Forest Positive Transformation: Designing Supply Chains That Regenerate Nature - 10 Big Ideas to Transform Supply Chains for a Regenerative Future

Join Sheri Hinish, the Supply Chain Queen®, and co-host James George for Big Idea 7 of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast all about Forest Positive Supply Chains. This episode is part of the 10 Big Ideas to Transform Supply Chains for a Regenerative Future series and explores how global supply chains can evolve from deforestation free compliance to forest positive regeneration.

Featuring Sophie Beckham, Chief Sustainability Officer of International Paper and one of the world’s most respected leaders in forestry and biodiversity stewardship, this conversation reframes forests as living infrastructure that underpins long term business resilience, economic value, and climate stability.

Drawing on decades of experience across forest management, conservation partnerships, and large scale industrial operations, Sophie shares how supply chains that depend on forest systems must move beyond short term optimization toward multi generational regeneration. Forests are not interchangeable inputs. They are place based systems that require trust, data, collaboration, and long horizon thinking.

In this episode, you will learn why deforestation free is only the starting point, how forest positive supply chains actively enhance biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem health, and why nature must be treated as a core stakeholder rather than an externality. The discussion spans landowner trust, regulatory uncertainty on EUDR, data and GIS enabled transparency, climate volatility, and the role of fiber based packaging in keeping forests standing.

Key themes include how forests function as living infrastructure that cannot be relocated, why regenerative forestry does not require economic tradeoffs, how early data driven interventions create positive outcomes on the ground, and why nature is the silent guarantor of all other forms of capital.

This is not a theoretical sustainability discussion. It is a practical, business grounded exploration of how supply chains can become regeneration catalysts that strengthen operations, protect assets, support communities, and restore biodiversity at scale.

Perfect for supply chain leaders, sustainability and ESG executives, risk and resilience leaders, operations and procurement teams, and anyone responsible for long term sourcing, infrastructure, or climate adaptation strategies.

What You Will Learn

• Supply chains can act as catalysts for forest regeneration.
• The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) poses challenges for businesses.
• Technology is essential for bridging gaps in forestry management.
• Understanding the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems is crucial.
• Nature should be viewed as a key stakeholder in supply chains.
• Balancing commercial viability with sustainability is a complex challenge.
• Adapting to climate change is vital for forestry management.
• Consumers play a significant role in promoting sustainable packaging.
• Forests have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation.
• The future of forestry lies in sustainable and regenerative practices.

Sound Bites

• "We should lean into unsentimental valuation."
• "What can the average consumer do?"
• "How do we deliver sustainable outcomes?"

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Supply Chains and Regeneration

02:07 - Understanding the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

06:08 - Technology Bridging Gaps in Forestry Management

09:32 - The Interconnectedness of Forest Ecosystems

12:04 - Nature as a Stakeholder in Supply Chains

15:01 - Balancing Commercial Viability with Sustainability

18:14 - Adapting to Climate Change in Forestry

21:22 - Consumer Responsibility in Sustainable Packaging

25:36 - Looking Ahead: Future of Forestry and Sustainability

Keywords

supply chain, forest regeneration, sustainability, EUDR, technology in forestry, biodiversity, climate change, consumer responsibility, packaging, carbon sequestration