Event - The Sustainability Summit 2017

This Summit will take place on March 23-24, 2017 in London. What does COP21 and the push for greater environmental sustainability mean for business? The Sustainability Summit will bring together key thinkers, policymakers and business leaders, who will deliver strategies, ideas and solutions to decision makers, helping them to turn challenges into new opportunities and prepare for the future.

The issue of sustainability is a multifaceted one, and cannot be tackled by policy alone; international business must also rise to the challenge of reversing the damage that we have wrought on our environment. But how can businesses evolve and develop their practices to improve their footprint? Is it possible to make adjustments that have a net positive impact on revenue? And what are the challenges that multinational companies face in implementing such changes across borders?

In March 2016, The Economist Events’ Sustainability Summit in London delivered an alarming prognosis: adapt or die. This year we will be evaluating progress and the scalability of sustainability initiatives while asking the crucial question: what does COP21 and the push for greater environmental sustainability mean for business? Bringing together key thinkers, policymakers and business leaders the Sustainability Summit will deliver strategies, ideas and solutions to decision makers, helping them to turn challenges into new opportunities and prepare for the future.

Speakers

Bob Collymore
Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom

Daniel Franklin
Executive Editor,
Editor The Economist

Helen Hai
Chief Executive Officer,
Made in Africa

Miranda Johnson
Environment Correspondent
The Economist

Greg Lowe Global
Head of Resilience and Sustainability,
Aon

Jeremy Oppenheim
Programme Director,
Business and Sustainable Development Commission

Steve Waygood
Chief Responsible Investment Officer,
Aviva Investors

Mark Wilson
Chief Executive Officer,
Aviva

Why attend? Questions that will be answered

What steps can we take to break the prevailing short-termism which dominates the markets and begin to act with an eye to the future? How can policy-makers better address market failings and encourage a move toward a circular economy? In what ways do our current, global regulatory frameworks account for climate change? How can we leverage the capital markets and big business to create a more sustainable economy? Where should investors direct their capital in order to make the biggest impact? From source to shelf, how can businesses take better stock of natural capital and ensure resource efficiency all the way across their supply chains? Could technological innovation provide some of the solutions we need to deliver sustainable growth? And, how can we scale the green tech that already exists? How can we further the social components of the SGDs and create a more inclusive marketplace around the world?

Attendees will

Network with more than 200 international leaders from business, finance and government Make connections with those at the forefront of the sustainability effort and discover new opportunities for cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration
Shape the evolving dialogue on sustainability and share ideas with decision-makers and innovators
Get to grips with practical steps businesses are taking to scale-up action and create the swift change we need to realise the transition to a two degree world
Gain a fresh perspective on sustainability as a value driver and differentiator for business and finance
Join the global effort to create an inclusive and environmentally sustainable marketplace