Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Monday briefing: temperature check on progress towards achieving SDGs

In this week's briefing, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals quadrennial report – the first since 2019 – that focuses on providing evidence that helps decision makers accelerate action and overcome barriers to success, particularly looking at the role of science in recent years. They discuss SDG action weekend coming up where key stakeholders from all sectors will convene in New York to discuss the UN high impact initiatives. They also talk about the upcoming Coffee Barometer launch event on the 14th at 1pm BST produced by Ethos Agriculture with Conservation International and Solidaridad. To discuss the latest findings in sustainability in the coffee sector, click here.

 

Plus, Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari gives an update on the sustainable commodities and landscapes forum coming  up in Amsterdam from 31st October-1st November. Register here for a €200 early-bird discount – the offer expires this Friday, 15th September.

Weekly podcast – Effective carbon market solutions: how Cambodia is tackling deforestation

This week: Say Samal, former minister for the environment and now deputy prime minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how the country benefits from REDD+ carbon projects and in particular in terms of forest preservation and positive impacts for the indigenous peoples living in the forests. They discuss the importance of a partnership approach and collective action to collaboratively deliver sustainable development.

 

Plus: the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution shares the global plastic treaty draft; $37 trillion of investment is required to meet the necessary energy transition by 2030, says Boston Consulting Group; and, CDP's new research shows G20 lacks nature-based policies to hit biodiversity targets, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

How to develop resilient food value chains

JoDee Haala, director of public affairs at Christensen Farms, reflects with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about some of the discussions on food sector resilience raised at the recent future of food conference in Minneapolis. They also talk about recent developments in sustainable farming practices and how to overcome challenges in scaling across the food value chain.

What does the future for circular textiles look like?

Steven Bethell, founder of Bank & Vogue, and Innovation Forum's Toby Webb continue the discussions from the recent sustainable apparel and textiles conference in New York. They talk about the difference in the current regulatory landscape in North America and Europe, and how to introduce regulation to enforce initiative such as green tax and circularity.

Monday briefing: charting a greener future during Zero Waste Week

In this week's briefing, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about waste awareness campaign Zero Waste Week that focuses on how households, businesses and organisations can reduce waste and increase awareness of pollution. They also discuss Kenya's incoming sustainability reporting standards and what they will mean for business – the standards are expected to bring tighter compliance requirements around ESG disclosures.

 

Plus, Innovation Forum's Catie Ball reveals what to expect at the future of plastics and packaging conference in Amsterdam from 3rd-4th October. Register here for a €300 early-bird discount – the offer expires this Friday, 8th September.

Weekly podcast – Case study: how collaboration can deliver sustainability for the US pork sector

This week: US National Pork Board's senior vice-president, producer and state engagement lead, Brett Kaysen and Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh case study the US pork industry and its sustainability challenges. They discuss the importance of cross-industry collaboration to tackle issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and developing regenerative agriculture.

 

Plus: H&M to withdraw from Myanmar amid labour abuse reports; SBTi begins internal investigation on its methodology processes; and, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association calls on government for stable net zero policy environment, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

The regenerative future for cotton

Deepika Mishra, global sustainability consultant at US Cotton Trust Protocol, and farmer Mead Hardwick from Hardwick Planting talk with Ian Welsh about what the transition to regenerative agriculture practices for the cotton sector can look like. They discuss the tangible benefits from these practices on farmland and the importance of data gathering in improving resource efficiency and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Weekly podcast – Collaboration and finance innovation for apparel and textiles

This week: At Innovation Forum's sustainable apparel and textiles conference in New York, Toby Webb spoke with Talha Khan, chief executive of Pakistan Environment Trust. They spoke about barriers to delivering bottom-up initiatives and financing the cleaner energy transition in Pakistan. 

 

Following the conference, Toby spoke with Karimah Hudda, founder of illumine.earth. They discussed circularity, scope 3 and data, plus the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and maintaining balance in regulation and design innovation.

 

And: Ecuador votes against new oil sector development in the Amazon; US and EU should focus on lessening animal-based agriculture, warns One Earth journal; World Resources Institute research calls on businesses to follow science-based water targets for water resilience, in the news digest.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

What does a successful regenerative agriculture strategy look like?

Rejane Souza, senior vice-president for global innovation at Norway-based fertiliser company Yara International, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh 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.

Monday briefing: innovative solutions at World Water Week

In this week's briefing, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about what to look out for from World Water Week. This year's focus is to develop innovative water solutions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty. They also discuss Brazil's upcoming carbon market legislation with emissions caps for high-emitting companies. The legislation is designed to protect indigenous communities, farming and forests, and is part of President Lula da Silva’s “green transition” plans.

 

Plus, Innovation Forum's Tanya Richard highlights some evolving corporate and stakeholder engagement trends, and the value of fostering genuine collaboration. Click here for more information on Innovation Forum's stakeholder engagement services.