Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Webinar – Companies as human rights defenders: the future of ethical trade?

In this session, an expert panel discusses the opportunity for business to act as human rights defenders. They assess when and how companies should take action, and how this space will evolve. The panel also considers how NGOs and companies can together move human rights further up the consumer interest agenda, and act as agents for change.

• Andreas Graf, human rights manager, FIFA
• Celia Ouellette, chief executive, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
• Matthias Stausberg, group advocacy director, Virgin

Host: Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

Webinar – What is the right level of corporate disclosure on human rights?

Corporate transparency on human rights has never been more important, and many initiatives have been developed to help businesses get this right.

In this webinar session, an expert panel consider the state of play of current levels of disclosure, and which companies and sectors are performing well or badly, and why. They also discuss the challenges for businesses keen to develop a best-practice approach, and how to engage with investors, civil society and other stakeholders.

Panel:

• Camille Le Pors, lead, Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, World Benchmarking Alliance
• Linda Kromjong, global labour and human rights director, Samsung
• Phil Bloomer, executive director, BHRRC

Host: Toby Webb, Innovation Forum

Webinar – Responsible recruitment: How to mitigate risk of modern slavery reaching supply chains

At the point of recruitment, workers are often at their most vulnerable to falling into modern slavery. But how can brands protect the rights of workers who are not easily located within the supply chain, and also not obviously the victim of bonded labour?

This webinar session explores the opportunities for business to prevent exploitation in the recruitment process.

Leading the discussion:

• Mark Blick, head of government solutions, Diginex
• Demi Smoloktou, senior manager, responsible procurement, ASOS
• Felicitas Weber, KnowTheChain project lead, BHRRC

Host: Toby Webb, Innovation Forum

 

Webinar – Child labour monitoring and remediation: How are corporate approaches evolving?

The effective abolition of child labour is one of the 10 UN Global Compact principles aiming to promote sustainable businesses practices. However, child labour is endemic in numerous sectors, with the International Labour Organisation estimating that there are currently 152 million victims of child labour worldwide. When operating in countries with known child labour risks, how can businesses monitor its supply chain and effectively remediate victims?

In this webinar discussion, join:

• Elaine McKay, international affairs director, JTI
• Michelle O’Neill, VP global corporate affairs, cocoa, Mars
• Kate Larsen, founder/CEO, SupplyESChange

Host: Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

Webinar – Supplier engagement and training on human rights: How to scale programs across supply chains

Working with suppliers is key to implementing human rights policy, and driving greater understanding and impact. Education and active engagement is hailed as a long-term solution to this. However, the reality is that this can be difficult to implement, especially when individual businesses do not have total capacity of a factory or farm.

In this webinar discussion join:

• Shayne Tyler, group compliance director, Fresca Group
• Sarah Carpenter, manager of business and human rights, Assent Compliance

Host: Ian Welsh

Weekly podcast: how global human rights rules impact corporate supply chains

This week: Highlights from a recent Innovation Forum webinar discussing evolving business and human rights legislation, the compliance challenges, and how this impacts companies and their supply chains, with Institute for Human Rights and Business, Mondelēz, Unicef and Freshfields.

Plus: why using biomass as a fuel might be climate positive after all; Nestlé’s cocoa and deforestation progress; and, investors put pressure on Corporate Human Rights Benchmark laggards, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh  

Wageningen University on poverty alleviation in cocoa, coffee and tea supply chains

Yuca Waarts, senior researcher, sustainable value chain development, Wageningen University talks with Ian Welsh about the challenges developing living incomes for smallholder farmers and plantation workers.

She points out that the interventions that can make a difference for coffee, tea and cocoa production aren’t necessarily the same, with many factors impacting income levels, and argues that for many smallholders finding a way out of poverty is impossible with ever-smaller farm sizes. However, business can still help.

Follow Innovation Forum on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your audio content for our weekly podcast and regular interviews with industry professionals.  

Webinar – Supply chain risk mapping: Advances in tech to map and monitor supply chain risks

Traceability is incredibly important in mapping and monitoring high risk areas of the supply chain. But, tracing and tracking vast numbers of suppliers, especially beyond tier two, remains a significant challenge.

In this webinar, discussion focuses on how business can map and monitor complex supply chains in order to prioritise high risk areas and better direct resources. 

Panel:

• Chris Ettery, director for supply chain sustainability, Dell
• Laura Okkonen, senior human rights manager, Vodafone

• Benet Northcote, director, corporate responsibility, John Lewis

 Host: Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum

Webinar – Evolving legislation and worldwide compliance: How to keep ahead of the regulatory curve

With continually evolving regulatory growth, international compliance has become all the more complicated. Business must be aware of how current – and emerging – global regulation impacts on their supply chains and operations across jurisdictions.

While many agree that the UK Modern Slavery Act has failed to deliver the transformational change that had been hoped for, there is now significant pressure and mounting momentum to amend this. The US government has also recently moved towards mandatory due diligence and even blocked the importation of goods from five nations due to suspicions of forced labour.

This influx of new, amended or evolving legislation can have a transformative impact on how companies operate.

In this webinar session, experts consider the following questions and more:

• Will there be amendments made to UK Modern Slavery Act? If so, what legal changes are expected to be made to ensure comprehensive business action?
• Across the globe, what other emerging legislation will impact on multinational companies? How can business keep ahead of the regulatory curve?
• When and how will the EU act to protect human rights and tackle modern slavery?

Panel:

• John Morrison, chief executive, Institute for Human Rights and Business
• Virginie Mahin, global social sustainability and human rights lead, Mondelēz Europe
• Maria Pia Biancheti, senior policy and advocacy adviser (private sector), Unicef UK
• Caroline Doherty de Novoa, global head of knowledge, dispute resolution, Freshfields

Host: Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

Weekly podcast: Developing Veja’s sustainable supply chains, and important news from Innovation Forum

This week: François-Ghislain Morillion, co-founder of trainer brand Veja, on how the business has developed short and sustainable supply chains for materials in its shoes, including recycled polyester from plastic bottles. And, some exciting news from Innovation Forum about our spring conference series.

Plus: Cop26 in Glasgow in question; human rights impact of Covid-19 beyond health; and, why the meat sector mights lose 45% earnings, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh