Innovation Forum Podcast

Innovation Connections from Tesco and WWF is a new accelerator programme that has paired pioneering start-ups with Tesco suppliers to fast-track innovation in the supply chain. In May, a group of finalists pitched head-to-head in front of a panel of experts from Tesco and WWF, with five exciting projects each awarded funding of up to £150,000. Innovation Connections is part of a long-term partnership between Tesco and WWF that aims to halve the environmental impact of the average shopping basket. In this podcast, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh speaks with representatives from the five projects. Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound David Nelson, agronomy director at Branston Oliver Kynaston, carbon calculator manager at Farm Carbon Toolkit Conrad Young, project lead at Chirrup Evelyn Peters, chief executive at Future by Insects. For more detail on the Innovation Connections programme and the winning projects click here.

This week: Josh Tosteson, president of Everland, outlines a new plan to tackle deforestation at scale through rapidly developing new REDD+ forest projects in threatened landscapes around the world, and accessing the unprecedented levels of climate finance via the voluntary carbon markets. Plus analysis of some of the outcomes from Innovation Forum’s Future of Climate Action conference from the Scope 3 Peer Group’s Oliver Hurrey. And, big brands backing new $250m fashion climate fund from the Apparel Impact Institute; Procter & Gamble’s new ambitious water targets; Net Zero Tracker queries credibility of many corporate net-zero plans; and, new ocean plastic concerns, in the news digest.    Host: Ian Welsh

Anant Ahuja, head of organisational development at Indian apparel manufacturer Shahi Exports, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of long-term relationships between brands and manufacturers to allow for the investment necessary to get the sector to net zero. Ahuja points out despite the long return on investment for renewable energy projects, many factory owners are keen to make the transition. In a wide ranging discussion, they also talk about some of the immediate impacts of climate change, with increasing heat waves for example, on factory workers.  

This week: Birgitte Holter, head of green and low carbon fertilisers at Yara and Claes Johansson, head of sustainable development at Lantmännen talk about the role of green fertilisers in developing food supply chains that do not rely on fossil fuels. They also discuss how to identify the right partners when developing business models that can really deliver innovation and change. Plus: Global Fashion Agenda calls for apparel sector action to meet climate goals; $16tn of assets aligned with 2050 net-zero says Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative; G7 agrees to de-carbon electricity supply; and, new plan to counter deforestation proposes 75 new REDD+ projects.    And, Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop previews the Future of Food conference coming up in Minneapolis on 14th and 15th June. Host: Ian Welsh

Caroline Ledl, head of product management, textiles, at the Lenzing Group talks with Ian Welsh about how bio-based waste materials can be used to create fibres that compete with traditional materials and create high-quality apparel and textiles. A barrier to growth is lack of collecting and recycling capacity – and there is significant innovation required to move to a blend with 50% and more recycled content – but Ledl believes that the sector can deliver.  

It’s clear that animal feed supply chains in their current form are unsustainable for industrial animal production systems. To keep up with increasing global demand for meat, alternatives to the traditional feedstocks should be considered. So, what role can insect protein play? In this webinar, an expert panel discussed how insects are developing as an alternative protein, the opportunities for scale and impact, and the regulatory and financial environment needed to make it happen. Panel: Sara Walton, sector lead, agri-food standards, BSI Arnold van Huis, emeritus professor, laboratory of entomology, Wageningen University Cindy Dunston Quirk, CEO and founder, Scout & Zoe’s Premium Pet Products Adrian Charlton, principal scientist, Fera Science This discussion, held in partnership with BSI, was moderated by Toby Webb, founder of Innovation Forum.

This webinar discussion, the latest in Innovation Forum’s “From the front-line battle to stop deforestation by 2030” series, features an expert panel discussing how private-sector investments are helping to end deforestation, protect threatened wildlife and fund significant economic development activities for local communities. The webinar was held in Stockholm as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day celebrations, and featured representatives from groundbreaking forest conservation REDD+ projects in Kenya, the DRC, Colombia and Cambodia. The panel talked about community-based conservation and their successes stopping deforestation, and the challenges involved. Panel: Joseph Mwakima, community relations manager, Wildlife Works, Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project Cara Barund, conservation office manager, Wildlife Works, Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project  Neneth Freund, francophone Africa liaison, Wildlife Works, Mai Ndombe REDD+ project  Lider Sucre, regional director for Latin Amer

This week: Business and climate strategy expert Iain Watt talks about some of the challenges for companies getting to net-zero emissions. He argues the need to recognise that science mandates that timeframes are very tight for 1.5C and 2C pathways – but that embracing science-based targets has switched ambitions from what looks achievable to what’s necessary. Plus: up to 1,000 microplastic particles spread per square metre of farmland per year in Europe; retailers not making credible progress on plastic bags say Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Changing Markets Foundation and others; and, $80bn of losses risked without action on deforestation now, according to a new report from the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP, in the news digest.   Host: Ian Welsh

Bank + Vogue and Beyond Retro co-founder Steven Bethell talks with Ian Welsh about the growth of apparel resale and remanufacturing at scale, and how to “industrialise the used as an input for the new”. Bethell highlights the importance of both physical and chemical recycling for the development of truly circular models in the garment sector.

In the eight years since companies and governments came together under the New York Declaration on Forests committing to end deforestation by 2020, we have instead seen a continued rise in deforestation rates. To meet net-zero goals and ensure a climate resilient future, companies need to quickly accelerate systems and processes to manage their impacts on forests. In this webinar, our expert panel discussed company best practice to end deforestation across agricultural and forestry value chains and where corporate ambition and action currently stand according to a new report evaluating company progress against the Accountability Framework, using CDP 2021 Forests data. You can access the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP joint report here. The session featured the latest case studies showing how companies have integrated leading practices into their business. Panel: Juliana Lopes, ESG, communications and compliance director, Amaggi Katerina Elias-Trostmann, head of ESG and sustainability, Brazil, BNP

This week: Anant Ahuja, head of organisational development at Indian apparel manufacturer Shahi Exports, talks about how all of the apparel sector’s value chains can work together to decarbonise and transition towards net zero. Ahuja outlines some of the barriers to the shift in business models that are necessary, not least developing long-term supplier-brand relationships. Plus: further food supply risks from the war in Ukraine; Carbon Tracker highlights lack of credibility in oil and sector climate targets; new $500m circular plastics fund from Alliance to End Plastic Waste; and, Tesco and WWF cooperate on new food supply chains Innovation Connections scheme, in the news digest. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari introduces the 2022 sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, coming up on 1st and 2nd November. Host: Ian Welsh For more information about the sustainable landscapes and commodities event in November click here.

David Pettet, global human rights and sustainable supply chain director at Reckitt, talks with Ian Welsh about why taking a holistic approach to human rights risks in supply chains is essential. Pettet argues how internalising auditing processes can lead to closer relationships with suppliers and manufacturers, and why a focus on grievance mechanisms, eliminating recruitment fees and real transparency is necessary.  

This week: Caroline Ledl, head of product management, textiles, at the Lenzing Group, talks about the challenges in using recycled content to create high quality fibres that can compete with virgin materials in the apparel sector. She outlines how collaboration on material use and design can help scale up processes and get around the recycling problems stemming from mixed-fibre garments. Plus, in the news digest: record Amazon deforestation in three out of first four months of 2022; Malaysia to cuts taxes on palm oil exports as prices surge; aviation sector hit only one out of 50 climate targets says charity Possible; and, more than 2,200 companies now signed up to emissions reductions verified by the Science Based Targets initiative   And, some reflection on the discussions at Innovation Forum’s online future of food conference.   Host: Ian Welsh

The potential impacts of due diligence legislation in various jurisdictions are discussed by Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s Elizabeth Forster and Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson. They talk about the changing transparency and reporting obligations for companies and how to identify where the risks are, and the need for cultural shift in approach for many businesses.

Ethical Tea Partnership chief executive Jenny Costelloe talks with Ian Welsh about how environmental and, particularly, labour and trafficking challenges are coming to the top of corporate agenda in the tea sector. They talk about ETP’s 2030 strategy and the systemic change that is necessary, particularly to address power imbalances that impact women and children at plantations, and how “radical transparency” needs to become widespread.

This week: Steven Bethell, co-founder of Bank & Vogue and Beyond Retro, talks about the growth of circular economy models re-using and re-purposing pre-used textiles and apparel, including innovation in fibre-to-fibre recycling. He outlines why “used” is increasingly being accepted as an input to “new” and why the need for designing for multiple re-use is a growing trend. Plus: draft new European corporate sustainability reporting standards out for consultation; research into the impact of switching diets away from beef; and, the UK’s new nationality and borders act raises human rights and trafficking concerns, in the news digest.     And Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop gives an update on the in-person US-focused future of food conference coming up on 14th and 15th June in Minneapolis.   Host: Ian Welsh

Prof David Grayson, campaigner and former director of the Doughty Centre at Cranfield School of Management, talks with Ian Welsh about some of the changing demands for business around the climate crisis, global inequality and the impacts of globalisation. Grayson also talks about some of the key challenges for companies in making real progress and the opportunities for the investment community shifting approach towards an ESG focus. David Grayson is co-author of the new Sustainable Business Handbook.

This week: David Pettet, global human rights and sustainable supply chain director at Reckitt, talks about the critical matters that companies must ensure are embedded into their approach to tackling operation and supply chain human rights risks. He discusses how Reckitt identifies the regions and markets where resources should be focused, as part of a holistic cross-business approach to human rights. And, he outlines the importance of worker grievance mechanisms and why recruitment fees are unacceptable.   Plus Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the climate and business action conference that’s coming up from the 7th to 9th June.   Host: Ian Welsh

Mario Rafael Rodriguez, senior associate for LandScale at the Rainforest Alliance, and José Luis López, palm oil and biodiversity programme manager at Solidaridad, talk with Ian Welsh about use of the LandScale system in the Ocosito landscape in Guatemala. In particular they discuss how LandScale has helped identify instances of child labour and forced labour, and other human rights violations.

Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson talks with Salla Saastamoinen, director for civil and commercial justice, DG Justice and Consumers at the European Commission about how the EU proposed directive on due diligence corporate accountability will be implemented. They discuss what companies should expect, and how they can align climate and social strategies to meet the new regulation’s requirements.