Jaya Chakrabarti, founder of TISC Report, talks with Ian Welsh about her work analysing data on corporate compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act. She explains the clear correlation between those companies – with retailers leading the way – that take modern slavery transparency seriously, and publicly provide reassurance to their customers and stakeholders, and the development of best practice in general. They also discuss the spectrum of engagement and why some sectors perform better than others.

This week: Tensie Whelan, former Rainforest Alliance president and now professor at Stern School of Business in New York, and Toby Webb debate what companies should do to embed sustainability in corporate culture, and the real business-benefits that result. Plus: biodiversity-loss risks, Selfridges and palm oil, climate risk reporting, and new commitments from Mondelez and Coca-Cola.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Eric Roosen, owner of Star Sock, explains to Toby Webb how ocean waste can be regenerated into yarns for making socks. With a business selling over 25 million socks a year, Roosen outlines how the company’s exclusive Econyl yarn is made from recycling old fishing nets, and then used as part of the fibre mix in StarSock’s range of products. He also argues the case for better collaboration – pointing out how his own business could only develop once it had established effective links within both the waste industry and yarn spinning sector.

This week: François-Ghislain Morillion, co-founder of sustainable sneakers brand Veja on innovation in sourcing to find the right materials for the company’s products. And Sebastian Siegele, managing director, Sustainability Agents, on how to develop best practice in supplier factories.

Plus: climate impacts on food supply, deforestation rates, enzyme-based plastic recycling, and H+M’s new garment supplier transparency, in the news digest.

Hosted by Ian Welsh

Alison Ward CEO of CottonConnect and Ian Welsh discuss the benefits of transparency in helping monitor corporate impacts in apparel supply chains. Ward also highlights how better story-telling in communications with consumers leads to more engagement and points out the benefits of actually introducing a brand board director to the company’s supplier-farmers.