Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

How to extract easy-to-action insight from satellite data

Sarah Middlemiss, space programme manager at Ecometrica, talks with Ian Welsh about trends in how companies are using satellite and other Earth-monitoring data to counter environmental risks.

They discuss how business can monitor compliance with sourcing codes, develop better supply chain strategy identifying the best regions for the commodities they need, and undertake due diligence and evaluation of their suppliers and the impact of sourcing from a particular area.

Ecometrica was a sponsor of Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes conference.

Weekly podcast: Bunge on traceability challenges in palm oil supply chains

This week: Ben Vreeburg, director, sustainability, at Bunge Loders Croklaan discusses how to achieve transparency to plantation level in palm oil supply chains, the challenges in doing so, and what stakeholders want to see. He outlines how the industry is implementing the new Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil rules, and why these now better represent leading industry practices.

Plus: Princes’ innovative food supply chains; smallholder access to new seed technology; Indonesia earns payout from Norway for slowing deforestation rates; pros and cons of plastic deposit return; and, how to pay for circularity in apparel supply chains, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

 

BASF on why precision agriculture is the future

Geoff Mackey, corporate affairs and sustainability director, BASF, speaks with Ian Welsh about the importance for agriculture’s supply chains of efficiency to maximise outputs while minimising inputs, and how the use of GPS, monitoring and drone technology, for example, can help.

Mackey discusses the techniques and technologies that are appropriate for smaller and larger farmers, and what companies need to think about so they target resources in the right way, and reduce waste at the same time.

Weekly podcast: how data tools can deliver supply chain transparency, and viscose supply chain deforestation risks

This week: Jamie Barsimantov from SupplyShift, Stefan Sabo-Walsh and Erin McVeigh from Verisk Maplecroft, and Steven Wuerth from Gilead Sciences on how to use data to proactively identify, quantify and mitigate risks across complex global supply chains. And Canopy’s Nicole Rycroft on why there is deforestation in viscose-based apparel.

Plus: the impact of insect population collapse on food supply chains, when energy demand and growth will decouple, EU palm oil as biofuel rules updated, and disconnect between corporate targets and their pension fund’s risk-exposure, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Webinar – Procurement and social risk: how to make modern slavery a business priority

Procurement departments are driven and incentivised by a range of KPIs. Unfortunately, social issues haven’t traditionally topped that list. But engaging procurement departments in modern slavery risk is key to tackling an issue prevalent in company supply chains.

In this webinar, hear how two industry leaders have achieved genuine engagement with procurement officers. They assess what’s worked, what hasn’t and the common pushbacks that occur.

Panellists:

Tony Roy, head of governance and sustainability, BT

Christophe Sassolas, director global procurement, Total SA

Hosted and moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum

PepsiCo, Cargill and Proforest on the business-benefits of palm oil collaboration

Cargill's Marie Lavialle-Piot, PepsiCo's Natasha Schwarzbach and Proforest's Sophie Higman discuss with Ian Welsh the benefits of a landscape-level approach to palm oil supply, with collaboration between companies, local government and NGOs on-the-ground.

Detailing a case study project in Sumatra, Indonesia, they outline the complex challenges inherent in moving from mapping where problems are to action to tackle them and dealing with restoration and other interventions to protect forests and local livelihoods.

Weekly podcast: how to save lives in tropical commodity supply chains, and JLL on mapping modern slavery risks

This week: Jason Glaser, founder of La Isla Network, on how simple measures to allow farm workers access to water, rest and shade can save lives, and real estate services provider JLL’s global chief corporate responsibility officer Richard Batten on how to talk to your suppliers’ suppliers about modern slavery.

Plus: Ikea’s drive towards circularity, latest research from CDP, more problems in H+M and Next’s apparel supply chains in Bangladesh, and why British chips are getting smaller, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Webinar – Actionable intelligence: combining data and tools to enhance supply chain visibility

In this webinar hear expert discussion on how companies can blend different data streams to proactively identify, quantify and mitigate a wide range of supplier risks across complex global supply chains, and build a coherent picture of where they need to take action or adjust their strategy.

They discuss why access to data is no longer the challenge to business that it was, and how data can best be integrated and analysed to guide companies in mapping their supply chain risks.

Panel:

• Jamie Barsimantov, COO and co-founder, SupplyShift,
• Stefan Sabo-Walsh, head of value chains, Verisk Maplecroft
• Erin McVeigh, head of products and strategic alliance, Verisk Maplecroft
• Steven Wuerth, associate director, procurement, Gilead Sciences

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Cargill on how business can protect smallholder suppliers

Kate Clancy, sustainability manager, cocoa, at Cargill, talks with Ian Welsh about how companies can work with their supply chains to help ensure the viability of their smallholder farmer suppliers. They discuss the challenges in particular around working with farmers to develop better resilience to disease, and to market price fluctuations, while exploring how to enhance all potential sources of income for the farmers and their families.

Weekly podcast: Marks & Spencer on the future for packaging and food supply chains

This week: Louise Nicholls, head of human rights, food sustainability and food packaging at Marks & Spencer, on how to engage consumers on plastic, changing modern slavery brand risks and what food supply chains of the future will look like.

Plus: circular economy and AI innovation for food supply at Davos, investors call for environmental impact transparency, and Tommy Hilfiger’s 100% recycled jeans, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh