From the early years of corporate action when “disclosure” was the mark of a climate leader, much has changed. Today, leaders are setting 1.5 degree aligned Science Based Targets, and many companies are committing to go even further by setting Net-0 and carbon negative goals. But achieving these goals will be impossible without supportive climate policies. That’s why it’s time for companies and their trade associations to get off the sidelines and advocate for strong policy. It’s also why several of the leading business-focused NGOs are aligned and collaborating to ensure that the climate leadership mantle is reserved for those companies who are using their voice and influence to secure supportive climate policy. Join this session to learn about the new bar for climate policy leadership called the “AAA Framework”, tools to make it easier for your teams to engage, EDF’s new Authenticity Meter, which assesses recent advocacy actions by companies and industry groups and rates them on how they obstruct or support progress, and engage in a robust dialogue about what you can expect in the coming years as workers and ratings and rankings organizations begin to account for your policy advocacy actions.

The profound, intersecting issues of climate change, social injustice, and health require a new approach to systemic problem solving that empowers individuals to manifest their potential. To achieve this goal, we need to design for new cultural conditions in our organizations and communities that create the platform for more people to contribute fully and in reciprocal relationship with others. This session will explore how when we bring our full selves forward and connect as whole people, we give rise to biodiverse and resilient societies that have the capacity to thrive in the face of change.

What does it mean to set science-based targets for nature and regeneration targets at the company and brand level? Join this session to hear from some of the early adopters of these approaches to understand how to establish goals, define regeneration, learnings from early progress and results, and how you can apply these principles to your own work. Participants will learn what science-based targets for nature are, understand how companies and brands are establishing and progressing against these, and how regeneration and these types of targets fit into this approach.

What are the business incentives and best practices for rethinking plastics packaging in your business strategy? In the world of packaging and sustainability, plastics continue to be a hot button issue. The urgency of eliminating plastic waste and addressing the environmental degradation it has caused is clear — not just to help people and planet, but increasingly to mitigate risk. This breakout will explore the business case for addressing plastic pollution and unpack the financial and reputational incentives for shifting your packaging strategy.  While many companies commit to post-consumer recycled content goals, invest in recycling infrastructure, explore material innovations and pilot new models  like reusable packaging — many companies are still doing nothing when it comes to addressing plastics in their operations.  Join this session to explore the comprehensive and cross-cutting packing strategies on the market and the business case for pursuing them. 

Visit our booth in the Forum for an overview of how EcoVadis provides a comprehensive solution for sustainable procurement success.

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 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!

The basis of good water stewardship is intuitive: responsible use today = equitable future availability. Companies can follow a number of paths to reach this ideal, but guideposts were established by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) International Standard. This framework helps businesses move beyond their fence line to define the water-related context of their operations (from hydrologic balance to stakeholder sentimentality and beyond) and identify the appropriate areas for investment to address Shared Water Challenges and advance the Five Outcomes of AWS. It will help you avoid buying sunglasses when your stakeholders would have most valued a rain jacket. Join this conversation with two companies at the forefront of AWS certification in North America to discuss the benefits and lessons learned from applying the AWS Standard.

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!

Gain clarity and focus on reaching your potential for impact with a one-on-one coaching session with ICF-certified coach, Shannon Houde.

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.

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.

How can cross-industry collaborations scale CE investments while advancing a more sustainable and profitable future? Across sectors and industries, stakeholders stand to benefit from the multi-billion dollar circular opportunity. By keeping valuable materials — packaging, apparel, electronics and organics — in manufacturing supply chains and out of landfills, companies can reduce costs and increase access to the recycled materials necessary for translating their sustainability goals into tangible realities. This provides a strategic business advantage, while also creating measurable impact and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Impact at scale, however, will require circular systems beyond organizational silos; companies, sectors and industries must collaborate in pursuit of collective impact and opportunity. In this session, we’ll hear how investors and corporations alike are leveraging capital on hand to scale circular supply chains while showing strong financial returns.

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.

In spring 2020, GreenBiz research found the number of women in sustainability leadership positions had grown dramatically over the past decade: 58% of sustainability executives in large companies are female, as are 54% in smaller firms. But the economic downturn hasn’t been gender-blind. Layoffs triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have hit women — especially women of color — hardest. Systemic workplace issues, such as the lack of affordable child or elder care, have been exacerbated, making historical work-life balance issues even more difficult. Join this session for insights from resilient, compassionate female sustainability leaders who are rising above this challenge. Our dialogue will address how to lead with empathy in a time of crisis; how to navigate systemic corporate obstacles such as pay equity and lack of diversity within management; how to address the heightened balancing act women face between housework, childcare and their careers; and how to develop effective mentoring networks for women and people of color.

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!

How can an integrated energy strategy help decision-makers in an organization execute on their sustainability goals? Historically, sustainability has been siloed – leading to inefficient allocation of funds and management attention as well as lost opportunities to make the biggest energy and carbon reduction impact. By taking a holistic approach to crafting an integrated strategy, decision-makers and stakeholders in an organization can better understand the range of available products and solutions (e.g. efficiency, onsite generation, offsite renewables) and then prioritize those that will be most impactful at meeting the company’s cost, risk and sustainability goals though an integrated roadmap. In this roundtable, we will explore the benefits of taking a portfolio approach to decarbonization, and how doing so can help organizations gain line-of-sight for how new opportunities can be most efficiently incorporated into a decarbonization portfolio.

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 pandemic has shown organizations across all industries that we must be prepared for the unexpected. Water is a critical supply chain component and disruptions to water supply can lead to higher costs, operational risks, reputational damage and regulatory uncertainty. Threats to water quality, security and safety will only increase as our world grapples with the impacts of climate change. How can we ensure that everyone has access to clean, affordable water, in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6? And how can you protect your operations against future disruptions caused by water scarcity? The solution: being a responsible water steward who works with all stakeholders in a given watershed. This session will provide tools and strategies from Fortune 500 companies to help you assess the risks that water scarcity poses to your operations and enable you to create a more sustainable water management plan to ensure resilient and reliable operations now and in the future.

While the sustainability field has long recognized the importance of social issues over the course of its evolution as a discipline, the past year of COVID-19, alongside movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, has dramatically shifted the ESG conversation toward the “S” and “G.” This has included an increased focus on taking care of employee health, safety, and wellbeing as people return to and continue work in the new normal, in addition to caring for an extended universe of stakeholders (employees’ families, contractors, suppliers, and the communities in which we work). Yet in many regards this is nothing new – and what is considered “human capital management” in the field of sustainability has been the core work of safety and health professionals for over 100 years. This session will explore the dynamic evolution in how businesses, investors, and partners in the NGO community are re-defining and elevating this interdisciplinary topic – and its critical importance to the sustainability community in the future world of work.

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.

The business impacts of COVID-19 are teaching us all some hard lessons: First, the value of resilience for businesses and their value chains, and the importance of improving sustainable practices. Second, the need to help companies optimize capital and cash flow as payment terms get extended due to the crisis. Managing these processes are essential for building a robust and resilient business and value chain. What if one program could address both? Join this session to hear about the next wave of innovative programs where organizations are partnering with banking and finance leaders to take action on both fronts at the scale needed for global impact. We’ll explore:

• How combining global sustainability ratings with an innovative new breed of loan and financing programs can boost working capital and accelerate cash flow for suppliers, while providing incentives for suppliers to improve sustainability performance.

• The latest developments with sustainability ratings that enable suppliers — including SMEs and non-listed companies — to benchmark performance, improve management systems to tackle challenges like diversity and anti-discrimination, working conditions, health and safety, environmental and climate impacts such as scope 3 GHG emissions, waste, and resource use.

• Examples of sustainability-linked programs such as reverse factoring of invoices, supply chain finance, and commercial loans, that use these ratings as a mechanism for offering incentives in the form of reduced lending and discount rates, or investment due diligence at global scale.

What can an expert teach you about the intersection of plastics production, carbon emissions and how your sustainability strategy impacts the ocean? Ask them! 

Approximately 6,300 million metric tons of plastic waste have been generated since the invention of this material — with 11 million tons spilling into the world’s oceans each year. If production continues unabated, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic manufacturing could reach 15 percent of our global carbon emissions by 2050. With the combined devastation to waterways and oceans due to plastic waste in the environment and warming waters, there are some questions worth asking: What is the relationship between carbon and plastic pollution? How should companies address this intersection in their sustainability strategy? What will your carbon commitments mean for our oceans? How should you collaborate with conservation groups to address both the plastic and climate crisis?

Bring any and all of your questions to this interactive Q&A with Janis Searles Jones, CEO of Ocean Conservancy.

Why and how is planting and caring for trees in cities a pathway to creating more resilient communities? There is more momentum than ever before for planting trees in urban areas of the United States. The emphasis is on socioeconomically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, as that often is where trees are sparse. But there are not enough people who know how to properly plant and care for trees. American Forests helps people from these neighborhoods enter and stay in careers in urban forestry. Doing so is one way to create Tree Equity, which, simply put, is about ensuring all people benefit from what trees offer to the world. During this roundtable, we’ll discuss the important role companies and nonprofits play in creating Tree Equity and how they and communities mutually benefit from such partnerships.

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!

What are the best approaches for engaging your supply chain to align on mutual sustainability goals and set science-based targets? And who can help? What resources are available? What are the opportunities and challenges? There are different ways to set science-based targets but not a lot of clear understanding on how to do it, what resources are available, and how customers and suppliers can collaborate. This session will explore best practices to setting scope 3 science-based targets, engaging supply chains on sustainability goal setting through the procurement process, and leveraging lessons learned across different industries.

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!