Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

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.  

Insect protein as animal feed: why we need it and how to scale it

It’s clear that animal feed supply chains in their current form are unsustainable for industrial animal production systems. To keep up with increasing global demand for meat, alternatives to the traditional feedstocks should be considered. So, what role can insect protein play?

In this webinar, an expert panel discussed how insects are developing as an alternative protein, the opportunities for scale and impact, and the regulatory and financial environment needed to make it happen.

Panel:

• Sara Walton, sector lead, agri-food standards, BSI
• Arnold van Huis, emeritus professor, laboratory of entomology, Wageningen University
• Cindy Dunston Quirk, CEO and founder, Scout & Zoe’s Premium Pet Products
• Adrian Charlton, principal scientist, Fera Science

This discussion, held in partnership with BSI, was moderated by Toby Webb, founder of Innovation Forum.

How to tackle deforestation now and at scale

This webinar discussion, the latest in Innovation Forum’s “From the front-line battle to stop deforestation by 2030” series, features an expert panel discussing how private-sector investments are helping to end deforestation, protect threatened wildlife and fund significant economic development activities for local communities.

The webinar was held in Stockholm as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day celebrations, and featured representatives from groundbreaking forest conservation REDD+ projects in Kenya, the DRC, Colombia and Cambodia. The panel talked about community-based conservation and their successes stopping deforestation, and the challenges involved.

Panel:

• Joseph Mwakima, community relations manager, Wildlife Works, Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project
• Cara Barund, conservation office manager, Wildlife Works, Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project 
• Neneth Freund, francophone Africa liaison, Wildlife Works, Mai Ndombe REDD+ project 
• Lider Sucre, regional director for Latin America, Wildlife Works
• Chaly Y, GIS and communications officer, Tumring REDD+ project 
• Rithiny Teng, national strategic manager, Wildlife Conservation Society, Keo Seima REDD+ project
• Suwanna Gauntlett, CEO, Wildlife Alliance, Southern Cardamom REDD+ project

Host: Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

The webinar was sponsored by Everland – click here for Everland's Forest Plan.

Weekly podcast: Why leading companies will have to do more than their fair share on climate

This week: Business and climate strategy expert Iain Watt talks about some of the challenges for companies 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 – but that embracing science-based targets has switched ambitions from what looks achievable to what’s necessary.

Plus: up to 1,000 microplastic particles spread per square metre of farmland per year in Europe; retailers not making credible progress on plastic bags say Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Changing Markets Foundation and others; and, $80bn of losses risked without action on deforestation now, according to a new report from the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP, in the news digest.  

Host: Ian Welsh

Why there is no such thing as ‘waste’

Bank + Vogue and Beyond Retro co-founder Steven Bethell talks with Ian Welsh about the growth of apparel resale and remanufacturing at scale, and how to “industrialise the used as an input for the new”. Bethell highlights the importance of both physical and chemical recycling for the development of truly circular models in the garment sector.

From commitments to action at scale: Critical steps to achieve deforestation-free supply chains

In the eight years since companies and governments came together under the New York Declaration on Forests committing to end deforestation by 2020, we have instead seen a continued rise in deforestation rates. To meet net-zero goals and ensure a climate resilient future, companies need to quickly accelerate systems and processes to manage their impacts on forests.

In this webinar, our expert panel discussed company best practice to end deforestation across agricultural and forestry value chains and where corporate ambition and action currently stand according to a new report evaluating company progress against the Accountability Framework, using CDP 2021 Forests data.

You can access the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP joint report here.

The session featured the latest case studies showing how companies have integrated leading practices into their business.

Panel:

• Juliana Lopes, ESG, communications and compliance director, Amaggi
• Katerina Elias-Trostmann, head of ESG and sustainability, Brazil, BNP Paribas
• Leah Samberg, lead scientist, global policy, Rainforest Alliance
• Tom Maddox, global director, forests and land, CDP

The session was moderated by Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh. This webinar was held in partnership with the Accountability Framework initiative.

Weekly podcast: What ambitious apparel scope 3 targets look like

This week: Anant Ahuja, head of organisational development at Indian apparel manufacturer Shahi Exports, talks about how all of the apparel sector’s value chains can work together to decarbonise and transition towards net zero. Ahuja outlines some of the barriers to the shift in business models that are necessary, not least developing long-term supplier-brand relationships.

Plus: further food supply risks from the war in Ukraine; Carbon Tracker highlights lack of credibility in oil and sector climate targets; new $500m circular plastics fund from Alliance to End Plastic Waste; and, Tesco and WWF cooperate on new food supply chains Innovation Connections scheme, in the news digest.

And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari introduces the 2022 sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, coming up on 1^st and 2^nd November.

Host: Ian Welsh

For more information about the sustainable landscapes and commodities event in November click here.

Why there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution for due diligence

David Pettet, global human rights and sustainable supply chain director at Reckitt, talks with Ian Welsh about why taking a holistic approach to human rights risks in supply chains is essential. Pettet argues how internalising auditing processes can lead to closer relationships with suppliers and manufacturers, and why a focus on grievance mechanisms, eliminating recruitment fees and real transparency is necessary.