Innovation Forum podcast

Monday briefing – Ready, target, action: business progress in tackling scope 3 emissions

This week: Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh talks with Hannah Oborne about what to expect at this year's scope 3 innovation forum in Washington DC, which will focus on how business can tackle supply chain emissions. They also reveal a special discount for listeners – just use code podcast100. Click here for information on how to get involved.

 

Plus: a recap of last year's scope 3 innovation forum, when Ian Welsh spoke with some expert participants about progress on the finance sector's climate and nature disclosure requirements and what good data tools look like. Hear from Rabobank's Terryn Lawrence and Saif Hameed from Altruistiq.

Weekly podcast – Sustainable plastics and packaging in the US: trends, innovations, regulations

This week: Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh talks with packaging and waste expert John Kotlarczyk about evolving landscape of packaging and waste management, emphasising a shift towards sustainability and circular economy principles. They highlight key trends, such as the adoption of fibre-based alternatives, to plastics and regulatory changes impacting recyclability.

 

Plus: PepsiCo and Yara partner to decarbonise European crop production; Paris Olympics 2024 to halve carbon footprint; Valencia dairy farm gets Europe's first B Corp; and, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Starbucks test reusable cups in California, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Agriculture’s just transition from emissions to efficiency

At the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum in Amsterdam, Anke Kwast, vice-president for regenerative agriculture and climate frameworks at Yara International, speaks with Ian Welsh about the company's efforts to reduce agriculture's environmental impacts through improved nitrogen fertiliser efficiency, renewable energy use and public-private collaboration. They talk about the importance of public-private collaboration and enhanced data infrastructure to support sustainable agricultural practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Introduced by Innovation Forum's Diana Kim. 

Weekly briefing – Incentivising change for farmers with the US COVER Act

This week: Arohi Sharma, deputy director for regenerative agriculture at Natural Resources Defense Council, spoke with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh on the need for policy reforms to address the root causes of agriculture's impact on climate change. Talking at the recent Innovation Forum in Minneapolis, they highlighted the COVER Act, which incentivises farmers to plant cover crops by reducing insurance premiums, and California’s efforts to incorporate resilience and a holistic approach into its food system.

Plus, hear the latest updates on upcoming events: Sustainable Commodities and Land Use in Amsterdam (23-24 October), Sustainable Packaging in Philadelphia (29-30 October), and Scope 3 Innovation in Washington DC (3-4 December).

Weekly podcast – Achieving functionality and recyclability in packaging design

This week: Natalie Betts, assistant vice president for sustainability at the Recycled Materials Association, talks with Ian Welsh about the role and impact of recycling in packaging innovation. They discuss the fragmented nature of recycling systems in the US due to local policies and economic factors and emphasise the importance of packaging innovations with recyclability in mind to foster a circular economy.

 

Plus: UK supermarket chain Asda to discontinue in-store refill stations; Kraft Heinz brands switch to 100% recycled plastic; EUDR could cost consumers $1.5bn says GlobalData research; and, the Science Based Targets Network updates resources, in the news digest, compiled by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

Nutritious, affordable, sustainable: redefining ultra-processed foods

Tate & Lyle’s president of innovation and commercial development, Victoria Spadaro Grant, talks with Innovation Forum’s Hannah Oborne about the complexities surrounding ultra-processed foods, particularly their role in the global food trilemma of nutrition, sustainability and accessibility. Rather than vilifying ultra-processed foods, they discuss the importance of improving food quality and availability while balancing environmental and health impacts, and foster stakeholder collaboration to achieve this.

Monday briefing – What regenerative poultry farming looks like

This week: Reginaldo Marroquin, CEO of Tree Range Farms, talked with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh at the recent future of food conference in Minneapolis, discussing his regenerative agroforestry system centred on poultry. They discuss how Tree Range Farms is creating a circular economic and ecological model to drive regenerative agricultural practices to enhance soil health, poultry health and more.

And, Innovation Forum's Sarah Jackson shares updates on the upcoming sustainable packaging innovation forum taking place in the US city of Philadelphia on 29th-30th October. See here to find out how to get involved.

Weekly podcast – the power of data in food and farming

This week: Allison Kopf from TRACT and Anne Rosenbarger from World Resources Institute speak with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about data collection and analysis in the food and agriculture sector. Hear them talk about regulation’s impact, and why a farmer-centric approach is the only way to go.  

 

Plus: Major companies are revising their ambitious 2025 packaging sustainability goals amid industry challenges; why climate change and EU regulations are driving up coffee prices; the UK government's new clean energy initiative; and Mighty Earth accuses  Spain's main supermarket chains of not doing enough to fight deforestation, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Ellen Atiyah. 

How digital product passports can empower consumers

Debbie Shakespeare, senior director of sustainability and compliance at Avery Dennison, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, the eco-design for sustainable products regulation, and digital product passports are impacting the apparel and textiles sector. They explore how these regulations are not only reshaping industry practices but also empowering consumers to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Monday briefing – Scope 3 emissions: what can procurement do?

This week: Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh interviews Bertrand Conquéret, Henkel's chief procurement officer, at the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum. They discuss the critical role of procurement in managing Scope 3 emissions and strategies for effective engagement.

Plus: Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari shares a preview of the upcoming autumn conference season, featuring forums on sustainable commodities and land use, sustainable packaging, and Scope 3.