Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Building trust with smallholders in Indonesia's palm oil sector

Rob Nicholls, general manager for programmes and projects at palm oil business Musim Mas, and Kaixiang Chin, sustainability manager for Asia at Bunge, talk with Ian Welsh about their long-term collaboration to strengthen the capacity of independent smallholders in Indonesia. They explain how farmer training, regenerative practices and local composting projects are helping to build resilience, improve yields and empower women and young farmers.

Can microbes make the food system more sustainable?

This week: Cargill's vice president of global core research and development, Cordell Hardy, talks with Ian Welsh about how fermentation can reshape food production. From zero-calorie sweeteners to plant-based materials and localised protein sources, they discuss how microbes are being used as miniature manufacturing plants.

 

Plus: cocoa shortages drive rise in chocolate alternatives; luxury brands unite to decarbonise Italian supply chains; Denmark plans world’s first circular fish farm; and, SBTi updates corporate net-zero standard draft, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Building a better recycling system: data, design, and policy

Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, talks with Ian Welsh about how data, design, and policy are transforming recycling in the US. From the CIRCLE Act to California’s CalFFlex initiative, they discuss how to scale circular systems, strengthen end markets, and move beyond recycling as the only solution.

 

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Weekly podcast – What fuels fashion’s challenges?

This week: Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell talks with Liv Simplicianco, head of policy and research at Fashion Revolution about the findings in the latest What Fuels Fashion? report.

And at this week’s Critical Minerals Innovation Forum, Ian Welsh spoke with co-COO of mining sector group ICMM Aidan Davy.

Plus: Exxon accused of funding climate denial groups in South America; brands call for stronger plastic waste rules; £100bn wind power dividend in UK; and, the cost of cheap food.

Weekly podcast – How can palm oil growers thrive amid climate and market risks?

This week: In Colombia, Cargill and Solidaridad are partnering to help smallholder palm oil growers build more sustainable and climate-resilient supply chains. Leticia Kawanami and Joel Brounen talk with Ian Welsh about how farmer-led action plans, shared investment, and collaborative data tools are driving measurable progress – and how these lessons can scale across Latin America.

 

Plus: at the Chicago packaging conference, Ian spoke with Jason Bergquist from RecycleMe about the rapid rise of Extended Producer Responsibility laws for packaging the US.

 

And, climate inaction driving global health crisis; no economic sector on track for 1.5°C; court rules TotalEnergies guilty of greenwashing; and, EU parliament rejects rollback of sustainability rules, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ellen Atiyah

 

For more information on the Cargill and Solidaridad partnership in Columbia, click here.

Building trust and finance for regenerative supply chains

Sajeev Mohankumar, senior technical specialist at the FAIRR Initiative, talks with Ian Welsh about the future of food and the urgent need for regenerative agriculture. From farmer inclusion to investor alignment, they unpack how to build resilient, sustainable food systems.

Weekly podcast – What circular fashion can learn from tech and energy

This week: Barry McGeough, group vice president of innovation and strategy at AmeriCo Group, talks with Innovation Forum's Niamh Campbell to discuss why applied innovation will be key to tackling fashion’s waste crisis. From biotech to AI, they discuss how lessons from other industries can help apparel move from talk to tangible action.

Plus: At the sustainable commodities and landscapes forum this week, Ian Welsh spoke with Luke Sussams at Jefferies about why the key to unlocking investment in natural capital may not be regulation or technology, but language.

And, EU tweaks EUDR rules amid controversy; EU carmakers unite to dodge emissions fines; PepsiCo expands regenerative farming across Europe; and, banks criticised for funding Amazon oil expansion, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

Host: Diana Kim

Risk-proofing agrifood supply chains: demonstrating the business case for regenerative agriculture (audio recording)

Listen to the recording of an expert-led discussion with Unilever, Nestlé, Klim and Rabobank on how regenerative agriculture can drive ROI and reduce supply chain risk.

As pressure mounts to decarbonise agrifood supply chains and meet Scope 3 targets, the case for regenerative agriculture is clearer than ever. Yet many corporate sustainability leaders still face a critical hurdle: how to make the internal investment case.

This webinar looks beyond the carbon tunnel vision to unpack the true ROI of regenerative agriculture – not just as a sustainability strategy but as a long-term value driver that builds resilience, reduces supply chain risk, and meets growing stakeholder expectations.

 

What we cover:

• How to position regen ag as a business advantage, not a cost burden
• Making the internal investment case to decision-makers
• Why regenerative agriculture is key to risk-proofing future UK and global supply chains
• Lessons from companies leading the way in climate-smart sourcing

The panel includes:

• Erin Hermsen, sustainable business and program lead, Unilever
• Robert Gerlach, CEO and co-founder, Klim
• Emma Keller, head of sustainability UK and Ireland, Nestlé 
• Lissy Smit, global head of sustainability at Rabobank Wholesale and Rural, Rabobank

The farmer's perspective: how Ghana's cocoa growers view the potential EUDR delay

Cocoa farmer and council chairman of Ghana’s Cocoa Abrabopa Association, Pomasi Ismail talks with Innovation Forum's Diana Kim, about how the EU’s deforestation regulation delay has impacted thousands of farmers preparing for compliance. He explains the cost of readiness, the missed opportunities, and why fair prices are key to ending deforestation at its roots.

Navigating complex supply chains through smart traceability

Florent Bouguin, chief technology officer at OPTEL Group, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the strategic role of traceability in global, complex supply chains. They discuss how companies can use traceability to ensure regulatory compliance, build trust with consumers and investors, optimize operations, and enhance both top- and bottom-line performance. Florent also explores best practices, from digital automation and geolocation verification to supplier engagement, showing how traceability can transform compliance requirements into resilient, data-driven, and transparent supply chains.

 

Stay up-to-date on our podcasts by following us on PodBean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.