Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

The WEF has identified biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as one of the fastest deteriorating global risks over the next decade. With close ties to biodiversity loss throughout their value chains, many apparel brands are seeking to measure, monitor, and reduce their impacts on nature. Several approaches to measuring corporate biodiversity performance have emerged, forming a complex landscape...

CEO and co-founder of WNWN Food Labs Ahrum Pak talks with Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson about a sustainable alternative to chocolate created from cereal and legumes. They discuss how cocoa-free products have the potential to positively disrupt the cocoa sector, and the need for addressing the sensitivities of existing supply chains to ensure no unintended negative impacts on traditional cocoa s...

This week: Tom Thackray, director of the decarbonisation programme at the Confederation of British Industry, talks with Ian Welsh about ways for business and government to collaborate in the race to net zero. They discuss the impact of government in steering business innovations and progress in green technologies and renewable energy deployment. Plus: not enough progress on corporate deforestation...

Andrew Wallis, CEO of anti-slavery NGO Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of scrutiny and collaboration to protect migrant workers. They discuss the absence of a UK independent anti-slavery commissioner, the need for better legislation enforcement, and how to create an environment where “good” business can thrive.

This week: Peter McAllister, executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, explores the complexities of human rights and ethical trade for business in a challenging global environment. He talks about changing costs pressures and evolving regulatory landscapes – including EU human rights due diligence legislation – and the patterns of stakeholder engagement that are emerging. Plus: PVH pays...

Tiffany Rogers, director of fair compensation and member engagement at the Fair Labor Association, talks with Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari about the impacts of corporate living wage commitments to improve worker rights in the supply chain. They discuss the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in scaling living wage initiatives, improving corporate expertise and communicating with work...

This week: Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson talks with Ahrum Pak, CEO and co-founder of WNWN Food Labs about the launch of first cocoa-free “chocolate” made from cereals and legumes. They discuss how the product has been developed and the potential implications for the chocolate industry of such alternative innovations. Plus: ClientEarth activists sue Shell’s directors over climate strategy; plast...

Michelle Grogg, vice president for corporate responsibility and sustainable development at Cargill, talks with Ian Welsh about managing current disruptors to the food supply chain and delivering long-term food resilience. They discuss the importance of having farmers at the centre of collaboration efforts, and what food companies can do to provide support through livelihoods development, technolog...

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of anti-slavery NGO Unseen, talks about the ongoing challenges for migrant worker protection for business in the UK and beyond. He discusses the importance of good human rights legislations to establish the right level playing field, and shares some examples of what good collaboration looks like. Plus: a new Conservation International and We Mean Business Coalition su...

Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, reflects with Ian Welsh on global collective efforts and collaboration on business, human rights and the environment – as highlighted by the international collaboration to help Ukraine, for example. They talk about the implementation of regulation, the role of technology, responsible investors and companies, and wha...

This week: Tiffany Rogers, director of fair compensation and member engagement at the Fair Labor Association talks with Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari about how apparel business can make living income commitments, as part of a new “state of apparel” content series. They discuss the challenges in implementing living wage programmes and guidance on corporate responsible purchasing practices. Plus:...

Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, WWF senior forest policy officer, UN policy office, talks with Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson about the EU's new deforestation-linked products ban. They discuss what the legislation will look like for business once entered into force with customs controls and heightened infringement prosecution, and the significance of due diligence risk assessments for EU imports an...

This week: Cargill's vice-president for corporate responsibility and sustainable development, Michelle Grogg, talks about the necessary action points that can deliver global food resilience amid disruptions such as extreme weather events and the war in Ukraine. She discusses the importance, for the long-term, of future-proofing farmers and engaging in smarter collaborations across organisations an...

Supply chain sustainability is a key corporate goal. In a fast-changing environment, much business discussion has centred around the need to adapt and strive towards sustainability throughout the value chain. In this webinar, we discussed useful insights on sustainable supply chains collected in our recent survey and hear from expert panellists in an engaging conversation analysing key trends for...

Bara Robyn, partnerships and development lead at Earthworm Indonesia, talks with Ian Welsh about Earthworm Foundation's project with a palm oil business, Laot Bangko, to drive sustainability within the palm oil sector in Indonesia. They discuss the challenges of deforestation, land tenure and labour issues with Laot Bangko’s section head of the sustainability and smallholder scheme, Wahyudi Putro...

This week: Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, talks about some reasons for optimism for business and human rights this year. He discusses the positive changes in public perception that are helping to drive corporate action, and why there is greater willingness from governments to cooperate on commitments such as the just transition and the outcomes f...

John Morrison, CEO of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, talks with Ian Welsh about a moment of opportunity for human rights and forced labour issues following the recent Fifa World Cup in Qatar. They discuss human rights risks and opportunities for businesses with increasing traceability, and requirements from trade and investment communities, and the growing prospects for companies eng...

This week: Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, senior forest policy officer at WWF in Brussels, talked with Bea Stevenson about the incoming EU regulations banning imports of products linked to deforestation. They discussed the paradigm shift within the agricultural sector that this will drive, the impacts of a due diligence approach and the limitations of the new regulation. Plus: Shell to pay €15m to N...

Environmental Investigation Agency's ocean campaign leader Christina Dixon talked with Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson about the priorities for the United Nations global pact on plastic pollution, in the lead up to the first negotiation session which took place in late 2022. They discussed the shared urgency to tackle plastic pollution and the importance of having a legally binding instrument for...

This week: Another chance to hear the two most popular podcast interviews of 2022. At Innovation Forum's future of climate action conference, Rob Cameron, vice-president and global head of public affairs and ESG engagement at Nestlé, spoke about why companies need to continue to focus on carbon, take immediate action at scale, and the potential benefits from regenerative agriculture. He argued tha...

As the world’s greatest carbon sink, the ocean and its coastal ecosystems are an essential part of the solution to the climate emergency. Blue carbon projects protect and restore marine ecosystems, such as tidal marshes, seagrasses and mangroves – which can sequester up to ten times as much carbon as a land-based forest. Companies have a vital role to play in blue carbon. By investing in projects,...

This week: Partnerships and development lead at Earthworm Indonesia, Bara Robyn, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of working closely with local stakeholders and highlighting their capability in driving sustainability within the palm oil sector in Indonesia. They are joined by Wahyudi Putro Widodo, section head of the sustainability and smallholder scheme at palm oil business Laot Bangko,...

Some on-the-spot reflections at the recent sustainable landscapes and commodities forum in Amsterdam from Tesco's Anna Turrell, Anita Neville from Golden Agri-Resources, Craig Tribolet from APRIL, Glenn Hurowitz from Mighty Earth, Josh Tosteson from Everland, Patrick Houdry from Airbus, Michiel Hendriksz from FarmStrong Foundation, Eloisa Menguzzo from PGGM and Innovation Forum senior associate Pe...

This week: John Morrison, CEO of the Institute of Human Rights and Business, talks with Ian Welsh about the prospects for a higher profile for human rights and forced labour issues following the Fifa World Cup in Qatar and the COP27 conference in Egypt. They discuss the importance of ensuring a just transition as the world economy decarbonises and some reasons for optimism in 2023, including the i...

In a warming world, farmers remain among the most vulnerable to the increasing environmental hazards brought on by climate change. To mitigate these impacts, business must collaborate with farmers to build their capacity to adapt and adopt climate-smart practices for more resilient livelihoods. In this webinar, our panel discussed: How can business enable income diversification for smallholder far...