152 Markus Terho: the Lifestyle Test

Mar 2, 2025

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Markus Terho tells us about the Lifestyle Test, a web-based app for anyone who’s concerned about global warming and wants to be a part of the solution by adopting a positive and sustainable lifestyle. It’s already available in 10 countries across the EU and has 350,000 users.

Markus describes himself as a corporate responsibility veteran, with over three decades in the industry. He is the CEO of Sparkter, a boutique sustainability consultancy to help simplify and make sense of sustainability. Before that, Markus was the chief sustainability officer at Nokia and has been a director at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.

Markus is passionate about helping people to find their own way to build a good life that is also sustainable.

Almost 70 per cent of Europe’s climate emissions and almost all of the damage to nature can be traced back to people’s everyday lives – how we eat, live, move around and consume. In less than 10 minutes, The Lifestyle Test gives you clear and tailored tips about simple positive and sustainable lifestyle changes that can help you save time and money and improve your quality of life.

Markus explains how the test was first developed and how it’s evolved since, and explains some of the ways it’s been shaped for each different country it’s in. He goes onto explain what kind of things it covers and how it works from a user’s perspective, including the high proportion of circular economy suggested actions.

Markus highlights the way conversations about climate often result in feelings of guilt and shame, and how the app is designed to help us feel we have agency, with some insights from well-established models for successful behaviour change.

And we hear what’s in the pipeline for future developments, including ways to link more sustainable behaviours to other primary motivators, such as health or convenience.

International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity.

Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.

Stay in touch for free insights and updates…

Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

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Links we mention in the episode:

Links for our guest:

Markus Terho on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markus-terho/
The Lifestyle Test: https://www.lifestyletest.eu
BBC Purchasing Powers feature of the Lifestyle Test: https://www.bbc.com/storyworks/purchasing-powers/the-finnish-innovation-fund-sitra

Books, people and organisations we mentioned

COM-B model of behaviour change – a guide https://social-change.co.uk/files/02.09.19_COM-B_and_changing_behaviour_.pdf
Article on Eco-Anxiety and agency https://www.renewablematter.eu/en/eco-anxiety-turning-distress-into-an-ally-for-action

Catherine’s work:

Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/
Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com
Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/
A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2
Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/
Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info
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Guest bio

Markus Terho is a corporate responsibility veteran, with over three decades in the industry. He is currently the CEO of Sparkter, a boutique sustainability consultancy to help simplify and make sense of sustainability. Previously, he has served as the chief sustainability officer at Nokia and most recently he has worked as a director at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.

Markus is passionate about helping people to find their own way to build a good life that is sustainable. He has led teams with proven impact of accelerating people-centric sustainable transformation of society.

Markus holds several positions of trust including member of CSR Advisory Group of S Group, Chairman of The Planet Company Oy and he has served as Vice Chairman of Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and Vice Chairman of Amnesty International Finland.

The Lifestyle Test is for anyone who’s concerned about global warming, and wants to be a part of the solution by adopting a positive and sustainable lifestyle. By taking a quick test, you can find out your personal carbon footprint. You also get tailored lifestyle tips and can create a plan for sustainable living.

The Lifestyle Test is a web-based app, you’ll need about 2 minutes to answer the questions and you can build a plan in around 6 minutes – so in less than 10 minutes, you can get clear about simple positive and sustainable lifestyle changes that can help you save time and money and improve your quality of life. Plus, our planet will thank you – almost 70 per cent of Europe’s climate emissions and almost all of the damage to nature can be traced back to people’s everyday lives – how we eat, live, move around and consume. We can all play an active role in shaping a sustainable future. Let’s start today!

Playlist: getting started with the circular economy…

Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business? Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!)

#1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business.
#2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation.
#90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints).
#101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit.
#120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too.

And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?

Want to dig deeper?

Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy. Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.

Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts. Or send us an email…

Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’. Or, follow them on Twitter.