Deforestation: In a nutshell

We are delighted to be supporting Innovation Forum, the exciting insight, research and events business led by Toby Webb and Ian Welsh.

This is the latest of many management briefing papers that we will be producing in the coming months, giving a snapshot insight into some of the biggest challenges facing corporates right now – and supporting the upcoming events the IF team continue to develop.

So, if you want a perfect digest to help you get your head around current deforestation issues, look no further.

Deforestation management briefing innovation forum august 2015 from Tobias Webb

There's also a link embedded here to download the PDF.

The time is now for cotton in China

The time is right for international brands to take action as the world's largest and fastest-growing cotton market reaches a pivotal moment.

That is the central view of a new report which I recently developed to support the work of CottonConnect. Using evidence points, research and conversations with its farm team on the ground in China, the report lays out a clear argument: that the shifting cotton market in China offers a valuable window of opportunity for international companies to invest and build a more resilient cotton supply.

This report builds on some work I did for CottonConnect earlier last year, focusing on the water challenge for cotton farmers, particularly in the developing world.

Cotton is a fascinating crop. It's including thirsty and suffers from many of the common environmental and social pressures exerted across the planet.

And in China, falling prices has created an interesting tension: a less attractive proposition for young farmers, who often go off to the city in search of other jobs; but also a huge opportunity for brands to jump in, make use of the falling prices and work with the likes of CottonConnect to support the establishment of a more resilient supply chain that protects their assets and safeguards the industry for centuries to come.

And it is this second element that forms the tenet of this report, which you can download here.