Schedule of Events
Events and times subject to change.
Wednesday October 25
6:30 am-7:30 am
Networking
Target Wellness: Rise and Shine Beachfront Yoga
Sponsored by
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
7:00 am-6:30 pm
Registration
Conference Registration
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
7:30 am-8:30 am
Networking
Accessibility at Microsoft Demonstrations
Sponsored by
Breakfast
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
8:30 am-9:05 am
Plenary
BSR Alumni: Sustainability Leaders
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
9:05 am-9:25 am
Plenary
Plenary Presentation: Annie Griffiths, Photographer, National Geographic
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
9:25 am-9:35 am
Plenary
Plenary Spotlight: Jacob Park, Director, Sustainable Futures Lab, BSR
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
9:35 am-10:20 am
Plenary
Plenary Address: Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
10:20 am-11:00 am
Networking
Networking Break
Target Wellness: Smoothie Spot
Sponsored by
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
11:00 am-12:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Climate Action to Fulfill the Paris Vision—Are You Still In?
Breakout Sessions
Climate Action to Fulfill the Paris Vision—Are You Still In?
Wednesday October 25, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
In June, the U.S. administration announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, which envisions a resilient world with warming held well below 2°C. Yet U.S. states, cities, and businesses are setting and implementing their own science-based emission reduction targets, and leading through collaboration and supply chain engagement to build a resilient, low-carbon economy following the Paris vision. Their climate action will have an opportunity to shine at the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit hosted by California Governor Brown. What about you? Are you still in?
Protecting Workers on the Move
Breakout Sessions
Protecting Workers on the Move
Wednesday October 25, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Companies have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable workers in their supply chains: migrants. Migrant workers are the most susceptible to poor working conditions and to exploitative and forced labor, among other infringements on human rights. The challenge of protecting their rights is compounded by the differing nature of migration across regions, from the internal migrants of Asia to the refugees and displaced persons of the Middle East. Companies must grapple with the issue at all levels of employment. This informative session will help participants tackle challenges to responsible practices around recruitment, good housing conditions, protection from violence and local backlash, education, and other timely matters.
The 21st-Century Social Contract
Breakout Sessions
The 21st-Century Social Contract
Wednesday October 25, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
The nature of work is changing very rapidly. Old models of lifelong employment via business and a predictable safety net provided by government are no longer assured in a new demographic, economic, and political environment. We see these trends most clearly in the rise of the “gig economy,” in which contingent workers (freelancers, independent contractors, consultants, or other outsourced and non-permanent workers) are hired on a temporary or part-time basis. These workers make up more than 90 percent of new job creation in European countries, and by 2020, it is estimated that more than 40 percent of the U.S. workforce will be in contingent jobs. This candid discussion will explore how business is responding to these changes, looking to balance the benefits of more flexible working arrangements with certainty and protections for workers in this new world of work.
Track: FastForward 25
Transportation of Tomorrow
Breakout Sessions
Transportation of Tomorrow
Wednesday October 25, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
For the past half-century, the approach to transportation infrastructure—rail, road, air, and sea—has remained essentially the same. However, the convergence of technological innovation and an increase in needed infrastructure investment have created a unique opportunity to think differently. Our traditional road, rail, and airline systems could be replaced with something straight out of a science fiction movie. This cutting-edge conversation will explore how alternative high speed rail, driverless cars, the commercialization of space travel, drone delivery of packages, and other innovations could fundamentally change transportation and logistics as we know it, and the resulting sustainability impacts and benefits that could come with the systemic shift.
Track: FastForward 25
Whose Money Is It Anyway?
Breakout Sessions
Whose Money Is It Anyway?
Wednesday October 25, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
There is tremendous focus today on sustainable and impact investing and on the firms developing the analytics and making the investment decisions. But the real drivers behind the move toward more sustainable investing are the “asset owners”—those who actually own the money. Pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments are the owners of the vast majority of the world’s money. Therefore, these groups have become the hidden sustainability leaders. Participants in this session will get a deeper look into the quiet role these asset owners play, and how they can drive the sustainability agenda.
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Meal
Lunch
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
1:15 pm-1:45 pm
Plenary
Perspective on the Future: BSR’s Early Leaders
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
1:45 pm-2:00 pm
Plenary
Plenary Spotlight: Chhavi Guiliani, Associate Director and Aditi Mohapatra, Director, BSR
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
2:00 pm-2:30 pm
Plenary
Plenary Presentation: Dakota Gruener, Executive Director, ID2020
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
2:30 pm-2:45 pm
Networking
Target Wellness: Unwind and Restore Yoga Stretch
Sponsored by
Networking Break
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Consumer Insights: The Missing Link
Breakout Sessions
Consumer Insights: The Missing Link
Wednesday October 25, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
There is a wide range of research that shows brands can capture consumers’ hearts and minds in an incredibly powerful way. It’s also through brands that businesses can connect with their consumers around what they care about in their daily lives as well as drive brand loyalty or behaviors like healthy eating or recycling. But companies still struggling to fully integrate corporate sustainability into product development and marketing strategies are asking: What are some of the approaches and tools we can use? What lessons can we learn from other consumer companies? Join this session to get a first-hand look at BSR’s framework for integrating brands and sustainability and learn the do’s and don’ts of this rapidly emerging territory.
Eliminating Gender-Based Violence—A Business Imperative
Breakout Sessions
Eliminating Gender-Based Violence—A Business Imperative
Wednesday October 25, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Violence against women is one of the world’s greatest social, economic, and public health problems, pervading the home, workplace, and community. Working to stop it is not only the right thing to do from a human and labor rights perspective—it is also the smart thing to do for workplace efficiency and profitability. This session will take an in-depth look at how businesses have responded to this complex challenge through preventive and remedial measures. Participants will also gain a greater understanding of what multistakeholder collaboration can do to move the needle on ending gender-based violence.
Human Rights by Design
Breakout Sessions
Human Rights by Design
Wednesday October 25, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Rapid developments in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain, and the internet of things have the potential—and have already started—to have significant impact, both positive and negative, on human rights. The international human rights regime was designed for a very different world, and the speed, complexity, and extensive reach of these disruptive technologies present new challenges for companies wanting to meet their responsibility to respect human rights. Participants in this lively discussion will explore how to integrate human rights into the development and design of new technologies and whether new “human rights by design” approaches should be deployed.
Track: FastForward 25
Net Zero by 2050: The Innovation Pathway
Breakout Sessions
Net Zero by 2050: The Innovation Pathway
Wednesday October 25, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
The Paris Agreement set the world in motion for net-zero emissions by 2050 and its 188 climate plans all include this ground-breaking milestone. The emissions curve is already starting to bend, with global emissions holding steady over the past three years, even as economic growth increases—the challenge now is to accelerate this transition, which will require deep transformations. For the private sector, achieving net-zero emissions will challenge current modes of production, manufacturing, consumption, product design, and financing tools. Participants will leave this session with a better understanding of the risks they will face and opportunities to find innovative ways to be a leader in a low-carbon economy.
Track: FastForward 25
The Era of Misinformation: Upholding the Sustainability Agenda
Breakout Sessions
The Era of Misinformation: Upholding the Sustainability Agenda
Wednesday October 25, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Will the global sustainability agenda survive in a “post-fact” world, where popular sentiment belies factual evidence of growing inequality and climate change? At a time when public trust in business, government, and the media lies at an all-time low, companies must find new ways to communicate about their most critical sustainability challenges. Participants in this candid dialogue will discover solutions to that challenge and will uncover the risks and opportunities for companies who are prepared to make the move toward transparency.
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Breakout Sessions
Engaging Boards: Making a Case
Breakout Sessions
Engaging Boards: Making a Case
Wednesday October 25, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Boards should be regularly engaged in a company’s sustainability strategy and performance, but in practice, this can be challenging. This session will look into key dilemmas and questions, such as how to decide which sustainability issues are material enough to justify boardroom attention, how to integrate sustainability issues into the work of board committees, and how to ensure board members have the right expertise to evaluate important non-financial topics like climate change, human rights, and diversity. Participants will hear multiple perspectives on how to increase board engagement with your sustainability strategy.
Harnessing New Technologies for Supply Chain Sustainability
Breakout Sessions
Harnessing New Technologies for Supply Chain Sustainability
Wednesday October 25, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Supply chains are digitizing, and the pace is accelerating. Companies are increasingly using new technologies to make their supply chains more efficient and cost effective, to cut out inventory and lead times, and to respond directly to consumer demands. But what about sustainability? In this session, we’ll explore the tech trends shaping supply chains and discuss how to ensure that sustainability doesn’t get left behind, along with what priorities and topics these technologies are best suited to impact and where there is a need for innovation. Participants will glean insights on opportunities to digitize sustainability information, how to use machine learning to gain more visibility into supply chains, and how to work with supply chain architects to incorporate sustainability into design, along with the internet of things and automation.
Track: FastForward 25
Innovative Financing: Enabling Systemic Impact
Breakout Sessions
Innovative Financing: Enabling Systemic Impact
Wednesday October 25, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
In the face of an estimated US$2.5 trillion annual funding gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN and a broad range of public- and private-sector actors are pursuing innovative financing solutions to social and environmental challenges. What are some of the innovative financing strategies that companies are employing to increase social impact and business value? This discussion will showcase examples to give participants the knowledge to deliver impact.
Integrating Sustainability through Risk and Opportunity
Breakout Sessions
Integrating Sustainability through Risk and Opportunity
Wednesday October 25, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Building sustainability considerations into enterprise risk management frameworks can help integrate sustainability into core business strategy and operations, but traditional risk approaches are often poorly equipped to deal with the longer term and more indirect challenges presented by issues such as climate change, human rights, and inclusive business. They can also give the impression that sustainability is only about reducing harm and not driving positive change. This conversation will explore key debates around the best way to integrate, understand, and measure the core environmental, social, and governance issues facing companies today. Participants will leave knowing how companies can better understand and incorporate their sustainability efforts and what the role of risk management looks like.
Products in Peril: Climate Resilience Strategies
Breakout Sessions
Products in Peril: Climate Resilience Strategies
Wednesday October 25, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
From decreased cocoa production in West Africa, to reduced cotton production from drought in South Asia, to concerns over coffee yields from fluctuating weather patterns globally, key agricultural commodities are under stress due to climate change. Many companies understand how commodity supply availability impacts their ability to create products. However, many fail to realize how climate resilience can help mitigate risks, help maintain business success, and positively impact local communities. This discussion will take an in-depth look at how leading brands are implementing climate resilience strategies into their key-commodity supply chains.
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Networking
Networking Reception
Sponsored by
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
8:00 pm-10:00 pm
Networking
Film Screening: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
Track: FastForward 25
The global economy is being transformed in profound ways, creating radical new sustainability challenges and opportunities. How these play out, and how we respond to them, is uncertain. True sustainability is about being fit for the future and to do so requires not just more of the same, but being able to think differently. We need to explore various possible futures and use our imaginations to manifest the world we want to live in. As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Check out our FastForward 25 sessions for a sneak peek into the future of next 25 years of sustainable business.
