Program

EVENT PROGRAM

FEB 6 - 8, 2018 PHOENIX, AZ , JW MARRIOTT DESERT RIDGE

Program subject to change. Sessions do not require pre-registration, unless otherwise noted.

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Tuesday, February 6th, 2018

7:45am to 12:30pm

Supply Chain Transparency Challenge (All-Access pass required, by invitation only)

Grand Saguaro East

The Supply Chain Transparency Challenge is a half-day, invitation-only working session on Tuesday, February 6, convening corporate sustainability and supply chain leaders to discuss strategies and best practices in building and communicating sustainable, transparent supply chains. The goal of the challenge is to identify best practices in transparency requirements, the external stakeholders driving those requirements, and what to expect in the future. This working session will bring together brands and their stakeholders, including suppliers, NGOs, industry associations, investors, policy makers, and customers in a facilitated discussion. Participation will be limited to no more than 80 people.

Learn more and request an invitation here.

7:45am to 8:30am

Breakfast & Registration (All-Access pass required)

Break

Sunset Terrace & Lawn

8:30am to 12:30pm

Tutorial: Preparing Your Business for a Circular Economy (All-Access pass required)

Tutorial

Grand Canyon 12-13

Join this hands-on workshop to learn how to advance the maturity of sustainability integration into your core business development and product innovation processes. During the workshop, you will have the opportunity to perform a diagnosis of your company business practices and understand how to systematically develop and deploy a clear vision for sustainability action, translated into an actionable roadmap. You will be inspired - as well as learn how companies like Steelcase, Philips, the LEGO Group, Michelin and Natura are systematically enhancing their sustainability performance through Sustainability Maturity.

GreenBiz 18 In-Depth Tutorials are intensive half-day sessions held prior to the start of the conference. These are designed to offer participants an opportunity to dive deeper into a topic of interest and develop tangible knowledge and skills. In addition, attendees will have a greater opportunity to network with their peers in these interactive sessions. Concurrent tutorials will be held the morning of Tuesday, February 6, and are available only to those who purchase an All Access Pass.

Tutorial: Leveraging Supply Chain Data to Set Science-Based Targets (All-Access pass required)

Tutorial

Grand Canyon 9

A growing number of companies are setting science-based targets to reduce their GHG emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals to limit global temperature increase to well-below 2°C. Over 300 have committed to take action through the Science Based Targets initiative. These companies and others wishing to join are expected to set ambitious goals to reduce their scope 3 emissions when significant. According to data collected by CDP, about 40% of the global GHG emissions are driven – or influenced – by companies through their purchases and the products they sell. CDP’s Supply Chain Program offers companies the potential to collect valuable information from suppliers and engage with them using its unique global platform. Come to this workshop to learn about emerging trends in supplier engagement and science-based target setting. This workshop is for companies and other stakeholders interested in setting science-based targets, with an emphasis on collecting data and reducing scope 3 emissions in their supply chain.

Tutorial: Fulfilling the Potential of Business to Realize the SDGs (All-Access pass required)

Tutorial

Grand Canyon 10-11

While leading businesses have long been engaged in efforts to integrate sustainability at the core of corporate strategy and decision-making, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide us with a new lens through which to translate global needs and ambitions into business solutions. These solutions will enable companies to better manage their risks, anticipate consumer demand, harness the potential of historic growth markets, secure access to needed resources and strengthen their supply chains, while moving the world towards the delivery of the SDGs and a more prosperous society for all.

While business is not being asked to deliver the SDGs by itself, this complex and urgent agenda will not be realized without involvement at scale by the private sector. Converting the SDGs into meaningful and widespread corporate engagement, and ushering in the inclusive and sustainable economic growth that the Goals represent, will be a sizeable challenge.

Forward-looking businesses are already working towards having a meaningful impact on the SDGs - in particular by:

developing a thorough understanding of how their activities translate into economic, environmental and social impacts in the context of the SDGs;
setting ambitious goals to implement the SDGs, including by incorporating responsible business practices across strategies and operations;
pursuing impactful contributions to the 2030 Agenda through a strong commitment to universal principles in relation to human rights, equality and the environment;
developing business solutions to address sustainability challenges;
collaborating with peers to develop a collective vision and roadmaps to realize substantial sector transformation;
working across sectors to help transform entire economic systems;
disclosing SDG performance and progress;
openly advocating for key policy and finance enablers that will help achieve a tipping point.

This session will delve into the business implications of the SDGs along the spectrum of risks, opportunities, transparency & governance, and collaboration. It will feature insights from leading companies and organizations working toward delivering action.

To see slides from this tutorial, click here.

Tutorial: The Ethical Circular Economy (All-Access pass required)

Tutorial

Grand Sonoran H-I

The move towards circular economy is gaining traction across Europe and the United States as a new approach that maximizes resource efficiency and effectiveness by closing loops in design, disposal and reuse of products and materials. An ethical circular economy emphasizes systems thinking, social values, impact and equity in addition to the traditional approach to circular economy. This workshop, offered through Arizona State University, a global leader in sustainability education, allows participants to work in groups to redesign a marketable product or service based on circular economy principles and models, apply the product to a regional circular economy strategy and complete a high-level net positive assessment against the Sustainable Development Goals.

Tutorial: The Fundamentals of Corporate Renewable Energy Procurement (All-Access pass required)

Breakout

Grand Sonoran J-K

Renewable energy is an important tool for meeting corporate sustainability goals, but the market is constantly changing — and that can present a major challenge when it comes to understanding what’s best for your company.

This tutorial is an introduction for corporate sustainability teams, procurement specialists and non-utility energy buyers that are engaged — or want to become engaged — in sourcing large-scale solar, wind and other clean power resources for their companies or organizations. The session will cover emerging trends in off-site corporate procurement of renewable energy (the why); the fundamentals of energy markets, what's required to execute transactions and the process most buyers take (the how); and a high-level overview of risks present in offsite transactions (the what). These issues will be explored and discussed from the buyers’ point of view.

8:30am to 11:30am

Desert Landscape Biomimicry Hike (All-Access pass and sign-up required)

Tutorial

Nature offers a powerful environment for reflection and inspiration. Start your conference experience with a hike through the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert, connecting with your new surroundings and stepping back from your day-to-day routine. Biomimicry Professionals Joe Zazzera and Michelle Fehler will discuss the design principles that have made life in the Sonoran prolific, and through the use of the tools of Biomimicry, will demonstrate how to integrate nature's strategies into our business lives.

This hike is considered easy to moderate, three miles long with a 100-foot elevation gain. Wear suitable clothing (layers) and sturdy footwear for walking, and bring a water bottle. Guests will return at 11:30 am, leaving an hour of time to refresh for lunch at 12:30 pm.

Participants should meet at the bus pullout off the Sunset Lawn at 8:15 am to board the shuttle.

The hike is now full. Please sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

Native Desert Restoration Planting (All-Access pass and sign-up required)

Tutorial

North Mountain Park

Join American Forests for a hands-on experience planting trees, cactus and other native desert vegetation. In addition to lots of fresh air, you will get a chance to learn about the fragile ecosystem of the Phoenix area, the tree and plant species that can thrive there, some of the challenges the environment faces and what you can do to help. The event will wrap up with a tour of the park.

We will provide Clif bars and water before the planting, but be sure to eat a hearty breakfast. Guests will return at 11:30 am, leaving an hour of time to refresh before lunch at 12:30 pm.

Participants should meet at the bus pullout near the Sunset Lawn at 8:15 am to board the shuttle.

Pre-registration is required for this program. Please sign-up for the landscape planting here.

12:30pm to 1:30pm

Lunch (All-Access pass required)

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

12:45pm to 1:30pm

Registration

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer Registration Desk

1:30pm to 1:55pm

Welcome

Grand Saguaro North & South

GreenBiz Chairman and Executive Editor Joel Makower, CEO Eric Faurot, and Conference Director Ellie Buechner welcome GreenBiz 18 participants to the conference.

1:55pm to 2:05pm

The State of Green Business

Grand Saguaro North & South

The eleventh annual State of Green Business report examines the key trends affecting sustainable business, provides an assessment of the key metrics of company performance on natural capital and other resource issues, and offers a look into the state of the sustainability profession.

2:05pm to 2:15pm

The Creation of The Perception of Scarcity Where Nothing Exists

Grand Saguaro North & South

William McDonough, recently returned from Davos, will present the latest findings on the size of current financial markets related to global GDP and the potential of The Circular Economy.

2:15pm to 2:35pm

Reimagining Fashion

Grand Saguaro North & South

Hear from renowned designer and Cradle-to-Cradle co-founder William McDonough and Fashion for Good Executive Director Katrin Ley on the opportunities for reshaping the fashion industry into a force for positive change.

2:35pm to 2:55pm

The Role of the C-Suite in Driving Diversity and Inclusion

Grand Saguaro North & South

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Hear from leaders driving this movement on the need for collaboration, progress so far, and vision for the future.

2:55pm to 3:05pm

GreenBiz Emerging Leaders: Envisioning Breakthroughs

Grand Saguaro North & South

Hear from the GreenBiz 18 Emerging Leaders about their vision for the future of sustainable business.

The GreenBiz Emerging Leaders Scholarship sponsored by PwC empowers the next generation of sustainable business leaders and welcomes young individuals from diverse backgrounds to the sustainable business field. Recipients are hand-selected from a competitive applicant pool to attend GreenBiz 18 — all expenses paid.

3:05pm to 3:30pm

Solving Climate Change — The Opportunity for Business

Grand Saguaro North & South

Project Drawdown is the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming and reach the point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis. Hear from Project Drawdown on how its team of PhDs developed the plan, based on existing solutions and technologies, and how businesses can act on these opportunities now to put carbon back where it belongs.

3:30pm to 4:00pm

Your Coaching Corner: Realize the Impact You Really Want to Have

Grand Saguaro Foyer

During a 15-minute personalized one2one coaching session with ICF-certified leadership coach and GreenBiz columnist, Shannon Houde, you will have time out to get perspective on what you personally want to be achieving in your work and life. You could:

Discover what is blocking you from achieving the impact you really want,
Get strategic about the next steps of your impact career, or
Challenge your leadership perceptions to be a game changer in these challenging and complicated times.

Signups will be available on site at GreenBiz 18, with two coaching sessions available during each networking break.

Networking Break

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Zero Waste Tour

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Join Waste Management on a Zero Waste Tour to understand what goes into creating a Zero Waste event like GreenBiz 18, from working with vendors to engaging attendees and coordinating waste services. This quick tour will provide insight into the collaboration that goes on behind the scenes. Meet at the Waste Management booth at the start of the networking break to participate in the tour.

RISN Incubator: Meet the Loop Closers – bites

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

The RISN Incubator is a niche business accelerator for entrepreneurs in the early stages of waste-to-product innovation with the goal of moving a Circular Economy in the Phoenix area forward further and faster. Launched by ASU and the City of Phoenix in 2017, the RISN Incubator currently is working with nine ventures.

bites is a farm-to-table mobile app that connects foodies with local chefs who support local farms by sourcing ingredients from those farms and taking those fresh, seasonal ingredients into the home of the foodie to create a complete dining experience in the foodie’s own kitchen. bites seeks to create experiences that impact people and the planet in beneficial ways, at three levels: 1) by offering culinary adventures at all budgetary levels, in celebration of diversity and community building; 2) by economically empowering professional chefs, culinary students, and homemaker cooks; and 3) by giving visibility and support to local growers, increasing their profits, decreasing their waste, and diverting waste from landfills.

4:00pm to 5:00pm

“Unable to Determine at This Time”: The Walmart Sustainability Index and Starting at 0

Breakout

Grand Canyon 9

In 2016, over 2,000 suppliers used TSC sustainability surveys to report their progress to retail buyers. These suppliers represented over $200B in sales. Of the responses that scored under 10%, 70% of those chose “unable to determine at this time” as their response. We know that once companies commit to assessing an issue, even if this is their answer, they will take action to improve their scores. Hear from TSC and leading brands why answering “Unable to Determine at This Time” is not just the hardest thing a company can do on a sustainability survey, but also a sign of a growing movement of companies dedicated to taking action, even if it means starting at 0. Join us for a fun, interactive session and trivia game (with prizes!) to hear more about this trend and learn more about reporting your sustainability progress and how to take action.

Weaving a Circular Fashion Industry

Workshop

Grand Sonoran K

Is it possible to create a circular economy in the fast fashion industry? As the apparel industry adapts to new circular models, it is posing both challenges and opportunities for how fashion is designed, sourced, manufactured and sold, and the relationships along the value chain. Learn how leading-edge initiatives like Fashion for Good are ramping up to become the catalyst for promoting circular fashion and how one brand is harnessing the power of collaboration with other brands on accelerating and scaling technologies that will be needed to advance the industry.

Reporting SDG Commitments: Harmonizing the Landscape of Tools

Workshop

Grand Sonoran J

When the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted more than two years ago, the private sector was firmly seen as a core component of the strategy needed to successfully meet the world’s agenda for sustainable development. But how do companies appropriately apply quality disclosures and a rigorous reporting process to the SDGs without becoming burdened by ‘reporter fatigue’? Come learn how reporting organizations are working together to harmonize reporting tools to help companies better measure, report and articulate their contributions towards the SDGs.

Strategies for Setting and Advancing Breakthrough Goals

Workshop

Grand Sonoran I

Setting and advancing compelling goals that stretch an organization to greater heights is a challenge across sectors, but getting it right has many benefits. Ambitious goals can accelerate an organization’s success in creating stakeholder value. Carefully crafted public goals reveal your intentions for making your organization and the world better for all stakeholders, while serving as an internal management tool and source of inspiration for employee creativity. How do you know what goals to set, how high to aim and which metrics to use? How do you overcome unforeseen obstacles to implementation? During this session, you will learn strategies for setting and advancing breakthrough goals based on the experiences of panelists from the public and private sector. Panel members will share lessons learned and educational case studies that illustrate how setting and advancing breakthrough goals is inspiring stakeholders, changing industries and creating new sources of value.

Growing a Successful Strategy to Conserve the World's Forests

Breakout

Grand Canyon 10

Apple is committed to building products with recycled and renewable materials and their packaging is one of the first places they demonstrated the possibilities. Apple’s responsible forests strategy, and the goal to protect or create as much responsibly managed forest as is required to produce all of their product packaging, demonstrates their commitment to looking beyond their own supply chain to conserve the world’s forests — exemplifying what it means to be "forest positive." In collaboration with World Wildlife Fund, the company is working to improve the management of up to 1 million acres of forestland in China. What did it take for the company to set and achieve this goal related to looking beyond its own supply chain, an approach known as “forest positive?” And what have been the critical learnings from the process? Hear from Apple and WWF on what they’ve learned so far, and how you can apply these takeaways to your own organization’s sustainability goals.

Don’t Escalate - Collaborate! Choosing Successful Solutions with External Stakeholders

Workshop

Grand Canyon 11

Demand for supply chain transparency and corporate accountability is surging with the public. With an increasing number of activist campaigns, new corporate sustainability measurement standards, and a growing number of shareholder requests, is your company ready to successfully engage stakeholders? If and how your company responds may make the difference. Through stakeholder engagement - the collaborative process between advocates, investors and corporate leaders influence corporate decision-making - corporations can avoid being labeled as laggards and instead become sustainability champions. This panel will outline engagement strategies built for an evolving stakeholder landscape. Experts in shareowner advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and corporate responsibility will discuss how collaboration can mitigate reputational risk and unearth win-win solutions. By examining recent trends in increasing corporate accountability, this session will examine how to avoid traps like “lawyering up”, tap external stakeholders as a resource, and how to use supply chain transparency and disclosure to your advantage.

Creating a Movement of Diversity and Inclusion

Breakout

Grand Sonoran H

Organizations with diverse teams perform better. Diversity brings innovation, growth, and cultural strength. Organizations are now recognizing the importance of fostering these values as a business imperative and are coming together to tackle this issue pre-competitively, as a movement of colleagues working together. How can you really embed these values in your organization and act on your goals to achieve meaningful, long lasting change? Hear from PwC and other leaders who have pledged to act on supporting more inclusive workplaces via the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion.

Building a New Carbon Economy: Strategies for Turning Waste Carbon from Liability to Asset

Workshop

Grand Canyon 13

Today, carbon dioxide is most commonly associated with emissions that pollute our atmosphere and oceans -- an expensive liability that must be mitigated. At the same time, a number of pioneering companies are turning this paradigm on its head by developing strategies for turning waste carbon into a valuable and sustainable asset throughout their supply chains. Come learn how companies across industries (including agriculture, energy, retail, manufacturing, and beyond) are working to harness waste carbon as a resource to improve their bottom line while tackling climate change.

Innovative Financing for Sustainability Projects – Green Bonds and Beyond

Workshop

Grand Canyon 12

Even at cash rich companies, the fight for internal capital can leave compelling energy projects unfunded. Join this workshop to learn how companies are overcoming this challenge through innovative financing mechanisms including green bonds, internal venture capital funds, carbon pricing, and more.

To see slides from this tutorial, click here.

Best Practices in Circular Water Management

Workshop

Grand Saguaro East

Is water management at your company not getting much attention? Are you aiming for circular water use, but having trouble making progress? If so, you are not alone. A recent GreenBiz survey of industry leaders shows that most companies’ water strategies have not been tapped to their full potential and that there are common barriers to adopting best practices. Join us for an engaging session where industry experts will share the results of the survey, help you visualize what a circular model for water might look like at your organization, and get your feedback on a new four-phase maturity curve that will help you chart your course toward smarter water management.

5:00pm to 7:00pm

Opening Networking Reception, presented by Dow

Break

Ballroom Lawn

Network with conference participants with beverages and refreshments as the sun sets over the Arizona desert landscape.

7:30pm to 9:30pm

Dinner Clubs (Sign-up required)

Break

Join like-minded attendees for dinner and discussion about a specific GreenBiz topic. All dinners will take place at various restaurants at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge and more information will be availabel day of. Please note that space is very limited and attendees are responsible for the cost of their dinners.

Sign-ups will be available at the registration desk on Tuesday afternoon and all participants must sign up in advance.

9:00pm to 12:00am

After Dark Party

Break

Stonegrill

Wednesday, February 7th, 2018

6:00am to 7:00am

Sunrise Yoga (All Levels)

Break

Spa Bistro

Start the day bending your mind and body in yoga. Learn how to combine posture, breathing and meditation to improve strength, flexibility and stamina. Set your intentions for the second day of GreenBiz 18. All levels are welcome.

7:45am to 8:30am

Breakfast

Break

Sunset Lawn

Start your day chatting with conference participants over breakfast on the Sunset Lawn.

8:30am to 9:30am

An Exercise in Creating Science-Based Waste Goals

Workshop

Grand Sonoran K

Businesses manage their waste based on cost, availability of services, and sustainability goals. Sustainability goals have increasingly focused on diversion from landfill and “zero waste”. As businesses and municipalities struggle to meet their goals, it is necessary to evaluate the environmental benefits of available choices, setting aside weight-based goals to look at the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of every option for managing materials. Lifecycle thinking recognizes the importance of the potential environmental effects at each stage of a product’s life. Focusing on just one stage or one effect can be misleading; a broader look considers the use of energy, air emissions, solid waste, and more associated with product manufacture, use and end disposal. Sustainable Material Management seeks to reduce environmental impacts by managing material through all stages of their life. It identifies impacts and action to address those impacts across the full cycle of materials products as they move through the economy – from raw material extraction to product design and manufacture, transport, consumption, use, reuse, recycling and disposal.

It is a large undertaking for companies with national and international portfolios to assess waste benchmarks and obtain data to develop strategies for operations, supply chain, and guest experiences. This session will help attendees understand how to best evaluate their choices, using waste data, product suppliers, waste haulers, and any other partners they engage. The content will cover the baselining process and how to utilize this evaluation to move the needle and develop constructive material management goals.

Aligning Retirement Plans with a Company’s Sustainability and Sustainable Development Commitments

Workshop

Grand Canyon 13

Many companies have made significant Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments and have begun to align key business priorities with specific U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. However, a “blind spot” often exists between a company’s values and its retirement investment strategy. A significant majority of Fortune 1000 companies have not yet aligned their corporate retirement plans with their commitments in sustainability and/or their sustainable development goals despite the fact that several recent studies have shown that a substantial majority of employees would like for their company to do so. For those few companies that have provided these type of funds to their employees, they are winning the talent wars in the competition to attract and retain the best and brightest employees.

This workshop will address the internal challenges that exist for large companies to provide these types of funds, insights from the panelists on how best to address them, and the WBCSD initiative that is bringing together executives from top tier asset management firms to work directly with companies to integrate these funds into their retirement plans. Session attendees will gain insights on how best to make the business case internally and gauge employee demand in order to align their sustainability commitments with their retirement plans.

To B or Not to B? Inside the B Corp Movement

Workshop

Grand Canyon 11

A new generation of “benefit corporations” are emerging among both smaller and larger firms. At the same time, the B Corp certification, once the realm of small businesses, is being pursued by the likes of Campbell’s and Unilever, including by gobbling up smaller B Corps. DanoneWave is poised to become the world’s first multi-billion dollar B Corp, potentially setting a new bar for corporate responsibility. This workshop will describe the difference between the public benefit corporation and B Corp certification, and how companies are leveraging both as a force for good.

Why Your Company Needs a Water Replenishment Strategy

Workshop

Grand Sonoran I

Coke recently announced its achievement of 100% water replenishment for its operations. Now, other beverage companies are following suit. Intel recently announced plans to restore 100% of its water use - the first tech company to do so. This workshop will share learnings from the early movers, helping participants understand how to define water replenishment, establish a program, avoid potential pitfalls, and develop effective criteria for evaluation and success.

The Right Applications for Solar and Onsite Power Alternatives

Workshop

Grand Sonoran J

Corporate energy buyers are actively purchasing renewables to hedge against future electricity prices and address company wide goals. With the declining cost of technologies including battery storage and fuel cells, there are new opportunities to both boost the reliability and the value to the buyer and also to the utility grid. This session will discuss the operational, policy and technology challenges and opportunities to pair renewable and onsite power assets across agricultural processing plants, hospitality and technology companies.

Closing the Sustainability–Financial Performance Gap

Workshop

Grand Canyon 12

There is a growing recognition among the mainstream investment community that ESG practices have a significant impact on a company’s financial performance. This has resulted in a growing demand for ESG performance data from companies by investors. To date, company ESG data has been inconsistent and unreliable due to a lack of clear standards and metrics. Groups like the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board provide sector-specific ESG standards that enable industry-comparable data on issue that matter most to performance management and communications with investors. As sustainability practices evolve, so does the gap between business functions, including the sustainability team, the finance department, investor relations and the investment community. This panel will look at how the sustainability team can build alignment and close the gap with the finance department, investor relations and the investment community.

Owning Sticky Issues: Publicly Addressing Your Social Sustainability Challenges

Workshop

Grand Canyon 10

We celebrate public announcements to innovate methods and technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases and water use, improve wastewater generation, increase yield, maintain or improve soil health, create economic opportunity, and so on. By normalizing the flipside of business practices that have, for example, created unacceptable levels of greenhouse gas emissions, wasted water, or have left untreated wastewater in our rivers and streams, companies are able to publicly own the fact that these issues exist and set public targets to address them. But what about the human side, the sticky issues? While we do not want to normalize the worst forms of child labor or wages below a living standard, these are issues that many are afraid to publicly address despite the widespread acknowledgement and reports of their existence. This, in turn, forces companies to work in the dark to eradicate the worst forms of child labor, modern-day slavery, poverty, hunger, etc. However, a few companies have been brave enough to take the critical initial step of publicly owning a sticky issue and setting a target to address it. Is there a case for having more success in public targets versus privately held targets on these types of sticky issues?

Are You Making an Impact? How to Communicate Progress on Renewables Goals

Workshop

Grand Canyon 9

GreenBiz research shows 84 percent of companies are setting targets to procure renewable electricity — often to meet corporate carbon emissions targets. But accounting for these investments is far from simple. This session will discuss ways companies can report on the "positive" impact of their renewables investments in ways that internal (finance teams and business unit managers) and external stakeholders (customers) can understand. Topics will include RECs, carbon offsets and energy equity.

Capturing the Business Case for Circularity in Consumer Products

Workshop

Grand Sonoran H

Circular economy principles can be applied at the design phase, in direct operations, in product use and across the entire value chain to improve outcomes for businesses and consumers. This session provides hands-on insights into identifying the value at stake in "going circular" in the consumer sector. Doing so requires action on many functional fronts and from a system-level perspective, which can be overwhelming for even the most motivated companies. We'll discuss practical ways of breaking down the circularity transformation into smaller steps that are easier to digest, enabling companies to start reaping benefits early on.

9:30am to 10:00am

Report Announcement: Economic Impact of Implementing a Circular Economy in the Greater Phoenix Region

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

Between 2016 and 2017, the City of Phoenix in collaboration with Arizona State University conducted a series of economic impact studies to quantify the potential economic impact of waste diversion. Join Phoenix and ASU officials as they share findings and recommendations of this report by the ASU Seidman Research Institute in cooperation with the ASU Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives.

ASU Microgrid Tour

Break

Bus Pullout

Arizona State University workforce development programs for solar PV and microgrid technicians will highlight the Mobile Microgrid Training Platform for hands-on training in deployment, component integration, system operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Detailed lesson plans and activities allow participants to work directly with solar PV, lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, a backup diesel generator, an inverter and controller, various loads, and advanced data logging/monitoring devices. The lessons prepare participants for real-world problem solving through various on-grid and off-grid microgrid use cases and sizing activities, as well as control strategies to optimize system runtime. The unique, hands-on approach to training improves knowledge retention and instills confidence and understanding in participants.

Your Coaching Corner: Realize the Impact You Really Want to Have

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Discover what is blocking you from achieving the impact you really want,
Get strategic about the next steps of your impact career, or
Challenge your leadership perceptions to be a game changer in these challenging and complicated times.

Signups will be available on site at GreenBiz 18, with two coaching sessions available during each networking break.

Zero Waste Tour

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Networking Break

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

10:00am to 10:05am

Welcome

Grand Saguaro North & South

GreenBiz President Pete May kicks off the second day of GreenBiz 18.

10:05am to 10:25am

Customer Obsessed: Customer Demand for Sustainability and Engagement to Maximize Impact

Grand Saguaro North & South

The future of corporate sustainability leadership involves finding ways to engage the public to think and act sustainably. This is a task that companies can’t do alone and is best achieved by creating partnerships with NGOs and others to connect with the public and spread the word about companies that are trying to make a difference. As one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, McDonald’s has the responsibility and opportunity use our Scale for Good. Together with Franchisees, the company’s supply chain, NGOs and other partners, McDonald’s is working to a meaningful impact to areas that are important to customers and the company to build a sustainable business and future for our planet. McDonald’s and Environmental Defense Fund have worked together for over 25 years, with a ground-breaking partnership helping McDonald’s to improve packaging and reduce waste, an area extremely important to McDonald’s customers. This panel will explore important opportunities for cross-sector partnerships, how corporate leaders can raise the bar on sustainability, how customer demand influences and accelerates change in business, and the importance of educating and engaging customers as part of the solution, such as by increasing recycling behavior and options in restaurants and communities.

10:25am to 10:35am

Creating Shared Value: How Community and Business Benefit Through Collaboration

Grand Saguaro North & South

As demand for bottled water continues to grow, water sources need to be carefully identified, developed, and managed to ensure their sustainability. At the same time, growing community and environmental concern has made siting new sources increasingly challenging. To address this, NWNA has developed a first-of-its-kind Siting Framework — a collaborative process to encourage clear, consistent outcomes along with transparent engagement with communities as potential new water sources are identified, evaluated, designed, and brought online.

10:35am to 10:55am

Financing the Energy Transition

Grand Saguaro North & South

According to the International Finance Corporation, the historic global agreement on climate change adopted in Paris helped open up nearly $23 trillion in opportunities for climate-smart investments in emerging markets between now and 2030. Who will provide that funding? What is the role of conventional banks, institutional investors and governments? Understanding the dynamic energy finance landscape will be key to unlocking the opportunities.

10:55am to 11:05am

Designing for the Circular Economy

Grand Saguaro North & South

Hear from Steelcase Director of Design Bruce Smith about how to push limits, explore edges, and prototype quickly, and the benefits of applying design thinking to developing sustainable systems.

11:05am to 11:25am

Uncommon Collaboration: Action-Oriented Transparency

Grand Saguaro North & South

Hear how International Paper and Procter & Gamble are driving sustainable change throughout the value chain and beyond – through strategic alignment, cross-functional dialogue and partnerships. Sustainability leaders will discuss their companies' respective citizenship strategies, as well as specific collaborations that leverage their combined expertise and scale to create value for customers and stakeholders across commercial, technical, supply chain and sustainability areas.

11:25am to 11:45am

The Power of Business Advocacy to Accelerate a Clean Economy

Grand Saguaro North & South

How does public policy determine clean economy business outcomes? Why is it imperative for business leaders to leverage their market power to truly accelerate clean energy, climate and sustainability innovations at the policymaking level — especially under this challenging federal administration?

11:45am to 11:55am

Special Announcement: The Sustainability Solutions Celebration

ASU, with the help of some special guests, previews the Sustainability Solutions Celebration, presented as part of the Sustainability Solutions Festival hosted by the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.

11:55am to 12:15pm

Sustainable Solutions: Collaborating for Climate Change

Grand Saguaro North & South

In today’s political environment, the mantle of climate leadership has been passed to the private sector. Supply chains are the new frontier of sustainability and accelerating this transformation can’t wait. Today, nearly half of all American Fortune 500 companies have stepped up to set climate targets, generating huge results for the planet and the bottom line – more than $3.7 billion in savings for corporations last year alone.

No single company can drive change at the scale we need, but together we can identify and implement climate solutions that fight planetary warming, cut waste and protect nature. Hear from WWF’s Sheila Bonini, senior vice president of Private Sector Engagement and Laura Phillips, senior vice president for Global Sustainability at Walmart, on the promise and challenges of Project Gigaton, the level of commitment and progress to date, and the steps needed from both the private sector and NGO partners to ensure success leading up to the 2030 goal.

12:00pm to 1:30pm

Leadership through the Lens of Sustainability

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

Join Bruno Sarda, VP of sustainability for NRG and professor of practice at ASU, along with alumni of ASU’s Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership program for a discussion on the role of leadership, communications, strategy and global perspectives in the development of fiscal and sustainability strategies for your organization.

12:15pm to 1:30pm

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Using Strategic Foresight to Accelerate the Convergence of Sustainability and Corporate Strategy

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Profound and accelerating changes such as climate disruption, artificial intelligence, and automation are rapidly transforming the landscape for both business and sustainability. Businesses that thrive in the future will be those that figure out how to harness innovation to address real human needs amidst disruptive change. Sustainability leaders have a crucial role to play helping companies navigate these emerging issues and build more resilient strategies, rather than simply integrating sustainability into strategies built by others. Join Jacob Park, Director of BSR’s Sustainable Futures Lab, to discuss how futures thinking, or strategic foresight, offers a powerful tool to demonstrate how topics like women’s empowerment, climate resilience, and quality employment are not only sustainability issues, but core to successful business strategy.

Join like-minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Make Energy Work for You - Leverage Efficiency to Maximize Energy Investments

Lunch

Is your organization getting the most it can out of the energy it invests in? As companies around the world plan for a decarbonized future, the importance of pairing a renewable energy purchasing strategy with a strong energy productivity target cannot be overstated. Join the Alliance to Save Energy and The Climate Group for a discussion of the tips, tricks and strategies that help companies commit to doubling their energy productivity through the EP100 program while simultaneously going 100 percent renewable through an RE100 commitment.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Business-led Solutions for Global Food System Disruption

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Global consumption and production patterns must be disrupted to meet the nutrition and health needs of a growing population within planetary boundaries. Many short-term solutions already exist and need to be scaled, but a longer-term food reform is essential. Food Reform for Sustainability and Health (FReSH) was jointly launched in January 2017 by the EAT Foundation (EAT) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), with 25 founding member companies and almost 40 companies now involved in FReSH. FReSH provides its members with an opportunity for collecting learning and action to unlock the potential economic opportunities of moving to a sustainable food system. This includes work to address both food production and consumption patterns, food loss and waste from a nutrition perspective, and developing a measurement and performance framework. Join this discussion to learn more about FReSH and how the program and its member companies are shaping the future of food.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: The B Corp Movement - Tools for Embedding Purpose into Your Organization

Lunch

There are now over 2,300 Certified B Corps and more than 5,000 benefit corporations around the world. If you've ever wondered about B Corp or want to know how to get involved, join this discussion to learn how the B Corps are leading the global movement of people using business as a force for good. We will discuss how the B Corp movement is helping companies embed purpose into their organizations, what the future of the movement looks like, and how your company (large or small) can get involved.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Soil Health – A Practical Approach for Achieving SDGs

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Farmers and ranchers manage approximately 70% of the land in the United States. To them, sustainability is an abstract concept - soil health is not. Improving soil health can help farmers and ranchers build resilience to climate change, reduce energy use and economic risk, and increase profitability. Practices that promote soil health increase carbon sequestration, improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase nutrient densities in our food supply. The Soil Health Institute is partnering with leaders in industry, scientists, producers and key stakeholders by providing them with science-based information, decision support tools, and measurement standards to increase adoption. We invite you to join us for a conversation on how to make the most of soil health in your organization and take advantage of a win-win situation for producers and the public. This discussion will be most valuable for sustainability professionals in the food and agriculture industry.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Reducing Food Waste - Cost-Effective Solutions to Achieve Environmental and Social Benefits

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

The U.S. currently wastes 63 million tons, or $218 billion, of food annually, presenting both an urgent problem and a unique opportunity to conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, alleviate hunger, and create new jobs while simultaneously generating cost savings for businesses and consumers. Join Chris Cochran, executive director of ReFED, the largest national organization devoted exclusively to reducing U.S. food waste, to discuss emerging trends in food waste reduction strategy. Chris will highlight insights from ReFED’s brand new Retail, Restaurant, and Foodservice Food Waste Action Guides, which are being launched at GreenBiz 18. Created in partnership with major trade associations and many of the largest companies in each sector, the guides are designed to help industry leaders develop and implement food waste reduction strategies.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Under Pressure - How Will Companies Respond to Demands for Better Reporting on Climate Risk?

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

We are seeing increased pressure from investors for companies to enhance and standardize their climate risk disclosure to enable more effective pricing of climate risk. Pension funds are divesting from fossil fuels. City governments are suing oil companies for damage to their cities. Citizens are demanding more transparency. What will this year’s financial and sustainability reporting reveal about level of awareness and actions being taken by companies to identify and manage climate risks? How do companies move from boiler-plate disclosure to decision-useful information?

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Moving from $100 Billion to $1 Trillion - Financing the End of Climate Change

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

If solving climate change requires roughly $1 trillion annually for the next 30 years, how do we get there? This lunch session will explore the breadth of climate finance strategies, including green bonds, green banks, sustainable retail banking, carbon risk disclosure, cleantech investing, and climate-smart institutional investment. Come prepared to participate in an interactive and lively discussion.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Circular Metrics - Helping Companies Accelerate Their Transition Towards the Circular Economy

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

WBCSD has launched a project to develop a consensus-based framework for measuring circularity within companies. This discussion will share and discuss insights on what the circular metrics landscape looks like, how and why companies are measuring circularity, what links there are with emerging policy, and discuss options for the path forward.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: The Public-Private Partnership Playbook

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Public-private partnerships are a primary organizing vehicle for taking on challenges and realizing opportunities – with the potential to transform cities, industries and societies toward resilient and regenerative models. This session launches an exploration of the state-of-the-art of the varied and delicate organizing structures behind the PPP moniker. It will share and solicit examples of PPPs addressing a wide range of objectives. It will then ask participants to help shape the key questions we must ask and answer in order to expedite and accelerate the design, formation, financing and operation of effective PPPs.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Carbon Neutrality - Is it Still Relevant?

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Former United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres managed expectations for the 2015 Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris at the Lima negotiations by making the point that carbon neutrality is in fact what policy and regulation will have to deliver by the end of the century, if not sooner. But is setting and achieving a net zero emissions goal still relevant to business? An obvious consideration for any company publicly committing to bold climate targets is the value it will deliver for the business and its stakeholders. The company may want to showcase its leadership, engage its employees and investors, and differentiate from its competitors. But with options including carbon neutrality, net positive impact, 100% renewable energy, an internal price on carbon, and engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals among others, how can these programmes be customised to deliver the most value across the organisation?

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Growing Global Regulations for Corporate Non-Financial Reporting

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

From 2013 to 2016 the amount of mandatory or voluntary regulations that either require or encourage organizations to report sustainability related information more than doubled from 180 to 383 regulations. And the number continues to grow. How can companies keep track and know that they are meeting all the required regulations? Join us as we discuss this growing phenomenon and how companies can meet the expectations while also benefiting from disclosure in our complex global economy.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Wow Your Audience with a 30-second Elevator Pitch

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

During this facilitated lunch discussion, Executive Coach and Talent Advisor Shannon Houde will challenge you to answer the simple question - “what do you do?” - in just 30 seconds. You will learn how to:

Push through your fears of networking angst
Practice your pitch (and get critiqued) in a small and safe group
Walk away with a tool to continue perfecting your own elevator pitch

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Using Technology to Enhance Sustainability Engagement in the Supply Chain

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Technology has the power to unlock deeper and more meaningful engagement towards sustainability. This table discussion will focus on how technology can aid sustainability initiatives within the supply chain, how companies are using technology to support their efforts today, and what opportunities lie in the future. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index is one example of an online platform helping leading global apparel and footwear companies measure sustainability performance and improvements today. This is an opportunity to share insights and brainstorm ideas with other companies and industries.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Beyond Green Teams - Integrating Sustainability through Corporate Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Successfully integrating sustainability into culture and practice at the corporate workplace requires the commitment of every employee. While Green Teams have long occupied this space as internal drivers, companies are finding that their sustainability efforts remain somewhat siloed. Increasingly, sustainability executives are starting to tap into their company’s ERG structure to drive and integrate sustainability inside their companies. Join this luncheon discussion to explore the potential of leveraging ERGs as a powerful advancement platform for cross-functional collaboration and building support for your company’s initiatives.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: The Role of the CSO in Advancing CEO Advocacy

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

We’ve seen a recent cadre of CEO activism movements regarding climate change, human rights, diversity and other hot-button issues. In this session, we’ll share recent research regarding employee and stakeholder expectations regarding CEO activism and discuss the role of sustainability leaders in fostering corporate activism. How can corporate sustainability teams support or influence climate change and sustainability activism in their leadership? What does this mean in terms of employee engagement? What are the potential risks and rewards regarding corporate sustainability reputation? We’ll share case studies and lessons learned regarding effective CEO activism. And, we’ll discuss the role, opportunities and challenges that corporate sustainability leaders for consideration to advance effective CEO advocacy.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Tackling the Protein Challenge

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

How do we feed 9 billion people enough protein in a way that is healthy, affordable and good for the planet? It is both a huge challenge and opportunity for far-sighted businesses. Along with changing consumer tastes and expectations, there is a growing recognition of the need to transform the way we consume and produce protein in the future. Join Forum for the Future for a discussion about innovative approaches to shifting consumer diets and addressing future needs for protein and animal feed. This session will offer practical examples of how businesses are thinking about sustainable protein, as well as the business opportunities for retail, food service and food manufacturers.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Developing a Zero Waste Mindset

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

The EPA estimates 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle 30% of it. When unsure about whether an item can be recycled, 50% say they throw the item away. Addressing waste in the work place or any location can be the key to unlocking sustainable initiatives that actually stick. Talk trash with recycling experts from TerraCycle to learn the psychology of trash.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Mining and Metals - Key Enabler or Achilles Heel for EVs and Renewables?

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Energy technology, from renewables to efficiency, is highly dependent on metal and minerals. But there are numerous challenges with sustainably mining these materials, from environmental degradation to human rights and geopolitical risks. The transition to a circular economy presents enormous opportunities for mining and metals, and the copper industry is emerging as a model for best practices in this space. In Europe, half of the demand for copper is already being met by recycled sources, due to attractive economic incentives and effective industry collaboration. Join this guru lunch for a discussion on the learnings this collaboration across industry and how to apply these lessons in responsible sourcing and circular economy to your own business.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Integrating Social Impact into Your Business and Culture from Day 1

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Companies with a clear sense of purpose and social impact are increasingly attractive to today’s workforce. Those that effectively integrate social and environmental impact into their businesses also enjoy better employee engagement, productivity and retention. Join this discussion for a deep dive on Salesforce's 1-1-1 integrated philanthropy model and how pledging just 1% of resources and employee time early on can help build a culture of community engagement and establish a strong foundation for additional corporate impact programs as your company matures.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: What Can 3.8 Billion Years in Nature Teach Us About Sustainability?

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Nature’s been there and done that. In fact, she’s really the queen of sustainability, with a track record of 3.8 billion years. Join this lunch to learn about lessons from the “field” on humans navigating sustainability challenges with nature by their side.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: We Are Still In - Corporate Leadership for a Clean Energy Future

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

While our political leadership seems mired in endless debates on the merits of climate science, corporate leaders have, through their actions and commitments, become the new face of American climate leadership. From renewable energy, to energy efficiency, to the electrification of corporate vehicle fleets, companies are setting ambitious goals and taking bold action to curb carbon emissions - making their businesses more profitable and remaking our energy future. In this discussion, we will address clean energy strategies that are available to companies now, how companies can utilize their market power to overcome obstacles to clean energy adoption, and how corporate leadership can expand clean energy availability across the country.

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Mainstreaming Circular Fashion – How a Brand Can Become a Catalyst for More Good

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

It has been recently estimated that more than half of the clothing that we buy is disposed of within a year and that in every second of every day, one full garbage truck full of clothing is landfilled or incinerated. This example of the linear economy is straining our resource systems and has a systemic impact on other industries across the globe. These facts combined with the challenge of cycling technology that is not mature and scalable presents a dilemma in creating a circular fashion industry.

There are solutions. Recently, C&A – the fashion retailer, in business for over 176 years and the world’s largest buyer of organic cotton, has embarked on a journey to both create a more circular fashion industry and help others, by sharing their learnings, to make a similar journey. Join this discussion to learn about how they are starting this journey and embodying the circular economy in their products with the first Cradle to Cradle GOLD Certified T-shirt at scale and in upcoming collections. Learn also how C&A and the C&A Foundation are working together with Fashion for Good to drive and scale innovative technologies across the fashion supply chain.

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

GreenBiz Guru Lunch: Mobilize and Measure Your Impact with the Social Change Method

Lunch

Sunset Lawn

Do you want to create and measure social change on an issue like sustainability—from employee and consumer behavior to social norms? Building awareness and educating your audience will only get you so far. And just using metrics like advertising exposure and social media engagement won’t tell if you’re achieving long-term change. Join this guru lunch to understand how to plan, predict, and track your campaign's ability to effect real social change, with the help of a new tool, the Social Change Method. We'll link traditional thinking and recent findings about what influences individual behavioral choices and collective change, and address how to update common metrics such as message reach and awareness with newer, advanced measures of social interaction. Learn how to see what’s coming next for your issue, employ the right strategies at the right time, and create change for the greater good.

1:30pm to 2:30pm

Why Every Company Should Issue a Green Bond

Workshop

Grand Canyon 12

Learn why the corporate sector has increased — in fact, tripled — its participation in green bonds as energy, automotive and even consumer goods and technology companies have looked to this vehicle as a way to finance key sustainability investments, as well as help to integrate the finance and sustainability teams.

How Climate Resilient is Your Company?

Workshop

Grand Sonoran I

Senior management and boards are facing growing pressures from investors, customers, and regulators to be able to answer this question: what is climate change doing to your organization? In response, management teams will need a clear and common framework to assess and report on related risk, strategy and opportunity associated with climate resilience. This session will provide an overview of why your company needs to define its climate resilience and approaches it can adopt to assess its climate resilience, including the implications of the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the application of scenario stress-testing to assess climate resilience. Join this session to hear how organizations are working to apply these recommendations, the challenges they have faced in assessing climate resilience, and solutions they have developed.

Cultivating Change in the Food System, from Farm to Fork

Workshop

Grand Sonoran J

It is estimated that as much as half of all food produced is lost or wasted. This is an economic issue resulting in as much as $940 billion per year in losses, an environmental issue resulting in the misuse of natural resources and leading to a carbon footprint of 4.4 Gt CO2 eq., and finally a moral issue because while food is being wasted, an estimated 780 million people worldwide and 46 million people in the US go hungry each day. Members of The Sustainability Consortium have launched a project to help tackle this topic at its root, the supply chain. Working with leading food loss, waste and hunger initiatives, TSC is developing demonstration projects and educational programs in an effort to drive system-level change from farm to fork. During this interactive session, participants will explore the challenges that lead to food loss, waste, and hunger and will hear from project champions about how they are working to address the issue and see real impact.

Leveraging Data and Technology to Advance Corporate Citizenship and Competitiveness

Workshop

Grand Sonoran K

What if corporations had an intelligent and automated real-time way to secure large-scale, last mile data on their CSR and Sustainability performance from across geographies? How are corporations scaling social impact without losing sight of all that goes into a citizenship or a sustainability program? Join this panel discussion with leaders from Fortune 500 companies to understand how technology is transforming impact measurement and management, by ensuring that every development dollar is made to work harder.

Purpose-Driven Disclosure and Reporting

Breakout

Grand Canyon 13

Purpose-driven disclosure focuses on how external mainstream corporate reporting influences investors in their resource allocation decisions and practices. How does disclosure of ESG information affect the achievement of sustainable outcomes within companies through investment decisions and actions? Hear from leaders in WBCSD’s Redefining Value program and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Conservation and Financial Markets Initiative on how this approach can ensure disclosure supports decision-making and action on ESG matters by companies and investors; aligns corporate disclosure on ESG with the demands and needs of financial market participants; supports disclosure that reflects true economic impact, including the impact of ESG on financial performance; and ensures that disclosure supports wider policy goals (like the Paris Agreement and transition to a low-carbon economy), green financing, and sustainable outcomes.

Decoding the Logic and Magic of Sustainability: Unlocking the Key to Mainstream Change

Breakout

Grand Canyon 11

Every sustainability strategy requires some key components that make it successful – such as a vision, a roadmap and a clear set of targets. Equally, a sustainability campaign requires authenticity, crisp messaging, targeted communications and clear creative to cut through the clutter. Either without the other can fail. This approach is what we call Logic and Magic. We’ve seen this happen many times - Logic without the Magic stays niche and wonky. Magic without Logic becomes greenwash. So how can sustainability, marketing and communications practitioners connect the dots between the two and make sure their efforts pay off? Join Futerra to decode the sweet spot between logic and magic – and learn how to create your own map for success. We’ll begin with a brief set up on why we believe the Logic + Magic framing works, move on to a short panel discussion on the components of Logic and Magic with two-three sustainability leaders and culminate with audience questions.

The Science-based Pathway to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

Workshop

Grand Canyon 9

Achieving the right to declare that your operation is carbon-neutral from a greenhouse gas perspective takes systemic energy efficiency programs across its entire building portfolio, thoughtful investments in clean power contracts and artful negotiations with real estate partners. This workshop will include insights from companies that have embraced Net Zero Emissions strategies, including those that have committed to the B Team "Net Zero by 2050" vision, which advocates a "just transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions."

Successful Strategies for Corporate-NGO Partnership in Amplifying Sustainability Campaigns

Workshop

Grand Sonoran H

High profile initiatives like Science Based Targets, RE100, Champions 12.3, and others rely on a steady drumbeat of news and content to demonstrate momentum, identify leading companies, and recruit new companies. Both companies and NGOs involved in these initiatives must contribute to the communications work, and the best campaigns play to each organization’s strengths. There is a symbiotic relationship between companies and NGOs—companies need NGOs to lend their commitments credibility, and NGOs need companies to prove viability of the sustainability commitment in question. There’s a lot that goes into a successful sustainability campaign, and this session will offer an overview of best practices and helpful tips for corporate sustainability professionals who support this work.

Advocating for a Clean Economy: Tools and Techniques

Breakout

Grand Canyon 10

This in-depth discussion will address the "why," "what" and "how" of business advocacy for clean economy policies at the state and federal levels. We'll explore the need and opportunities for clean economy businesses to show up at the policy table, the bills coming up at the federal level that can determine markets for clean energy, climate and sustainability products, and the platforms for efficient and effective policy advocacy.

2:30pm to 2:45pm

Transition

Break

2:45pm to 3:45pm

Integrating ESG Risks into Enterprise Risk Management

Workshop

Grand Canyon 10

Sustainability risks are, at the end of the day, business risks. Although they can be new and emerging, complex and longer term, issues such as climate change, human rights or resource scarcity all have the ability to impact an organization’s profitability, success or even survival. This session will provide insights on how to leverage existing ERM activities, company processes and ESG tools and frameworks to better identify, assess, manage and report on ESG-related risks.

Coinciding with the release of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the updated COSO Enterprise Risk Management Framework: Integrating with Strategy and Performance, this session will be a timely launch of a WBCSD-COSO report detailing practical guidance for companies looking to integrate ESG-related risks into risk management activities. This guidance is aimed at addressing a number of issues plaguing successful management of ESG-related risks - including limited knowledge of ESG risks, lack of integration between ESG and those responsible for risk management or strategic activities, and difficulties quantifying ESG risks.

Are You Letting Nature Drop Off Your Priority List?

Workshop

Grand Canyon 13

Markets and businesses are already receiving sustainability information, but is natural capital dropping off priority lists too easily? Making decisions based on only partial information leaves investors and companies open to risks and missed opportunities. In this interactive session you’ll explore the link between natural capital, finance and decision-making by jumping into the shoes of a decision-maker who needs to manage trade-offs, preferences, risks and opportunities with the information you have at hand.

Preparing Your Business for a Circular Economy

Workshop

Grand Sonoran H

Circular Economy is increasingly seen as a key approach to supporting the transition to a sustainable society by enhancing competitiveness and economic growth. Unlike the traditional linear ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ approach, Circular Economy enhances value creation by multiple product life cycles, through systemic changes in the business model, product innovation, services and delivery, and closed loop value chains. In this interactive session, you will learn about an approach to diagnose your business practices, develop a clear vision, and establish an actionable roadmap.

How to Be a 2° Company in the Eyes of Investors

Workshop

Grand Canyon 12

Are you 2° Company? If you are not, join the crowd. If you are, well done! Join us for a lively discussion where we explore why this is a hot topic, how investors are thinking about this issue and using company data, and how companies can respond.

How to Engage Your Investor Relations Team

Workshop

Grand Sonoran J

The financial markets continue to embrace ESG investment strategies, which in turn drive the increasing demand for corporate disclosure of ESG information. For CSOs inside publicly traded companies, the Investor Relations Officer (IRO) can be an amazing ally for ensuring sustainability performance is truly recognized by the markets and other key internal colleagues, like the General Council and the Corporate Secretary. Hear leading CSOs explain how they evolved their sustainability roles to engage more effectively with key internal partners and how active engagement with IROs and GCs lead to enhanced engagement with investors.

Lowering Your Fleet's Footprint with Renewable Natural Gas

Workshop

Grand Sonoran I

Renewable natural gas (RNG) can be an important alternative to diesel and gasoline for companies looking to lower their carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier environment. However, there are a number of myths and mistaken assumptions about RNG that may be holding back greater adoption. This workshop will help clear the air as representatives from UPS, Clean Energy, and the RNG Coalition help attendees understand the difference between fossil extracted versus renewable natural gas and why industry leaders in the transportation industry are choosing to make the switch from fossil fuels to RNG.

Faster, Farther, Together: How the Rise in Pre-Competitive Initiatives is Driving Positive Change

Workshop

Grand Canyon 9

The rise of pre-competitive consortiums addressing sustainability challenges by sector, by industry or by topic are helping companies to do more, better. Representatives from initiatives on issues such as land use change or water will be joined by sectorial groups from food, apparel, ICT and more. Join a panel of key change-makers from Quantis, Mars, and Intel to hear first-hand how they are finding common pathways to progress towards a sustainable future.

Turning Ambitious Waste Goals into Action

Workshop

Grand Canyon 11

Many companies have ambitious goals to eliminate waste at the end of their product's lives, including ensuring their packaging is recyclable, leveraging their brands to engage consumers, ensuring consumers have access to comprehensive recycling infrastructure, investing in emerging technology to improve recycling, and incorporating PCR into their packaging and products to drive the market for recycled commodities. In this session, these companies will discuss how massive corporations like theirs intend take on these goals, how to set and achieve ambitious goals around waste, and the need for partnerships and cross-industry collaboration to solve an issue that is bigger than their company.

Applying Biomimicry Principles to Create Successful Partnerships

Workshop

Grand Sonoran K

Leading change for a sustainable world is not a solo task. Whether you partner with another department, a company, NGO, government or academia, partnerships are critical to the success of sustainability initiatives. Partnerships can make or break your efforts. Over several billion years, nature has been perfecting the art of partnerships. Join this session to learn nature’s key criteria for enduring mutualisms and how to apply them to our work as sustainability change agents. In this session, you’ll work through an assessment tool designed to help enhance your current partnerships and structure new and future partnerships to yield the successful outcomes you seek.

3:30pm to 4:00pm

RISN Incubator: Meet the Loop Closers – Renewlogy

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

The RISN Incubator is a niche business accelerator for entrepreneurs in the early stages of waste-to-product innovation with the goal of moving a Circular Economy in the Phoenix area forward further and faster. Launched by ASU and the City of Phoenix in 2017, the RISN Incubator currently is working with nine ventures.

Renewlogy’s (PK Clean) purpose is to develop technologies and processes to address our core mission of preventing landfill-bound waste. We envision a world in which there is no waste, as each item is renewed in some way. Through our proprietary chemical recycling process, which allows plastic to be reversed back into its basic molecular structure, we convert non-recycled plastic waste into new valuable products such as high-value fuels. Renewlogy helps cities and companies meet their zero waste goals, prevent waste from entering oceans and provides companies with solutions to create higher value products from hard-to-recycle plastics.

3:45pm to 4:15pm

ASU Microgrid Tour

Break

Bus Pullout

Your Coaching Corner: Realize the Impact You Really Want to Have

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Discover what is blocking you from achieving the impact you really want,
Get strategic about the next steps of your impact career, or
Challenge your leadership perceptions to be a game changer in these challenging and complicated times.

Signups will be available on site at GreenBiz 18, with two coaching sessions available during each networking break.

Zero Waste Tour

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Networking Break

Break

4:15pm to 4:20pm

Welcome

GreenBiz Group Director of Strategic Programs Shana Rappaport opens our Wednesday afternoon program.

4:20pm to 4:30pm

Special Performance

Grand Saguaro North & South

Stay tuned for more details!

4:30pm to 4:50pm

Conservation 2.0 = Marketing

Grand Saguaro North & South

Hear from National Geographic photographer and marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier on the intersection of nature and culture for coastal indigenous communities.

4:50pm to 5:15pm

The Sustainable Development Goals: Mobilizing Action at a Global Scale

Grand Saguaro North & South

The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with more than 13,500 signatories from 170 countries committed to aligning strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and taking actions that advance societal goals. Hear from CEO and Executive Director Lise Kingo on what it takes to mobilize action at a global scale.

5:30pm to 9:00pm

The 2018 Sustainability Solutions Celebration

Break

Organized by GreenBiz 18 Host Partner Arizona State University Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives, the fifth annual Sustainability Solutions Celebration brings together audiences from the business and academic worlds to celebrate young innovators, thinkers and designers who have reimagined global challenges to make the world a better home for all of its inhabitants.

Taking place at El Chorro, this event is included for all attendees and complimentary shuttle service will be provided.

Additional tickets for spouses, friends and colleagues are available for purchase here with code ASUPartner18.

Thursday, February 8th, 2018

6:00am to 7:00am

Sunrise Yoga (All Levels)

Break

Spa Bistro

Reflect on the past two days of the conference and start the day bending your mind and body in yoga. Learn how to combine posture, breathing and meditation to improve strength, flexibility and stamina. Set your intentions for the final day of GreenBiz 18. All levels are welcome.

7:45am to 8:30am

Breakfast

Break

Sunset Lawn

8:00am to 8:30am

Leadership through the Lens of Sustainability

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

8:30am to 9:30am

Beyond Changing Lightbulbs: New Strategies for Efficiency, Financing and Innovation in Buildings

Workshop

Grand Canyon 10

When it comes to increasing energy efficiency (and reducing greenhouse gas emissions) in buildings, changing lightbulbs is no longer enough. How do sustainability professionals and facilities managers make efficiency innovative and fun, and what are the big wins beyond just savings? A diverse group of leading building portfolio owners and the head of the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge share some new strategies for tackling efficiency that take advantage of new financing models, help streamline the piloting of new technologies, and reinforce an ongoing incremental desire for change within their organizations.

The Power of Purpose to Elevate Sustainability

Workshop

Grand Sonoran K

Purpose driven organizations look at every initiative through the lens of their Purpose. When sustainability doesn't naturally link to the over-arching Purpose of the organization, it risks being relegated to a box to check on a leader's to do list. In this workshop, we'll explore how to engender true commitment to sustainability at the top by making it inextricably linked to the fulfillment of the Purpose of the organization.

Grassroots Strategies for Cultivating Smallholder Farmers

Workshop

Grand Sonoran J

When it comes to addressing issues like deforestation or water scarcity, the potential for change is huge at the local level — especially in developing nations. How can a multinational company convince thousands of small, independent farmers within its supply chain to think differently about how they work their land, sowing the seeds for more sustainable agricultural practices and improved economic livelihoods for the surrounding communities? This workshop will showcase proven programs from across several sectors, including paper production, food and the automotive industry. We'll discuss strategies, cultural challenges and the power of partnerships in growing a new model of supply chain collaboration.

Accessing Renewables for All Corporates: Getting Beyond Your First PPA

Workshop

Grand Sonoran H

This session will focus on strategies to scale renewable energy projects for sustainability leaders at large companies. The strategies include utility bill analysis, group purchases and navigating the world of hiring consultants, brokers, project financing and developers. The session will also explore how sustainability leaders can make the business case internally to energy, finance, legal and leadership teams.

Eliminating Forced and Child Labor in Your Supply Chain

Workshop

Grand Sonoran I

What is the responsibility and role of business, government, and civil society in addressing and eradicating forced, bonded, and child labor? How can these groups best collaborate and engage to create meaningful impact and change? This session aims to explore how partnerships can be leveraged to advance the agenda of eliminating child labor and forced labor in supply chains. Hear from leaders across industries, including electronics and agriculture, on the role companies can play in better management and oversight of working conditions in upstream supply chains.

Where Does your Disclosure Go and How Do Investors Use It?

Breakout

Grand Canyon 11

Investor demand for sustainability information continues to increase creating the need for companies to fully understand and strategically manage the disclosure of a new set of performance metrics. To overcome survey fatigue, this session will help corporate practitioners understand what investors are doing with this information. How accessible is disclosed data and how do investors incorporate it into their risk considerations and portfolio decisions?

Contextualizing Sustainability Performance: Tools for Corporate Strategy-Making and Goal-Setting

Workshop

Grand Canyon 13

Join this hands-on workshop to hear learning from the Embedding Project’s Global Corporate Community of Practice on Contextual Strategy-making. Organizations are increasingly being asked to provide more than a materiality assessment to ‘contextualize’ their sustainability performance. While there are various initiatives and tools designed to aid this process, including the Future-Fit Benchmark, Net Positive, Science-Based Targets, and the MultiCapital Scorecard, corporate organizations have asked for more information about how they all fit together and what the shift to context might look like in practice.

In response, the Embedding Project has been working together with organizations and experts and developed a guide that explains the road to context. The guide provides guidance to help companies integrate real and relevant socio-ecological thresholds into their strategy and goal-setting processes. A companion casebook was developed that highlights how early pioneers are applying these ideas in practice. Hear what early leaders are doing and how this concept can be applied to your own organization and work.

Getting Companywide Buy-in for Your Sustainability Program

Workshop

Grand Canyon 9

Getting broad internal buy-in on sustainability is a challenge most companies face. Whether the impetus for sustainable business comes from the top, bottom or middle — there are good examples of each — pushing it out to the entire organization can be a significant barrier to success. Presenters at this workshop will share their strategies and experiences that took their programs to a new level. The session will conclude with an interactive exercise that will provide attendees with fresh approaches to driving engagement at their organization.

Nudging Towards Sustainability

Workshop

Grand Canyon 12

In this interactive workshop, learn how the behavioral economics principles from the Nobel Prize winning author of Nudge, Richard Thaler, can be applied to advance sustainability in diverse fields such as packaging, textiles and the built environment. Concepts such as choice architecture; the path of least resistance; heuristics; availability; representativeness; loss aversion; status quo bias; mindless choosing (and more) will be covered. Attendees will join this engaging session to learn how nudging may bring about significant levels of change and how sustainability projects can benefit from these principles.

9:30am to 10:00am

Networking Break

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer & Sunset Terrace

Your Coaching Corner: Realize the Impact You Really Want to Have

Grand Saguaro Foyer

Discover what is blocking you from achieving the impact you really want,
Get strategic about the next steps of your impact career, or
Challenge your leadership perceptions to be a game changer in these challenging and complicated times.

Signups will be available on site at GreenBiz 18, with two coaching sessions available during each networking break.

Zero Waste Tour

Break

Grand Saguaro Foyer

A Science to Showing your Professional Resilience in Sustainability Storytelling

Break

ASU Booth, Grand Saguaro Foyer

Telling stories about sustainability isn't necessarily the same thing as sustainability storytelling, where one talks about sustainability, and the other actively empowers the audience. With emphasis on systems thinking and resiliency, this session combines how to tell your and your organization's story as a sustainability change agent while preparing your audience with tangible knowledge and skills they need to enact their own change. Join Andrew Bernier, Postdoctoral Fellow with ASU's Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives and former public radio science journalist on how to craft sustainability stories to capture the challenge and success of making sustainability change.

10:00am to 10:10am

Welcome

Grand Saguaro North & South

GreenBiz Group CEO Eric Faurot kicks off Day 3 of GreenBiz 18.

10:10am to 10:35am

Taking a Systems-Level Approach to Transform Transportation

Grand Saguaro North & South

Can you envision a commute with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion? GM is steering into this future, viewing both its energy use and product portfolio in a holistic way to enable cleaner cars driving on a cleaner grid. From RE100 progress to strengthening EV infrastructure and committing to launch 20 all-electric vehicles globally by 2023, the company is activating each component in a strategy to transform transportation.

10:35am to 10:45am

From Idea to Open Source: A Sustainable Packaging Journey

Grand Saguaro North & South

Stay tuned for more details!

10:45am to 11:05am

From Doing Better to Doing Enough: Using Science and Context to Set Meaningful Targets

Grand Saguaro North & South

As corporate sustainability target-setting becomes increasingly integrated into core business decisions, agreeing to and implementing ambitious targets now reaches far beyond sustainability teams. With over 320 companies seeking Science-based GHG targets, and leading businesses pursuing context-based targets for impacts related to land and water use, the momentum toward targets that actually solve key sustainability issues is palpable. Hear from business executives on how and why they set their sights on next-generation targets—and the challenges and opportunities they face.

11:05am to 11:25am

The Role of Company Boards in Driving Sustainability

Grand Saguaro North & South

More than half of S&P 500 companies exceed board-level oversight requirements on environmental or social issues, especially in industries subject to scrutiny. More directors and executives see the financial risks and opportunities of sustainability. How do boards oversee a company’s sustainability efforts? What role can sustainability executives play?

11:25am to 11:35am

Why Now is The Best Time to Tell Your Sustainability Story

Grand Saguaro North & South

Shelton Group has been polling Americans for over a decade to understand their beliefs, desires, and espoused behaviors related to energy and the environment. For most of that time, the numbers have been largely consistent in terms of the percent of Americans whose beliefs and actions align on sustainability – and it was a pretty niche group (about 18-22%). Three years ago something began to shift. It seemed like an anomaly in the data. But then the numbers shifted further upward the next year. And the next. Now, the data shows that Americans are working through a massive shift on sustainability, much like the shift in attitudes towards littering and smoking. It is no longer socially acceptable to be seen as a person who lives life with no regard for the environment and/or the health and well being of the world at large. And that means it’s no longer socially acceptable to buy products that harm the environment – or buy from brands that are seen as “villains” of the environment. Hear key trends and real world examples of organizations gaining real traction by telling their sustainability stories.

11:35am to 11:40am

Closing Remarks

Grand Saguaro North & South

11:40am to 12:00pm

We Are Still In

Grand Saguaro North & South

Stay tuned for more details!