Authentic Sustainability: AI, Regulation & Real Talk with Helen Neal

AI is becoming the last line of defense before a brand accidentally greenwashes itself.

In Season 15, Episode 2 of Before The Tipping Point: Where AI and Sustainability Meet Climate Leadership, we’re joined by Helen Neal, founder of HN Communications, a B Corp-certified sustainability communications consultancy whose clients include Bosch, Heineken, Asahi, Nissan, and Aston Martin.

Helen’s background runs deep in regulation and reputation. She came up through the UK Parliament, then held government affairs roles at Virgin Atlantic and Nissan, before founding her agency in 2017. In other words: she knows how the rulebook gets written, and how quickly it can change.

We unpack her AI platform, Zena, and how it helps teams stress-test sustainability claims before they hit publish. We talk about navigating frameworks like the EU Green Claims Directive and the UK ASA guidelines, the most common mistakes that turn “good intentions” into high-risk claims, and what credible communication looks like when scrutiny is rising.

We also explore the real tension of being a B Corp advising non-B Corp clients: how to hold your values, meet clients where they are, and still move the work forward across different levels of sustainability maturity.

If you write, approve, or sign off on sustainability claims, this episode is your risk-reduction playbook.