Innovation Forum podcast

Weekly podcast – Achieving functionality and recyclability in packaging design

This week: Natalie Betts, assistant vice president for sustainability at the Recycled Materials Association, talks with Ian Welsh about the role and impact of recycling in packaging innovation. They discuss the fragmented nature of recycling systems in the US due to local policies and economic factors and emphasise the importance of packaging innovations with recyclability in mind to foster a circular economy.

 

Plus: UK supermarket chain Asda to discontinue in-store refill stations; Kraft Heinz brands switch to 100% recycled plastic; EUDR could cost consumers $1.5bn says GlobalData research; and, the Science Based Targets Network updates resources, in the news digest, compiled by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Nutritious, affordable, sustainable: redefining ultra-processed foods

Tate & Lyle’s president of innovation and commercial development, Victoria Spadaro Grant, talks with Innovation Forum’s Hannah Oborne about the complexities surrounding ultra-processed foods, particularly their role in the global food trilemma of nutrition, sustainability and accessibility. Rather than vilifying ultra-processed foods, they discuss the importance of improving food quality and availability while balancing environmental and health impacts, and foster stakeholder collaboration to achieve this.

Monday briefing – What regenerative poultry farming looks like

This week: Reginaldo Marroquin, CEO of Tree Range Farms, talked with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh at the recent future of food conference in Minneapolis, discussing his regenerative agroforestry system centred on poultry. They discuss how Tree Range Farms is creating a circular economic and ecological model to drive regenerative agricultural practices to enhance soil health, poultry health and more.

And, Innovation Forum's Sarah Jackson shares updates on the upcoming sustainable packaging innovation forum taking place in the US city of Philadelphia on 29th-30th October. See here to find out how to get involved.

Weekly podcast – the power of data in food and farming

This week: Allison Kopf from TRACT and Anne Rosenbarger from World Resources Institute speak with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about data collection and analysis in the food and agriculture sector. Hear them talk about regulation’s impact, and why a farmer-centric approach is the only way to go.  

 

Plus: Major companies are revising their ambitious 2025 packaging sustainability goals amid industry challenges; why climate change and EU regulations are driving up coffee prices; the UK government's new clean energy initiative; and Mighty Earth accuses  Spain's main supermarket chains of not doing enough to fight deforestation, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Ellen Atiyah. 

How digital product passports can empower consumers

Debbie Shakespeare, senior director of sustainability and compliance at Avery Dennison, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, the eco-design for sustainable products regulation, and digital product passports are impacting the apparel and textiles sector. They explore how these regulations are not only reshaping industry practices but also empowering consumers to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Monday briefing – Scope 3 emissions: what can procurement do?

This week: Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh interviews Bertrand Conquéret, Henkel's chief procurement officer, at the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum. They discuss the critical role of procurement in managing Scope 3 emissions and strategies for effective engagement.

Plus: Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari shares a preview of the upcoming autumn conference season, featuring forums on sustainable commodities and land use, sustainable packaging, and Scope 3.

Weekly podcast – Less is more: collaborative efforts to tackle agricultural decarbonisation

This week: Anke Kwast, vice president for regenerative agriculture and climate frameworks at Yara International, talks with Ian Welsh about the challenges in decarbonising agriculture and why using less inputs can be the sustainable future.

 

Plus: TNFD sees 30% rise in nature impact disclosures; study shows plastic bottles emit harmful volatile organic compounds when exposed to sunlight; industry resists plastic production cap, pushes for recycling focus; and, number of companies setting science-based targets doubled in 2023, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Leveraging technology for carbon accounting in agriculture

Peter Bunce, vice president and head of cotton and microbials at Indigo Ag, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the momentum behind companies addressing scope 3 emissions, particularly in the agriculture sector. They discuss the importance of leveraging technology and partnerships to collect and analyse data efficiently, reducing the burden on farmers while ensuring accurate carbon accounting. Bunce also highlights the potential of voluntary carbon markets to drive sustainable farming practices and warns against delaying progress on carbon reduction due to challenges in addressing biodiversity impacts.

Monday briefing – Collaboration to drive progress on decarbonisation

This week: At the recent scope 3 innovation forum, Ian Welsh spoke with Katy Stevens from the European Outdoor Group and Maria Venus from Swiss outdoor brands business Fenix Outdoor about their sector decarbonisation collaboration project. They discuss the positive outcomes from this collaboration and its significance in creating a clear roadmap towards net-zero.

 

Plus: Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop shares launch details about the upcoming sustainable commodities and land use forum, taking place in Amsterdam on 22-23 October. Click here to register at early-bird pricing.

Navigating opportunities to deliver sustainable food systems

At Innovation Forum's future of food and beverage conference in Amsterdam, some of the expert participants spoke with Ian Welsh, reflecting on discussions from the conference. They talked about how to develop regenerative agriculture across supply chains, improving farmer incomes and resilience and biodiversity impacts. Hear from Dorothy Shaver from Unilever, Producer Direct's Jason Archie-Acheampong and Marika McCauley Sine from Mars.