Innovation Forum Podcast

Amol Mishra, global commercial director, CottonConnect describes to Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh why partnering with both apparel brands and cotton farmers, covering both ends of the supply chain, delivers more sustainable supply. Mishra outlines how projects are structured so there is a clear link between investment and economic return, how brands are increasingly using sustainable sourcing achievements in marketing, and why natural capital accounting will help CottonConnect deliver on its goal of transforming the cotton industry for good at scale. Cotton Connect was a sponsor of Innovation Forum's recent sustainable apparel and textiles conference.

This week: Felicitas Weber, Know the Chain project director at the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, on the results of the latest human rights benchmark on the IT sector, and what characterises the companies that are doing well, and those that are lagging behind. And, Charlotte Bande, food sector and climate strategy lead, Quantis International, on what best practice looks like for food sector companies that are serious about cutting environmental impacts.   Plus: Unilever’s €1bn climate fund; ILO warns of child labour risks from pandemic; and, plastic rain in the southwest US, in the news digest. Hosted by Ian Welsh

Intel’s Mike McDonnell, senior manager for supply chain sustainability, talks with Ian Welsh about how knowing what your customers want from your business can help identify the human rights and forced labour risks in your own supply chain. A central challenge for companies remains inadequate mapping and analysis of supply chains – but there are tools to help. Cross-sector information sharing, helping to make auditing more effective, is also useful, McDonnell argues.    

Mary Linell-Simmons, director of marketing at Fairtrade America, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about some of the human rights impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in commodity supply chains. Taking the the coffee sector, she argues that fluctuating prices driving the timing of crop harvesting brings a number of labour rights risks. And they discuss the child labour risks for the cocoa sector in west Africa, and the necessary sensitivities required to address the challenges.  

This week: Amol Mishra, global commercial director at CottonConnect, talks about some of the challenges around scaling projects in the developing world. He argues the case for designing them so they can have a real impact on producer communities and so that brands have the certainty and supply security they need. Plus: the UN’s Race to Zero campaign, CDP’s list of shame, land rights in Indonesia and pandemic impacts on ocean pollution, in the news digest.   Hosted by Ian Welsh  

Renee Henze, global marketing and channel development director at Dupont Biomaterials, discusses, with Ian Welsh, some of the challenges for apparel brands in developing real circularity in garments. They talk about why customers are ever keener to buy products that have greater recyclability, and the pitfalls for business to ensure the recycling infrastructure necessary is in place. And, as Henze points out, the fact that a garment can be recycled doesn’t mean that it is. Dupont was a sponsor of Innovation Forum's recent sustainable apparel and textiles conference.

PEFC’s CEO and secretary-general Ben Gunneburg and Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh talk about how sourcing fibres from sustainably managed and certified forests can make real improvements in terms of environmental impacts for the fashion sector. They discuss potential consumer trends post-pandemic, how relationships with brands around transparency might change, and why a chain of custody approach can help. PEFC was a sponsor of the recent Innovation Forum sustainable apparel and textiles conference.

This week: Terry Lawler, fabric development manager for Naia at Eastman, discusses what the coronavirus pandemic has meant for the apparel sector, and the innovations required to meet the resulting change in consumer habits. She outlines what brands should consider doing to rethink sourcing policies to enable more sustainable supply chains. Plus: latest Global Forest Watch report, Ikea doubles down on circularity with Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and dangers of microplastics from tyres revealed, in the news roundup. Hosted by Ian Welsh

Pauline Op de Beeck, client manager at the Carbon Trust, and Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh discuss the importance of definitions for companies and organisations striving for net-zero emissions. They talk about best practice in off-setting and why actually cutting emissions is essential, how to include scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and why creativity is an essential part of how to really get to grips with greenhouse gas impacts.

Joining Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb at the recent sustainable apparel and textiles conference are Patagonia’s senior manager for traceability Nicholas Allen, Cotton Council International’s European director Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, and H&M’s head of sustainability Pascal Brun.   They discuss some of the challenges for business in really getting to know their supply chains, the benefits of supplier mapping, and examples of how traceability lead to transparency. Introduced by Ian Welsh

This week: Mary Linnell-Simmons, Fairtrade America’s director of marketing, discusses some of the trade and human rights implications of the coronavirus pandemic, including commodity supply chain child labour risks, and how consumer relationships with brands are changing. And, Intel’s senior manager for supply chain sustainability, Mike McDonnell, talks about some of the ongoing compliance challenges for a company with 10,000 suppliers and how more specific rules and guidance is a real help. Hosted by Ian Welsh

Drew Northern, director, global anticorruption at Cook Group, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about how business should respond to human rights violations and what appropriate mechanisms can be put in place to remedy victims effectively. They discuss how to ensure worker voice solutions work well, and the benefits of tailoring remediation plans to individual cases.  

Recorded at the recent Innovation Forum sustainable apparel and textiles conference are Anna Maria Rugarli, senior director of sustainability and responsibility EMEA for VF Corp, Renee Henze, global marketing and channel development director for DuPont Biomaterials, and Burak Cakmak, dean of fashion at Parsons. They debate with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh the fundamental building blocks necessary for shifting the apparel sector from linear to circular models. They discuss the challenges to achieving this, the cross-sector collaboration required and the need for thinking of circular solutions from the point of design.

This week: Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, on the benefits for the apparel sector from switching to forest-based fibres. And Pauline Op de Beeck, client manager at the Carbon Trust, on the challenges for brands getting to net zero emissions, particularly scope 3 supply chain emissions. Plus: why 155 big brands want climate science led pandemic response; UK supermarkets threaten Brazil boycott; cocoa initiative progress in west Africa; and, hopes for plastic-from-plants for Carlsberg, Coca-Cola and Danone, in the news digest. Hosted by Ian Welsh

This week: Renee Henze, global marketing and channel development director, Dupont Biomaterials, talks about the challenges for the apparel and textiles sector in developing real circular economy models, and the roles of designers and fabric manufacturers in moving the industry towards achieving them. Henze outlines the spectrum of what consumers want their favourite brands to do to promote circularity – and how greater desire for environmental sustainability from consumers is driving the sector forwards. Plus: risks for US livestock supply chains; more bad news on ocean microplastics; total global deforestation down, but rates up in tropical forests; the palm oil as fuel debate; and, pandemic impact on migrant labour, in the news digest. Hosted by Ian Welsh

FSC and Eastman Naia on the sourcing sustainable wood pulp challenges Ruth Farrell, textiles marketing director at Eastman Naia, and Andrés Ortolano, FSC Italy chain of custody manager, discuss with Ian Welsh the role of certification in helping develop sustainable wood pulp supply chains in the apparel sector. They talk about how to ensure protection of critical ancient forests, while providing brands and their customers with the assurance they are increasingly looking for when making purchasing decisions. FSC and Eastman Naia were sponsors of Innovation Forum's recent sustainable textiles and apparel conference.

Webinar – Farm environmental impact: innovation and progress in animal agriculture In this webinar, the panel discusses the pressing need within the food and agriculture industry to ‘do more with less’, focusing specifically on cattle in North America, and how innovation has led to improved sustainability over animal life cycles. They consider Cargill’s BeefUp Sustainability initiative, which is committed to achieving a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity across its North American beef supply chain; the Yield Lab’s Manure Challenge, which guides start-ups to come up with solutions that capture manure-based nutrients; and, Texas Tech’s work developing more-efficient cattle breeds. Panel: Heather Tansey, sustainability director, animal nutrition and protein, Cargill Brandon Day, chief operating officer, The Yield Lab Institute Dale Woerner, Cargill endowed professor in sustainable meat science department of animal and food sciences, Texas Tech University Hosted by Ian Welsh, Innovation Form For further d

This week: Drew Northern from US-based Cook Group describes the importance of establishing effective human rights grievance mechanisms that workers trust. He outlines why these mechanisms to often fail to earn that trust, the pitfalls to avoid when working with third party suppliers to establish worker voice solutions, and how to tailor remediation plans to individual cases. Plus: new EU human rights regulation to come; why green pandemic recovery packages win; and, actions for the apparel sector to ensure sustainable recover post Covid-19, in the news digest.    Hosted by Ian Welsh

Bryan Yates, general manager and director of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Orbital Insight, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about how study of geospatial data on transportation and food supply can identify the growing pinch points caused by pandemic crisis. Yates outlines how studying these can help business plan to avoid disruption and delay as much as possible. Join Bryan at Innovation Forum’s Future of Food event on 2nd and 3rd June. Click here for full details.

This week: Andrés Ortolano, FSC Italy chain of custody manager, and Ruth Farrell, textiles marketing director at Eastman Naia, debate how and why the apparel sector is sourcing increasing amounts of wood-based fibre. There are clear supply risks, and they discuss what brands can do to ensure that their suppliers are environmentally sustainable. Plus: how pandemics are linked to deforestation and environmental destruction, and all Indonesian smallholder palm oil farmers to be certified, in the news digest. Hosted by Ian Welsh