Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Monday briefing: World Economic Forum descends on Davos

This week, Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about the sustainable business issues likely to be on the agenda at the 2024 World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos – in particular this year's focus on driving corporate transparency and accountability. 

 

They also discuss this week’s Innovation Forum European Union Deforestation Regulation webinar, at 1pm CET on Thursday 18th January, with panelists from the European Commission, Musim Mas and IDH who will debate potential consequences of the regulation's implementation and explore potential solutions to any challenges. Click here to join us.

Plus, Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari shares agenda updates and what to expect at the sustainable apparel and textiles conference, taking place in Amsterdam on 23rd-24th April. Register here to join us.

Weekly podcast – What does the apparel sector have in store in 2024?

This week: Bex Hall, head of consulting at Sedex, talks with Ian Welsh about the development of a more sustainable apparel and fashion sector. They discuss the current trends within the sector and what to look out for in 2024.

 

Plus: 2023's temperatures likely to have exceeded any of the period of the past 100,000 years, say EU scientists; UK companies recognise the need for decarbonisation; the UN predicts relatively low global growth of 2.4% in 2024; and, what to expect for business and human rights in 2024, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Is regulation driving effective land, carbon and biodiversity impact measurement?

Francis Gassert, strategy and impact lead at Vizzuality, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the importance of corporate land, carbon and biodiversity impact measurement in the light of the incoming EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Deforestation Regulation. They discuss guidance on how to conduct impact measurement effectively and ensure data credibility.

Monday briefing: CSRD and Veganuary gear up for action

In this week's briefing, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about some of what's coming up. They discuss the implementation of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, with large corporates the first to the impacted and new reporting requirements coming in from 2025. They also talk about the impact of Veganuary and other grass roots initiatives for businesses, and how companies are engaging with shifting consumer attitudes.

 

Plus: an update on the responsible sourcing and ethical trade forum taking place in London on 20th-21st March. Register now and save £400.

How to put regenerative agriculture into practice

Dominik Klauser, director of regenerative agriculture at SAI Platform, speaks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh on the challenges and opportunities for food system transformation, and how to overcome and develop them. They discuss the importance of farmer incentives and share best practices for achieving traceability and transparency through regenerative agriculture.

Weekly podcast – Thinking beyond zero deforestation

This week: Marco Albani, co-founder and CEO of Chloris Geospatial talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the trends in impact measurement and carbon accounting. They discuss the shift from an area-based approach to carbon accounting and share some unexpected carbon-positive impacts.

 

And, report reveals UK's lack of urgency on deforestation; EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive agreement reached; and, tackling inequality crucial for net zero, according to Nature Climate Change journal, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Weekly podcast: regenerative agriculture, better decision-making, and what the EUDR means for coffee

This week: another chance to hear our three most popular podcast interviews of 2023.

 

Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh talks with Rejane Souza, senior vice-president for global innovation at Norway-based fertiliser company Yara International, about the rise and rise of regenerative agriculture. They discuss the role of companies across the value chain in enabling technology and innovation, and the importance of taking a farmer-centric approach.

 

Ian also talks with Charlotte Bande, global food and beverage sector lead at Quantis, about how to improve the weak points in mainstream corporate sustainability decision making within the food and agriculture sector. They discuss the continued importance in peer-to-peer collaboration and share guidance on what a good just transition could look like.

 

And, IDH's regional director for Asia landscapes, Chi Tran, and senior programme manager for coffee, Tessa Meulensteen, discuss with Ian what the incoming EU's deforestation regulation will mean for the coffee sector. They discuss the opportunities and challenges to this regulation, including potential smallholder farmer exclusion and diversity loss in supply chains.

How is climate change impacting farmers now?

Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson has spoken to several farmers from across geographies and commodities, to find out how climate change is impacting their crops and their livelihoods.

Hear from Deborah Osei-Mensah, a farmer with Asunafo Cocoa Cooperative in Ghana, Wakinya Samuel, a smallholder coffee farmer from Bushika Integrated Area Cooperative Enterprise in Uganda, Kamudiben Satishbhai Tadavi, a smallholder cotton farmer working with CottonConnect, from the Narmada district in Gujarat, India, and Muhammad Muiz Bajwa, sustainability manager at South Asian Sourcing Private Limited.

Business action on scope 3 emissions: a US perspective

During Innovation Forum's recent climate action on scope 3 emissions conference in Washington DC, Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson spoke with some of the participants to reflect on the key topics and conversations over the two days. These discussions focused in particular on shifting policy and guidance landscapes, and how companies are performing and communicating on scope 3 climate targets.

 

Hear from Invariant's Adam Tarr, former senior advisor to the secretary of agriculture, Ashley Allen from Oatly, Terryn Lawrence from Rabobank, Altruistiq's Saif Hameed, Ashlie Burkhart from Germin8 Ventures and Geoff Brighty from Mura Technology.

Weekly briefing: sustainable business forecast for 2024

In the final briefing of the year, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson take a look ahead to the key focal points for sustainable business in 2024. They discuss the legislation moving corporate climate disclosure from voluntary to mandatory, expected progress on supply chain due diligence, and the ever-increasing spotlight on nature and biodiversity strategy.