Innovation Forum podcast

Monday briefing – Collaboration, environmental conservation and community well-being

This week: Elizabeth Daut, natural resources specialist at USAID, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah about the HEARTH initiative and how it is driving sustainable development on the ground. To find out more, join the complimentary webinar on 16^th October at 2pm CET.

And, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Hannah Oborne introduce the future of food and beverage forum, returning to Amsterdam on 13th and 14th May 2025. They discuss some of the new agenda points and confirmed speakers so far. Click here for information about how to get involved.

Host: Ian Welsh

Weekly podcast – Is business sustainability at a tipping point?

This week: The first in a new state-of-sustainability series, Brendan May, business expert and founder of Robertsbridge, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the apparent current crossroads for sustainable business and why some companies are scaling back on their ambitions. They discuss the political dynamics affecting sustainability efforts, the challenges of excessive reporting requirements, and the shifting roles of NGOs.

 

Plus: supermarkets' recycling schemes fail to deal with soft plastics; UK pledges £21.7bn for carbon capture initiatives; climate change impacts water availability and agriculture globally; and, EUDR enforcement delay remains likely, in the news digest, by Ellen Atiyah.

 

Host: Ian Welsh

How ofi is working to drive sustainable supply chains

Roel van Poppel and Christopher Stewart from global food ingredients supplier ofi talk with Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb about the company's Choices for Change strategy. They share insights on ofi’s ambitious 2030 targets for farmer prosperity, climate action and regenerative agriculture, emphasising how data-driven decisions and partnerships are key to transforming supply chains and creating positive impact.

Weekly briefing – How nature-based solutions can deliver real impact

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah speaks with Andika Putraditama, director of the Rimba Collective at Lestari Capital, about how nature-based solutions can help deliver corporate sustainability commitments, ahead of a webinar on 17th October. They discuss the partnerships, challenges and opportunities driving nature-based solution models, and how corporates are linking commodity sourcing to ecosystem services and advancing sustainability efforts.  

Plus: ahead of the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum USA in Philadelphia on 29th and 30th October, another chance to hear Ian Welsh talking about prospects for a Global Plastics Pact with Llorenç Milà i Canals, head of secretariat of the Life Cycle Initiative at the UN Environment Programme at the 2023 conference in Amsterdam.

The hidden power of family forests

In this episode, host Ian Welsh speaks with Nathan Truitt, executive vice president for climate funding at the American Forest Foundation. They explore the vital role of family-owned forests in the U.S., which comprise nearly 40% of all forested land, and how empowering these individual landowners can lead to significant conservation outcomes, including enhanced carbon sequestration and improved biodiversity.

Granular on-farm data: the key to measuring and reducing agricultural emissions?

This week: Ian Welsh speaks with Niklas Wallsargård, CEO of agri-sector business Improvin’, about how granular on-farm data can help companies measure and monitor sustainability impacts, and why traceability and farmer engagement are key to scaling positive change.

Plus, updates on the potential delay of the EUDR,  criticism of the Common Agricultural Policy, and ASDA’s expanding partnership with Too Good To Go to combat food waste, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

Host: Ian Welsh

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Monday briefing — How to understand your land footprint, manage risk and create positive impact

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Emily Heslop talk about what to expect at the sustainable commodities and land use forum coming up in October. They discuss latest confirmed speakers from Mars Wrigley, Danone, Unilever and more to incorporate varying corporate perspectives amid the looming deadline of EUDR.

Plus: some reflections from last year’s sustainable commodities forum, CEO of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm oil, Joseph D’Cruz, shares with Ian on the impact of EUDR for the palm oil sector and the persistent importance of certifications to respond to the rigorous regulatory requirements.

Host: Ian Welsh

There’s still time to join us at the sustainable commodities and land use forum (Amsterdam, 22-23 October). Click here for information on how to get involved.

Weekly podcast — Alternative proteins: from olive waste to insect protein

This week: in the first in story of a startup series, alternative protein business InsectBiotech’s co-founder Ignacio Gavilan talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about why alternative sources of low-impact protein are necessary, and the potential of what is currently waste as feedstock.

Plus: packaging waste expert John Kotlarczyk, formerly of Walgreen Boots Alliance, shares sustainable packaging trends on the rise as business prioritise sustainability. He also shares persistent challenges with material trade-offs such as paperisation and carbon emissions.

And, California sues Exxon Mobil for misleading practices on plastic recycling; California bans all plastic shopping bags, closing previous loopholes; and, South America’s forest fires surge, driven by drought and illegal deforestation, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

Host: Ian Welsh

Digitising agriculture: innovation through science with Agmatix

In this episode of the Innovation Forum podcast, host Ian Welsh speaks with Jonathan Sullivan, vice president of commercial sustainability, and Shai Sela, chief Scientist at Agmatix. They discuss Agmatix's role in digitising solutions for the agricultural sector, highlighting their commitment to using credible science and practical agronomy to drive innovation.

Monday briefing – What’s driving sustainable packaging challenges and opportunities?

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Hanna Halmari share latest updates on the upcoming sustainable packaging innovation forum (Philadelphia, 29-30 October). They discuss agenda and speaker highlights including industry-focused roundtable and regulation-focused discussions.

Plus: some reflections from last year’s packaging conference in Amsterdam, when Daniel Katz from the Overbook Foundation talked with Ian about the reality of deposit return schemes and how to align incentives across stakeholders.