Edwin Anderson will help you troubleshoot your challenges and illuminate the opportunities and strategies that TCFD enables.

How is a focus on ‘S’ contributing to increased corporate value? What does it take to develop an ‘S’ strategy? What are the challenges and pitfalls? Join this session to hear from S&P Global Market Intelligence along with corporate leaders on the business transformation towards addressing social issues, and how this is a material issue for investors.

As more companies, communities and utilities set their sights on carbon neutrality goals, an uncomfortable truth is coming to the forefront: reaching carbon neutrality is very hard. Join experts leading organizations that are on the path to zero who are thinking pragmatically about what needs to happen to decarbonize operations — from getting started to reaching the last 20 percent. 

Climate action and social justice are inextricably linked, incredibly complex, and at a global scale and scope. While an individual organization can and must make progress on its own, cross-sector collaboration is essential for transformative change and momentum towards a world that is sustainable, just and equitable. How can companies and NGOs effectively partner to move the needle across industries and sectors? What are the primary levers and drivers of substantive change? What do sustainability professionals need to know to contribute to meaningful change at this intersection? How must companies support local organizations and communities, and how can the sustainability function drive maximum impact in these partnerships? Join this session to hear from corporate and NGO leaders on how to drive meaningful change towards an equitable and just society that benefits both planet and people.

Sustainability leaders are tasked with making positive impacts, both environmentally and socially, both within their companies and externally. The expectation that companies give back to society continues to intensify, and there are so many issues that need support, from the pandemic and human health, to social justice and equity, to climate impacts. How can you align your giving strategy with your company values and business impacts? How can you ensure you are maximizing your impact and creating meaningful ongoing relationships with the organizations you support? How can you design an overarching strategy to support causes on an ongoing basis, with the flexibility to react to unforeseen events? And how should sustainability and philanthropy relate and integrate? Join this session to learn how sustainability leaders should be connecting sustainability strategy with philanthropy and corporate giving.

Too often, sustainability is thought of as environmental only, a plea to protect the planet. But we often forget about the social part of sustainability – the people, their safety and their livelihoods as they make and purchase the products we love. Join this discussion and spotlight on worker health and safety and labor rights in today’s world with a focus on the urgent changes needed since COVID-19.

As more and more companies set ambitious climate targets, one form of offset is in particular demand. By purchasing nature-based offsets, companies can draw down carbon dioxide, regenerate natural ecosystems and bolster local economies. Demand for these offsets could outstrip supply, but a suite of technological and product innovations is rapidly growing the market for forest and soil credits. Come to this session to hear from the entrepreneurs behind these solutions and the offset procurement teams they're working with.

How can organizations embark on their digital ESG governance journey to optimize performance and compliance while creating business value? With the mounting emphasis from investors and other stakeholders, more and more companies disclose their ESG risks, impacts, and practices through company sustainability reports. Join this roundtable to discuss why digital ESG governance is at the intersection of the integrated company reporting, shifting market standards, and investor outlook.

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

How are organizations leveraging sustainability as a lens for business growth and consumer engagement? ​This session will discuss the evolution and future of sustainability leadership roles within environmentally and socially conscious companies from architects of mitigation strategy to advocates for consumer interest and stewards of responsible natural resource management. Participants will be invited to share their experiences distinguishing their ESG strategies, lessons on the role of marketing as a driver of change, expanding definitions of successful impact, as well as insights on the role of the private industry in responsibly tackling shared global challenges.

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

Learn about sector-based tactics for going beyond your SBT, and tools like the internal carbon tax. Visit our booth to join the session.

A single, coherent global set of reporting standards will ensure that all stakeholders can base decisions on consistent and comparable information while reducing reporting organizations' burden. Join this session to learn how collaboration can stimulate a global vision and process while acknowledging differing needs and practices across jurisdictions and stakeholder groups. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), providers of the world's most widely used sustainability reporting standards, will moderate this panel. Attendees will also hear from a policymaker at the forefront of developing a disclosure regime for the EU, CDP, an international non-profit that helps companies and cities disclose their environmental impact through its data collection platform, and seasoned reporting organization Dow, on its impacts and how best to engage stakeholders in dialogue.

Join this session for a preview experience of GreenBiz’s new "Leading the Sustainability Transformation" Professional Certificate Program. In this session, you'll engage in the first step of a 10 week simulation, in which participants build their competence, confidence, and credibility in leading sustainable business. This multi-stakeholder role-play will bring the multi-faceted challenges of sustainability to life and provide participants the opportunity to explore the considerations of a major capital expansion of a manufacturing company in a new site. You'll be cast into one of the key roles within the company, including operations, supply chain, marketing and sales, human resources, and environment, health and safety or into a stakeholder role in the community (non-profit and government), with the opportunity to integrate sustainability approaches and considerations across functions and sectors. This will be a highly interactive session, with breakout discussions and group conversation on key decisions, bringing sustainability concepts and skills to life and replicating the impacts of decision-making on a business’s triple bottom line. The model extends beyond the four walls of the fictional company to include its impact on environmental, social, and economic systems in which it exists.

A lot has been written about how COVID-19 propelled companies to make technology shifts in 3-5 months that they previously thought would take them 3-5 years. 2020 also propelled consumer shifts and expectations. Gone are the days when a company could simply comply with regulations, make social and environmental commitments that were in the “middle of the pack” and run the occasional Earth Day social media campaign. Americans now expect companies to be Good, and they expect that Goodness to be authentically baked into a company or brand’s reason for being and to be transparently communicated about.  So…what exactly do they expect? What do they want companies to do? How do they expect companies to communicate about it? Suzanne Shelton will share trend-lines and insights from her firm’s market research work and lay out a framework for how companies and brands can position themselves to meet consumer expectations and win in the court of public opinion.

Trees are more than something pretty to look at or sit under. Much like schools, streets and sewer lines, trees are essential infrastructure. They are vital to the health and wealth of people, especially as climate change-induced heat waves are leading to more and more deaths and illnesses. But a map of tree cover is too often a map of income and race—especially in cities. That’s because, often in U.S. cities, trees are sparse in low-income neighborhoods and some neighborhoods of color. The inequitable distribution of trees exacerbates social inequities. Companies, governments and nonprofits throughout the U.S. are stepping up to address this challenge by creating Tree Equity—which, simply put, means trees in every part of every city. Many are doing so through the new (launched in August) U.S. Chapter of 1t.org, a community of people committed to conserving, restoring and growing 1 trillion trees globally by 2030. Join this session to learn why and how you and your company can join the global trillion trees movement.

Visit our booth in the Forum tab for a Q&A with industry experts on the present & future of sustainable businesses and their best practices.

Biomimicry, the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes, is a pathway to creating sustainable and environmentally friendly designs. Biomimicry can also be lucrative and disrupt entrenched industries. Join a panel conversation with two investors turned entrepreneurs as they share why they launched nature-inspired companies that are good for the planet and for profits, and how you can apply these concepts to your own work. You'll hear from Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO of Helicoid Industries, Sissi Liu, CEO of Metalmark Innovations, and Jared Yarnall-Schane, Entrepreneurship Director of the Biomimicry Institute.

Traditional global sustainability metrics are limiting our industry's reach, traction and ability to have an impact, especially in individual communities around the world. What "matters" to a mom or dad trying to raise a family isn't just the amount of carbon a local manufacturer may emit, but whether that family's neighborhood is walkable, has great parks and schools, provides affordable safe housing, has tree canopies that moderate extreme temperatures, addresses inequality, and other factors that contribute to the "livability" of a community. Join this session to learn about different approaches companies are taking to quantify the prosperity of the communities in which they operate, and how they can play a role in advancing the well-being of those communities. This human-centric conversation is a critical evolution of the traditional ways we measure the sustainability of a community, that both addresses equity and conditions that link directly to the daily lives of people in the communities we are trying to sustain.

How can we actively uplift BIPOC sustainability professionals, driving our field toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusion? 

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

From responding to the deluge of “rating and ranking” surveys, to setting increasingly aggressive and wide-ranging goals and targets, the expectations placed on sustainability leaders have always been high — especially when compared to departmental budgets. Then COVID-19 happened. And a racial justice reckoning. And climate-induced wildfires. And a wildly polarizing election. Over the past year, many sustainability leaders — particularly those with terms like "Health and Safety" or “Diversity and Inclusion” incorporated into their titles — have taken on an entire new job’s worth of responsibilities. Meanwhile, many are attempting to balance remote work with staying healthy, managing childcare, and all the other responsibilities of a “new normal.” The result has been a slew of early retirements, career pivots, extended leaves of absence, and resignations from sustainability experts across sectors. The risks to companies from these departures are enormous – institutional memory and relationships are lost. Team morale erodes. New program champions have to be cultivated. Issue expertise has to be outsourced or re-hired. In this session, we’ll ask the question — are we losing our movement's greatest leaders by asking too much of them? And if so, what can be done about “sustaina-burnout”? Participants will be invited to engage in a dynamic discussion, sharing experiences, best practices, and new ideas for improving workplace mental health, work-life balance, and employee well-being within the sustainability community.

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

The need for urgent action is clear: while the lifespan of individual garments dwindles, the environmental footprint of the apparel industry continues to grow. But where there’s inefficiency, there’s often opportunity. From renewable and recycled inputs to new business models such as repair, rental and recommerce to end of life management and more — plus enabling technologies, policies and partnerships — the apparel industry is ripe for a makeover. Join this session as we explore how diverse companies are prioritizing these initiatives and remaking their organizational strategy to close the loop in fashion.

The radical disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted deep interconnections between the societal, economic and environmental challenges we face, and provides an opportunity to radically rethink existing global systems. The decisions we make in the next six to 18 months will determine the future of our society, our economy, and the planet. Drawing on the belief that the future is not something that happens to us, but is something that we actively create through every action we take, this session will focus on the findings from Forum for the Future’s latest ‘Future of Sustainability’ report which maps out four distinct trajectories forward from this point, which are based on the mindsets and narratives we are already seeing emerge from the response to COVID-19. Join this session to explore the different futures that are open to us as we emerge from the crisis, and examine the role that you – individually, and through your organizations and initiatives – can play in ensuring that we harness this moment of radical change to transform the world around us for the better.

Where do humans fit into the circular opportunity, and how should companies consider and engage them both upstream and downstream in the supply chain? Without intention, a circular economy will continue to reinforce the inequity and injustice inherent in the current linear system and communities will be no better off than they were before. However, an economic reimagination will require fundamental changes, which opens up the opportunity to center human impact in the new economic model. Join this breakout to learn how a circular economy can use transparency and effective management to consider and positively impact human workers both upstream and downstream in the supply chain.  

The need for companies to address and improve diversity, equity and inclusion has long been a priority, and the events of 2020 have intensified the urgency of this imperative. In addition to prioritizing diversity in hiring, companies must cultivate inclusive and equitable cultures. What role should the sustainability professional play in creating inclusive workplace cultures? How should sustainability leaders collaborate with their colleagues in diversity and inclusion? What is the relationship between sustainability and D&I, and how should these be integrated? What will it take to achieve meaningful progress? Join this session to learn why this must be part of your work and the approaches companies and organizations are taking to drive transformative change.

Optimize your renewable energy journey, create transparency, and drive insights by leveraging our Digital Platform – Edison Energy Insights.

Successful leaders do not sit back and wait for new, completely formed leaders to arrive. They consciously recognize people with leadership potential and find ways to cultivate that promise. Through storytelling and interactive discussions in breakout sessions, the panel will foster an important dialog about the lifelong impact of mentoring. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the values of leadership through mentoring and its lifelong impact and benefits, as well as tips on how to get started or deepen a mentorship practice you already have. Join this session to learn how to be a multiplier and amplifier, and leave a legacy beyond yourself.

Join this session to hear from mainstream companies with strong sustainability and CSR practices on lessons learned in bringing purpose into their businesses and the impacts they're seeing on their companies. Using a story-telling approach, three business leaders will share the drivers of their pivot to purpose, how they engaged employees, management and the board, and how they are now implementing their purpose. They will share how and why this is a quantum leap from CSR and sustainability, and why becoming a for-purpose company has become so important to their brand. Finally, panelists will provide a few tips on how a sustainability practitioner can start this conversation going at their organization.

What type of change management is required to integrate environmental sustainability in business operations? How can we best communicate the value of environmental sustainability in the workplace? And what are the performance indicators that show we have created a culture of environmental sustainability? Join this roundtable discussion to share ideas with fellow participants on what it takes to create long-term value and a culture for environmental sustainability at companies, including strategies for innovative thinking and engaging internal advocates throughout your company.

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

In the wake of a global pandemic, political and economic instability and calls for social justice, how are companies quantifying their impact in a way that is meaningful for employees and recruits, and useful for investors, raters and rankers? Join this roundtable for a discussion on how some companies are starting to turn the corner of intent vs. action and supporting that with new disclosures, programs and more. What does meaningful disclosure look like? Is including D&I metrics in your ESG report enough? And how do we balance data with narrative to show authenticity? This discussion will give you an opportunity to explore these questions and hear from your peers to help you determine what approach will be right for your company.

Join GreenBiz 21 roundtables to connect with like-minded participants for interactive virtual discussions around a big question or hot topic. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion hosted by experts. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!