makes sure it looks great. And I love its fresh inky smell.
Alongside producing and publishing Ethos, you run Wordscape. Tell us more about that, and how does Ethos fit alongside your own approach as a business owner?
Wordscape is the storytelling and publishing agency I run. We’re a small team, and most of what we do comes down to helping organisations explain what they do and why it matters. That covers books and magazines as well as impact reports, case studies, editorial features and strategy. Much of it has its roots in the city’s social economy, which I’ve been part of for a long time – people doing important work but rarely have the time or the words to tell people about it properly.
Ethos and Wordscape have always fed each other. Ethos is where I get to practise slow journalism: taking time with a story, listening carefully and letting people speak in their own words. It also puts me in touch with brilliant people all ove r the world, and that can be really handy for client work, fresh ideas and inspiration.
I try to run Wordscape in the same spirit of curiosity, care and thinking differently. We don’t chase volume or churn out content. We’d rather understand a client properly and produce something they’re proud of. Ethos reminds me why the work matters and Wordscape lets me put that thinking to use for organisations doing good in the world.
Anything else you want to tell us?
I’m also on the board of the Baltic Triangle Area CIC, so get in touch. If you’re reading this I’m guessing you’re pretty local, so come say hi and tell us what you’re up to.
You can get your copy of Ethos 25 over at https://ethos-magazine.com
And to find out more about Wordscape and connect with Fiona and team, visit https://www.wordscape.org.uk
