This week: Geoff Mackay, sustainability director at BASF, on how innovation in precision agriculture techniques can boost yields and cut the sector’s impacts. And Nathan Shuler, sustainability solutions architect at Schneider Electric, explains what science-based targets can do for business efficiency and strategy.

Plus analysis of Tyson Foods’ focus on land stewardship, why palm oil buyers still won’t pay for sustainable crop, tougher European rules on investor disclosure, and apparel sector worker conflicts in Bangladesh, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

David Tulauskas, director of sustainability at General Motors, talks with Ian Welsh about how GM plans to achieve its "zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion" goals. They debate the rise in consumer demand for ride-sharing and how this is disrupting traditional personal transportation models.

Tulauskas outlines why he thinks “the future is electric”, and why this raises new supply chain risks for the automotive sector as it sources more conflict minerals. He also explains how the industry is learning from other commodities as it develops more-sustainable rubber value chains.

Listeners please note that David Tulauskas moved on from his role at General Motors at the end of December 2018.

Andrew Wallis, CEO, Unseen, discusses with Ian Welsh how slavery and forced labour risks are evolving. Wallis and his colleagues work with survivors of modern slavery, and use this frontline knowledge to inform their work with companies and other organisations to really engage on critical human rights risks.

He argues the case for business to take a more proactive approach to eliminate modern slavery risks from operations and supply chains, most importantly through empowering individuals to recognise where and when slavery festers.

This week: insight from Cargill, PepsiCo and Proforest on how brands and suppliers can work together effectively in the palm oil sector. And Goodera’s Richa Bajpai on how business can track sustainability projects in real time.

Plus: the costs of climate change, peatland rehabilitation in Indonesia, bioacoustics and conservation, and Thailand’s seafood sector’s work on modern slavery, in the news roundup.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect, talks with Ian Welsh about why developing better life skills in smallholder farmer communities, combined with farm-level supply chain traceability, develops real resilience and security of supply for brands.

Working with trusted local partners in India, Ward explains how CottonConnect has helped Primark engage directly with its suppliers and create more-sustainable product lines on the shelves, through focusing on gender empowerment and introducing more-efficient agricultural techniques and practices.

Suzanne Westlake, head of corporate responsibility and corporate affairs at Ocado, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the care required to avoid the unintended consequences of removing plastic from packaging.

They discuss why plastics have become demonised, and why the prevention of food waste must be a key concern for retailers. Westlake outlines how Ocado, as a delivery-only retailer, can engage its customers to help boost recycling rates, and demystify some of the complexities involved.

This week: Ruth Thomas, director of the Global Agribusiness Alliance, reflects on her favourite innovations in sustainable landscapes from 2018, and what she wants to see in 2019. And Global Reporting Initiative chairman Eric Hespenheide explains why corporate transparency leads to greater business value.

Plus: COP24 progress, ExxonMobil targeted by investors, tightened plastic waste regulation, Wilmar reaffirms its commitments, and Brazil’s Cerrado clearance rates slow, in the news roundup.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

And don't forget the exclusive 10% discount for podcast listeners this month on passes to any 2019 Innovation Forum event using code IFPOD10.

Anna Chilton, from agricultural producer, Camellia, owner of the Linton Park winery in South Africa, talks with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb about what sustainability means for the wine industry, soil health and better practices, and what other businesses, particularly in the agriculture sector, might learn from wine sustainability studies and practices.

They discuss polyculture and the need for clarity and transparency for consumers, and the role of certification to consolidation of sustainability standards.

Andy Napthine, group marketing controller at UK food producer Cranswick, and Nick Green from Veris Strategies talk with Ian Welsh about how to develop collaborative relationships with suppliers and customers on cutting use of plastic.

Napthine and Green argue that such are the complexities of the plastics-use debate that only an industry wide movement enable the shifts in behaviours necessary. In the food sector at least, there is now strong company-led desire to see real change, they say.

This week: Kate Clancy, sustainability manager, cocoa and chocolate, at Cargill discusses what business can do to strengthen smallholder farmers’ business models. And Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Michelle Bramley gives some insight into the impacts of changing modern slavery legislation.

Plus: analysis of Maersk’s climate-neutral future, a new carbon report from Hermes Investment Management, why Mighty Earth says cocoa still has deforestation questions to answer, and McDonald’s pledges to cut antibiotics in beef supply chains, in the news roundup.

And an exclusive special discount for podcast listeners this month for any Innovation Forum event using code IFPOD10.

Hosted by Ian Welsh