Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

In this week's preview of what's coming up, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about Earth Overshoot Day – this year on 2nd August – when human's annual natural resource use exceeds Earth's ability to regenerate. They also discuss the first African Women and Children Conference in Ghana this week, which will consider the impact of climate change on women and children, acting as a precursor to the African Climate Summit later in the year.

Plus, Innovation Forum's Catie Ball provides further information on what to expect from the Future of Plastics and Packaging Conference in Amsterdam from 3rd-4th October. Register for the conference for a €400 early-bird discount – the offer expires this Friday, 4th August.

This week: Barbara Dunin, director of ESG, marketing and communications at Beontag, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the importance of product traceability using radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology. They discuss the benefit of improving logistical processes and how this can tackle overproduction, ultimately enabling businesses to be closer to achieving their corporate sustainability targets.

 

Plus: Google reports progress towards 24/7 carbon-free energy goal; SAP asks suppliers to report emissions by 2027; and, major meat study favours a plant-based diet, in the news digest, with Bea Stevenson.

 

Host: Bea Stevenson

This week: Deepika Mishra, global sustainability consultant at U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and farmer Mead Hardwick from Hardwick Planting talks with Ian Welsh about the growing potential for regenerative agriculture within the cotton sector. They discuss the current trends of data gathering in resource use and greenhouse gas emissions, and note the importance of resource efficiency alongside the transition to regenerative farming. 

Plus: minority of 'sustainable' EU funds align with green taxonomy; EU revising flagship Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations; US Envoy John Kerry meets with Chinese counterpart, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson.

Host: Bea Stevenson

Matt Inbusch, senior manager at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Mike Nemeth, senior adviser for agriculture and environmental sustainability at fertiliser business Nutrien talk with Ian Welsh about how nature's role in the global economy is increasingly being valued. They discuss WBCSD's nature-positive roadmaps and navigating the challenges and opportunities of nature-positive agriculture.

This week: On a recent trip to Cambodia, Ian Welsh spoke to Kong Bunchhean, a smallholder farmer living in Sovanna Baitong village in the country’s Southern Cardamom region. Kong reflects on how his and his family’s lives have benefitted from the region’s Redd+ carbon project. This is part of Innovation Forum’s ongoing 'From the Forest Front-line' series in partnership with Everland.

And, at Innovation Forum’s sustainable apparel and textiles conference in New York last month, IF’s Toby Webb and Olam Agri’s Jordan Lea talk about some of the sector trends that emerged from the conference.

In the news: IEA report highlights sharp increase in demand for cobalt and nickel; Western US drought causes a drop in hydropower; and Planet Tracker research finds low interest in biodiversity-specific data from investors.

Marco Albani, CEO of Chloris Geospatial, talks with Ian Welsh about the role of remote sensing data in supporting nature-positive approaches, and how the business case for nature conservation is evolving. They also discuss best practices for reliable carbon accounting.

 

In this week’s preview of what’s coming up, Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh and Bea Stevenson talk about the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, with the theme of accelerating recovery from the coronavirus disease. They also discuss World Population Day, and the implications of rapid population rise.

Plus, Ian shares some information about Innovation Forum’s Autumn conference series, including the Future of Plastics and Packaging, and the Sustainable Landscapes and Commodities conferences in Amsterdam, as well as the Future of Climate Action conference in Washington D.C.

You can go to our website now for the best priced tickets.

This week: Matt Inbusch, senior manager at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Mike Nemeth, senior adviser for agriculture and environmental sustainability at fertiliser business Nutrien, talk with Ian Welsh about the growing potential for nature-positive approaches across agricultural value chains. They talk about some helpful guidance – including roadmaps from WBCSD – to help navigate the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities from nature-positive agriculture.

 

Plus: China’s rapid renewable energy surge; hottest day globally, since records began; UK plans to drop flagship COP26 climate pledge; M&S partners with Oxfam and eBay for circular school uniform initiative, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Bea Stevenson.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Europe’s agriculture industry, and the farmers at its heart, are under pressure. The challenges faced by farmers are numerous. From the stresses of climate change, rising energy and input prices, as well as the costs associated with the regenerative transition, to the ever-decreasing number of young farmers entering an industry already stretched for both brains and brawn over the coming decades.

In the first of Bayer Crop Science’s ‘Focus on Farmers’ webinar series, we heard directly from farmers on the key barriers to sustainable farming. Our panel of experts responded with a discussion on how supply chain actors can collaborate to scale solutions to these challenges and support farmers in a just transition to regenerative agriculture.

The panel discussed:

• The barriers to implementation of sustainable practices, and how value chain actors can support farmers to overcome them.
• How business can help farmers build profitable and resilient livelihoods through regenerative farming.
• The role of agrifood stakeholders, especially retailers and food brands, in increasing awareness and facilitating farmer uptake of regenerative practices.

The panel:

• Jens Hartmann, head of EMEA Region, Bayer Crop Science
• Natalie Smith, head of agriculture, Tesco
• Bram Van Hecke, farmer and president, Groene Kring
• Marie Ellul, well-being & sustainability senior manager, Mondelēz International
• Rob Shepherd, managing partner/chair, Allenford Farms/Environmental Farmers Group

The webinar was moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum.

This webinar was the first in a series held in partnership with Bayer Crop Science. 

Rikke Kyllenstjerna, senior vice-president, food chains, at Norway-based fertiliser business Yara International, talks with Ian Welsh about the role of different value chain actors in achieving food sector resilience. They discuss the importance of farmer incentives for carbon reduction and precision agriculture, and the need to develop a sustainable food supply business model through carbon pricing and science-based targets.