Hosts Barnaby Patchett and Judith Murdoch catch up on a whirlwind few weeks of back-to-back commodity conferences across the UK, giving their thoughts from events at Chester Zoo and in London.

With no guests this week, it's a direct conversation between the co-hosts as they unpack the latest developments in forest risk commodities discussed at Sustainable Coconut Gathering Europe, Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue 2026 and the UK Sustainable Commodities Initiative.

Key Discussion Points

• The Sustainable Coconut Gathering Europe: Barnaby gives his thoughts on the Sustainable Coconut Partnership's (SCP) first major European event. He discusses the differences in the standard, and the focus on smallholder finances, aging plantations, and structural supply chain issues. Judith details some of the critical, overlooked social risks inherent to coconut farming, including harvesting hazards and regional worker welfare.
• Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue (SPOD) 2026: Held at the Chester Zoo under the theme "Resilience in Palm Oil: Thriving in a Turbulent World," the co-hosts dissect the event's biggest themes, from resilience and certification to legislation and smallholder inclusion.
• Shifting the Palm Oil Narrative: Barnaby outlines his experience moderating SPOD's first-ever communications panel, featuring representatives from Ferrero, the Little Soap Company, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The panel confronted why "palm oil-free" marketing remains successful and called for the industry to move from a defensive position into more proactive comms.
• The Closing of Chester Zoo's Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Program: Judith and Barnaby reflect on the sudden, disappointing news that Chester Zoo is winding down its flagship sustainable community campaign. They deliberate on the broader messaging this sends to the market just as global supply chains face maximum regulatory pressure.
• UK Sustainable Commodities Initiative Update: Judith gives an insider look into the latest Efeca-chaired meeting in London. The update reveals ongoing delays regarding UK domestic regulations for forest risk commodities, issues with funding, and discussion about the direction of travel on palm oil, soya, certification and oleochemicals.

What are your thoughts on how the industry should communicate sustainability to everyday consumers? If you have ideas on keeping local palm oil campaigns alive or want to weigh in on the coconut supply chain, reach out!

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to help support the show!

Links

Sustainable Coconut Partnership
Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue
UK Sustainable Commodities Initiative

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Murdoch Associates

In this special solo edition of the Sustainable Commodities Podcast, host Barnaby Patchett delivers an honest debrief on the FutureChain 2026 conference. Reflecting on the April event in London, Barnaby cuts through the corporate noise to examine the programme, and look at the hard economic truths driving the sector.

Across both the Regenerative Agriculture and Raw Materials Risk tracks, the overriding message was clear: sustainability is now intrinsically linked to supply chain resilience.

Please note, the opinions expressed in this episode are Barnaby’s – co-host Judith did not attend the event!
Key talking points include:

• Geopolitical Threats: The ongoing conflicts in Iran and Ukraine and the resulting global supply chain vulnerabilities. The Procurement Gap: A panel featuring Mars, Procter & Gamble, and AstraZeneca highlighting the disconnect between sustainability and procurement incentives.
• Regulatory Red Tape: A session featuring the EU Commission and Barnaby’s thoughts on whether new legislation, such as the EUDR and CSDDD, is driving progress or simply creating more administrative burden.
• The Finance Catch-22: The expense of the transition to regenerative agriculture and the challenge of who pays. Farmers need upfront finance to make the change, but investors and corporates demand data and proof of outcomes before they will pay.
• On-the-Ground Success: A standout presentation from Lush and Alowan showcased a successful landscape approach to coconut sourcing in Indonesia. The project was praised for focusing on tangible impact and securing better financial terms for smallholders. A massive thank you to Kisaco Research for organising the event and providing the platform to record these insights.

FutureChain 2026
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Murdoch Associates

Welcome to a special FutureChain 2026 edition of the Sustainable Commodities - featuring six short interviews recorded live with expert panellists and delegates at the conference, which was held in London in April 2026.

The interviews focus on strengthening ingredient supply chain resilience, taking a practical look at the challenges and opportunities within regenerative agriculture and raw materials risk.

In This Episode

• Sébastien Roumegous (Biospheres): Sébastien shares his experiences implementing regenerative practices across 30 countries. He emphasises the psychological and financial transformations farmers face and the crucial need to rebuild farmer trust to make these systems profitable.

• Lindsey Crompton (RegenAgri): Lindsey discusses the global push for regenerative certification and supply chain traceability. She highlights the importance of matching supply with demand through brand engagement, and discusses RegenAgri’s work delivering regenerative projects, including a new partnership with Walmart.

• Richard Anscombe (xFarm Technologies): Richard talks about the challenges facing farmers, and explains how connecting fragmented farm data can drastically improve efficiency. His farm management system serves over 600,000 farmers globally, helping them manage input costs and accurately measure scope 3 emissions.

• Pedro de Liñán (Earthworm Foundation): Pedro provides a non-profit perspective on building scalable solutions for nature and people. He details corporate collaboration strategies aimed at preventing deforestation and fostering systemic change.

• Annie Leeson (Agricarbon): Annie dives into the exact science of carbon measurement, and why it’s so important. She advocates for direct, ground-level testing of soil organic carbon to ensure high-integrity data and combat greenwashing in carbon markets.

• Dr. Paul O'Hora (SoilWorx): Dr. O'Hora talks about fertiliser, and explores the critical transition away from fossil fuel-dependent farming as a solution for supply chain resilience. He discusses the benefits of organic fertilisers and the broader impact of adopting circular economic models in agriculture.

If you enjoy these interviews from the conference, please be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with your network on LinkedIn.

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