Innovation Forum hosts a weekly podcast along with regular interviews with business leaders in sustainability. Each week, we summarise the latest sustainability news and announcements, and get the views of leading experts on business critical issues. Widely regarded as one of the best sustainability podcasts around, stay tuned for regular insights, debate and analysis.
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June 16, 2026Episode 121011 min
Apparel sector net zero: no shortage of ambition
This week: While in New York for this year’s Sustainable Apparel and Textiles USA, Innovation Forum’s Niamh Campbell spoke with Jimmy Summers, vice-president for EHS and sustainability at Elevate Textiles. They talked about net zero ambitions in the apparel sector and why it’s necessary to get away from the race-to-the-bottom approach that has become the norm.
Plus: World Cup emissions set to soar; SBTi's updated corporate net-zero standard; how to transform agricultural waste into carbon-negative products, in the news digest with Babette Pagès.
Host: Ian Welsh
June 15, 2026Episode 12098 min
The myth that's holding frozen food back
Lauren Woodley, head of nutrition and sensory science at Nomad Foods, talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about how Europe's largest frozen food company balances consumer demand for health, taste and affordability. They discuss from tackling persistent myths about frozen food to navigating the trade-offs in reformulation and segmenting products by their role in the diet.
June 10, 2026Episode 12081 min
Innovation beyond compliance: The commercial case for sustainable packaging
Packaging is gaining increasing boardroom attention, driven by extended producer responsibility fees, legal exposure around environmental claims, and rising material costs from recycled content requirements. This webinar explored how these regulatory pressures interact with consumer demand to influence packaging strategy. We looked at how to build a business case that connects sustainable packaging choices to innovation and commercial returns, not just compliance.
We were joined by a panel of experts from across the packaging value chain, to discuss:
• Compliance as a starting point, not a destination — How EPR obligations can be a strategic foundation to generate cost savings, long-term resilience, and new market opportunities
• How to link innovation to commercial returns — From the paperisation of packaging to circular systems, how leading brands are translating sustainability investment into cost savings, consumer trust, and competitive differentiation
• The ingredients for a future-proof packaging strategy — How to anticipate regulatory changes, fees and bans on formats, and shifting consumer expectations before they become business risks
This webinar was curated by Innovation Forum in collaboration with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, knowledge partner for the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum 2026 (Chicago, Oct. 27-28).
June 9, 2026Episode 120717 min
Weekly podcast – Grid revolution: powering the future
This week: Tanja Lischka, senior director for government affairs at Siemens Energy, talks with Ian Welsh about the power grid evolution required as electrification continues to be rolled out, and the challenges and opportunities this represents.
And, Ian also speaks with Ginny Maceda senior manager for mission and stability at Danone about regenerative agriculture and climate strategy.
Plus: how green roofs can boost resilience; more inclusive climate action in Latin America; climate change’s impact on displacement in Africa; and, a spotlight on soils in the wine sector, in the news digest with Babette Pages Prange.
June 9, 2026Episode 12069 min
The business case for AI in fashion: hit rates, waste and profit
Daniel Di Benedetto, geo lead for northern Europe at Centric Software, talks with Ian Welsh about how predictive intelligence can help the apparel sector reduce waste and improve margins. They discuss from AI-driven trend forecasting and shorter decision cycles to repurposing surplus materials before they reach landfill.
June 2, 2026Episode 120513 min
How tariffs impact supply chain decisions
This week: Oritain’s chief product and technology officer Paul Bentham talks with Ian Welsh about some new apparel supply chain intelligence that highlights visibility gaps, and why risk management best practice is evolving from assurance to an evidence-based approach.
Plus: EUDR simplification measures explained, evidence that forests do promote well-being and Indonesia’s tighter state control on commodity export, in the news digest with Babette Pagès Prange.
Host: Ian Welsh
Click here for the new report from Oritain.
May 26, 2026Episode 120448 min
Soil as a tool for building climate-resilient supply chains (webinar recording)
Today, soil rarely appears on a balance sheet, a boardroom agenda, or even a climate strategy.
This webinar explored why that needs to change. Drawing on perspectives from leading food companies, we explored how regenerative agriculture is being put into practice, how soil health can become a credible part of climate and brand strategy, and what farmers want from these boardroom discussions.
We discussed…
From soil carbon to soil health: Understanding soil as a system, and why a holistic approach is critical for resilience and productivity
The emerging link between soil health and crop quality, taste, and nutrient density – and what this means for the business case for regenerative practices
Scaling action: The role of cross-industry collaboration and value chain engagement in driving impact
The urgency, and opportunity, of embedding soil health into strategies for a low-carbon, resilient future
May 26, 2026Episode 120318 min
Weekly podcast – How regenerative agriculture is taking root in US cotton
This week: Ian Welsh speaks with Liz Hershfield, executive director of Cotton USA and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and Sledge Taylor, a cotton farmer from Mississippi, about the real-world benefits and challenges of regenerative agriculture in the US cotton sector.
And, global carbon pricing revenues top $107 billion; why circular economy interventions could transform the EU's environmental impact; forty major food companies commit to regenerative agriculture; and, why the green transition may be accelerating rainforest destruction, in the news digest by Innovation Forum's Babette Pages-Prange.
May 26, 2026Episode 120219 min
Why your label choice is a sustainability decision
Monica Gross, ecosystem engagement manager at Avery Dennison, talks with Ian Welsh about the multiple functions of packaging and why labelling is central to all of them – from brand identity and operational efficiency to recyclability and regulatory compliance under PPWR and EPR frameworks. They also discuss connected packaging and the shift from paper to filmic labels.
May 19, 2026Episode 120114 min
Weekly podcast – Why perfect is the enemy of good in food reformulation
This week: Lauren Woodley, head of nutrition and sensory science at Nomad Foods, talks with Ian Welsh about how Europe's largest frozen food company balances consumer demand for health, taste and affordability. They discuss from tackling persistent myths about frozen food to navigating the trade-offs in reformulation and segmenting products by their role in the diet.
And, Ian talks with Aidan Davy, co-chief operating officer at ICMM, about what critical minerals actually means and why no mineral is inherently critical.
Host: Ian Welsh
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