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This week: Business and climate strategy expert Iain Watt talks about some of the challenges for companies getting to net-zero emissions. He argues the need to recognise that science mandates that timeframes are very tight for 1.5C and 2C pathways – but that embracing science-based targets has switched ambitions from what looks achievable to what’s necessary. Plus: up to 1,000 microplastic particles spread per square metre of farmland per year in Europe; retailers not making credible progress on plastic bags say Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Changing Markets Foundation and others; and, $80bn of losses risked without action on deforestation now, according to a new report from the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP, in the news digest.   Host: Ian Welsh

Bank + Vogue and Beyond Retro co-founder Steven Bethell talks with Ian Welsh about the growth of apparel resale and remanufacturing at scale, and how to “industrialise the used as an input for the new”. Bethell highlights the importance of both physical and chemical recycling for the development of truly circular models in the garment sector.

In the eight years since companies and governments came together under the New York Declaration on Forests committing to end deforestation by 2020, we have instead seen a continued rise in deforestation rates. To meet net-zero goals and ensure a climate resilient future, companies need to quickly accelerate systems and processes to manage their impacts on forests. In this webinar, our expert panel discussed company best practice to end deforestation across agricultural and forestry value chains and where corporate ambition and action currently stand according to a new report evaluating company progress against the Accountability Framework, using CDP 2021 Forests data. You can access the Accountability Framework initiative and CDP joint report here. The session featured the latest case studies showing how companies have integrated leading practices into their business. Panel: Juliana Lopes, ESG, communications and compliance director, Amaggi Katerina Elias-Trostmann, head of ESG and sustainability, Brazil, BNP Paribas Leah Samberg, lead scientist, global policy, Rainforest Alliance Tom Maddox, global director, forests and land, CDP The session was moderated by Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh. This webinar was held in partnership with the Accountability Framework initiative.

This week: Anant Ahuja, head of organisational development at Indian apparel manufacturer Shahi Exports, talks about how all of the apparel sector’s value chains can work together to decarbonise and transition towards net zero. Ahuja outlines some of the barriers to the shift in business models that are necessary, not least developing long-term supplier-brand relationships. Plus: further food supply risks from the war in Ukraine; Carbon Tracker highlights lack of credibility in oil and sector climate targets; new $500m circular plastics fund from Alliance to End Plastic Waste; and, Tesco and WWF cooperate on new food supply chains Innovation Connections scheme, in the news digest. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari introduces the 2022 sustainable landscapes and commodities conference, coming up on 1st and 2nd November. Host: Ian Welsh For more information about the sustainable landscapes and commodities event in November click here.

David Pettet, global human rights and sustainable supply chain director at Reckitt, talks with Ian Welsh about why taking a holistic approach to human rights risks in supply chains is essential. Pettet argues how internalising auditing processes can lead to closer relationships with suppliers and manufacturers, and why a focus on grievance mechanisms, eliminating recruitment fees and real transparency is necessary.  

This week: Caroline Ledl, head of product management, textiles, at the Lenzing Group, talks about the challenges in using recycled content to create high quality fibres that can compete with virgin materials in the apparel sector. She outlines how collaboration on material use and design can help scale up processes and get around the recycling problems stemming from mixed-fibre garments. Plus, in the news digest: record Amazon deforestation in three out of first four months of 2022; Malaysia to cuts taxes on palm oil exports as prices surge; aviation sector hit only one out of 50 climate targets says charity Possible; and, more than 2,200 companies now signed up to emissions reductions verified by the Science Based Targets initiative   And, some reflection on the discussions at Innovation Forum’s online future of food conference.   Host: Ian Welsh

The potential impacts of due diligence legislation in various jurisdictions are discussed by Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s Elizabeth Forster and Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson. They talk about the changing transparency and reporting obligations for companies and how to identify where the risks are, and the need for cultural shift in approach for many businesses.

Ethical Tea Partnership chief executive Jenny Costelloe talks with Ian Welsh about how environmental and, particularly, labour and trafficking challenges are coming to the top of corporate agenda in the tea sector. They talk about ETP’s 2030 strategy and the systemic change that is necessary, particularly to address power imbalances that impact women and children at plantations, and how “radical transparency” needs to become widespread.

This week: Steven Bethell, co-founder of Bank & Vogue and Beyond Retro, talks about the growth of circular economy models re-using and re-purposing pre-used textiles and apparel, including innovation in fibre-to-fibre recycling. He outlines why “used” is increasingly being accepted as an input to “new” and why the need for designing for multiple re-use is a growing trend. Plus: draft new European corporate sustainability reporting standards out for consultation; research into the impact of switching diets away from beef; and, the UK’s new nationality and borders act raises human rights and trafficking concerns, in the news digest.     And Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop gives an update on the in-person US-focused future of food conference coming up on 14th and 15th June in Minneapolis.   Host: Ian Welsh

Prof David Grayson, campaigner and former director of the Doughty Centre at Cranfield School of Management, talks with Ian Welsh about some of the changing demands for business around the climate crisis, global inequality and the impacts of globalisation. Grayson also talks about some of the key challenges for companies in making real progress and the opportunities for the investment community shifting approach towards an ESG focus. David Grayson is co-author of the new Sustainable Business Handbook.

This week: David Pettet, global human rights and sustainable supply chain director at Reckitt, talks about the critical matters that companies must ensure are embedded into their approach to tackling operation and supply chain human rights risks. He discusses how Reckitt identifies the regions and markets where resources should be focused, as part of a holistic cross-business approach to human rights. And, he outlines the importance of worker grievance mechanisms and why recruitment fees are unacceptable.   Plus Innovation Forum’s Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the climate and business action conference that’s coming up from the 7th to 9th June.   Host: Ian Welsh

Mario Rafael Rodriguez, senior associate for LandScale at the Rainforest Alliance, and José Luis López, palm oil and biodiversity programme manager at Solidaridad, talk with Ian Welsh about use of the LandScale system in the Ocosito landscape in Guatemala. In particular they discuss how LandScale has helped identify instances of child labour and forced labour, and other human rights violations.

Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson talks with Salla Saastamoinen, director for civil and commercial justice, DG Justice and Consumers at the European Commission about how the EU proposed directive on due diligence corporate accountability will be implemented. They discuss what companies should expect, and how they can align climate and social strategies to meet the new regulation’s requirements.    

This week: Jenny Costelloe, chief executive of the Ethical Tea Partnership, discusses how the sector is tackling its environmental and social challenges, and why tea has not been subject to the attention other commodities have had. Costelloe explains why the traditional tea plantation model is becoming outdated, with smallholder farmers becoming principal sector suppliers – and all the farm income and labour risks this brings.   Plus: new regenerative fashion manifesto featuring Stella McCartney, Zalando, Burberry and other big brands; Arla Foods’ food additive pilot to reduce methane emissions from 10,000 cows; and, hydrogen’s greenhouse gas potential 11 times more potent than carbon dioxide, in the news digest.   And Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari talks about the upcoming sustainable apparel and textiles conference on the 26th to 28th April. Plus detail of an exclusive podcast listener offer. Host: Ian Welsh

Innovation Forum founder Toby Webb talks with Jon Entine, director of the Genetic Literacy Project, about the rise of the use of gene editing in agriculture, and how fact-based debate has led to a broader acceptance of such techniques. In a wide-ranging discussion they also highlight how the war in Ukraine will significantly impact global food supply and argue the case for GMO grain to help ease the pressures.  

Craig Mills, CEO of Vizzuality, talks with Ian Welsh about how companies are changing the process of engagement with supply chain data. They discuss what best use of corporate sustainability data looks like, and how a move to AI and machine learning has transformed what can be done with it. Mills also outlines how the work of the World Resource Institute and Global Forest Watch has transformed tracking of deforestation, and argues the case for greater free and open data sharing so that innovation and knowledge from tech startups that ultimately fail will not be lost.  

This week: Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s Elizabeth Forster and Innovation Forum’s Bea Stevenson talk about some of the new areas of legal risk relating to human rights and environmental impacts that companies need to be aware of, and some of the measures that they can take to mitigate them. Plus: Oxfam and Save the Children highlight the food supply crisis in west Africa; IPCC’s mitigation report highlighting need for net negative carbon strategy; and, Plastic Soup Foundation research into microplastics in cosmetics, in the news digest. Host: Ian Welsh  

IDH’s Matthew Spencer, Proforest’s Ruth Nussbaum and Conservation International’s John Buchanan talk with Ian Welsh about how the SourceUp platform can improve the distribution of value in commodity supply chains, bringing corporate boardrooms and grower communities together. They argue the case for companies engaging more closely with the landscapes they source from and how positive impacts can be scaled up.

Niels Wielaard, founder of Satelligence, and Ian Welsh talk about traceability-to-plantation innovation in palm oil and cocoa supply chains. Wielaard explains why appreciating the complexity of the challenges is important and, crucially, why companies should not shift from sourcing from higher risk countries as a reaction to EU and other due diligence legislation. This could, he argues, simply shift problems to lower risk countries.  

This week: David Grayson, campaigner and former director of the Doughty Centre at Cranfield School of Management, and co-author of the new Sustainable Business Handbook, talks with Ian Welsh about the evolving role of business in tackling climate change, global inequality and the impacts of globalisation. Grayson outlines how shifts in emphasis from the investment community in terms of ESG screening is impacting business planning, and welcomes the growth in sustainability bonds. And, they discuss how the pandemic has led companies to rethink their “just in time” approach to supply chains.      And, Innovation Forum senior associate Peter Stanbury and Welsh review some of the main issues that arose during Innovation Forum’s responsible sourcing and ethical trade conference in London, including how to improve value chain data, the importance of grievance mechanisms, how to focus collaboration, and the potential unintended consequences when companies stop working in high risk regions.