Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

What are the drivers for regenerative agriculture at the farm level, and within the value chain?

This week: James Ede, Group Sustainability Lead for Starches, Sweetners and Texturisers at Cargill, and Andrew Voysey, Head of Impact and Carbon at Soil Capital, speak to Ian Welsh about why both businesses and farmers are increasingly interested in the shift towards regenerative agriculture. They discussed how actors are working together within supply sheds to enable farmers to evidence regenerative outcomes; demonstrating the business case for regenerative farming; and the proof and features of growth in the area.

Plus: The US Supreme court rules against the EPA; India’s single-use plastics ban; The EU, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana come together with the cocoa sector for an Alliance on Sustainable Cocoa; and The Sustainable Apparel Coalition pauses its use of the Higg Index.

Host: Bea Stevenson

 

How climate targets are shifting from what’s achievable to what’s necessary

Ian Welsh talks to business and climate strategy expert Iain Watt about some of the challenges for companies in getting to net-zero emissions. He argues the need to recognise that science mandates that timeframes are very tight for 1.5C and 2C pathways – and that leading companies may have to do more than their fair share, to stay within our carbon budget. 

Weekly podcast: How to tackle land speculation and deforestation in SE Asia

This week: Dr Suwanna Gauntlett, founder and CEO of anti-deforestation NGO Wildlife Alliance, talks about how better law enforcement to prevent illegal forest clearance, combined with developing better economic prospects for local communities, can really impact deforestation. She talks about the importance of bringing benefits to these local people, through REDD+ project development, for example, which provide the finance via the global voluntary carbon markets that is necessary.

Plus: UN continues to push for biodiversity agreement; Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance’s new research into what realistic carbon pricing needs to look like; and, Blackrock calls for proposed SEC reporting guidelines to align more closely with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, in the news digest.

And, Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop gives an update on the upcoming plastics and packaging conference, coming up in Amsterdam in October.

Host: Ian Welsh   

Reductions and removals: How do you integrate the two into a successful climate strategy?

As companies strive to meet their net-zero targets, they must rapidly reduce their supply chain emissions. Leading companies are beginning to go one step further to develop ‘insetting’ programmes that actively remove carbon from the atmosphere. In the complex world of carbon accounting, it is still unclear who can count a carbon removal and when. 

This webinar assessed the frameworks that are needed to incentivise the right actions from brands. There was discussion on how business can balance emissions reductions and removals in an effective climate strategy, with some examples of current reductions and removals programmes. An expert panel also considered: 

• the headline challenges around calculating and claiming supply chain emissions removals; 
• the opportunities to cut carbon, enhance land use, and claim benefits; and
• potential unintended consequences to avoid in developing guidance.  

Panel members:

• Conor McMahon, global climate delivery manager, Nestlé 
• Dr Goetz Martin, director, sustainability and strategic projects, Golden Agri-Resources
• Hannah Birge, director of agriculture, Nebraska, The Nature Conservancy
• Tilmann Silber, global lead, thriving nature, Barry Callebaut

The discussion was moderated by Toby Webb, founder of Innovation Forum. 

This webinar was hosted in partnership with Nestlé.

Weekly podcast: Why Nestlé is focusing on scope 3 emissions

This week: Rob Cameron, global head of public affairs and ESG engagement at Nestlé, talks about why companies need to continue to focus on carbon, take immediate action at scale, and the potential benefits from regenerative agriculture. He also argues that there will be no transition to a low carbon economy unless it is a “just transition”, and puts the case for always following the science in corporate action on climate change.  

Plus: Carlsberg’s new fibre bottle pilot; US Xinjiang product ban’s impact on cotton supply chains; UK pension scheme transparency on 1.5C targets; and, EU to crack down on greenwashing, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh

Five agri-sector innovation projects backed by Tesco and WWF

Innovation Connections from Tesco and WWF is a new accelerator programme that has paired pioneering start-ups with Tesco suppliers to fast-track innovation in the supply chain.

In May, a group of finalists pitched head-to-head in front of a panel of experts from Tesco and WWF, with five exciting projects each awarded funding of up to £150,000. Innovation Connections is part of a long-term partnership between Tesco and WWF that aims to halve the environmental impact of the average shopping basket.

In this podcast, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh speaks with representatives from the five projects.

• Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound
• David Nelson, agronomy director at Branston
• Oliver Kynaston, carbon calculator manager at Farm Carbon Toolkit
• Conrad Young, project lead at Chirrup
• Evelyn Peters, chief executive at Future by Insects.

For more detail on the Innovation Connections programme and the winning projects click here.

Weekly podcast: How deforestation can realistically be eliminated by 2030

This week: Josh Tosteson, president of Everland, outlines a new plan to tackle deforestation at scale through rapidly developing new REDD+ forest projects in threatened landscapes around the world, and accessing the unprecedented levels of climate finance via the voluntary carbon markets.

Plus analysis of some of the outcomes from Innovation Forum’s Future of Climate Action conference from the Scope 3 Peer Group’s Oliver Hurrey.

And, big brands backing new $250m fashion climate fund from the Apparel Impact Institute; Procter & Gamble’s new ambitious water targets; Net Zero Tracker queries credibility of many corporate net-zero plans; and, new ocean plastic concerns, in the news digest.   

Host: Ian Welsh

How the apparel sector can collaborate to decarbonise

Anant Ahuja, head of organisational development at Indian apparel manufacturer Shahi Exports, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of long-term relationships between brands and manufacturers to allow for the investment necessary to get the sector to net zero. Ahuja points out despite the long return on investment for renewable energy projects, many factory owners are keen to make the transition. In a wide ranging discussion, they also talk about some of the immediate impacts of climate change, with increasing heat waves for example, on factory workers.  

Weekly podcast: What fossil fuel free food supply chains might look like

This week: Birgitte Holter, head of green and low carbon fertilisers at Yara and Claes Johansson, head of sustainable development at Lantmännen talk about the role of green fertilisers in developing food supply chains that do not rely on fossil fuels. They also discuss how to identify the right partners when developing business models that can really deliver innovation and change.

Plus: Global Fashion Agenda calls for apparel sector action to meet climate goals; $16tn of assets aligned with 2050 net-zero says Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative; G7 agrees to de-carbon electricity supply; and, new plan to counter deforestation proposes 75 new REDD+ projects.   

And, Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop previews the Future of Food conference coming up in Minneapolis on 14^th and 15^th June.

Host: Ian Welsh

Can recycled rival virgin apparel fibres?

Caroline Ledl, head of product management, textiles, at the Lenzing Group talks with Ian Welsh about how bio-based waste materials can be used to create fibres that compete with traditional materials and create high-quality apparel and textiles. A barrier to growth is lack of collecting and recycling capacity – and there is significant innovation required to move to a blend with 50% and more recycled content – but Ledl believes that the sector can deliver.