Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

Marks & Spencer on evolving food packaging and giving consumers what they want

Louise Nicholls, head of human rights, food sustainability and food packaging at Marks & Spencer, talks with Ian Welsh about the brand’s trial of plastic-free aisles in London stores, and the challenges in encouraging customers to be comfortable with unpacked produce. Nicholls argues that simply demonising plastic doesn’t solve the problem – and that it’s more a question of switching the balance towards alternatives where they make sense.

They also discuss M&S’s work on developing transparency on modern slavery in its supply chains, how retailers can connect with workers and farmers beyond tier 1, and why this approach is all part of ensuring long-term security of supply.

Webinar – Campbell Soup, Mars and Kellogg on reducing GHGs in agriculture

Investors and shareholders, amongst other key stakeholders, are showing more and more interest in companies’ climate performance. With the clock ticking on individual and global climate targets, food and drinks companies are under ever increasing pressure to take more comprehensive and immediate action.

In this webinar hear from

• Dave Stangis, chief sustainability officer, Campbell Soup Company
• Ashley Allen, climate and land senior manager, Mars
• Kati Kaskeala, corporate communications and sustainability director, Kellogg Company

Hosted by Ian Welsh, publishing director, Innovation Forum

Join Innovation Forum and hundreds of industry experts at the upcoming Future of Food conferences in Chicago on 22^nd-23^rd May and in London on 4^th-5^th June.

 

Weekly podcast: BT and Total on modern slavery procurement risks, and how to hit corporate carbon targets

This week: BT's head of governance and sustainability Tony Roy and Total's director of global procurement Christophe Sassolas debate how to make modern slavery risks a procurement priority with Toby Webb. And Jessica Verhagen, vice-president for business development at Ecosphere+ talks with Ian Welsh about how offsetting can help companies deliver on their deforestation and climate goals.

Plus the impacts on agriculture from biodiversity loss, WWF and Knorr promote the 50 foods we should be eating, and how consumers can use blockchain to recognise good producer performance, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

How to extract easy-to-action insight from satellite data

Sarah Middlemiss, space programme manager at Ecometrica, talks with Ian Welsh about trends in how companies are using satellite and other Earth-monitoring data to counter environmental risks.

They discuss how business can monitor compliance with sourcing codes, develop better supply chain strategy identifying the best regions for the commodities they need, and undertake due diligence and evaluation of their suppliers and the impact of sourcing from a particular area.

Ecometrica was a sponsor of Innovation Forum’s recent sustainable landscapes conference.

Weekly podcast: Bunge on traceability challenges in palm oil supply chains

This week: Ben Vreeburg, director, sustainability, at Bunge Loders Croklaan discusses how to achieve transparency to plantation level in palm oil supply chains, the challenges in doing so, and what stakeholders want to see. He outlines how the industry is implementing the new Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil rules, and why these now better represent leading industry practices.

Plus: Princes’ innovative food supply chains; smallholder access to new seed technology; Indonesia earns payout from Norway for slowing deforestation rates; pros and cons of plastic deposit return; and, how to pay for circularity in apparel supply chains, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

 

BASF on why precision agriculture is the future

Geoff Mackey, corporate affairs and sustainability director, BASF, speaks with Ian Welsh about the importance for agriculture’s supply chains of efficiency to maximise outputs while minimising inputs, and how the use of GPS, monitoring and drone technology, for example, can help.

Mackey discusses the techniques and technologies that are appropriate for smaller and larger farmers, and what companies need to think about so they target resources in the right way, and reduce waste at the same time.

Weekly podcast: how data tools can deliver supply chain transparency, and viscose supply chain deforestation risks

This week: Jamie Barsimantov from SupplyShift, Stefan Sabo-Walsh and Erin McVeigh from Verisk Maplecroft, and Steven Wuerth from Gilead Sciences on how to use data to proactively identify, quantify and mitigate risks across complex global supply chains. And Canopy’s Nicole Rycroft on why there is deforestation in viscose-based apparel.

Plus: the impact of insect population collapse on food supply chains, when energy demand and growth will decouple, EU palm oil as biofuel rules updated, and disconnect between corporate targets and their pension fund’s risk-exposure, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Webinar – Procurement and social risk: how to make modern slavery a business priority

Procurement departments are driven and incentivised by a range of KPIs. Unfortunately, social issues haven’t traditionally topped that list. But engaging procurement departments in modern slavery risk is key to tackling an issue prevalent in company supply chains.

In this webinar, hear how two industry leaders have achieved genuine engagement with procurement officers. They assess what’s worked, what hasn’t and the common pushbacks that occur.

Panellists:

Tony Roy, head of governance and sustainability, BT

Christophe Sassolas, director global procurement, Total SA

Hosted and moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum

PepsiCo, Cargill and Proforest on the business-benefits of palm oil collaboration

Cargill's Marie Lavialle-Piot, PepsiCo's Natasha Schwarzbach and Proforest's Sophie Higman discuss with Ian Welsh the benefits of a landscape-level approach to palm oil supply, with collaboration between companies, local government and NGOs on-the-ground.

Detailing a case study project in Sumatra, Indonesia, they outline the complex challenges inherent in moving from mapping where problems are to action to tackle them and dealing with restoration and other interventions to protect forests and local livelihoods.

Weekly podcast: how to save lives in tropical commodity supply chains, and JLL on mapping modern slavery risks

This week: Jason Glaser, founder of La Isla Network, on how simple measures to allow farm workers access to water, rest and shade can save lives, and real estate services provider JLL’s global chief corporate responsibility officer Richard Batten on how to talk to your suppliers’ suppliers about modern slavery.

Plus: Ikea’s drive towards circularity, latest research from CDP, more problems in H+M and Next’s apparel supply chains in Bangladesh, and why British chips are getting smaller, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh