Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Why carbon offsetting must be more than just moving the deckchairs

David Antonioli, CEO of standard setting body Verra, explains to Ian Welsh how carbon offsetting can be part of broader corporate emissions reduction programmes, but why offsetting alone cannot move the world economy net zero emissions. He outlines the key characteristics of credible and robust verified emissions reduction credits, and why standard setters have to take a nimble approach to evolve as technology develops.  

Weekly podcast: Rubber supply chain innovation hits the road

This week: Karen Steer, manager at the Rainforest Alliance, and lead for the Accountability Framework, Stefano Savi, director of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber, Philippe de Groot, head of agronomy at SOCFIN, and Ana Arce, senior manager for corporate sustainability governance at Bridgestone Americas, discuss the challenges for sustainable rubber supply chains, and the technology and collaborative solutions being developed to help.  

Also, hear from Anna Turrell, head of environment, Tesco, and Sarah Wakefield, head of food transformation, WWF, talking with Toby Webb about the Tesco and WWF Sustainability Innovation Fund for late-stage agricultural sector innovators. Click here for more information.

And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari gives an update on the upcoming sustainable apparel and textiles conference.

Plus: BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and UBS join Carbonplace offsets technology platform; Coca-Cola to boost returnable and refillable containers use to 25%; new research pointing to soy-linked deforestation in Brazil; and, new Barclays report shows how UK retailers are ending supplier relationships because of ESG risks, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh   

Where landscape approaches are being applied successfully now

In this conference session, recorded at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, joining Toby Webb are: Dann Wensing, CEO, IDH; Mariane Crespolini dos Santos, director of sustainable production and irrigation, Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply; Megan Willis, sustainability director, agricultural supply chains, Asia Pacific, Cargill; and, Michal Zrust, founder and executive director, Lestari Capital.

The panel assess current landscape approaches and what has worked so far. The discussion includes what needs to be done to create the right incentives and finance mechanisms to enable sustainable landscapes at scale.   

Weekly podcast: How will due diligence impact commodity supply chains?

This week: Ian Suwarganda, head of policy and partnerships, sustainability and communications at Golden Agri-Resources, and Róisín Mortimer, lead private sector engagement and programming at the Tropical Forest Alliance, talk about changing regulatory landscapes in palm oil and other commodities, and unintended consequences of what’s proposed.

Plus, Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb and Peter Stanbury discuss Nestlé’s new plan to tackle child labour and other challenges in its cocoa supply chain. And, Emily Heslop talks about the future of food USA conference that’s coming up in June.

In the news digest: new USDA $1bn climate smart commodities project; Brazil’s Amazon deforestation spike; research suggesting that big brands are going to miss emissions targets; WWF research that says ocean plastic on track to increase for decades; and, Italy enshrines environmental protection in its constitution.

Host: Ian Welsh

Better Cotton’s 2030 impact-delivery strategy

Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, talks with Toby Webb about the challenges around market transformation in the cotton sector. Better Cotton’s recently set 2030 target on greenhouse gas emissions is for a 50% reduction per tonne of cotton. Other targets – on lower pesticide use, gender empowerment, farmer livelihoods and soil health – will be released during 2022. For McClay, success will mean delivering real impact and continuously, so that brands will be able to sell cotton products that have the good story that they want to tell.

Innovation for more sustainable shopping baskets

Transforming the food system and overcoming the many environmental challenges it faces will require innovation at scale. With food production responsible for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and at the centre of many other environmental issues, Tesco and WWF have come together in a project designed to halve the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket.

In this podcast, Toby Webb speaks to Anna Turrell, head of environment, Tesco, and Sarah Wakefield, head of food transformation, WWF, about the Tesco and WWF Sustainability Innovation Fund. Tesco and WWF are seeking late-stage innovations focused on sustainable agriculture solutions. The fund will support innovators and scale-up companies capable of delivering proven environmental innovations in partnership with suppliers operating in Tesco’s supply chain.

Innovators can find out more on the Sustainability Innovation Fund here. Interested innovators should enquire via the site by 28 February 2022.

 

Rent, resale and beyond: The circular business models transforming apparel

The last few years have given rise to a wave of new business models in apparel, built upon the principles of circularity over fast fashion. With apps and platforms popularising resale, rental, and even repair, brands are increasingly looking to offer the same. In this hour-long webinar, an expert panel took a closer look at how circular models are changing the fashion retail landscape, both for brands and the consumer.

Among the points discussed:

• What growth looks like for circular models, and how they can remain sustainable
• How leading brands have integrated circular fashion models into their operations
• What kinds of partnerships circular apps and platforms can have with brands
• The key challenges to implementation, and how these can be overcome in practice

Panel:

• Jade McSorley, co-founder, LOANHOOD
• Gwen Cunningham, lead textiles programme, Circle Economy
• Madeleine Michell, social conscience communications officer, TOAST

The discussion was moderated by Tanya Richard, head of research and stakeholder engagement, Innovation Forum.

Landscape and forest restoration: what works in practice?

In this conference session at Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes and commodities event, Lucita Jasmin from APRIL, Nicolas Tubbs from WWF, Martin Huxtable from Unilever and Jeremy Manion from Arbor Day Foundation join Ian Welsh to talk about forest and landscape restoration projects, case studies and practices. They discuss the roles of different stakeholders, and in particular the positive impacts sourcing companies can have in a landscape.  

Weekly podcast: The big climate challenges for apparel and textiles

This week: Textile Exchange’s Claire Bergkamp and Beth Jenson talk about their new Climate+ strategy, some of the innovations in the textiles and apparel sector that will help companies plot a route to net zero, and their willingness to make the changes necessary.

And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari gives an update on the responsible sourcing and ethical trade, coming up on 4^th and 5^th April.

Plus: UN Environment Programme calls for 50% increase up to $285bn investment in nature protection and restoration from G20 countries; Nestlé announces new programme to tackle child labour in cocoa supply chains; new modelling research shows likely impacts of climate change on shifting commodity growing areas; and, how advances in battery and other storage technologies may mean India can cancel new coal power generation and switch to renewables, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh

To access the new Textile Exchange report on regenerative agriculture click here.

Weekly podcast: How carbon finance can preserve forests and livelihoods

This week: Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, talks about how to use market mechanisms to develop effective forest conservation projects utilising climate finance and the voluntary carbon market. He argues why successful projects should community centred as well as biodiversity-driven and ecosystem based.

And, Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the Future of Food event, coming up from the 10^th-12^th May.

Plus: insurance pay-outs for crop loss in the US impacted by climate change; global resource use hit all-time high in 2021, says Circle Economy; UK animal welfare legislation in doubt; and, Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index highlights human rights and forced labour hotspots, in the news digest.  

Host: Ian Welsh