We speak to the Emirati entrepreneur who set up a business making biodegradable cutlery made from discarded date palm trees, driven by the goal to replace single-use plastics in UAE.

Lamis al-Hashimy, co-founder of Palmade, shares how a hobby project became a business producing millions of items, the early failures that nearly stopped it, and the challenges of competing with cheap plastic. How did a failed prototype including a fork that melted in pizza, lead to a growing business?

If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

Presenter: Sarah Rogers Producers: Bisi Adebayo, Victoriya Holland and Jay Behrouzi

(Photo: Lamis al-Hashimy. Credit: Lamis al-Hashimy)

The world of sport is being reshaped for the algorithm, with new formats emerging for quick, shareable moments online.

From influencers managing sport teams to bite‑sized versions of traditional games like 3-a-side football, more sports are fighting for the attention of younger fans. But is this paying off?

If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]

Presented and produced by Matt Lines

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

(Photo: M7 FC in action against Wembley Rangers FC during Baller League UK at the Copper Box Arena, London, 24 March, 2025. Credit: Ben Whitley/PA)

Diamonds in places like Sierra Leone have long had a tarnished association with war and corruption – blood diamonds, as they’re known. There’s now also the economic threat of synthetic, lab-grown diamonds. Can traditional mining compete? And are natural diamonds really so much worse for us, for the planet, than their new rivals, grown in a lab?

To get in touch with the team, send us an email to [email protected]

Producer/presenter: Ed Butler Sound engineer: Toby James

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

(Photo: A diamond specialist inspects an uncut rock. Credit: Getty Images)