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.

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?

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.

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.

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 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.