Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

This week: IDH’s Matthew Spencer, Proforest’s Ruth Nussbaum and Conservation International’s John Buchanan discuss the landscape approach collaborative platform SourceUp that links global sourcing companies with grower communities. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari gives an update on the upcoming responsible sourcing and ethical trade conference. Plus: the latest IPCC report’s gloomy climate c...

Emma Thomson, Forest 500 lead at Global Canopy, talks with Ian Welsh about the recently launched Forest 500 update on progress from big companies and financial institutions on deforestation. The big take away is that while many companies have been making big positive commitments, not least at COP26, there is still not the evidence of action on the ground that will be necessary for them to achieve...

Textile Exchange’s La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner talk with Ian Welsh about the trends emerging from the increasing use of manmade cellulosic fibres in textile and apparel supply chains, and the resultant challenges, not least around avoiding deforestation. As ever, addressing these effectively requires collaboration and sensitive sourcing policies.

This week: Craig Mills, CEO of Vizzuality, talks about how data can best be presented so it is usable and so different functions in a busines can collaborate effectively to drive innovation. Increased frequency of data update – for example for deforestation on a daily basis rather than annual – enables companies to engage with their operations and supply chain in a significantly more dynamic way....

David Antonioli, CEO of standard setting body Verra, explains to Ian Welsh how carbon offsetting can be part of broader corporate emissions reduction programmes, but why offsetting alone cannot move the world economy net zero emissions. He outlines the key characteristics of credible and robust verified emissions reduction credits, and why standard setters have to take a nimble approach to evolve...

This week: Karen Steer, manager at the Rainforest Alliance, and lead for the Accountability Framework, Stefano Savi, director of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber, Philippe de Groot, head of agronomy at SOCFIN, and Ana Arce, senior manager for corporate sustainability governance at Bridgestone Americas, discuss the challenges for sustainable rubber supply chains, and the technolog...

In this conference session, recorded at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, joining Toby Webb are: Dann Wensing, CEO, IDH; Mariane Crespolini dos Santos, director of sustainable production and irrigation, Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply; Megan Willis, sustainability director, agricultural supply chains, Asia Pacific, Cargill; an...

This week: Ian Suwarganda, head of policy and partnerships, sustainability and communications at Golden Agri-Resources, and Róisín Mortimer, lead private sector engagement and programming at the Tropical Forest Alliance, talk about changing regulatory landscapes in palm oil and other commodities, and unintended consequences of what’s proposed. Plus, Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb and Peter Stanbury...

Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, talks with Toby Webb about the challenges around market transformation in the cotton sector. Better Cotton’s recently set 2030 target on greenhouse gas emissions is for a 50% reduction per tonne of cotton. Other targets – on lower pesticide use, gender empowerment, farmer livelihoods and soil health – will be released during 2022. For McClay, success will mean de...

Transforming the food system and overcoming the many environmental challenges it faces will require innovation at scale. With food production responsible for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and at the centre of many other environmental issues, Tesco and WWF have come together in a project designed to halve the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket. In this podcast...

The last few years have given rise to a wave of new business models in apparel, built upon the principles of circularity over fast fashion. With apps and platforms popularising resale, rental, and even repair, brands are increasingly looking to offer the same. In this hour-long webinar, an expert panel took a closer look at how circular models are changing the fashion retail landscape, both for br...

In this conference session at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities event, Lucita Jasmin from APRIL, Nicolas Tubbs from WWF, Martin Huxtable from Unilever and Jeremy Manion from Arbor Day Foundation join Ian Welsh to talk about forest and landscape restoration projects, case studies and practices. They discuss the roles of different stakeholders, and in particular the po...

This week: Textile Exchange’s Claire Bergkamp and Beth Jenson talk about their new Climate+ strategy, some of the innovations in the textiles and apparel sector that will help companies plot a route to net zero, and their willingness to make the changes necessary. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari gives an update on the responsible sourcing and ethical trade, coming up on 4th and 5th April. Pl...

This week: Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, talks about how to use market mechanisms to develop effective forest conservation projects utilising climate finance and the voluntary carbon market. He argues why successful projects should community centred as well as biodiversity-driven and ecosystem based. And, Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the Future of Food...

Farmers are critically important for sustainable commodities production, yet their voices are too often missing from the debate. At Innovation Forum’s sustainable landscapes and commodities conference in December 2021, Rachel Banda, farmer and safety, health and environment officer at the Phata Cooperative in Malawi, Doreen Mtali, farmer from the Demara farming cooperative in Malawi and Zeddy Chep...

Announcements at COP26 have refocused attention on to the need for companies to transparently and immediately eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. However, new Aidenvironment research warns palm oil buyers of the risks from non-palm deforestation by companies in the palm oil sector. This begs the question – how credible are corporate deforestation-free palm oil claims? In this hour-lo...

This week: Michal Zrust, founder of Lestari Capital, talks about the Rimba Collective, a palm oil sector initiative led by buyers and processors supporting long-term conservation and restoration of forests – aiming for $1bn support over 25 years. And Global Canopy’s Emma Thomson outlines the findings from the latest Forest 500 report into policies and reporting at the global top 350 companies and...

Knowledge is power, and the key to positive action. As climate impacts increase, the need to empower consumers will become crucial. Trusted brands can play a vital role in educating and enabling communities to act and build climate resilience. This panel discussion focuses on how a group of organisations, having developed common principles and plans, can use education and behaviour change to put s...

This week: David Antonioli, CEO of Verra, talks about how verified standards on emission reductions can give business the transparency and credibility they need to plot a route to achieving net zero emissions in operations and supply chains. He explains how standards have to continually evolve to adapt to best practice – on biodiversity and social issues as well as emissions – and why carbon offse...

Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK-based trafficking and modern slavery organisation Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about trends in human trafficking and modern slavery. Wallis highlights the positive influence of the finance sector in tackling the challenges, particularly as climate change is an increasing driver of displacing vulnerable populations around the planet. And they discuss the big questions facin...

Sebastiaan van der Hoek, forestry advisor at Cargill, discusses with Ian Welsh the potential for agroforestry to transform the cocoa sector. He outlines how working with farmers to introduce more trees – whether for fruit or timber, or to promote more biodiversity – is integral to delivery of the Cargill Cocoa Promise, and also why getting incentives right is a crucial part of this process. Cargil...

This week: La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner from Textile Exchange discuss the potential from manmade cellulosic fibres – particularly viscose and rayon – for the apparel and textiles sector. They talk about the challenges of ensuring sustainable supply, particularly for fibres sourced from forests, and how such materials can have a key role as the sector addresses the signific...

Tara Luckman, apparel sector expert, and advisor to the US Cotton Trust Protocol, and Dr Mark Sumner from the school of design at the University of Leeds, talk with Ian Welsh about how better data can help business connect with cotton suppliers and farmers. They discuss why a move away from a mass balance approach, and greater traceability, can enable brands to demonstrate to stakeholders how they...

As the dust settled from the Glasgow COP26 meetings in November, Lord Deben, chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee spoke with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about how the progress can be built upon in the coming months. They highlight the presence of big business leaders in the climate debate, some of the practical initiatives that have emerged, and why protestors need to be part of the 2022 CO...

This week: To round off the year are extracts from some of the interviews that have featured in the Innovation Forum podcast during 2021.   First up are Sarah Rogerson and Emma Thomson from Global Canopy discussing the 2021 Forest 500 report. Then hear from Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb talking with forest expert Simon Lord about the unintended consequences of just planting trees. Ford’s Jim Gawron...