Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Packaging is gaining increasing boardroom attention, driven by extended producer responsibility fees, legal exposure around environmental claims, and rising material costs from recycled content requirements. This webinar explored how these regulatory pressures interact with consumer demand to influence packaging strategy. We looked at how to build a business case that connects sustainable packaging choices to innovation and commercial returns, not just compliance.

We were joined by a panel of experts from across the packaging value chain, to discuss:

• Compliance as a starting point, not a destination — How EPR obligations can be a strategic foundation to generate cost savings, long-term resilience, and new market  opportunities 

• How to link innovation to commercial returns — From the paperisation of packaging to circular systems, how leading brands are translating sustainability investment into cost savings, consumer trust, and competitive differentiation 

• The ingredients for a future-proof packaging strategy — How to anticipate regulatory changes, fees and bans on formats, and shifting consumer expectations before they become business risks

This webinar was curated by Innovation Forum in collaboration with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, knowledge partner for the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum 2026 (Chicago, Oct. 27-28).

This week: Tanja Lischka, senior director for government affairs at Siemens Energy, talks with Ian Welsh about the power grid evolution required as electrification continues to be rolled out, and the challenges and opportunities this represents. 

And, Ian also speaks with Ginny Maceda senior manager for mission and stability at Danone about regenerative agriculture and climate strategy. 

Plus: how green roofs can boost resilience; more inclusive climate action in Latin America; climate change’s impact on displacement in Africa; and, a spotlight on soils in the wine sector, in the news digest with Babette Pages Prange.

Daniel Di Benedetto, geo lead for northern Europe at Centric Software, talks with Ian Welsh about how predictive intelligence can help the apparel sector reduce waste and improve margins. They discuss from AI-driven trend forecasting and shorter decision cycles to repurposing surplus materials before they reach landfill.

This week: Oritain’s chief product and technology officer Paul Bentham talks with Ian Welsh about some new apparel supply chain intelligence that highlights visibility gaps, and why risk management best practice is evolving from assurance to an evidence-based approach. 

Plus: EUDR simplification measures explained, evidence that forests do promote well-being and Indonesia’s tighter state control on commodity export, in the news digest with Babette Pagès Prange. 

Host: Ian Welsh 

Click here for the new report from Oritain.

Today, soil rarely appears on a balance sheet, a boardroom agenda, or even a climate strategy.

This webinar explored why that needs to change. Drawing on perspectives from leading food companies, we explored how regenerative agriculture is being put into practice, how soil health can become a credible part of climate and brand strategy, and what farmers want from these boardroom discussions.

We discussed…

• From soil carbon to soil health: Understanding soil as a system, and why a holistic approach is critical for resilience and productivity
• The emerging link between soil health and crop quality, taste, and nutrient density – and what this means for the business case for regenerative practices
• Scaling action: The role of cross-industry collaboration and value chain engagement in driving impact
• The urgency, and opportunity, of embedding soil health into strategies for a low-carbon, resilient future 

This week: Ian Welsh speaks with Liz Hershfield, executive director of Cotton USA and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and Sledge Taylor, a cotton farmer from Mississippi, about the real-world benefits and challenges of regenerative agriculture in the US cotton sector.

And, global carbon pricing revenues top $107 billion; why circular economy interventions could transform the EU's environmental impact; forty major food companies commit to regenerative agriculture; and, why the green transition may be accelerating rainforest destruction, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Babette Pages-Prange.

Monica Gross, ecosystem engagement manager at Avery Dennison, talks with Ian Welsh about the multiple functions of packaging and why labelling is central to all of them – from brand identity and operational efficiency to recyclability and regulatory compliance under PPWR and EPR frameworks. They also discuss connected packaging and the shift from paper to filmic labels.

This week: Lauren Woodley, head of nutrition and sensory science at Nomad Foods, talks with Ian Welsh about how Europe's largest frozen food company balances consumer demand for health, taste and affordability. They discuss from tackling persistent myths about frozen food to navigating the trade-offs in reformulation and segmenting products by their role in the diet.

And, Ian talks with Aidan Davy, co-chief operating officer at ICMM, about what critical minerals actually means and why no mineral is inherently critical.

Host: Ian Welsh

Eduardo Alvarez, associate director for packaging EMEA at Dow, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about what packaging circularity really means – from designing for recyclability and developing waste-to-feedstock pathways to the challenge of scaling monomaterial solutions. They discuss why collaboration and a willingness to take risk are as important as regulation in accelerating the transition.

As sustainability conversations increasingly center on regulation, compliance deadlines and investment in new data systems, something risks getting lost: the need to invest in people who drive the change.

Todd Corley's perspective emphasizes the importance of inspiring and developing individuals across all levels of an organization. Rooted in a career shaping social, philanthropic, sustainability and belonging initiatives in corporate workplaces, he now holds one of the most distinctive roles in the industry as Chief People and Impact Officer at Carhartt. From that vantage point, he builds strategy bottom-up, and asks a different question: What happens when you treat people and culture not as a support function to your people and impact strategy, but as its foundation?
 
Integrating this strategic framework within global organizations requires persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to accept that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to building a purpose-driven culture.

In this webinar, we explored:

- How Todd's journey to Chief People and Impact Officer shapes his approach to sustainability
- What it looks like to structure teams and governance for real impact, and why capacity building is a strategic investment
- Carhartt's people-first approach in practice: examples of community connection, skilled trade development and accessible circularity
- Making the internal business case: navigating pushback and keeping purpose at the core
- Reasons for optimism, and what the industry needs to do next to act on them