Green.org sat down with Andrew Baynes, the former Director of Environmental Technologies at Apple, and current CEO and Co-Founder of GT. GT was founded in 2019 by a former executive from Apple, Nest, and Google. GT’s mission is to build teams and products that address some of the more challenging requirements from fast-growth clients in Europe and North America.
Andrew, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I was the Director of Environmental Technologies at Apple where I founded the industry’s first product design strategy for environmental excellence. Working closely with Steve Jobs at Apple, I achieved a number of industry firsts including the elimination of toxic chemicals, the set up of free take-back and recycling programs, the integration of Life Cycle Assessment in product development, and obtaining Energy Star certification across all products. I worked with Tony Fadell joining Nest as a start up in 2012. Starting with the revolutionary Nest Learning Thermostat, I helped developed a channel of over one hundred enterprise partners, helping propel Nest towards a $3.2 billion acquisition by Google.
What would you do with $1 Billion dollars?
I would build an academy for entrepreneurs in Ukraine.
Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic today?
Investment and effort towards Sustainability is very often planned and executed without a scientific understanding of the environmental trade-offs and life-cycle assessment. This has led to many ‘well intended’ Sustainable programs and products having dubious additive impact on the environment of social equality. There is a huge opportunity to redirect these efforts towards meaningful impacts and widespread change in consumer behaviour.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
In ten years my industry will be the technological foundation for all other industries that seek a fast, affordable path towards digital innovation and transformation.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Every individual has the potential to guide and mentor everyone around them towards having a meaningful impact on society and the environment.