Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Collaboration to drive progress on farmer-focused food resilience

Michelle Grogg, vice president for corporate responsibility and sustainable development at Cargill, talks with Ian Welsh about managing current disruptors to the food supply chain and delivering long-term food resilience. They discuss the importance of having farmers at the centre of collaboration efforts, and what food companies can do to provide support through livelihoods development, technology programmes and market integration.

Weekly podcast – The urgent need for better migrant worker protection

This week: Andrew Wallis, CEO of anti-slavery NGO Unseen, talks about the ongoing challenges for migrant worker protection for business in the UK and beyond. He discusses the importance of good human rights legislations to establish the right level playing field, and shares some examples of what good collaboration looks like.

Plus: a new Conservation International and We Mean Business Coalition survey shows strong corporate dedication to meet climate targets, including using carbon offsets, despite on-going debate over their certification; why the planet is on the brink of critical climate thresholds according to Stanford and Colorado State Universities; more detail of the UK's nature-positive payments for farmers scheme; and Shopify highlights sustainability-conscious consumer choices despite current economic climate, in the news digest.

And, further information on the responsible sourcing and ethical trade forum taking place in London on 29th-30th March in London from Innovation Forum's Emily Heslop.

Host: Ian Welsh

Are there reasons to be cheerful about business progress on human rights?

Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, reflects with Ian Welsh on global collective efforts and collaboration on business, human rights and the environment – as highlighted by the international collaboration to help Ukraine, for example. They talk about the implementation of regulation, the role of technology, responsible investors and companies, and what human rights integration in the just transition should look like.

Weekly podcast – How the apparel sector can deliver on living wage commitments

This week: Tiffany Rogers, director of fair compensation and member engagement at the Fair Labor Association talks with Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari about how apparel business can make living income commitments, as part of a new “state of apparel” content series. They discuss the challenges in implementing living wage programmes and guidance on corporate responsible purchasing practices.

Plus: CDP's non-disclosure campaign encouraging companies to make commitments more than ever before; incoming plastics and aluminium containers deposit return scheme in the UK; avoiding the risk of smallholder palm oil farmer marginalisation from EU's new due diligence regulations; and, KPMG UK's research finds potential employer's ESG decision making and corporate commitments being a determining factor in job search, in the news digest.

And, Innovation Forum's Emily Heslop provides updates on the upcoming future of food USA conference taking place in Minneapolis on 30th May-1st June.

Host: Ian Welsh

What the EU’s deforestation-free rules will mean for business

Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, WWF senior forest policy officer, UN policy office, talks with Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson about the EU's new deforestation-linked products ban. They discuss what the legislation will look like for business once entered into force with customs controls and heightened infringement prosecution, and the significance of due diligence risk assessments for EU imports and exports.

Weekly podcast – How to build food sector supply resilience

This week: Cargill's vice-president for corporate responsibility and sustainable development, Michelle Grogg, talks about the necessary action points that can deliver global food resilience amid disruptions such as extreme weather events and the war in Ukraine. She discusses the importance, for the long-term, of future-proofing farmers and engaging in smarter collaborations across organisations and sectors.

Plus: climate change failures tops 10-year risks in World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Risks Report; Danone to reduce 30% absolute methane emissions by 2030; and, world’s economy becoming less circular according to new Circularity Gap report, in the news digest.

And, an update on the future of food conference to be held in Amsterdam on 3rd-4th May from Innovation Forum's Natasha Bodnar.

Host: Ian Welsh

Sustainable supply chains: Key trends for 2023

Supply chain sustainability is a key corporate goal. In a fast-changing environment, much business discussion has centred around the need to adapt and strive towards sustainability throughout the value chain.

In this webinar, we discussed useful insights on sustainable supply chains collected in our recent survey and hear from expert panellists in an engaging conversation analysing key trends for 2023.

The panel:
• Dr Simon Lord, expert adviser, Independent
• Dr Emily Goetsch, head of research — UK, Acre

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

Collaboration to drive progress on deforestation for Indonesian palm oil

Bara Robyn, partnerships and development lead at Earthworm Indonesia, talks with Ian Welsh about Earthworm Foundation's project with a palm oil business, Laot Bangko, to drive sustainability within the palm oil sector in Indonesia. They discuss the challenges of deforestation, land tenure and labour issues with Laot Bangko’s section head of the sustainability and smallholder scheme, Wahyudi Putro Widodo, and present their progress in sustainability policy development, conflict mapping and resolution, and progress on no deforestation, peat or exploitation (NDPE) palm oil production.

Weekly podcast: What business might get right on ethical trade in 2023

This week: Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, talks about some reasons for optimism for business and human rights this year. He discusses the positive changes in public perception that are helping to drive corporate action, and why there is greater willingness from governments to cooperate on commitments such as the just transition and the outcomes from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Plus: further proof of land conversion impacts from corporate zero-deforestation commitments from University of York; backlash from human rights groups on the continued lack of a UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner; Know the Chain's new benchmark shows continuing ICT sector’s supply chain labour rights failures; and, new UN report predicts recovery of the ozone layer hole by 2040, in the news digest.

And, insight on the upcoming sustainable apparel and textiles conference held in Amsterdam on 25th-26th April from Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari.

Host: Ian Welsh

Join the conversation on sustainable supply chain trends for 2023 at the webinar on Wednesday 18^th January at 2pm GMT: register via this link.

Human rights beyond the Qatar World Cup

John Morrison, CEO of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, talks with Ian Welsh about a moment of opportunity for human rights and forced labour issues following the recent Fifa World Cup in Qatar. They discuss human rights risks and opportunities for businesses with increasing traceability, and requirements from trade and investment communities, and the growing prospects for companies engaging on human rights agenda as conversations on the just transition and green economy develop.