
Innovation Forum hosts a weekly podcast along with regular interviews with business leaders in sustainability. Each week, we summarise the latest sustainability news and announcements, and get the views of leading experts on business critical issues. Widely regarded as one of the best sustainability podcasts around, stay tuned for regular insights, debate and analysis.
Episodes

6 hours ago
6 hours ago
This week: Sarah Rosenkranz and Bettina Fafengut, from the product specialist team at testing and certifiers the Hohenstein Group, talk with Ian Welsh and unpack the OEKO-TEX organic cotton certification. As consumer demand for transparency grows, they highlight how empowering buyers with product certainty can raise the bar on both organic integrity and chemical safety.
Plus: some quick fire insights from the recent packaging innovation forum in Amsterdam with Bayer’s head of packaging sustainability, Keiko Tago, talking with Ian about the complex realities of flexible packaging.
And, Nescafé achieves regen ag target; World Refill Day spotlights reuse gaps; and, France targets fast fashion with new law, in the news digest with Ellen Atiyah.
Host: Ian Welsh

2 days ago
2 days ago
Emma Thomson, Forest 500 and tracking lead at Global Canopy, talks with Ian Welsh about the latest Forest 500 report. With only 3% of companies qualifying as true leaders, they discuss insights into the evolving landscape, key sectoral trends and the growing regulatory and public pressures driving action.

4 days ago
4 days ago

Friday Jun 13, 2025
Integrating sustainability and finance: Lindex’s CSRD journey
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Anna-Karin Dahlberg, chief sustainability officer at Lindex talks with Ian Welsh about how the Swedish fashion retailer is adapting to CSRD and double materiality reporting. She explains the shift from standalone sustainability reports to integrated financial disclosures, the role of cross-departmental collaboration, and how data collection – especially on social and environmental impact – is evolving across the value chain.

Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Weekly podcast – Seeing the unseen: data, disruption and supply chain strategy
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
This week: Olivia Dobson, director of climate and resilience at Verisk Maplecroft, joins Ian Welsh to explore interconnected supply chain risks, the shift toward enterprise-level risk consideration, and emerging challenges around supply chain visibility. They examine how geopolitical uncertainties, regulatory compliance and data management are reshaping sourcing strategies.
Plus: Ulla Hueppe, vice president of sustainability at Henkel, talks with Ian at the recent scope 3 event in Amsterdam, about engaging suppliers on emissions reduction, creating transparency in supply chain data, and balancing the cost of change versus inaction.
And: major food firms fall short on real emissions cuts, and consumers want sustainable fashion but high price hinders, in the news digest.
Host: Ian Welsh

Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Weekly podcast – Why regenerative agriculture needs a farmer-centric reboot
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
This week: Simon Haldrup, co-founder and CEO of agri-tech company Agreena talks with Ian Welsh about how scaling regenerative agriculture hinges on farmer incentives, customised practices and financial support. They discuss how to move beyond pilot programmes into large-scale adoption and how to make sense of data.
Plus: at the scope 3 innovation forum this week, Ian talked with Kim Schoppink from the Science Based Targets initiative about the core challenges and emerging solutions around scope 3 emissions data.
And: EU nations push to ease EUDR rules, while EU companies resist to dilute CSRD; deposit schemes slash litter as Pepsi pull reuse target; and, beanless blends brew up a buzz, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.
Host: Diana Kim

Thursday Jun 05, 2025
The global plastics treaty: are we getting warmer?
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Jodie Roussell, global public affairs lead of packaging and sustainability at Nestlé and co-chair of the Business Coalition for the Global Plastics Treaty working on the treaty, shares the current state of progress toward a global plastics agreement. In conversation with Ian Welsh, they highlight murmurs of negotiations on the ground and behind-the-scenes progress. Jodie notes the overall heightened energy from governments to move forward, despite discrepancies in ambition levels among member states.
This interview was recorded in May 2025.
We’ll be continuing the conversation at the sustainable packaging innovation forum in Chicago on 28-29 October. Join alongside the likes of Amcor, Kraft Heinz, Amazon, TerraCycle, Estée Lauder, Ameripen, Lush and many more. Click here for information on how to get involved.

Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
This week: Innovation Forum's Natasha Bodnar and Ian Welsh discuss the importance of a cross-industry insights in building partnerships, candid insights and fresh thinking on scope 3. They talk about what to expect at this week's scope 3 innovation forum, taking place in Amsterdam.
Plus: Bertrand Conquéret, chief procurement officer at Henkel talks with Ian Welsh about how Henkel is leveraging procurement to lead cross-functional change and embed sustainability in product development. They highlight how to build supplier partnerships, particularly through coalitions such as Together for Sustainability — a now 50+ company coalition driving transparency and carbon data sharing across the chemical industry.
Host: Ian Welsh

Friday May 30, 2025
Friday May 30, 2025
This week: Dave Lütkenhaus, global sustainability and innovation director at Diageo, talks with Ian Welsh about the company’s approach to circular packaging and how it’s working to reduce scope 3 emissions. They highlight innovations in refill systems, reusable formats, and new materials being trialled across markets.
Plus: at the Future of Food and Beverage conference this week, Ian talks with farmers Jocelyn Schlichting and Carla Schultz about the need for deeper partnerships between growers and food manufacturers. They explore risks in regenerative agriculture, the importance of regional nuance and how marketing decisions shape practices on the ground.
And, major brands may be exiting the US Plastics Pact; EU nears 2030 climate goal, doubts remain; Italian fashion brands act on labour abuse; and, AI mineral demand threatens South American ecosystems, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.
Host: Diana Kim

Thursday May 29, 2025
What digital product passports roll-out really means for apparel brands
Thursday May 29, 2025
Thursday May 29, 2025
Tara St James, senior director of sustainability at Moose Knuckles talks with Ian Welsh at the recent sustainable apparel and textiles conferences. They discuss the implications a digital product passport introduction will bring and the specific requirements businesses must fulfil. They highlight practical steps in achieving this and what consumer experience would look like.
To continue the conversation, join the sustainable apparel and textiles conference, taking place in New York City on 24-25 June. Click here for information on how to get involved.