Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

What do farmers want from brands and buyers?

Farmers are critically important for sustainable commodities production, yet their voices are too often missing from the debate. At Innovation Forum’s sustainable landscapes and commodities conference in December 2021, Rachel Banda, farmer and safety, health and environment officer at the Phata Cooperative in Malawi, Doreen Mtali, farmer from the Demara farming cooperative in Malawi and Zeddy Chepkemoi, a coffee farmer from Kenya, joined Ian Welsh to talk about their perspectives, priorities and challenges. They discussed what they need from food companies to secure farm livelihoods and future production.

Deforestation: is there too much focus on palm oil?

Announcements at COP26 have refocused attention on to the need for companies to transparently and immediately eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. However, new Aidenvironment research warns palm oil buyers of the risks from non-palm deforestation by companies in the palm oil sector. This begs the question – how credible are corporate deforestation-free palm oil claims?

In this hour-long webinar, an expert panel discussed:

• Why a focus on palm oil has meant that other deforestation risks haven’t had the profile they perhaps should.
• The critical challenge of “leakage” in terms of where deforestation risks are in value chains.
• Examples of the risks commodity buyers need to look for in non-palm supply chains.

Panel:

• Mark Wong, head of downstream sustainability, Sime Darby Plantation
• Chris Wiggs, programme director, Aidenvironment
• Ruth Nussbaum, co-founder and director, Proforest
• Matthew Leggett, associate director, sustainable commodities and private sector engagement, Wildlife Conservation Society

Moderated by Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

This webinar was sponsored by Aidenvironment. To access the Aidenvironment research, click here.

Weekly podcast: Palm oil’s business-led $1bn forest restoration initiative

This week: Michal Zrust, founder of Lestari Capital, talks about the Rimba Collective, a palm oil sector initiative led by buyers and processors supporting long-term conservation and restoration of forests – aiming for $1bn support over 25 years.

And Global Canopy’s Emma Thomson outlines the findings from the latest Forest 500 report into policies and reporting at the global top 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with deforestation risks. Headline conclusion? Progress on implementation remains slow.  

Plus: climate-change-driven natural disasters costed $280bn in 2021 says Munich Re; BlackRock’s Larry Fink says he’s not “woke” to push “stakeholder capitalism”; Burberry links corporate borrowing to sustainability metrics; and, Maersk commits to a net zero journey by 2040, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh

Climate change and human health: Education to empower consumers and communities

Knowledge is power, and the key to positive action. As climate impacts increase, the need to empower consumers will become crucial. Trusted brands can play a vital role in educating and enabling communities to act and build climate resilience.

This panel discussion focuses on how a group of organisations, having developed common principles and plans, can use education and behaviour change to put such plans into action.

The panel talk about how technology can be a tool to empower consumers. Apps, social media channels, and monitoring technologies provide opportunities to deliver the information consumers need. These could range from areas such as UV, flood, and air quality warnings, to nutrition/health advice.

Panellists:

• Fiona Ball, group director, Bigger Picture, Sky
• Richard Wright, behavioural science director, Unilever
• Edward Maibach, director, Centre for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University

Moderator: Toby Webb, Innovation Forum

The panel was one part of a half-day workshop run in collaboration with Wallgreens Boots Alliance. Following the discussion, Una Kent, vice president, CSR international, at WBA provides a brief summary of the full event. For the full agenda of the event and recordings of the other sessions click here.

Weekly podcast: How verified standards drive carbon market growth

This week: David Antonioli, CEO of Verra, talks about how verified standards on emission reductions can give business the transparency and credibility they need to plot a route to achieving net zero emissions in operations and supply chains. He explains how standards have to continually evolve to adapt to best practice – on biodiversity and social issues as well as emissions – and why carbon offsetting is only part of the solution for decarbonising the global economy.  

Plus: the World Economic Forum’s key business risks for 2022; targeting forest finance via the Trillion Trees initiative from Birdlife International, Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF; and, Norway’s Oda retailer’s behaviour-changing consumer engagement on product impact, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh  

Why FIFA risks a huge credibility problem in Qatar

Andrew Wallis, CEO of UK-based trafficking and modern slavery organisation Unseen, talks with Ian Welsh about trends in human trafficking and modern slavery. Wallis highlights the positive influence of the finance sector in tackling the challenges, particularly as climate change is an increasing driver of displacing vulnerable populations around the planet. And they discuss the big questions facing FIFA ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Join Andrew Wallis at the Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade Forum, 4th-5th April.

Why no one values trees more than cocoa farmers

Sebastiaan van der Hoek, forestry advisor at Cargill, discusses with Ian Welsh the potential for agroforestry to transform the cocoa sector. He outlines how working with farmers to introduce more trees – whether for fruit or timber, or to promote more biodiversity – is integral to delivery of the Cargill Cocoa Promise, and also why getting incentives right is a crucial part of this process.

Cargill was a sponsor of the recent Innovation Forum sustainable landscapes and commodities event.

Weekly podcast: How to source sustainable manmade textile fibres

This week: La Rhea Pepper, Claire Bergkamp and Megan Stoneburner from Textile Exchange discuss the potential from manmade cellulosic fibres – particularly viscose and rayon – for the apparel and textiles sector. They talk about the challenges of ensuring sustainable supply, particularly for fibres sourced from forests, and how such materials can have a key role as the sector addresses the significant challenges in transitioning to net zero.

Plus: UK farmers set to be paid £1.6bn for re-wilding and environmental sensitivity; France bans plastic wrapped fruit and vegetables; and, better news on deforestation rates in Indonesia down to palm oil sector scrutiny, says Rainforest Action Network, in the news digest.

Host: Ian Welsh

Why brands need better data to hit apparel supply chain goals

Tara Luckman, apparel sector expert, and advisor to the US Cotton Trust Protocol, and Dr Mark Sumner from the school of design at the University of Leeds, talk with Ian Welsh about how better data can help business connect with cotton suppliers and farmers. They discuss why a move away from a mass balance approach, and greater traceability, can enable brands to demonstrate to stakeholders how they are meeting impact goals.

The post-COP practical solutions to look for in 2022

As the dust settled from the Glasgow COP26 meetings in November, Lord Deben, chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee spoke with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about how the progress can be built upon in the coming months. They highlight the presence of big business leaders in the climate debate, some of the practical initiatives that have emerged, and why protestors need to be part of the 2022 COP27 meetings in Egypt. Among the next steps to look out for are net zero commitments that stand up to measurement, and for a real focus on delivery.