Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of business and human rights NGO Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about what good practice looks like when companies are engaging on responsible sourcing and ethical trade issues. They discuss the opportunities business can take advantage of and what incoming legislation means for them.   Plus: more calls for delay in EU sustainability regulations; soy sector companies ba...

Wayne Jordash, managing partner at Beyond Human Rights Compliance, talks with Ian Welsh about how companies are engaging with evolving business and human rights regulation, particularly from the European Union. Wayne shares advice on how companies can approach risk assessments,  what to look out for and the opportunities from this approach.

This week: Ian Welsh and Natasha Bodnar explores the critical link between climate change and human rights. They discuss innovative initiatives from organisations such as La Isla Network, Sainsbury’s, and Fairtrade, which aim to mitigate heat stress and support farmers in adapting to climate challenges, ensuring both worker well-being and supply chain resilience. Plus: an interview preview with An...

This week: Aidan Maguire, coalition programme manager at the Plastics Pollution Coalition, talks with Ian Welsh about latest innovative material solutions that could transform the packaging industry. They explore the challenge of developing alternatives to traditional plastics for packaging and debate the scalable solutions that are emerging.    Plus: EUDR tightens paper packaging rules; the EU's...

Marina Ettl and Simon Pogson from fertiliser business Yara International talk with Ian Welsh about how to maintain healthy soil. They discuss what best practice collaboration with growers looks like and how to conduct soil health data analysis, and highlight which specific data points farmers should focus on.

This week: Ellen Atiyah and Ian Welsh reflect on the outcomes from the recent European Union Deforestation Regulation webinar series, which discussed the impact of the delay will have over the coming months on value chains across the palm oil, soy, coffee and cocoa sectors. And  Lia Da Giau and Ian take about innovation in sustainable packaging. They highlight examples of material innovation and p...

This week: Marty Matlock, professor at the University of Arkansas, talks with Ian Welsh about latest research on soil sequestration, nitrogen use efficiency and regenerative farming. They reveal how existing farming practices could transform agriculture into a climate solution rather than a climate problem.   Plus: World Economic Forum demand urgent cooperation with global risks; UK's deposit retu...

Scott Poynton, CEO and founder of A Different Way, and founder and former CEO of the Earthworm Foundation, talks with Ian Welsh about the past, current and future challenges in achieving robust and sustainable commodity supply chains. The discussion focuses on the evolution of corporate commitments to no deforestation, particularly in palm oil, highlighting key milestones that have shaped the conv...

This week: a preview of upcoming interview with Marty Matlock from the University of Arkansas discussing how the US agricultural sector can be better than carbon neutral. Plus: Hannah Oborne and Ian Welsh talk about latest exciting innovations in the food sector, such as dairy alternatives and recyclable food packaging. And, continuing the conversation on supply chain decarbonisation, Ian is joine...

This week: French sportswear brand Decathlon’s Quentin Badonnel talks with Ian Welsh about the intricacies of product environmental footprinting. They discuss the European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) initiative, exploring how Decathlon has embraced standardised life cycle assessments to enhance sustainability practices.   Plus: the US bans some Chinese apparel imports over allege...

In the second episode of the state of sustainable business series, Brendan May from Robertsbridge reflects with Ian Welsh on the polarisation within sustainability that had developed during 2024. They discuss the challenges of ESG fatigue, the shifting focus of major companies such as Unilever, and the need for a more streamlined approach to sustainability that prioritises material impacts. The co...

This week: Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell and Ian Welsh highlight the upcoming  sustainable apparel and textiles conference  (Amsterdam, 29th-30th April), featuring thought leaders from leading brands including ASOS, Adidas and Burberry. From actionable strategies for decarbonisation to scaling circularity initiatives, they preview some of the key conference sessions and talk about how to get i...

This week: Marina Ettl and Simon Pogson, from fertiliser business Yara International, talk with Ian Welsh about the role of the careful use of fertilisers in long-tern soil health, and the impact on international food systems.   Plus: alleged child labour in cotton sourced by major apparel brands, such as Adidas and H&M; Danish biologists reveal the effective use of ants in combating climate-c...

Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, talks with Ian Welsh and discusses the company’s work in global waste management and the circular economy. Tom discusses TerraCycle's focus on recycling non-traditional items and advancing reusable packaging systems to scale reuse systems and the economics of compostable materials. They highlight the need for systemic change and collaboration to address sustainability...

This week: Innovation Forum’s Anamya Anurag and Ian Welsh highlight some new themes and features at this year’s  future of food and beverage US forum,  taking place in Minneapolis on 28th-29th May. They share latest confirmed speakers including senior representatives from General Mills, Danone, Kraft Heinz, USDA, Smithfield Foods, Kellogg Company and many more.   Plus: Kansas farmer Dwane Roth spe...

This week: Ian Welsh talks with Scott Poynton, CEO and founder of A Different Way and founder and former CEO of the Earthworm Foundation. They discuss the current and future challenges, and some positive thoughts as we look into the second half of the decade. Scott highlights how regulation might develop and what companies should do to stay ahead of the curve (listen from 21:06) Plus: Wayne Jordas...

Tropical Forest Alliance executive director Jack Hurd and Gustavo Idigoras, president of the Argentinian Edible Oils Association, join Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh to discuss the critical role of land use in addressing climate change, particularly in light of recent regulations such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation. They explore how agricultural practices and corporate responsibility...

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Natasha Bodnar share some updates about the upcoming responsible sourcing and ethical trade forum, taking place in London on 19th-20th March. They talk about the developing conference agenda and the latest confirmed speakers.  For full details on how to get involved, click here. Plus: a preview of Ian’s conversation with Wayne Jordash, managing partner a...

In the third webinar in the 'EUDR unpacked' series, we addressed critical questions surrounding the regulation. This session focused specifically on the impact of EUDR on palm oil and soy plantations, putting these sectors under the spotlight. Panel: Heleen Van Den Hombergh, senior policy advisor at IUCN NL, coordinator at Collaborative Soy Initiative  Michelle Desilets, executive director, Orangu...

This week: In the latest state-of-sustainable-business series conversation, Brendan May, business expert and founder of Robertsbridge, talks with Ian Welsh about emerging trends for 2025. They highlight disclosure fatigue, and the importance of streamlining business efforts and focus on impactful environmental actions. Plus: quick-fire insights from palm oil business Golden Agri-Resources chief op...

Monday briefing: What does best-in-class procurement strategy look like? This week, Innovation Forum’s Hannah Oborne and Ian Welsh reflect on some of the conversation in Washington DC a at the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum. And, speaking at the conference, Altruistiq CEO Saif Hameed shares some thoughts on what makes for good supply chain engagement and procurement practices. Plus: details about...

The postponement of the EUDR deadline offers coffee and cocoa supply chains more time to comply, but what do smallholder farmers think of this delay? This webinar examined the effects of the newly-proposed December 2025 and June 2026 deadlines, how the delay will affect cocoa and coffee supply chains and the potential win-win outcomes for people, profit and planet. This session focused specificall...

The rapidly escalating problem of plastic pollution poses a significant global challenge, adversely affecting environmental, social economic and health aspects of sustainable development. According to WWF, if current trends continue unchecked and no immediate measures are taken, global plastic waste could almost triple, reaching approximately 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060. After intense negotiations...

This week: Tom Szaky, CEO of recycling innovators Terracycle, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the current trend towards use of fibre-based packaging, and discusses how reuse and compostable solutions face challenges in scalability, economics and corporate adoption.   Plus: Ian talks with Imogen Fanning from the Zoological Society of London about the latest SPOTT research into the pal...

Giles Bolton, executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of addressing human rights challenges within supply chains, particularly for vulnerable workers such as illegal migrants. They highlight the need for comprehensive human rights due diligence, collaboration among unions, NGOs, and businesses and the impact of recent legislation on corporate...