Heidi Barnard, Head of Sustainability, NHS Supply Chains

What can we expect from your contribution at the edie’s Sustainable Supply Chain’s Summit 2026?

A practical view of how to turn supply chain ambition into action, from engaging suppliers at scale to embedding sustainability into procurement decisions that genuinely shift outcomes.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the summit?

Real examples of what’s working, especially how organisations are tackling Scope 3, building supplier capability, and navigating cost pressures with credible sustainability progress.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

Decarbonising complex, global supply chains at pace while dealing with cost constraints, data gaps, and inconsistent supplier maturity, all without slowing delivery to critical services.

Why is the edie’s Sustainable Supply Chain’s Summit 2026 important to the industry and to you?

Because collaboration is the only way forward. This summit brings together the people who can influence change across supply chains, and that collective momentum is exactly what we need. We all get there or none of us do.

Mario Abreu, Head of Group CSR and Sustainability, Ferrero

What can we expect from your contribution at the edie’s Sustainable Supply Chain’s Summit 2026?

I am planning on showing our recently launched responsible sourcing framework, Ferrero Farming Values (FFV). Rather than a radical change, FFV is an evolution of best practice we had over the years. FFV sets a clear way of working cross-commodities securing our approach is consistent whilst based on our own ability to influence and the specific risks and conditions specific to each commodity we source. Then I will deep dive into our FFV Cocoa and focus on the programme we have with Save the Children in Ivory Coast, how it started, the results from a 5-year implementation phase, and its expansion from 2026 onwards. 

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the summit?

Climate change adaptation is in everyone's mind, in so many levels. I am looking forward to a fruitful sharing with ideas about how we can strengthen sourcing programmes, promote better agriculture practice in large scale, reduce climate threats to smallholder farmers etc.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

We conduct materiality assessments on a regular base, and they consistently point out to climate action, human rights in supply chains, nature protection and agriculture practice, and plastic usage as key priorities. 

Why is the edie’s Sustainable Supply Chain’s Summit 2026 important to the industry and to you?

The audience mix I believe is important. For me ultimately the value of attending and speaking at a conference comes from the impression you live with the audience. edie has a particular mix, one that we believe is important to communicate with.