Tamara Ansons, behaviour science consultant at Ipsos, and Ian Welsh discuss new research – from Ipsos and Innovation Forum – that shows how consumers, particularly younger consumers, are engaging with corporate sustainability issues. The results show that all demographic groups are interested in making sustainable choices, but conflicting demands makes acting on these a challenge. Ansons argues that companies should think about how to make these consumer choices easier. 

Click here for more detail about the Ipsos-Innovation Forum research. We’re looking for new partners to work with to develop more research that is really valuable for business. Interested? Click here to get in touch.

This week: David Cleary, head of agriculture at The Nature Conservancy, talks with Toby Webb about land conversion challenges for South American forests and other biomes, including the Cerrado. And Rob Waterworth, chief executive of the Mullion Group, discusses with Ian Welsh what the food sector can learn from forestry to improve stakeholder relationships and trust.

Plus all the news about what’s coming up at Innovation Forum.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

This week: Golden Agri-Resources’ Anita Neville on how the debate on biofuels is shifting and how palm oil supply chains can become more impact-positive alongside focusing on deforestation.

Plus: Arctic permafrost melting far faster than expected; climate change dangers for the Amazon; PepsiCo’s new Latin American recycling programme rolled out in Peru; and Boots replacing plastic bags with paper, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Libby Bernick, managing director of Trucost Corporate Business, S&P Global, discusses with Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh the changing business models required to truly capture the value of food, and the role of better data management in solving this.

She argues for taking total environmental and social costs of commodities into account – something that investors are increasingly asking for. Lenders, too, are keen to reflect environmental and social performance when pricing finance, Bernick says.

David Wilkinson, head of agriculture procurement at PepsiCo, talks with Toby Webb about the technology that, at scale, is growing efficiencies in-the-field in the brand’s supply chains.

They discuss the growth of precision agriculture techniques and how Pepsico has been changing how it engages with its farmer-suppliers helping them to benefit from best practices increasing yields and reducing inputs.

Jill Wheeler, head of sustainable productivity Syngenta North America, and Duane Martin, commercial traits manager at Syngenta Seed, talk with Ian Welsh about some specific commodity supply challenges, and innovations that can provide solutions.

They discuss how to increase productivity in developed and developing markets, concerns at the rates of soil degradation, how to develop better resource efficiency, and how agriculture can contribute to really tackling greenhouse gas emissions.

Mariano Lozano, CEO of Danone North America, discusses with Toby Webb about what’s necessary to make the business case for real change in agriculture practices. Lozano talks about the dual challenges of creating value for the company, alongside convincing farmer-suppliers that changing their practices will mean less volatility and greater returns over the long-term.

Lozano argues that “sustainability” is no longer enough, with a move for the agriculture industry to being regenerative now necessary. As an example, he highlights the importance of putting carbon back into the soil, specifically increasing the organic material in the key top six inches from 0.5% to 2%.

This week: Dan Wolfson, IBM distinguished engineer with the Weather Company, discusses the potential of artificial intelligence for agriculture. And Carole Dubois, food sector lead at Quantis, talks about how companies can use science-based targets to drive business value.

Plus: the world’s biggest companies failing on climate targets, plastics driving GHG growth, and new floor cocoa price in west Africa, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Antonio Brunori, secretary-general of PEFC Italy, explains to Innovation Forum’s Ian Welsh how the Forests for Fashion initiative helps fashion brands develop transparency in their pulp-based fibre supply chains.

The apparel sector’s growing demand for viscose means increasing deforestation risks for the sector – but PEFC’s chain of custody approach helps the industry source certified-sustainable supply.

Mark Everard, ecosystems services expert and associate professor at the University of the West of England, explains PVC’s sustainable future to Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb.

Everard outlines how the vinyl sector has engaged with five key sustainability challenges for over the past couple of decades, and they debate why the developments have been rather under the radar.