State of Sustainability

Saif Hameed
  • 5.0 (2)
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  • Updated Biweekly

Saif Hameed (CEO of Altruistiq) chats with sustainability leaders and industry pioneers. 

  1. Jul 24

    Cocoa at the Crossroads: Sustainability, Volatility, and the Future of Chocolate

    In this episode of State of Sustainability, we take a deep dive into cocoa - one of the world’s most familiar commodities, and one of the most vulnerable. Host Saif Hameed opens with a personal path into commodity markets, from early fascination with cocoa trading to a brief stint in potato trading, before turning to the serious question at the heart of the episode: can cocoa remain viable in a world of rising climate risk, disease pressure, land competition, and market volatility? The story begins with cocoa’s extraordinary price swings, which have taken the market from relatively stable levels to historic highs and then back down again. Those moves are not just about trading noise. They reflect deeper structural stress in a supply chain that is heavily concentrated in West Africa, where Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana account for the majority of global production. That concentration makes cocoa especially exposed to weather shocks, political instability, and agronomic decline. Saif also explores the challenges facing the farmers who actually grow cocoa. Most are smallholders working on tiny plots, often with aging trees, low margins, and little room to absorb risk. Disease is another major threat, especially cocoa swollen shoot virus and black pod disease, both of which can severely damage yields. The episode also looks at land loss caused by illegal mining in Ghana and the way regulation, including EUDR, is reshaping where cocoa can and cannot be grown. The demand side is changing too. Manufacturers are reformulating products, shrinking bar sizes, and substituting ingredients as cocoa becomes more expensive and harder to source. Saif closes with a sober prediction: cocoa supply is likely to keep under pressure, volatility will remain high, and the industry may be heading toward a less abundant future. Let Saif know what you think by emailing Saif@altruistiq.com. To discover how leading organisations are improving sustainability reporting and carbon management, visit Altruistiq.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  2. Jul 9

    How AI Native Services Will Reshape Sustainability Teams

    In this episode of State of Sustainability, Saif Hameed explores how artificial intelligence is moving beyond simple chat tools and into agentic systems and AI native services, with major implications for sustainability teams.  He breaks down the difference between traditional AI use, agentic AI connected to tools and context, and service models built around AI plus humans in the loop. The core theme is clear: organisations are increasingly looking for outcomes, not headcount, and sustainability work is likely to feel that shift sooner than many expect. Saif explains why sustainability functions are especially exposed to automation because so much of their work is repetitive, cyclical, and information-heavy. He argues that AI is well suited to handle tasks like supplier risk scanning, data acquisition, and due diligence workflows, which means teams will need to rethink what value really looks like. Rather than relying on deep subject matter expertise alone, future value will come from leverage, system design, and the ability to combine people, process, and AI effectively. The episode also looks at how organisational hierarchies may flatten as AI makes information flow, decision-making, and performance management easier to automate. Saif shares lessons from his consulting background and warns against becoming a “translator” role that the business no longer understands or values. For sustainability managers and analysts, the message is practical and urgent: focus on delivering outcomes with fewer resources, because the market is already moving in that direction. Let me know what you think by emailing Saif@altruistiq.com. To discover how leading organisations are improving sustainability reporting and carbon management, visit Altruistiq.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  3. Jun 25

    New Corporate Net Zero Standard and SBTi's Evolution

    This time, Saif Hameed dives into the new corporate net zero standard from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). This isn’t just another regulation; it’s a pivotal moment for companies looking to thrive in a sustainable future. SPTi has seen explosive growth, especially in Asia, where businesses are stepping up to meet climate compliance. This shift isn't just about numbers, it’s about redefining what it means to be responsible in today’s market. But with challenges, such as a crisis of confidence and the need for guideline clarity, what does this mean for your business? In this episode we explore how these changes impact your sustainability journey and why understanding the new standard is crucial for success. Let me know what you think by emailing Saif@altruistiq.com. To discover how leading organisations are improving sustainability reporting and carbon management, visit Altruistiq.com. This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  4. Jun 11

    What is CBAM? Understanding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and Its Impact on Global Trade

    In this episode of State of Sustainability, we explore the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), one of the most significant developments in climate policy, carbon pricing and international trade. As the European Union begins implementing CBAM, businesses around the world are assessing what the new regulations mean for imports, exports, supply chains and decarbonisation strategies. We break down how CBAM works, why it was introduced, and which industries are expected to feel the greatest impact. From steel and cement to fertilisers, aluminium and hydrogen, the mechanism is designed to prevent carbon leakage and ensure imported products face similar carbon costs to those produced within the EU. The discussion explores the latest CBAM carbon certificate pricing, the potential impact on global trade flows, and the challenges businesses face as they adapt to new reporting and compliance requirements. We also examine concerns around competitiveness, trade barriers and whether CBAM could accelerate the global adoption of carbon pricing systems. The episode looks at how major economies, including China and the United States, are responding to Europe's carbon border tax, and whether similar mechanisms could emerge elsewhere. We discuss the implications for emissions trading schemes, green steel production, industrial decarbonisation and the future of sustainable manufacturing. Topics covered in this episode include: • What the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is and why it was introduced • How CBAM is designed to prevent carbon leakage and support EU climate goals • The industries most affected, including steel, cement, fertilisers, aluminium, hydrogen and electricity • The latest CBAM carbon pricing and what it means for exporters • The potential impact on international trade and global supply chains • Whether CBAM creates a level playing field or acts as a trade barrier • How China is responding through the development of its emissions trading scheme • The possibility of similar carbon border taxes being introduced in other regions • The role of CBAM in accelerating industrial decarbonisation • Challenges around emissions data collection, reporting and verification Key statistics discussed: • Steel accounts for approximately 69% of the trade volume affected by CBAM • Fertilisers represent around 15% of affected imports • Cement accounts for approximately 11% • Aluminium represents around 5% • Current carbon certificate prices are approximately €75 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent • Green steel currently carries a premium of approximately €200–300 per tonne Whether you're involved in sustainability, ESG, manufacturing, procurement, international trade or climate policy, this episode provides a practical overview of one of the most important regulatory changes shaping the future of low-carbon industry. Listen now to learn how CBAM could transform global trade, influence carbon pricing strategies and drive the next phase of industrial decarbonisation. Do you think CBAM will accelerate global decarbonisation, or create new challenges for international trade? Let us know what you think by emailing Saif@altruistiq.com. To discover how leading organisations are improving sustainability reporting and carbon management, visit Altruistiq.com. This episode was produced by thepodcastcoach.co.uk

  5. May 28

    Is Impact Investing Dead, or Does It Just Need a Reality Check?

    Assets under management in the impact and ESG space are close to an all-time high, somewhere between $1.5 and $1.6 trillion. So why is capital actually leaving the sector? In this episode of the State of Sustainability, host Saif Hameed takes a detour from resilience and volatility to dig into what's going wrong, and where the genuine opportunities still exist. The short answer: the industry has an identity problem. ESG labels get applied to mainstream tech stocks on the basis that they carry low environmental risk. Returns across impact funds are wildly inconsistent and the gap between what the sector promises and what it can actually deliver has become impossible to ignore. Saif traces how impact investing developed along two tracks. Private markets had early pioneers like the Acumen Fund building something genuinely mission-led. Public markets then borrowed the language through ESG frameworks, with rather looser results. Three lessons from that history: ESG was never designed to do this job. It emerged in the 1990s as a risk-assessment tool, not as a valid basis for investment inclusion. Retrofitting it into a mainstream strategy was always going to cause problems. The trade-off question needs an honest answer. You cannot simultaneously maximise financial returns and social impact without giving something up. The industry has spent years avoiding that conversation. Measurement doesn't scale. Comparing affordable housing projects with renewable energy infrastructure under a single performance framework produces numbers that mean very little. Where does that leave things? Saif argues the sector needs a significant rebrand and a serious recalibration of financial expectations. But there are three areas where impact investing still has real potential: generating brand equity and strategic value for corporate venture capital; venture philanthropy, where charitable capital gets recycled for compounding impact rather than disappearing into operational costs; and catalytic first-loss capital inside blended finance structures run by multilateral development institutions. The through-line: accepting below-market returns might be the only way to preserve what impact investing was actually supposed to be. What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear from you. Email Saif@altruistiq.com Ready to transform your sustainability reporting? Start your journey at Altruistiq.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  6. May 14

    The Triple Win: Building Supply Chain Resilience Through Nature

    What if the secret to unbreakable supply chain resilience isn't squeezing your suppliers for the lowest price, but actively paying them to heal the planet? In this episode of the State of Sustainability, host Saif Hameed is joined by David Croft, former sustainability lead at Reckitt, Diageo, Waitrose, and Cadbury, to explore the critical shift from short-term agility to long-term resilience in global supply chains. David shares his extensive experience in building sustainable procurement strategies, emphasising the 'triple win' concept: an approach that delivers value for the business, the supplier, and the planet. A core focus of their discussion is the changing dynamic between large organisations and primary producers, such as farmers in the cocoa and latex industries. By rewarding sustainable land management, such as nature-based solutions that sequester carbon or prevent downstream flooding, companies can secure reliable, high-quality resources while mitigating significant ecological and financial risks. Ultimately, this episode offers a compelling look at how addressing environmental externalities head-on is no longer just a compliance exercise, but a fundamental driver of future business growth and resilience. What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear from you. Email Saif@altruistiq.com Ready to transform your sustainability reporting? Start your journey at Altruistiq.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  7. Apr 30

    The three bedrock skills to future-proof your sustainability career

    Just 25% of industry experts believe the standalone sustainability function will exist in five years. So what is the next great frontier for sustainability leaders? In this episode, host Saif Hameed asks a provocative question fresh from hosting the Chicago State of Sustainability Summit: Will corporate sustainability functions still exist in five years? To help answer, Saif breaks down the three massive shifts currently challenging the sustainability professional's day-to-day workflow. First, integrating green goals into mainstream roles means CFOs, procurement officers, and supply chain teams are absorbing sustainability tasks - a double-edged sign of success. Second, rapid advancements in automation and agentic AI is likely to completely overtake routine tasks like carbon accounting, data aggregation, and stakeholder reporting in the coming years. Finally, a macro backlash against corporate sustainability has stifled the ambitious blue sky thinking that characterised the late 2010s, leaving behind more mundane compliance work. The good news, as Saif explains, is an exciting new horizon for the profession: Volatility Management. Driven by geopolitical conflicts and the terrifying reality that seven of our nine planetary boundaries are now breached, businesses face unprecedented high price variability in crucial commodities like rice, wheat, and cocoa. True business resilience now requires constant transformation and stabilisation to survive these shocks. Saif explains how sustainability professionals can secure their future by repositioning themselves as volatility managers. By leveraging their three bedrock skills - systems thinking, data insight, and storytelling - and combining them with deep business context, sustainability experts can build the crucial playbooks CEOs need to navigate an increasingly unpredictable world.  What are your thoughts on this? Are you already pivoting towards volatility management as a way of insulating yourself from these developments in the sustainability space? I'd love to hear from you. Email Saif@altruistiq.com Ready to transform your sustainability reporting? Start your journey at Altruistiq.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

  8. Apr 16

    Is nutrition the new frontier for sustainability professionals?

    Are sustainability teams about to be automated out of existence, or will they lead the food industry's next big shift? Saif Hameed records this episode on the road ahead of the State of Sustainability Summit in Chicago. His argument: traditional sustainability workflows are increasingly vulnerable to AI automation or absorption by procurement and finance. To stay relevant, sustainability professionals need to move into new territory - specifically, nutrition and nutrient density. Saif walks through the commercial pressures making health credentials non-negotiable for food and beverage companies right now. Retail access is being gated by evolving health standards. GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are changing how consumers eat. Clean labels are commanding a premium. Big corporations are responding: Danone and Unilever have both made recent acquisitions to strengthen their health and wellness positions. That creates an opportunity for sustainability professionals. Product formulation has traditionally sat in R&D, but Saif sees a real gap for sustainability teams to step into - applying the same data and systems thinking they've used for packaging optimisation and EPR reporting to nutritional complexity and portfolio-level decision-making. Sustainability, he argues, is a transformation capability. This episode makes the case for what that looks like in practice. We'd love to get your thoughts on this topic. Email saif@altruistiq.com and if you enjoyed this podcast, don't forget to share it with a friend.  Ready to transform your sustainability reporting? Start your journey at Altruistiq.com This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

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About

Saif Hameed (CEO of Altruistiq) chats with sustainability leaders and industry pioneers. 

Information

  • Creator
    Saif Hameed
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    90
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 State of Sustainability
  • Show Website
    State of Sustainability

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