9.29.21
Are We There Yet?

Leveraging Sustainability Rating and Reporting for Impact

In today’s sustainability business architecture, how can procurement and supply chain leverage ratings and reporting systems to not only select more sustainable products and suppliers, but also monitor, deliver, and report real progress on their organizational-level sustainability goals and ESG reporting requirements?

View the full event schedule

KEYNOTE CONVERSATION

Sustainability Reporting and Rating: Are we there yet?

As the latest IPCC report galvanizes rapid action on the climate crisis, and as ESG reporting and analysis becomes ever more central to financial markets, debates about how to best drive positive change have begun to focus on, and at times question, the contributions that reporting makes to driving impact at scale. This conversation will bring together two leading thinkers on the topic of sustainability reporting, rating, and ESG investing, for a lively conversation about the value, necessity, and alternatives to sustainability data collection, reporting, and use as it is practiced today.

  • Kenneth Pucker

    Ken is a senior lecturer at Tufts University’s Fletcher School and Boston University, Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners, and formerly the Chief Operating Officer of Timberland.

    Ken recently authored a Harvard Business Review article "Overselling Sustainability Reporting", which has generated widespread debate and scrutiny in the sustainable business community.

  • Erika Karp

    Erika is Executive Managing Director, Chief Impact Officer at Pathstone, and former Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Capital Group. Erika’s leadership in developing meaningful ESG investment strategies is driven by her vision of a world where capitalism fully values all forms of capital, including human and natural capital, and where investments serve to foster a regenerative and inclusive global economy.

202109_Panelists+Moderator.png

Panel

Leveraging Sustainability Rating & Reporting for Impact

Moderator:

Nicole Darnall - Foundation Professor of Management and Public Policy, Director and Co-founder, Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative, Arizona State University

Panelists:

  • Fred Gersdorff - Socially Responsible and Sustainable Supply Chains Manager, General Motors

  • Julia Litvak - Director of Responsible Supply Chain Management, Medtronic

  • Julia Wolfe - Director of Environmental Purchasing, Operational Services Division (OSD), Commonwealth of Massachusetts

  • Kate Williams - Senior Manager of Impact Monitoring & Evaluation, Fair Trade USA

Workshops

  • Optimizing E-Procurement Systems for Sustainable Purchasing

    Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Empower Procurement featuring Ecomedes, Oracle, and Workday

    In large organizations, electronic purchasing systems drive what gets bought. If your organization’s e-procurement systems are configured to support purchasing sustainable products, you’ll be better equipped to reach your sustainability goals. ERP systems are commonly used for procurement in large organizations and have the capability to make “buying green” the new normal. ERP systems that are able to identify and verify green products, as well as track organizations’ progress towards sustainable procurement goals, can make buying sustainable products much easier for purchasers.

    This workshop will help organizations realize the potential of ERP systems in supporting their sustainable procurement goals and spark a discussion around implementation barriers and solutions. Purchasers will explore what to request when acquiring a new ERP system and how to optimize their existing ERP system for more cost and GHG savings.

  • Getting Started with Supplier Sustainability Reporting for Small Businesses

    Led by Bob Willard, Sustainability Advantage

    This workshop introduces SME suppliers and purchasers to organizational-level sustainability assessments through the use of a free, open source tool - the Basic Sustainability Assessment Tool (BSAT). Suppliers will learn how to use the tool to self-assess their progress on sustainability issues, while purchasers will be provided with a basic approach to comprehensively measure supplier sustainability performance across multiple suppliers, regardless of their size and sector.

  • Evaluating and Selecting Product Sustainability Labels

    Led by Kate Harris, Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) featuring the U.S. EPA

    Credible standards, certifications and ecolabels can summarize vetted sustainability data, and help purchasers identify more sustainable products and suppliers. This workshop will provide a general introduction to product sustainability labeling. Participants will learn how to objectively evaluate and select labels aligned to their organization's sustainability goals; while obtaining a better understanding of who to trust and how to navigate "green washing". Listen and learn from international and regional leaders on how to drive sustainable outcomes through purchases. Then, partner with your peers to identify label opportunities for your own organization.

*All sessions are eligible for continuing education credits towards recertification for ISM certification programs.

Informational Session

Join our host sponsor, Ecovadis, for a complementary introduction to their business sustainability ratings platform.

Tom Chen - Account Executive, EcoVadis

Tom Chen's academic background in Environmental Geography and Sustainability led him to EcoVadis, a vision-driven company where he now works as an Account Executive. At EcoVadis, Tom focuses specifically in the Retail, Apparel, Consumer Goods, and Food and Beverage Sectors. Previously, Tom worked in the North American bioenergy industry and is an avid 10-pin bowler in his free time.


Our Sponsors

Host Sponsor

Host Sponsor