Innovation Forum Podcast

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 change assessments; UN Environment Assembly agrees to broker comprehensive plastic pollution solution; and, soil plastic pollution may be more serious than in the oceans, says FAO, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh

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 their forest goals.

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. Plus: Singapore sets more punchy future carbon price; more forced labour in Thailand; UK Climate Change Committee to focus on delivery and implementation; and, Tesco removes 1.5bn pieces of plastic from packaging, in the news digest.   And, Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the upcoming business climate action conference.   Host: Ian Welsh

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 as technology develops.  

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 technology and collaborative solutions being developed to help.   Also, hear from Anna Turrell, head of environment, Tesco, and Sarah Wakefield, head of food transformation, WWF, talking with Toby Webb about the Tesco and WWF Sustainability Innovation Fund for late-stage agricultural sector innovators. Click here for more information. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari gives an update on the upcoming sustainable apparel and textiles conference. Plus: BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and UBS join Carbonplace offsets technology platform; Coca-Cola to boost returnable and refillable containers use to 25%; new research pointing

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; and, Michal Zrust, founder and executive director, Lestari Capital. The panel assess current landscape approaches and what has worked so far. The discussion includes what needs to be done to create the right incentives and finance mechanisms to enable sustainable landscapes at scale.   

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 discuss Nestlé’s new plan to tackle child labour and other challenges in its cocoa supply chain. And, Emily Heslop talks about the future of food USA conference that’s coming up in June. In the news digest: new USDA $1bn climate smart commodities project; Brazil’s Amazon deforestation spike; research suggesting that big brands are going to miss emissions targets; WWF research that says ocean plastic on track to increase for decades; and, Italy enshrines environmental protection in its constitution. Host: Ian Welsh

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 delivering real impact and continuously, so that brands will be able to sell cotton products that have the good story that they want to tell.

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, Toby Webb speaks to Anna Turrell, head of environment, Tesco, and Sarah Wakefield, head of food transformation, WWF, about the Tesco and WWF Sustainability Innovation Fund. Tesco and WWF are seeking late-stage innovations focused on sustainable agriculture solutions. The fund will support innovators and scale-up companies capable of delivering proven environmental innovations in partnership with suppliers operating in Tesco’s supply chain. Innovators can find out more on the Sustainability Innovation Fund here. Interested innovators should enquire via the site by 28 February 2022.  

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 brands and the consumer. Among the points discussed: What growth looks like for circular models, and how they can remain sustainable How leading brands have integrated circular fashion models into their operations What kinds of partnerships circular apps and platforms can have with brands The key challenges to implementation, and how these can be overcome in practice Panel: Jade McSorley, co-founder, LOANHOOD Gwen Cunningham, lead textiles programme, Circle Economy Madeleine Michell, social conscience communications officer, TOAST The discussion was moderated by Tanya Richard, head of research and stakeholder engagem

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 positive impacts sourcing companies can have in a landscape.  

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. Plus: UN Environment Programme calls for 50% increase up to $285bn investment in nature protection and restoration from G20 countries; Nestlé announces new programme to tackle child labour in cocoa supply chains; new modelling research shows likely impacts of climate change on shifting commodity growing areas; and, how advances in battery and other storage technologies may mean India can cancel new coal power generation and switch to renewables, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh To access the new Textile Exchange report on regenerative agriculture click here.

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 event, coming up from the 10th-12th May. Plus: insurance pay-outs for crop loss in the US impacted by climate change; global resource use hit all-time high in 2021, says Circle Economy; UK animal welfare legislation in doubt; and, Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index highlights human rights and forced labour hotspots, in the news digest.   Host: Ian Welsh

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 Chepkemoi, a coffee farmer from Kenya, joined Ian Welsh to talk about their perspectives, priorities and challenges. They discussed what they need from food companies to secure farm livelihoods and future production.

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-long webinar, an expert panel discussed: Why a focus on palm oil has meant that other deforestation risks haven’t had the profile they perhaps should. The critical challenge of “leakage” in terms of where deforestation risks are in value chains. Examples of the risks commodity buyers need to look for in non-palm supply chains. Panel: Mark Wong, head of downstream sustainability, Sime Darby Plantation Chris Wiggs, programme director, Aidenvironment Ruth Nussbaum, co-founder and director, Proforest Matthew Leggett, associate director, sustainable commodities and private sector engagement, Wildlife Conservation Society

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 150 financial institutions with deforestation risks. Headline conclusion? Progress on implementation remains slow.   Plus: climate-change-driven natural disasters costed $280bn in 2021 says Munich Re; BlackRock’s Larry Fink says he’s not “woke” to push “stakeholder capitalism”; Burberry links corporate borrowing to sustainability metrics; and, Maersk commits to a net zero journey by 2040, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh

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 such plans into action. The panel talk about how technology can be a tool to empower consumers. Apps, social media channels, and monitoring technologies provide opportunities to deliver the information consumers need. These could range from areas such as UV, flood, and air quality warnings, to nutrition/health advice. Panellists: Fiona Ball, group director, Bigger Picture, Sky Richard Wright, behavioural science director, Unilever Edward Maibach, director, Centre for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University Moderator: Toby Webb, Innovation Forum The panel was one part of a half-day workshop run in collab

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 offsetting is only part of the solution for decarbonising the global economy.   Plus: the World Economic Forum’s key business risks for 2022; targeting forest finance via the Trillion Trees initiative from Birdlife International, Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF; and, Norway’s Oda retailer’s behaviour-changing consumer engagement on product impact, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh  

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 facing FIFA ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Join Andrew Wallis at the Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade Forum, 4th-5th April.