US corporations are increasingly feeling the pressure fromregulators, consumers, investors and communities on a variety of environmentaland social issues – GHG emissions, water usage, waste management, environmentalimpact and so on. As companies start toexamine their responsibilities beyond that of shareholder value the complexityand scope of the problem becomes clear while potential solutions remainambiguous.
Corporate leaders with vision and foresight now realise thatisolated programs of incremental improvements through eco-efficiency, publicrelations, carbon management, public philanthropy or publishing reports cannotfully address the major issues that sustainability present.
What is needed is a new agenda for sustainability that willprovide a framework for companies to become fully responsible, to build profitand value without compromising the ability of future generations to do thesame. Forward thinking companies realisethat sustainability is an opportunity to show leadership, it is an opportunityfor innovation and invigoration that will develop better managed, moresuccessful and profitable enterprises.
Action for a Sustainable America is a conference at which sustainabilityleaders meet to examine how they are using sustainability to redefine corporatestrategy and drive management practice. The aim is for these companies to develop the systems, strategy andframeworks that will successfully equip them for the challenges andopportunities now being presented by regulation, resource scarcity and climatechange.
Sessions include:
- A working definition of sustainability – whatstakeholders expect
- Aligning sustainability priorities with businesspriorities
- Developing a structured approach to balancingrisk and opportunity
- How do you make sustainability scalable?
- Developing corporate strategies that anticipateregulation
- Involving non-traditional sources in corporatestrategy
- Driving value from Sustainability in a downturn