For years, balsa wood has been a key component in the giant rotor blades on the top of wind turbines. Most of it comes from the rain forests of South America and, in particular, from Ecuador.

As the world transitions to green energy, lots of countries – particularly China – have been looking for more balsa to make blades. That pushed up prices, raised questions over sustainability and prompted some companies to look for alternatives to balsa wood. One alternative is PET, a foam made from recycled plastic bottles.

So what should we be using to make the wind turbine blades of the future – biodegradable balsa wood or plastic foam made from old bottles?

We talk to people on both sides of the debate and visit a wind farm in rural England to see the blades in action.

(Picture: Crook Hill wind farm in Rochdale, north of England.)

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

In an effort to insulate domestic prices, India has banned exports of non basmati white rice - its largest rice category.

We ask what the impact of this is on large importing countries.

A rice mill owner in Northern Nigeria tells us how the country is expanding its domestic rice production as a result of India’s curb, and we hear from a retailer in the UAE about the purchasing restriction it placed on customers as soon as the announcement was made.

We look at whether other countries can meet the shortfall of rice in global supply and what this could mean for global food security.

Presenter: Devina Gupta Producer: Amber Mehmood

From Bangladesh to Wall Street and back again, the founder and CEO of Impact Investment Exchange talks to Devina Gupta.

Durreen Shahnaz explains how her childhood in socialist Bangladesh and then move to a job on Wall Street in the 1980s shaped the person and businesswoman she is today.

From trading stamps with her friends and buying pickles with the profit, she moved on to bigger trades at the heart of capitalism. What she learnt there set her up for a life dedicated to trying to make the financial system work for those most in need.

Presenter: Devina Gupta Producer: Hannah Bewley

(Image: Durreen Shahnaz. Credit: Durreen Shahnaz)

Shares in GameStop, the video game store, experienced a dramatic rise in early in 2021. The stock had captured the imagination of many individual investors who heard about it on social media platforms such as TikTok and Reddit.

Some investors made a lot of money, while some hedge funds, who had bet against the stock, lost billions. Eventually, though, GameStop shares crashed back to earth and many investors lost the lot.

The story has been dramatised by Hollywood in ‘Dumb Money’, currently screening in cinemas.

Vivienne Nunis sits down with the film’s director Craig Gillespie and financial journalist Matt Levine to investigate what the GameStop saga teaches us about the power of social media when it comes to influencing the movements of the stock market.

(Picture: Paul Dano as Keith Gill in 'Dumb Money'. Credit: Sony Pictures)

Presented and produced by Vivienne Nunis

In May this year, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu took office – and announced an end to fuel subsidies.

He said the move would free up money for investment in public services and infrastructure projects, but it caused a spike in prices and, in some cases, triggered street protests.

We explore the impact of removing the subsidy on residents and businesses, and the knock on-effect for neighbouring countries like Cameroon.

Presenter/producer: Bisi Adebayo

(Image: Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) holds a placard during a march in Abuja on August 2, 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

In 2020, Napa Valley experienced its most destructive wildfire ever. Vineyards burned, leaving not only direct damage, but more long lasting impact with wine affected by smoke taint.

We hear how the perennial presence of wildfires means local businesses face a harsh reality of living with the risk of fire. Sophie Long visits wine makers who are using inflammable materials to build new wineries, changing growing techniques and using technology to deal with tainted wine.

And she meets local residents learning firefighting techniques - all to keep smoke out of your wine glass and the billion dollar industry thriving.

Presenter: Sophie Long Producer: Samantha Granville

(Image: Burned grapes hang on a damaged vine at a vineyard as the Glass fire continues to burn in Calistoga, California on October 1, 2020. Credit: Getty Images)

The event is facing its biggest financing challenge in its 93-year history.

There is no host city for the next edition in 2026, and the Commonwealth Games Federation is struggling to persuade other cities to host after that.

We speak to academics who say the model of structuring and paying for the Games is broken. Some observers go further – saying the Games and the Commonwealth itself are relics of the British Empire and should be wound up.

We also hear from athletes who have competed at the Games and highlight their importance for their respective sports and countries.

And we look at one city that has hosted with relative success – within budget and with long-lasting benefits to civic infrastructure.

Producer/Presenter: Gideon Long

(Image: The closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Credit: Getty Images)

We speak to Greek designer Dimitra Petsa - founder of Di Petsa - a brand which has been worn by celebrities around the world.

She graduated from fashion school five years ago and since then has launched her own fashion brand.

Very few make it in the fashion world - Dimitra explains how she did it from mentors and getting exposure to creating business plans and coming up with business strategies.

Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane

(Picture: Models wearing Di Petsa clothing. Credit Di Petsa)

In the UK, brides spend an average of £1,400 on a dress for the big day.

But inflation and the rising cost of living means that's starting to change. We look at the trend of spending less on wedding dresses - buying them ready-to-wear from a boutique in London, or even from a supermarket.

And we're in India where some brides are starting to spend less - not always easy when spending lavishly on weddings is often the expectation.

Produced and presented by Deborah Weitzmann with additional presenting from Devina Gupta.

(Image: Ruth in her second hand wedding gown. Image credit: Greg Milner)

Paris is the most visited city in the world and one of the things it’s known for, is fashion. But what is it about the City of Light that makes it a popular destination for businesses?

In this programme, Hannah Mullane speaks to a personal shopper, who relies on fashion tourists for her business, as well as fashion start-ups choosing to base themselves in Paris.

Hannah also meets a stylist and fashion agent, who moved from Italy to Paris, to make the most of the opportunities that the fashion industry has to offer.

Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane

(Picture: Two women holding shopping bags. Credit: Fabulous You Paris)

Duplicate products, or dupes, are flooding social media.

Dupes are clothes, beauty products, homeware that are cheaper than the recognisable brand, but still look similar.

We hear from shoppers and fashion experts about this growing trend and its impact on the market.

And we speak to athleisure wear company Lululemon, who are trying to work out how to respond to the number of dupes of their products that are now on the market.

Producer/presenter: Deborah Weitzmann

(Image: Leggings on mannequins. Credit: Getty Images)

Twenty-five years ago Puma became the first big sports brand to collaborate with a fashion house.

Since then all of the big players have been collaborating with celebrities, sports stars and high fashion brands.

Hannah Mullane speaks to Heiko Desens, the creative director at Puma about how these big collaborations work behind the scenes and what they mean for business, and fashion designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo explains how collaborating with a sports brand has elevated his business.

Presenter/Producer: Hannah Mullane

(Picture: Rihanna at the Puma fashion show. Credit: Getty Images)