Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Weekly podcast – How to scale next generation apparel materials

This week: Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell speaks with Femke Jonkmans, senior innovation associate at Fashion for Good, about some barriers impacting the development of new materials in the apparel sector. 

Niamh also speaks with Ian Welsh about natural fibre use and innovation on water impacts in the apparel sector. 

And, Nestlé's 410,000 KitKats heist; why language on climate change and business sustainability is ever more important; and, why environment and ethical choices are becoming mainstream for consumers, in the news digest. 

Host: Ian Welsh

Is zero textile waste to landfill really achievable?

Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell talks with Esme Chiverton and Fiona Bretherton from Untouched World about how collaboration can make zero waste ambitions a reality for the apparel sector.

Why due diligence means embedding worker empowerment

This week: Thomas Radal, global worker engagement expert at Ulula, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how worker empowerment programmes can really deliver at scale. Moving beyond traditional audits, they explore how companies can gather direct feedback from workers using accessible technologies.

Plus: Innovation Forum's Ellen Atiyah chats with Liz Hershfield, executive director of COTTON USA™ and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, ahead of an upcoming webinar on regenerative sourcing.

And, Innovation Forum's Natasha Bodnar takes a look at how companies are moving from scope 3 commitments to real-world action, and how decarbonisation is increasingly linked to energy security and supply chain resilience.

Why flexible packaging recycling isn’t scaling (yet)

Dana Mosora, senior consultant at CEFLEX, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the push to make flexible packaging circular in Europe. They explore the key barriers to scaling recycling, from low collection rates and inconsistent quality to weak market demand, and the critical role of policy, particularly the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Weekly podcast – How food brands can win today’s consumers

This week: highlights summary from a recent food webinar on how consumer expectations are reshaping the food sector. Moderated by Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah, Dorothy Shaver from Unilever, Caroline Reid from Oatly and Griffith Foods’ Alex Skidmore explore how health, price and sustainability priorities differ across generations.

Plus: at the recent sustainable packaging innovation forum, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh spoke with Caroline Elms from Pladis Global about how collaboration, innovation and clearer priorities can unlock scalable sustainable packaging solutions.

And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari talks with Ian about how sustainability in food and beverage is ever more a core driver of resilience and business value.

Host: Ian Welsh

Can commodity shipping overcome the green premium challenge?

Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill's ocean transport business, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the challenge of decarbonising global shipping. They discuss the role of alternative fuels and why scaling change depends on solving the "green premium" and clearer regulation from the International Maritime Organisation.

Consumers want nutritious, low-impact food: How can innovation deliver at scale?

From a growing focus on health and nutrition, to rising demand for lower-impact food, evolving consumer expectations are reshaping how value is created across the food sector.

This webinar explored how companies are responding to changing consumer demand and utilising innovation to deliver products that meet both sustainability and nutrition expectations. We looked at how organisations are adapting and reformulating products, developing innovation levers, and balancing food functionality and sustainability – all whilst creating business value.

In conversation with:

• Dorothy Shaver, global food sustainability director, Unilever
• Caroline Reid, senior sustainability director, Oatly
• Alex Skidmore, head of market intelligence Europe, Griffith Foods

Weekly podcast – Can camelina help reshape climate-smart agriculture?

This week: a highlight from the recent webinar organised in partnership with Cargill. Anne Schwagerl from the Minnesota Farmers Union, University of Minnesota's Mitch Hunger and Cargill's Lyle DePauw and Anna Teeter, talk with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the promise of winter camelina as a climate-smart crop, and the barriers to delivering it at scale.

Plus: In conversion with Ian, Innovation Forum's Hannah Oborne talks about how climate risk, changing consumer expectations and regulation are pushing companies to adapt supply chains and embed sustainability into core strategy.

And, EU moves to ban meat names for plant foods; Yangtze river fishing ban revives freshwater life; and, Tesco trials low carbon potatoes in UK stores, in the news digest.

Host: Ellen Atiyah

Why businesses are calling for stronger human rights due diligence

Ian Welsh speaks with Andrew Wallis, co-founder and CEO of Unseen, about the rapid rise of mandatory human rights due diligence and forced labour regulations around the world. They explore how evolving legislation, investor pressure and stronger enforcement are pushing businesses beyond transparency and reporting toward real action to identify and address exploitation in global supply chains.

Weekly podcast – Chasing the final 1% in textile waste

This week: Esme Chiverton and Fiona Bretherton, from Untouched World, talk with Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell about the brand’s drive to achieve zero textile waste to landfill. They discuss how they’re tackling the technical and economic challenge of the final 1% and how local collaboration and transparency are helping.

Plus: Talking with Ian Welsh, Niamh shares some of the key trends in the apparel and textiles sector, such as regulatory pressure on waste and growing recognition of worker heat stress as an occupational health risk.

And, M&S launches solar support for cotton farmers; EU scales back corporate sustainability reporting rules; and, investors urge overhaul of GHG electricity rules, in the news digest.

Host: Ellen Atiyah