Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Does a focus on the facts lead to acceptance of gene editing?

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation Forum founder Toby Webb talks with Jon Entine, director of the Genetic Literacy Project, about the rise of the use of gene editing in agric...

Why there is no such thing as perfect company data

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Mills, CEO of Vizzuality, talks with Ian Welsh about how companies are changing the process of engagement with supply chain data. They discuss w...

Weekly podcast: The environmental and human rights legal risks business needs to know about

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s Elizabeth Forster and Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson talk about some of the new areas of legal risk r...

SourceUp: connecting landscapes with their markets and buyers

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

IDH’s Matthew Spencer, Proforest’s Ruth Nussbaum and Conservation International’s John Buchanan talk with Ian Welsh about how the SourceUp platf...

Why companies must continue to source from ‘high-risk’ countries

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Niels Wielaard, founder of Satelligence, and Ian Welsh talk about traceability-to-plantation innovation in palm oil and cocoa supply chains. Wielaard ...

Weekly podcast: Is business moving to a ‘just in case’ approach to supply chains?

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: David Grayson, campaigner and former director of the Doughty Centre at Cranfield School of Management, and co-author of the new Sustainable...

Cocoa child labour – how cash transfer schemes can help

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Megan Passey, head of knowledge and learning at the International Cocoa Initiative, talks with Ian Welsh about use of cash transfer to farmers to targ...

Nestlé’s plan to tackle cocoa child labour

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Toby Webb and Peter Stanbury reflect on Nestlé’s new strategy for the cocoa sector, with the ambition to get to grips with child labour risks, incr...

Weekly podcast: How to identify human rights risks in production landscapes

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: José Luis López, palm oil and biodiversity programme manager at Solidaridad, and Mario Rafael Rodriguez, senior associate for LandScale a...

How the apparel sector can cut 45% emissions by 2030

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Textile Exchange’s COO Claire Bergkamp and director of Climate+ strategy Beth Jenson talk with Ian Welsh about some impacts of climate change for th...

Weekly podcast: due diligence opportunities from new EU directive

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Salla Saastamoinen, director for civil and commercial justice, DG Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, talks with Innovation F...

Effective landscape approaches unpacked – ISEAL’s practical step-by-step guidance

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leony Aurora, landscapes and partnership lead at the Tropical Forest Alliance, and Patrick Mallet, director of innovations at ISEAL, talk with Ian Wel...

The unintended consequences of due diligence for palm oil

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Suwarganda, Golden Agri-Resources’ head of policy and partnerships, sustainability and communications, and Róisín Mortimer, Tropical Forest Al...

Weekly podcast: Why supply chain due diligence needs better data

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Niels Wielaard, founder of Satelligence, talks about how financial institutions are ratcheting up how they expect companies to engage with ...

What does ‘transformational change’ mean in practice for commodity landscapes?

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this session, recorded at Innovation Forum’s sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, an expert panel examines how landscape approaches...

Is a standardised approach to soil carbon measurement possible?

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Through sequestration, soil plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate change. Improved agricultural practices that promote soil sequestration can hel...

Rimba Collective’s innovative forest conservation at scale

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michal Zrust, founder of Lestari Capital, talks with Ian Welsh about the Rimba Collective, a palm oil sector led initiative – involving Procter & Ga...

Weekly podcast: What effective collective landscape approach action looks like

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Patrick Mallet, director of innovations at ISEAL, and Leony Aurora, landscapes and partnership lead at the Tropical Forest Alliance, discus...

Accountability Framework: Fast-tracking rubber sector sustainability progress

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Insight into challenges in the natural rubber sector from: Karen Steer, manager at the Rainforest Alliance and rubber lead for the Accountability Fram...

Weekly podcast: How to make a landscape approach work for the entire value chain

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: IDH’s Matthew Spencer, Proforest’s Ruth Nussbaum and Conservation International’s John Buchanan discuss the landscape approach collab...

Forest 500: little corporate progress on deforestation

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The rise and rise of tree-based cellulosic textile fibres

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Textile Exchange’s La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner talk with Ian Welsh about the trends emerging from the increasing use of ma...

Weekly podcast: How to avoid supply chain data overload

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 coll...

Why carbon offsetting must be more than just moving the deckchairs

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Antonioli, CEO of standard setting body Verra, explains to Ian Welsh how carbon offsetting can be part of broader corporate emissions reduction ...

Weekly podcast: Rubber supply chain innovation hits the road

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Karen Steer, manager at the Rainforest Alliance, and lead for the Accountability Framework, Stefano Savi, director of the Global Platform f...

Where landscape approaches are being applied successfully now

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this conference session, recorded at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, joining Toby Webb are: Dann Wen...

Weekly podcast: How will due diligence impact commodity supply chains?

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Ian Suwarganda, head of policy and partnerships, sustainability and communications at Golden Agri-Resources, and Róisín Mortimer, lead pr...

Better Cotton’s 2030 impact-delivery strategy

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, talks with Toby Webb about the challenges around market transformation in the cotton sector. Better Cotton’s rece...

Innovation for more sustainable shopping baskets

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Transforming the food system and overcoming the many environmental challenges it faces will require innovation at scale. With food production responsi...

Rent, resale and beyond: The circular business models transforming apparel

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Landscape and forest restoration: what works in practice?

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this conference session at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities event, Lucita Jasmin from APRIL, Nicolas Tubbs from W...

Weekly podcast: The big climate challenges for apparel and textiles

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Textile Exchange’s Claire Bergkamp and Beth Jenson talk about their new Climate+ strategy, some of the innovations in the textiles and ap...

Weekly podcast: How carbon finance can preserve forests and livelihoods

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, talks about how to use market mechanisms to develop effective forest conservation proje...

What do farmers want from brands and buyers?

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Farmers are critically important for sustainable commodities production, yet their voices are too often missing from the debate. At Innovation Forum’...

Deforestation: is there too much focus on palm oil?

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Announcements at COP26 have refocused attention on to the need for companies to transparently and immediately eliminate deforestation from their suppl...

Weekly podcast: Palm oil’s business-led $1bn forest restoration initiative

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Michal Zrust, founder of Lestari Capital, talks about the Rimba Collective, a palm oil sector initiative led by buyers and processors suppo...

Climate change and human health: Education to empower consumers and communities

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Knowledge is power, and the key to positive action. As climate impacts increase, the need to empower consumers will become crucial. Trusted brands can...

Weekly podcast: How verified standards drive carbon market growth

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: David Antonioli, CEO of Verra, talks about how verified standards on emission reductions can give business the transparency and credibility...

Why FIFA risks a huge credibility problem in Qatar

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK-based trafficking and modern slavery organisation Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about trends in human trafficking and modern s...

Why no one values trees more than cocoa farmers

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sebastiaan van der Hoek, forestry advisor at Cargill, discusses with Ian Welsh the potential for agroforestry to transform the cocoa sector. He outlin...

Weekly podcast: How to source sustainable manmade textile fibres

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week: La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner from Textile Exchange discuss the potential from manmade cellulosic fibres – partic...

Why brands need better data to hit apparel supply chain goals

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Le...

The post-COP practical solutions to look for in 2022

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

Weekly podcast: 2021 in review – the year that all roads led to COP26

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The $10bn interventions that can halt future pandemics

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nigel Sizer, executive director of the Preventing Pandemics at the Source coalition, and former president of Rainforest Alliance, reflects on some of ...

Weekly podcast: Why a 1.5C future will displace one billion people

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK-based trafficking and modern slavery organisation Unseen, talks about where the modern slavery and forced labour h...

Sustainable Apparel Barometer: what’s the future for viscose?

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Liesl Truscott, corporate benchmarking director at Textile Exchange, Lucita Jasmin, director of sustainability and external affairs at APRIL, and Nige...

From the Congo Basin: Market-driven solutions that preserve forests, tackle climate change and empower indigenous communities

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

What does regenerative agriculture mean for the future of cotton production?

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The concept of regenerative agriculture is being hailed as the new paradigm in sustainable supply chains. While it is predominantly food brands that h...

Is a regenerative approach what cotton farmers want next?

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect, and Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb chat in Dublin, while attending Textile Exchange’s Sustainability Conference 2...

Weekly podcast: Cocoa’s agroforestry potential

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Sebastiaan van der Hoek, forestry advisor at Cargill, talks about how agroforestry can benefit the cocoa sector, and help the business deli...

How a nature-based solution can help save Papua New Guinea’s forests

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 d...

How can carbon accounting accelerate action within the forest and land use sector?

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Achieving the Paris Agreement targets requires a radical transformation of the world’s food and land use systems. The land sector alone can deliver ...

Weekly podcast: How better data can drive sustainable apparel supply chains

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

ConferenceWatch2: forest and nature positive approaches in action

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Welsh reports from the second day of the 2021 sustainable landscapes and commodities conference. Among the main discussion points were how landsca...

ConferenceWatch: sustainable landscapes and commodities

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh reports on the opening day of the 2021 landscapes and commodities event. Highlights include analysis of the impacts of ...

Weekly podcast: Has business finally got it on climate change?

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tackling palm oil’s challenges in west Africa

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Victor Tamanjong, assistant technical manager for Africa at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, outlines the history of the palm oil sector in Afr...

Why economic empowerment is the route to farmer community resilience

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Williams, president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, talks with Ian Welsh about how funding for developing world grower c...

Weekly podcast: Stop deforestation to halt pandemics

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Nigel Sizer, executive director of the preventing pandemics at the source coalition, talks about the relationships between deforestation an...

COPwatch9: did you really expect more?

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the final update on the COP26 climate talks, Ian Welsh and climate journalist Mike Scott give their impressions on the events in Glasgow and reflec...

The emerging role of business in building systemic resilience

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The link between climate change and human health is clear. Now we need business to step up and define its role in adaptation as well as mitigation. So...

COPwatch8: all eyes on Glasgow as COP deadline looms

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the scheduled end of the COP26 meetings approaches, in the latest update from Glasgow news about how the final agreement is coming, or not, togethe...

COPwatch7: draft agreement made in Scotland, but not from girders

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest update from the COP26 meetings in Glasgow from Ian Welsh, news of how the first draft of the proposed end of summit agreement was receiv...

COPwatch6: Obama’s the star, but is it too late?

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The latest update from Glasgow on the COP26 meetings with Ian Welsh. As Barack Obama wows the city on Monday and Tuesday, reality strikes with the Cli...

COPwatch5: how to empower indigenous people to save the forests

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest daily update on the COP26 meetings in Glasgow, Ian Welsh reports from the three-day Global Landscapes Forum, where he was joined by the ...

COPwatch4: it’s not easy going green

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest daily update from Ian Welsh on the COP26 meetings in Glasgow, news from energy day as 190 countries and organisations pledge to quit coa...

The climate health issues where business can make a difference

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The key environmental issues related to climate change are clear. But what about the human side? How well does business understand the human implicati...

How to ensure climate change is the focus of business standards

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Steedman, director general, standards, at BSI, explains to Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh why engaging on the climate crisis should be a focus o...

COPwatch3: show me the money!

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The latest daily podcast on the events at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh. On finance day, UK chancellor of the exche...

COPwatch2: $19bn deal to fight deforestation, and real movement on methane

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest daily podcast covering the COP26 meetings in Glasgow, Ian Welsh speaks to Mighty Earth founder and CEO Glenn Hurowitz. They react to the...

COPwatch: let’s keep 1.5 alive!

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first daily podcast covering the COP26 meetings in Glasgow, with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh. All the news from the opening day as delegates st...

Weekly podcast: Successful forests action project in Kenya, and impact of new EU label for apparel sector

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Local managers and community leaders explain how a REDD+ project in Kenya is preserving 200,000 hectares of forest and benefitting 120,000 ...

The rise and rise of the voluntary carbon markets

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Donofrio, director of Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace project, and co-author of the State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2021 report, ...

Regenerative agriculture’s $70bn potential for Africa

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cassandra Austen, senior economist at Vivid Economics, Joe Robertson, senior advisor for sustainable finance at EAT, and member of the secretariat of ...

Weekly podcast: Building climate smart communities in the global south

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Peter Williams, president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction talks about the work of the institute in the rural communi...

Palm oil’s climate resilience challenge

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Musim Mas director of sustainable supply chain Oliver Tichit tells Ian Welsh that he wants to see progress towards more collaboration, better financin...

Can the future be textile to textile recycling?

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Textile Exchange’s La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner talk with Toby Webb about the challenges for the apparel sector in growing ...

Weekly podcast: Why optimisation of business strategy is essential to tackle climate change

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Steedman, director general standards at BSI, outlines the background to the new London declaration commitment to embed climate science in all st...

Decarbonising your business? Just get on with it

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Kroeger, head of supply chains and natural climate solutions at Satelligence, and Ian Welsh talk about the open dialogue that can lead to the coo...

Weekly podcast: Why carbon market growth is driven by corporate ambition

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Stephen Donofrio, co-author of the new State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2021 report, and director of Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Market...

The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With discussion on how companies can build a market-driven solution to finance forest and wildlife conservation, benefit local communities and meet SD...

Weekly podcast: Big brands and their scope 3 emissions challenges

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Oliver Hurrey, founder of the scope 3 peer group and the sustainable procurement pledge, and Ian Welsh discuss some of the talking points f...

Dole Foods: hi-tech sustainability marketing in practice

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Xavier Roussel, sustainability and marketing director at Dole Foods, and Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb discuss how augmented reality experiences from...

Beyond ‘social compliance as PR exercise’ for the apparel sector

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Avedis Seferian, CEO of global social compliance non-profit WRAP, talks with Peter Stanbury, co-author of Innovation Forum’s new Sustainable Apparel...

Weekly podcast: What’s a realistic COP26 wish list?

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Oliver Tichit, director of sustainable supply chain at Musim Mas, talks about what he wants to see from the COP26 meetings, and the challen...

How one food start-up wants to stop shipping water

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Paloma López and Sean Ansett, co-founders of Future Fit Foods talk with Toby Webb about their vision for convenience foods that are healthy and effic...

Nestlé’s strategic shift away from single-use plastic

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jodie Roussell, senior public affairs manager for packaging and sustainability at Nestlé, talks with Ian Welsh about evolution in use of plastics in ...

Weekly podcast: The radical solutions necessary for decarbonisation at scale

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Alan Kroeger, head of supply chains and natural climate solutions at Satelligence, talks about eliminating emissions from forest commodity ...

Climate crisis: are there reasons for hope?

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Carbon Trust’s director for implementation and e-mobility Myles McCarthy talks with Ian Welsh about some of the positive solutions emerging that...

Sustainable Apparel Barometer 2021 – collaboration for sector transformation

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Launching the Sustainable Apparel Barometer 2021, this webinar features discussion of the challenges and opportunities in viscose production, how tran...

Weekly podcast: From pdfs to QR codes – the changing face of consumer engagement

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Xavier Roussel, sustainability and marketing director at Dole Foods, talks with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb about how technology is chan...

Is heat-impacted worker health the next big reputation risk?

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Glaser, co-founder and CEO of La Isla Network talks with Ian Welsh about the real dangers for outdoor workers, including in agricultural supply ...

Weekly podcast: Recycling polyester, durability and no more apparel sector ‘business as usual’

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Morgan Stoneburner from Textile Exchange talk with Toby Webb about developing more sustainable polyeste...

The ‘knowing what to do with farm data’ cocoa sector challenge

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At the recent Innovation Forum Future of Food conference, Nicko Debenham, vice president and head of sustainability at Barry Callebaut, and Taco Terhe...

Weekly podcast: Packaging strategy in a less plastic world

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Nestlé’s Jodie Roussell, senior public affairs manager for packaging and sustainability, talks about challenges developing lower-impact ...

Is climate positive food possible?

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Baertschi, food and agriculture sector lead at Quantis, argues the case for developing a whole-system approach to developing food supply that i...

Weekly podcast: The corporate challenges in tackling climate change at pace

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week: Myles McCarthy, director for implementation and e-mobility at the Carbon Trust, talks about the big climate challenges for business in the ...

Asking the unasked questions about smallholder farmer supply chains

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb and Peter Stanbury talk about why entire value chains have to be sustainable and that a narrow focus just on smallholde...

Weekly podcast: Climate risks to worker health in commodity supply chains

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Epidemiologist Jason Glaser, CEO of La Isla Network, talks about the risks for any company with commodity supply chains around high temperatures and a...