Innovation Forum podcast

Weekly briefing – On the road to sustainable, resilient, regenerative food systems

This week: At the recent future of food and beverage forum in Amsterdam, Ian Welsh spoke with Unilever’s global food sustainability director Dorothy Shaver about how the company prioritises sustainability within its business strategy. They discussed some causes for optimism to deliver resilient food systems.

 

And Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop talks about what to expect at the future of food and beverage USA forum in Minneapolis this week. Click here to view the agenda.

Weekly podcast – How business can benefit from engaging in landscape approaches

This week: Patrick Mallet, director for innovations at ISEAL Alliance, and Rachel Wall, project manager for landscapes and collaboration from Proforest, talk with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how companies can put into practice landscape approaches to environmental and social challenges. They discuss why investing in landscape initiatives is important and how they can benefit from it.

 

Plus: the International Energy Agency warns of insufficient investment to meet critical minerals demand for renewable energy; one fifth of Shell's shareholders back stronger emissions reduction targets; UK supermarkets Co-op, Tesco and Sainsbury’s among the retailers looking to partner with Fairtrade Foundation on ethical sourcing ; and, Ellen MacArthur Foundation launches the Fashion ReModel initiative to scale up circular fashion business models, in the news digest.

 

For more on ISEAL Alliance's position papers, click here.

Have we become too carbon-focused?

Raviv Turner, founding member of the Nature Tech Collective and member of the nature data working group at the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about current trends in nature-based disclosure and highlights best practices the transition from non-disclosure to disclosure. They discuss key regulation coming up such as the EU deforestation regulation and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. They also talk about how business engagement on biodiversity could develop in future.

Ensuring quality food and business: how to navigate incoming legislation

Lisa Spicka de Bevacqua, global director of sustainability consulting at auditor and certifiers NSF, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the rise in impact of sustainability-related regulation on business in Europe and globally. They discuss practical steps companies should take to engage on the new and increasingly due diligence-related legislation, and how quality assurance processes can help.

Monday briefing – Sustainable food for thought: next steps towards regenerative transition

This week: Mars Petcare's chief sustainability officer, Marika McCauley Sine, provides some reflection on the future of food and beverage, speaking at Innovation Forum’s recent conference in Amsterdam with Ian Welsh. They talk about the importance of absolute reduction and understanding carbon and biodiversity impacts as regenerative agriculture is put into practice.

 

Plus: Innovation Forum's Catie Ball shares further updates about the upcoming sustainable apparel and textiles conference taking place in New York on 25th-26th June. Register now and save $200 on your conference passes, click here for more information.

Weekly podcast – Brazil's soy sector amid climate transitions, and US farmer voices

This week: Niamh McCarthy, director of climate-related risk at Orbitas, shares findings from a recent report on the impact of climate transitions on Brazil's soy sector with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh. They discuss the current state of Brazil's soy sector and the potential drivers of positive change in future.

 

Plus: Kevin Burkum, CEO of US Farmer and Ranchers in Action talks with Ian about the importance of farmer voices in developing sustainable food systems. They discuss how the US agriculture sector is adapting to the shift to regenerative agriculture.

 

For information on Orbitas' cattle report, the podcast interview is available here.

What certification can do for apparel brands and consumers

John Murphy, technical director for Europe at Hohenstein Laboratories, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the benefits of certification systems for the apparel sector and how they protect companies and consumers. They discuss the risks within the sector such as fraud, and the current trends in material certification amid incoming legislation.

Financial risks and opportunities in the age of global climate action: a Brazilian agribusiness case study

On 30th April, IF hosted a virtual event in partnership with Orbitas, a Climate Advisers Initiative, to discuss the financial risks and emerging opportunities that current actions to transition to a low-carbon future will bring. We focused on Brazil and the effects on the country’s key agricultural sectors, cattle and soy, and to wider global value chains.

We heard valuable insights from: 

• Niamh McCarthy, director of climate-related risk, Orbitas, a Climate Advisers Initiative  
• Dr Gracie Verde Selva, executive sustainability manager, Minerva Food
• Wei Peng, Global head of sustainability - grains & oilseeds, Louis Dreyfus 
• Yara De Gues, Brazilian farmer  
• Vicente Bissoni, Brazilian farmer  
• Martha de Sá, founding partner, VERT Capital 
• Veronica Valentini, sustainable innovation manager, Santander

This discussion was moderated by Ian Welsh, publishing director, Innovation Forum.

Click here to listen to Niamh McCarthy talk with Ian Welsh about the launch of Orbitas Initiative's new report on the Brazilian cattle sector and Brazilian soy sector. 

Thank you to the Global Farmer Network for their continued partnership to help amplify farmer voices.

This webinar was held in partnership with Orbitas, a Climate Advisers Initiative.

Monday briefing – human rights and fast fashion risks in the apparel sector

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh further reflects with expert participants at the sustainable apparel and textiles conference in Amsterdam. He is joined by Hasan Uz Zaman from Aldi Sud and Mauro Scalia from Euratex, and they discuss the human rights risks in the apparel sector and what’s coming up in policy terms to shake up fast fashion for the future.

 

Plus: Innovation Forum’s Hannah Oborne shares some final updates about the future of food and beverage conference in Amsterdam, and what attendees can expect this week.

Weekly podcast – Reality check: food sector regulation and the regen agri transition

This week: Lisa Spicka de Bevacqua, global director of sustainability consulting at auditor and certifiers NSF, talks with Ian Welsh about the trends in sustainability regulation in Europe and beyond. They discuss challenges in reporting and taking action, and how the impact differs for larger companies and SMEs.

 

Plus: Mike Shoemaker, CEO of farm data analysts Vayda talks with Ian about the ever-increasing importance of regenerative agriculture and what's driving this transition. Mike discusses the trend of over-focussing on carbon and how to appropriately put regenerative farming into practice.

 

And, Waitrose to support 2,000 UK farmers to adopt regenerative and low carbon farming practices; renewables account for 30% of global electricity generation in 2023; and, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market says Verra's updated Verified Carbon Standard means the high-integrity Core Carbon Principles, in the news digest.