Lunch and Opening - Why Make the Business Case?

• Tensie Whelan, Clinical Professor of Business and Society; NYU Stern School of Business - Bio

Advocating both internally and externally for EHS & sustainability programs can often lead to little progress or little support from stakeholders. So why keep doing it? Come hear our speaker give a refreshing take on why and how making the case for sustainability programs adds value back to the corporation.

Putting a Value on EHS & Sustainability Programs

• Kevin Eckerle, Director Corporate Research and Engagement; NYU Stern School of Business - Bio

Participants will have the opportunity to learn methods for monetizing the benefits of investments in sustainability. Specifically, participants will develop an approach for: identifying top ESG strategies, discerning resultant benefits from investing in those ESG strategies, and credibly quantifying and monetizing the benefits accrued from those investments.

Why Sustainability Should be a Business Core

• Stephen Jordan, Co-Founder; IO Sustainability and CEO; Institute for Sustainable Development - Bio
• Alan Kao, Principal and Global Lead for Compliance, Strategy and Transaction Services (CST); Ramboll Environment & Health - Bio

This session will focus on how to profile and identify characteristics of companies that developed sustainability strategies and have successfully gained business value from doing so. Participants will also explore a local case study of lessons learned increasing the resilience and sustainability of a specific city: Newport, Rhode Island.

Sponsored by Ramboll Group A/S:

Understanding the ESG Landscape to Enhance Reputation and Transparency

• James Margolis, Senior Partner; Environmental Resources Management (ERM) - Bio
• Jennifer Eastes, Senior Sustainability Consultant; Environmental Resources Management (ERM) - Bio
• Mike Wallace, Partner; BrownFlynn, an ERM Group Co. - Bio

Companies are being inundated with requests for specific environmental, social and governance (ESG) program and performance information. This session will provide EHS&S professionals with a thorough understanding of the dynamic ESG ecosystem, including:

• Who is assessing you;
• What they want to know about you and why they want to know about it;
• Where investors and other stakeholders find information about your programs and performance;
• What you think you look like vs how you actually look; and
• How to strategically and efficiently address all these stakeholder demands for more transparency.

Upon completing this session you will understand the ecosystem, be able to evaluate and improve your disclosure strategy, and be better prepared for conversations with executives about ESG disclosures.

Sponsored by Environmental Resources Management (ERM):

Opening Keynote

• Mindy Lubber, Chief Executive Officer and President; CERES - Bio

Sustainability has evolved from a niche department at companies to a driving principle to be embedded from the board room to the supply chain, often at the request of investors, consumers, and employees. Listen to Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres, assess the state of corporate sustainability and chart the course for accelerated action on issues like climate change, water scarcity, and human rights abuses.

Zero Waste: Practical Steps Along the Journey

• Mary Strzempko, Manager Environmental Programs; Raytheon Co.
• Lina Azuero, Corporate Sustainability Consultant; DELL Inc. - Bio
• Jon Dettling, Global Director, Services & Innovation; Quantis AG
• David Clark, Vice President, Sustainability; Amcor Ltd.

Moderator: Stephanie Barger, Director Market Transformation and Development - TRUE Zero Waste Program; U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - Bio

What are the new strategies, processes, products and services, and business models companies are pursuing to eliminate waste and transition to the circular economy? Learn about the practical steps that leadership companies are taking along their journey to eliminating waste and supporting a regenerative economy.

Concurrent Breakout Session: Zero-Waste at Facilities

Session Facilitators:

• Mary Strzempko, Manager Environmental Programs; Raytheon Co.
• Stephanie Barger, Director Market Transformation and Development - TRUE Zero Waste Program; U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Managing Plastic in Oceans

Session Facilitators:

• Lina Azuero, Corporate Sustainability Consultant; DELL Inc. - Bio
• Jon Dettling, Global Director, Services & Innovation; Quantis AG

Concurrent Breakout Session: Sustainable Packaging

Session Facilitators:

• David Clark, Vice President, Sustainability; Amcor Ltd.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Opportunities and Approaches to Enable Ambitious Targets

• Cynthia Cummis, Director of Private Sector Climate Mitigation; The World Resources Institute (WRI) - Bio
• Johanna Jobin, Director, Global EHS & Sustainability; Biogen Inc. - Bio
• Winston Vaughan, Senior Manager, Renewable Energy; CERES - Bio
• James Goudreau, Head of Climate; Novartis International AG

• Julia Silberman, Manager; CDP - Bio

Moderated by: Jennifer Gerholdt, Director of Corporate Engagement; We Mean Business - Bio

More and more companies are setting ambitious greenhouse gas targets. Learn best practices in setting a science-based target and tracking and reducing scope 3 emissions. Hear trends and opportunities in renewable energy in the US through a fast-paced panel discussion followed by breakout sessions on tactics and topics around managing greenhouse gas emissions. Come learn these strategies during a panel discussion with our speakers followed by breakout sessions that dive deeper into tactics surrounding topics around greenhouse gas emissions.

Concurrent Breakout Session: Scope 3 Emissions and Science-Based Targets

Session Facilitators:

• Cynthia Cummis, Director of Private Sector Climate Mitigation; The World Resources Institute (WRI) - Bio
• Nicole Labutong, ‎Technical Manager, Science Based Targets; CDP - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Aligning reporting with TCFD

Session Facilitators:

• Julia Silberman, Manager; CDP - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Renewable Energy Trends

Session Facilitators:

• Winston Vaughan, Senior Manager, Renewable Energy; CERES - Bio
• James Goudreau, Head of Climate; Novartis International AG

Beyond the Fence Line: Leading Edge in Sustainable Supply Chains

• Taylor Gelsinger, Manager of Research and Analytics; NAEM - Bio
• Elizabeth Ryan, Director of Communications; NAEM - Bio
• Paul Chang, Global Blockchain Industry Leader - Distribution & Industrial Markets; IBM Corp.

Moderated by: Kim Li, Environment Marketing Manager; Intelex Technologies Inc.

Your company's sustainability footprint goes way beyond the fence line. How is your company managing your suppliers' footprint through the value chain? Come to this two-part session where first attendees will hear a TED-style talk from an in-house expert focusing on best practices, trends, and technologies in promoting sustainability vision throughout the supply chain. Then, utilizing live-polling technology, you will benchmark against your peers about your company's sustainability supply chain management program.

Greener Chemistry: Product Design, Transparency, and Collaboration

• Martin Wolf, Director, Sustainability & Authenticity; Seventh Generation Inc. - Bio
• Josef Lukan, Senior Manager, Global Policy and Advocacy; Levi Strauss & Co. - Bio
• Jacob Madsen, Director of Sustainability; S. C. Johnson & Son - Bio
• Georgia Rubenstein, Principal Change Designer; Forum for the Future - Bio

Moderator: Boma Brown-West, Senior Manager, Consumer Health; Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) - Bio

Learn about trends in chemical supply chain transparency, informing consumers, and pre-competitive collaboration platforms that are tackling chemical sustainability issues. The session will start with a high-level panel discussion where companies will share their top priorities when it comes to their green chemistry programs. Then through a series of breakout sessions, speakers will take a deeper dive into different elements of successful green chemistry programs.

Concurrent Breakout Session: Supply Chain Transparency

Session Facilitators:

• Josef Lukan, Senior Manager, Global Policy and Advocacy; Levi Strauss & Co. - Bio
• Mark Rossi, Executive Director; Clean Production Action - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Product Design & Stewardship

Session Facilitators:

• Martin Wolf, Director, Sustainability & Authenticity; Seventh Generation Inc. - Bio
• Boma Brown-West, Senior Manager, Consumer Health; Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Ingredient Transparency & Pre-Competitive Collaboration Platforms

Session Facilitators:

• Jacob Madsen, Director of Sustainability; S. C. Johnson & Son - Bio
• Georgia Rubenstein, Principal Change Designer; Forum for the Future - Bio
• Janet Nudelman, Director of Program and Policy; Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) - Bio

Keynote: One Company's CSR Journey

Come hear about CVS Health's corporate social responsibility journey and roadmap.

• Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy; CVS Health Corp. - Bio 

Advances in Sustainable Water Management

• Brooke Barton, Senior Program Director, Water & Food Programs; CERES - Bio
• Nicole Tanner, Senior Specialist, Water Stewardship; World Wildlife Fund - Bio
• Fawn Bergen, Global Sustainability Program Manager; Intel Corp. - Bio

Moderator: Nick Martin, EHS & Sustainability Consultant; Antea Group USA - Bio

Learn about effective strategies for water reuse, recycling, and replenishment within operations. Understand approaches to setting context-based water performance targets around facilities and how a company can define its impacts and dependencies, now and in the future, at the watershed level. Hear about scalable industry, value-chain, and multi-stakeholder collaboration models designed for scaled outcomes.

The Human Factor: The S in ESG

• Kevin Eckerle, Director Corporate Research and Engagement; NYU Stern School of Business - Bio
• Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder/Chief Executive Officer; WeSpire Inc. - Bio
• Gillian Christie, Doctor of Public Health Candidate; Harvard University
• Randy Martinez, Director Strategic Diversity Management; CVS Health Corp. - Bio

Moderator: Christine Riley Miller, Director of Sustainability; Samsonite International S.A. - Bio

Learn how to make a business case for addressing social issues in a way that will resonate with your CFO and others on the Executive Team. Hear about innovative programs in diversity and inclusion and best practices in employee engagement and wellness. The panel discussion with our speakers will be followed by breakout sessions that dive deeper into relevant topics.

Concurrent Breakout Session: Diversity and Inclusion

Session Facilitators:

• Randy Martinez, Director Strategic Diversity Management; CVS Health Corp. - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Employee Engagement

Session Facilitators:

• Nadine King, Manager, Corporate Environmental; CVS Health Corp.
• Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder/Chief Executive Officer; WeSpire Inc. - Bio

Concurrent Breakout Session: Employee Wellness

Session Facilitators:

• Gillian Christie, Doctor of Public Health Candidate; Harvard University
• Karen A. Ryan, Director, Well-being Strategy; Aetna Inc.

Concurrent Breakout Session: Quantifying the “S” in ESG

Session Facilitators:

• Kevin Eckerle, Director Corporate Research and Engagement; NYU Stern School of Business - Bio

SDG's in Action: Collaboration

• Libby Bernick, Global Head of Corporate Business; Trucost - S&P Dow Jones Indices - Bio
• Edan Dionne, Director, Corporate Environmental Affairs; IBM Corp.
• Scott Tew, Executive Director, Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability; Ingersoll-Rand plc -Bio

Moderator: John Holm, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives; PYXERA Global - Bio

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) tackle the world's greatest challenges. SDG 17 promotes partnerships and collaboration as a key path forward to achieving the other SDGs. This session will showcase how corporations, NGOs and non-profits have successfully leveraged the power of partnerships to meet the SDGs. It will also provide participants an opportunity to work through a collaboration tool to think through how their organization might use partnerships to achieve the SDGs that are most important to them.

Leveraging Materiality to Chart Your Sustainability Strategy

• Alyson Genovese, Director/Head of Regional Hub, USA and Canada; The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - Bio
• Jeff Sokol, Global Sustainability Manager; Varex Imaging Corp.
• Sharon Basel, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Global Public Policy; General Motors Inc.

This session will address the importance of having a Materiality principle guide your sustainability strategy and how application of the principle is changing how organizations are driving change and communicating impact. Attendees will get an understanding of the transformative power of a materiality analysis within corporate sustainability reporting and learn why the materiality analysis findings should go well beyond defining your external reporting strategy and content. The session will also provide attendees with a roadmap for conducting a high-quality materiality analysis and include examples of how leading companies have overcome common challenges in applying the materiality principle and charting an effective strategy using the results.