Ian Welsh’s Post

New Innovation Forum podcast – The power of data in food and farming. This week: Allison Kopf from TRACT and Anne Rosenbarger from World Resources Institute speak with me about data collection and analysis in the food and agriculture sector. We talk about regulation’s impact, and why a farmer-centric approach is the only way to go. Plus: Unilever, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive reassess their ambitious 2025 packaging sustainability goals amid industry challenges; why climate change and EU regulations are driving up coffee prices; the UK government's new clean energy initiative; and Mighty Earth's latest reports accuse Spain's main supermarket chains of not doing enough to fight deforestation, in the news digest with Innovation Forum's Ellen A..

Innovation Forum podcast insights – How can digital product passports empower consumers? Debbie Shakespeare, senior director of sustainability and compliance at Avery Dennison, talks with me about how the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, the eco-design for sustainable products regulation, and digital product passports are impacting the apparel and textiles sector. We explore how these regulations are not only reshaping industry practices, but also empowering consumers to contribute to a more sustainable future. https://lnkd.in/egNtHNP5

Innovation Forum weekly briefing – Scope 3 emissions: what can procurement do? Bertrand Conquéret, Henkel's chief procurement officer, spoke with me at the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum in Amsterdam. We discussed the critical role of procurement in managing scope 3 emissions and strategies for effective engagement.   Plus: Innovation Forum's Hanna Halmari shares a preview of the upcoming Innovation Forum autumn conference season, featuring forums on sustainable commodities an d land use, sustainable packaging, and scope 3. https://lnkd.in/eA_A-yk4

New Innovation Forum podcast – Less is more: collaborative efforts to tackle agricultural decarbonisation. Anke Kwast, vice president for regenerative agriculture and climate frameworks at Yara International, talks with me about the challenges in decarbonising agriculture and why using less inputs can be the sustainable future.   Plus: TNFD sees 30% rise in nature impact disclosures; study shows plastic bottles emit harmful volatile organic compounds when exposed to sunlight; industry resists plastic production cap, pushes for recycling focus; and, number of companies setting science-based targets doubled in 2023, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

Innovation Forum insights – Leveraging technology for carbon accounting in agriculture. Peter Bunce, vice president and head of cotton and microbials at Indigo, talks with me about the momentum behind companies addressing scope 3 emissions, particularly in the agriculture sector. We discuss the importance of leveraging technology and partnerships to collect and analyse data efficiently, reducing the burden on farmers while ensuring accurate carbon accounting. Peter also highlights the potential of voluntary carbon markets to drive sustainable farming practices and warns against delaying progress on carbon reduction due to challenges in addressing biodiversity impacts.

Innovation Forum briefing – Collaboration to drive progress on decarbonisation. This week: At the recent scope 3 innovation forum in Amsterdam I spoke with Katy Stevens from the European Outdoor Group (EOG) and Maria Venus from Swiss outdoor brands business Fenix Outdoor about their sector decarbonisation collaboration project. We discuss the positive outcomes from this collaboration and its significance in creating a clear roadmap towards net-zero.   Plus: Innovation Forum’s Emily Heslop shares launch details about the upcoming sustainable commodities and land use forum, also taking place in Amsterdam on 22-23 October.

Innovation Forum insights – Navigating opportunities to deliver sustainable food systems. At Innovation Forum's future of food and beverage conference in Amsterdam, some of the expert participants spoke with me, reflecting on dicussions from the conference. We talked about how to develop regenerative agriculture across supply chains, improving farmer incomes and resilience and biodiversity impacts. Hear from Dorothy Shaver at Unilever, @Producer Direct's Jason Archie-Acheampong and Marika McCauley Sine from Mars.

Innovation Forum insights – Tackling agricultural emissions and food loss. IFC - International Finance Corporation’s senior industry specialist Ahmad Slaibi, and Tom Cumberlege, director at The Carbon Trust, talk with me about their collaborative efforts in developing a tool to address the food loss challenge in the agricultural sector. They explore the tool’s potential for agribusinesses at reducing greenhouse emissions by tracking food losses, and its broader implications for food security and environmental sustainability.

New Innovation Forum podcast – How to make tasty foods healthier. This week: Tate & Lyle's president of innovation and commercial development, Victoria Spadaro Grant, talks with Innovation Forum's Hannah Oborne about the challenges and concerns around ultra-processed foods and what brands should prioritise to secure the future of food systems. They discuss how ultra-processed foods can be a solution to tackle sustainability, nutrition and accessibility of food.   Plus: Better Cotton in the spotlight again over sustainability claims; people's climate vote supports stronger climate action and support for global south; UK retail chain John Lewis Partnership launches a 20-piece circular economy home and fashion collection; International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) shares guidelines to align sustainability reporting; UK delivery company Evri increasing its electric vehicle fleet as part of a £19m investment; and, Denmark to introduce the world's first carbon tax on agriculture, in the news digest by Ellen Atiyah.

Innovation Forum weekly briefing: KFC’s climate change commitments. KFC's chief sustainability officer Nira Johri and global chief development officer Nivera Wallani speak with me about the company's climate commitments across scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Hear how the brand's sustainability strategy is closely integrated with its overall development plans.   Also, Innovation Forum’s Natasha C. Bodnar discusses what to expect at the upcoming scope 3 emissions innovation forum in Amsterdam on 12th and 13th June.    Hear from Innovation Forum’s Sarah Jackson about the sustainable packaging innovation forum taking place in Philadelphia on October 29th and 30th, which will focus on the opportunities and benefits from sustainable packaging solutions.    Plus, Innovation Forum’s Savanna Razzaque chats with Vayda CEO Michael Shoemaker about the company's direct work with growers to drive regenerative transformation and preview of their upcoming farmer-led discussion on 11th June. Sign up here.  Finally, hear about the  upcoming Innovation Forum webinar hosted in partnership with ofi. Chief sustainability officer Roel van Poppel discusses with Savanna the launch of the company’s Choices for Change sustainability strategy.