Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

How Eileen Fisher builds apparel supply chains from the ground up

Amy Hall, vice-president social consciousness, Eileen Fisher talks with Ian Welsh about why it is so hard for the apparel sector to look deep into its supply chain given companies simply have, traditionally, so little influence beyond tier one.

They discuss how brands can reach back to farmers and suppliers to achieve real supply chain traceability, the use of “better” chemistry in the manufacturing process and the potential of circular models in the sector.

Weekly podcast: Bayer on how food supply chain innovation will feed growing populations

This week: Stephen Brunner, global key relation manager for Bayer Crop Science, explains what the future of food supply will look like. He explains why climate change is the great urgent challenge that the entire value chain must address.

And: CDP’s new global water report, why central banks need to consider climate risks, global rubber sector deforestation initiative and recognition of environmental human rights defenders by the UN, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Are biofuels a sustainable – and scalable – solution?

In this webinar experts from IINAS, WBCSD, SkyNRG and United Airlines join Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb to discuss the sustainability of biofuels and who will be using them by 2025 and beyond.

They debate the scale challenges, and look at how and whether biofuels will play a major role in carbon reduction for business users.

How Ikea will become a circular business by 2030

Eleonora Tieri, project leader for circular supply chains at Inter Ikea, talks with Ian Welsh about innovation in circular economy models, and in particular the new pilot projects in Sweden renting furniture to business.

Tieri explains the mind-shifts necessary for a company to take responsibility for its products throughout its life so that it can be used by multiple customers. They discuss how connecting customers – business and consumer – with the products is a vital part in the process of developing proper circular economy models, and why suppliers are vital partners to achieve them.

Weekly podcast: Global Canopy on why palm oil, soy, cattle and timber supply chains look set to miss 2020 deforestation targets

This week: Global Canopy’s Sarah Rogerson, lead researcher on the just-launched 2018 Forest 500 report, on how far companies are implementing tropical deforestation commitments and why even the leading companies are not innovating fast enough.

Plus: Malaysia takes on the EU at the WTO over palm oil ban, some evidence that MSC certification prevents seafood fraud, a new plastic recycling incentive scheme in Latin America from PepsiCo, and why recycling rates in the US are collapsing, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Bunge on why future palm oil supply chains should focus on value not price

Ben Vreeburg, director, sustainability, at Bunge Loders Croklaan, speaks to Ian Welsh about transparency challenges in palm oil supply chains – particularly when moving from the mill to the farm level.

Vreeburg argues that the changes to the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil’s principles and criteria agreed in 2018 reflect an industry that wants to reform – highlighting the requirements for independent verification and the “no deforestation, peat or exploitation” supply chains that so many companies want. And they discuss how to achieve the tricky balance between working with suppliers who breach standards to improve versus suspending relationships when necessary.

Webinar – Impossible Foods, Barilla and Mondelēz on the consumer trends driving food innovation

Leading food companies are continually working on what they think will be the key food trends and shifts in consumer patterns that are likely over the next ten years – eg alternative protein sources such as cellular meat or plant-based alternatives. These may bring about profound change within their business.

In this webinar, hear how companies can keep up with changing demands driven by consumer concerns around health, sustainability and clean eating.

Panel:

Nick Halla, senior vice president, international, Impossible Foods

Victoria Spadaro Grant, chief technology officer, Barilla Group

Gil Horsky, global director innovation SnackFutures, Mondelēz International

Hosted by Ian Welsh, Innovation Forum

Weekly podcast: Eileen Fisher on apparel sector business model innovation

This week: Amy Hall, vice-president social consciousness at apparel brand Eileen Fisher, on supply chain impacts and supplier collaboration, and Ashley Allen from Mars, Kati Kaskeala from Kellogg and Dave Stangis from Campbell Soup on agri sector emissions.

Plus soy sector monitoring in the cerrado, zero-emissions dairy, and Primark’s 100% sustainable cotton jeans, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

How a landscape approach helps offsetting deliver

Jessica Verhagen, vice-president business development and strategy at Ecosphere+, talks with Ian Welsh about how developing impact investment projects that value natural capital can help companies deliver on their climate targets.

She explains how forest credits work to offset corporate emissions, and why the real benefit comes from transformative projects that enhance communities – meaning there is long-term gain across landscapes. They also discuss the consumer-engagement benefits from carbon pricing at the point of sale – something recently trialled by ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s.

Weekly podcast: Ikea on the potential of circular economy business models

This week: Inter Ikea’s circular supply chain project leader Eleonora Tieri on how and why the furniture brand is working hard to develop circular models. She outlines what Ikea hopes to achieve from its new pilot business furniture leasing project in Sweden, and how that might be scaled to other product lines and locations.

And another chance to hear from Baroness Lola Young on how companies can move from talk to action to tackle modern slavery.

Plus: ETI calls for business model change to protect worker human rights, WWF accused of facilitating violence, Africa cocoa initiative passes commitment milestone, and climate change continues to impact food production, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh