This week: Ian Welsh talks with Scott Poynton, CEO and founder of A Different Way and founder and former CEO of the Earthworm Foundation. They discuss the current and future challenges, and some positive thoughts as we look into the second half of the decade. Scott highlights how regulation might develop and what companies should do to stay ahead of the curve (listen from 21:06)

Tropical Forest Alliance executive director Jack Hurd and Gustavo Idigoras, president of the Argentinian Edible Oils Association, join Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh to discuss the critical role of land use in addressing climate change, particularly in light of recent regulations such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation. They explore how agricultural practices and corporate responsibility can align with sustainability goals, emphasising the potential for cross-sector collaboration to drive meaningful change.

This week: Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh and Natasha Bodnar share some updates about the upcoming responsible sourcing and ethical trade forum, taking place in London on 19th-20th March. They talk about the developing conference agenda and the latest confirmed speakers. For full details on how to get involved, click here.

Plus: a preview of Ian’s conversation with Wayne Jordash, managing partner at Global Rights Compliance. They discuss how companies face challenges in demonstrating compliance with human rights legislation, requiring comprehensive and adaptable risk assessments to meet regulatory demands. The full interview will be in the Innovation Forum podcast on 10th January.

Monday briefing: What does best-in-class procurement strategy look like?

This week, Innovation Forum’s Hannah Oborne and Ian Welsh reflect on some of the conversation in Washington DC a at the recent Scope 3 Innovation Forum. And, speaking at the conference, Altruistiq CEO Saif Hameed shares some thoughts on what makes for good supply chain engagement and procurement practices.

Plus: details about the next in the Scope 3 Innovation Forum series, coming up in Amsterdam on 3rd and 4th May 2025.

The postponement of the EUDR deadline offers coffee and cocoa supply chains more time to comply, but what do smallholder farmers think of this delay?

This webinar examined the effects of the newly-proposed December 2025 and June 2026 deadlines, how the delay will affect cocoa and coffee supply chains and the potential win-win outcomes for people, profit and planet. This session focused specifically on the impact of EUDR on coffee and cocoa supply chains, putting these sectors under the spotlight.

Panellists included: 

The conversation was moderated by Ian Welsh, publishing director, Innovation Forum. 

This week: Tom Szaky, CEO of recycling innovators Terracycle, talks with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh about the current trend towards use of fibre-based packaging, and discusses how reuse and compostable solutions face challenges in scalability, economics and corporate adoption.

Plus: Ian talks with Imogen Fanning from the Zoological Society of London about the latest SPOTT research into the palm oil sector, and in particular the challenges in supporting smallholders and addressing deforestation and biodiversity loss. 

And, Mars promotes regenerative agriculture to meet sustainability goals with global partnerships; the European Union proposes reforms to strengthen farmers' rights, fairness and sustainability in agriculture; Microsoft introduces waterless cooling system, aiming for water-positive operations by 2030; and, the Philippines and Bangladesh urge court to declare climate harm a violation of international law, in the news digest, by Ellen Atiyah.

Host: Ian Welsh

Giles Bolton, executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, talks with Ian Welsh about the importance of addressing human rights challenges within supply chains, particularly for vulnerable workers such as illegal migrants. They highlight the need for comprehensive human rights due diligence, collaboration among unions, NGOs, and businesses and the impact of recent legislation on corporate accountability.