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 debate on these issues and many more, attend Innovation Forum's Future of Food event series online on 27^th and 28^th of May or 2^nd and 3^rd of June.

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 2^nd and 3^rd 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  

Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about where the burdens of the pandemic are likely to be felt as business finds a way through the crisis. They discuss some of the challenges that are emerging and how government relief for companies should be managed. Bloomer points out the potential for humanising of supply chains as consumers become more aware of where the essential products that they rely on come from and how they are produced.

Listeners should note that this interview was recorded on 31^st March amid fast-moving events.

This week: H&M’s Pascal Brun and Puma Group’s Stefan Seidel debate action on climate change and what future low carbon business models will look like with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb.

Plus: pandemic impacts on Bangladeshi factories; 2020 fashion transparency index, WHO action on wet markets, and species extinction warnings, in the news digest.  

Host: Ian Welsh

This week: Bryan Yates, general manager and director of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Orbital Insight, talks about how analysis of geospatial data can help companies track their supply chains and gauge risks. In particular he discusses the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on food supply chains, and how data can give insight into how social distancing is being practiced in different cities. Yates highlights why new pinch points in supply chains and social activity more generally have developed and the challenges they present.

Plus: farm animal welfare concerns, child labour in cocoa supply chains, and new plastic eating enzymes, in the news roundup.

Hosted by Ian Welsh