Innovation Forum Podcast

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. Cargill was a sponsor of the recent Innovation Forum sustainable landscapes and commodities event.

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 significant challenges in transitioning to net zero. Plus: UK farmers set to be paid £1.6bn for re-wilding and environmental sensitivity; France bans plastic wrapped fruit and vegetables; and, better news on deforestation rates in Indonesia down to palm oil sector scrutiny, says Rainforest Action Network, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh

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 are meeting impact goals.

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 COP27 meetings in Egypt. Among the next steps to look out for are net zero commitments that stand up to measurement, and for a real focus on delivery.

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 gives some insight into the growth of the electric vehicle market. Dole Food’s Xavier Roussel talks about how to engage consumers on sustainability matters. Forest Trends’ Stephen Donofrio gives his views on the rise and rise of the voluntary carbon market. And, Molly Jensen and Rachael Howie, pupils at the High School of Glasgow, discuss the COP26 meetings and their hopes for the future. Host: Ian Welsh

Nigel Sizer, executive director of the Preventing Pandemics at the Source coalition, and former president of Rainforest Alliance, reflects on some of the outcomes from COP26, welcoming the funding that was announced to help halt deforestation. Speaking with Ian Welsh, Sizer also talks about the links between deforestation and global pandemics and how, much like climate change, it is always those that are least equipped to deal with the challenges that are impacted most. To reduce risks of future pandemics, he calls for forest conservation, controls of the wildlife trade and stronger biosecurity in animal agriculture.  

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK-based trafficking and modern slavery organisation Unseen, talks about where the modern slavery and forced labour hotspots are right now, and the impacts of climate change on forced migration. He also outlines what Fifa should be thinking about ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Plus: Walmart’s new supply chain finance programme with CDP and HSBC; how HSBC plans to exit coal, and why ShareAction isn’t impressed; and, the European Commission outlines new carbon removal proposals for the EU, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh

Liesl Truscott, corporate benchmarking director at Textile Exchange, Lucita Jasmin, director of sustainability and external affairs at APRIL, and Nigel Sizer, executive director at the Preventing Pandemics at the Source initiative, talk with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb about some of the findings from the recent Apparel Barometer report, in particular regarding viscose. The discussion includes the challenges of using recycled fibres, the relative impacts of different feedstocks, and the opportunities for increased sustainability from moving from fossil to natural fibres.

In this 30 minute webinar, the latest in the From the Forest Frontlines series, hear from project members and community leaders at the Wildlife Works Mai Ndombe REDD+ project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo Basin is home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and the largest carbon sink. The preservation of this forest is critical to mitigating climate change, as well as maintaining biodiversity and the livelihoods of 80 million people. The Wildlife Works Mai Ndombe REDD+ project protects 300,000 hectares of rainforest and wetlands by addressing the drivers of deforestation and biodiversity loss while improving the well-being of local communities – is achieved through the sale of verified emission reductions credits that are traded on the voluntary carbon market. An average annual reduction of 3.5m tonnes of CO2 equivalent now being achieved. The carbon financing that's generated covers project costs and goes to the community, which funds activities including building schools and

The concept of regenerative agriculture is being hailed as the new paradigm in sustainable supply chains. While it is predominantly food brands that have acted fastest to make significant commitments to regenerative, the future of cotton production could be based on similar practices that aim to restore, renew and replenish the environment. However, big questions still stand on definitions, processes, outcomes, and crucially what this actually looks like on the ground. In this hour-long webinar, we took a closer look at how regenerative practices can be applied to cotton farming. We discussed: How regenerative apparel can be defined and how it differs from sustainable fashion The opportunities and challenges for brands, farmers and partners in implementing such program The key players in this transition and their roles in ensuring that these practices are scaled How to determine the impact and specific outcomes of regenerative programs Panellists: Alison Ward, CEO, CottonConnect Rachel Kanter Kepnes, manager

Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect, and Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb chat in Dublin, while attending Textile Exchange’s Sustainability Conference 2021, about what regenerative agriculture can bring to the cotton sector. They discuss CottonConnect’s 3,000 farm regenerative agriculture pilot programme, how this builds on work developing sustainability in cotton supply chains more generally, and why an approach that focuses more on outcomes than definitions is important.

This week: Sebastiaan van der Hoek, forestry advisor at Cargill, talks about how agroforestry can benefit the cocoa sector, and help the business deliver its sustainability goals, including the Cargill Cocoa Promise. He welcomes the high profile that nature-based solutions had at COP26 and the traction they are gaining more generally. Plus: global energy intensity improved in 2021 says IEA’s latest Energy Efficiency Report; carbon neutral eggs at Morrisons; Patagonia’s community energy sourcing; and, GRI and CDP collaborate on biodiversity, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh   

At the Global Landscapes Forum in Glasgow during COP26, the Hon Gary Juffa, governor of Oro province in Papua New Guinea, and Tony Simons, executive director of CIFOR-ICRAF, the body formed by the merger of the CIFOR – Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, spoke with Ian Welsh.  They discussed a new Resilient Landscapes initiative supported by the national and local governments in Oro province showcasing the importance of nature-based solutions, preserving biodiversity while helping indigenous communities realise the value of their landscape. 

Achieving the Paris Agreement targets requires a radical transformation of the world’s food and land use systems. The land sector alone can deliver at least 30% of the mitigation required to reach net-zero. In this context, companies with a land-use footprint must embrace interventions to conserve and restore forests and other natural ecosystems in the landscapes they source from as part of their climate strategies. To help scale up these investments, carbon accounting frameworks that provide the right incentives are key. This hour-long webinar assessed what’s required to drive urgency and transformation in the food and land use system. We discussed: What is the role of carbon accounting rules to incentivize the right actions for transformation? The challenges that need to be addressed to make these incentives work in practice The challenges and opportunities for companies with a land-use footprint to invest and scale up natural climate solutions at a landscape level Our panel: Michele Zollinger, global sust

This week: Tara Luckman, advisor to the US Cotton Trust Protocol, and Dr Mark Sumner from the school of design at the University of Leeds, talk about the impacts of a lack of transparency in apparel production, and cotton in particular. They discuss the importance of data, and how the sector can move away from mass balance approach to supply chain sustainability and monitoring, and deliver proper traceability. Plus: review of the themes that emerged at the Innovation Forum sustainable landscapes and commodities conference. Host: Ian Welsh  

Ian Welsh reports from the second day of the 2021 sustainable landscapes and commodities conference. Among the main discussion points were how landscape approaches are being implemented now, and the challenges encountered; how to properly engage smallholder farmers and other grower communities in corporate decision making; and, how to find sustained finance, at scale, to drive change.

Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh reports on the opening day of the 2021 landscapes and commodities event. Highlights include analysis of the impacts of the outcomes from COP26, what transformational change means in practice for key commodity landscapes, and how evolving corporate procurement policies can deliver on targets. Coming up on day two are open discussions on landscape restoration, regenerative agriculture and ecosystem services payments for farmers. Plus debate on whether the priorities of business and campaign groups are diverging.   

This week: Lord Deben, chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee, reflects on the outcomes from the COP26 meetings and how momentum can be carried forward over the coming months. A standout from Glasgow, he argues, was the enthusiastic involvement of leaders from big business driving progress forwards. Plus: PepsiCo targets access to nutritious food; European retailers not doing enough in farmed fish supply chains, says Changing Markets Foundation; and the fashion sector needs $1tn investment to get to a 1.5C pathway according to Fashion for Good and Apparel Impact Institute, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh

Victor Tamanjong, assistant technical manager for Africa at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, outlines the history of the palm oil sector in Africa, and the more recent growth of certified crop. He discusses how to engage smallholder farmers with the benefits of certification and adopting a more sustainable approach in general – including market access, training, increased yields and farm income. As in many palm oil growing regions, land tenure is a major challenge – but an approach that respects local land-holding customs is proving to be successful. With Ian Welsh.

Peter Williams, president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, talks with Ian Welsh about how funding for developing world grower communities can best focus on economic empowerment, alongside health, food systems, environmental and health matters. They also discuss why better climate resilience is essential, and how this can be achieved.