Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

At the recent sustainable apparel and textiles conference, Innovation Forum's Toby Webb spoke with Krishna Manda, vice-president for sustainability at Lenzing, about supply chain decarbonisation. They talked about the importance of steering away from a one-size-fits-all solution and the need to engage with collaborative platforms such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. They discussed Lenzing's strategy in decarbonising its supply chain working with the Science Based Targets initiative and the potential benefits of blended finance approaches.

In the midst of our escalating waste crisis and the global call for sustainable solutions, chemical recycling for plastics has emerged as both a potential solution and a subject of spirited debate. The concept of transforming post-use plastic into usable resources equivalent to virgin materials through chemical processes holds significant promise. However, several pitfalls and question marks have been raised around how sustainable the process and its outcomes truly are.

In this instalment of our debate series, our panel of experts have come together to dissect the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of integrating chemical recycling into our journey towards a sustainable future. They discussed:

• The methodologies behind chemical recycling. Can the process be sustainable, and how?
• The opportunities and positive impacts of chemical recycling, and the potential trade-offs and pitfalls.
• How brands are approaching chemical recycling in their plastic-reduction strategies.
• The future of this approach. Is there a sustainable way forward with it, and how can we get there?

Our expert panel:

• Chris Dixon, ocean campaign lead, Environmental Investigation Agency
• Nick Cliffe, deputy challenge director, UKRI
• Charles Van Reij, global lead packaging, paper and print, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
• Inari Seppa, director, circular advocacy, EMEA, Eastman

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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