Sustainable Business Podcast by Innovation Forum

This week: Thomas Radal, global worker engagement expert at Ulula, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how worker empowerment programmes can really deliver at scale. Moving beyond traditional audits, they explore how companies can gather direct feedback from workers using accessible technologies. Plus: Innovation Forum's Ellen Atiyah chats with Liz Hershfield, executive director of COTTON USA™ and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, ahead of an upcoming webinar on regenerative sourcing. And, Innovation Forum's Natasha Bodnar takes a look at how companies are moving from scope 3 commitments to real-world action, and how decarbonisation is increasingly linked to energy security and supply chain resilience.

Dana Mosora, senior consultant at CEFLEX, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the push to make flexible packaging circular in Europe. They explore the key barriers to scaling recycling, from low collection rates and inconsistent quality to weak market demand, and the critical role of policy, particularly the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

This week: highlights summary from a recent food webinar on how consumer expectations are reshaping the food sector. Moderated by Innovation Forum’s Ellen Atiyah, Dorothy Shaver from Unilever, Caroline Reid from Oatly and Griffith Foods’ Alex Skidmore explore how health, price and sustainability priorities differ across generations. Plus: at the recent sustainable packaging innovation forum, Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh spoke with Caroline Elms from Pladis Global about how collaboration, innovation and clearer priorities can unlock scalable sustainable packaging solutions. And, Innovation Forum’s Hanna Halmari talks with Ian about how sustainability in food and beverage is ever more a core driver of resilience and business value. Host: Ian Welsh

Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill's ocean transport business, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the challenge of decarbonising global shipping. They discuss the role of alternative fuels and why scaling change depends on solving the "green premium" and clearer regulation from the International Maritime Organisation.

From a growing focus on health and nutrition, to rising demand for lower-impact food, evolving consumer expectations are reshaping how value is created across the food sector. This webinar explored how companies are responding to changing consumer demand and utilising innovation to deliver products that meet both sustainability and nutrition expectations. We looked at how organisations are adapting and reformulating products, developing innovation levers, and balancing food functionality and sustainability – all whilst creating business value. In conversation with: Dorothy Shaver, global food sustainability director, Unilever Caroline Reid, senior sustainability director, Oatly Alex Skidmore, head of market intelligence Europe, Griffith Foods

This week: a highlight from the recent webinar organised in partnership with Cargill. Anne Schwagerl from the Minnesota Farmers Union, University of Minnesota's Mitch Hunger and Cargill's Lyle DePauw and Anna Teeter, talk with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about the promise of winter camelina as a climate-smart crop, and the barriers to delivering it at scale. Plus: In conversion with Ian, Innovation Forum's Hannah Oborne talks about how climate risk, changing consumer expectations and regulation are pushing companies to adapt supply chains and embed sustainability into core strategy. And, EU moves to ban meat names for plant foods; Yangtze river fishing ban revives freshwater life; and, Tesco trials low carbon potatoes in UK stores, in the news digest. Host: Ellen Atiyah

Ian Welsh speaks with Andrew Wallis, co-founder and CEO of Unseen, about the rapid rise of mandatory human rights due diligence and forced labour regulations around the world. They explore how evolving legislation, investor pressure and stronger enforcement are pushing businesses beyond transparency and reporting toward real action to identify and address exploitation in global supply chains.

This week: Esme Chiverton and Fiona Bretherton, from Untouched World, talk with Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell about the brand’s drive to achieve zero textile waste to landfill. They discuss how they’re tackling the technical and economic challenge of the final 1% and how local collaboration and transparency are helping. Plus: Talking with Ian Welsh, Niamh shares some of the key trends in the apparel and textiles sector, such as regulatory pressure on waste and growing recognition of worker heat stress as an occupational health risk. And, M&S launches solar support for cotton farmers; EU scales back corporate sustainability reporting rules; and, investors urge overhaul of GHG electricity rules, in the news digest. Host: Ellen Atiyah

Karla MaGruder, founder and board chair of Accelerating Circularity, talks with Ian Welsh about scaling textile-to-textile recycling. They explore the system-level changes needed to connect collectors, sorters and recyclers, and the complementary roles of mechanical and chemical recycling. They discuss why collaboration, standardisation and commercial-scale infrastructure are critical to building a circular textile economy.

As the agriculture sector accelerates toward more resilient systems, the search for climate-smart crops continues to gather pace. Innovation in crop systems is key to unlocking solutions that deliver resilience, productivity, and lower carbon outcomes.  This webinar explores the potential of winter camelina, an oilseed crop advancing through research, innovation, and on-farm trial, as part of a broader push for crop diversification and low-carbon fuel feedstocks. Planted in the fall and harvested in early summer, camelina provides living cover through the off-season while also being harvested and sold as a cash crop – an uncommon combination that creates a new incentive for farmers to keep soil covered longer. What we discussed… How crop innovation and R&D are supporting more resilient and profitable farming systems The role of winter camelina in crop diversification, soil health, and lower-carbon outcomes The importance of farmer engagement, partnerships, and on–farm trials in driving adoption What lessons from camelina can be applied to broader climate–smart agriculture strategies