2027 Agenda

• How sustainability is becoming embedded in growth, innovation, and business strategy
• Balancing consumer expectations, affordability, and long-term value creation
• Integrating sustainability into product development, operations, and decision-making
• What the next phase of leadership looks like for global consumer brands

• Why promising materials innovations so often stall between pilot and full commercial deployment
• The cost, supply, and performance thresholds a lower-impact material has to clear before it can replace an incumbent at scale
• Building the internal case for materials investment when R&D timelines outlast typical budget cycles
• How companies are working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to de-risk scale-up rather than absorbing that risk alone
• What separates materials innovations that make it into the product line from those that stay a sustainability showcase

• What a global decarbonization strategy looks like when you operate thousands of properties across every region
• Scope 1 and 2 reduction in practice: energy procurement, electrification, and the role of on-site renewables
• Making the business case for building decarbonization — framing it as resilience and cost strategy, not just sustainability
• Engaging franchise owners and operators: how to move sustainability beyond the corporate center

As companies redefine what it means to lead with purpose, many are shifting from standalone initiatives to strategies that are embedded in the core business.

In this session, Olivia Jefferson, Vice President of Social Impact at Best Buy, will explore how organizations can build alignment around a new strategic vision and bring it to life across the business in ways that create meaningful community impact. With the launch of a new strategy focused on achieving economic mobility and creating pathways to opportunity for young people, she will share the strategic evolution, the critical role of team engagement and the key lessons learned along the way.

• How sustainability leaders are reassessing priorities amid changing business conditions, stakeholder expectations, and increasing scrutiny from boards and investors
• Moving from broad ambitions to focused strategies that align with business priorities and deliver measurable impact
• Building executive alignment and confidence around sustainability investments, priorities, and long-term commitments
• Balancing expectations from customers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders while navigating operational realities and competing business demands
• How data, reporting, and business value considerations are shaping where organizations focus resources and investment
• What it takes to turn ambitious sustainability commitments into actionable, board-supported strategies

• How AI is being integrated into sustainability, supply chain, and compliance functions
• The organisational and data infrastructure required to scale AI effectively
• How companies are aligning sustainability teams, IT, and operations around AI deployment
• Lessons on what actually drives adoption at scale

• Why water is becoming a strategic business issue affecting operations, supply chains, growth, and long-term resilience
• How organizations are reducing water risk through operational improvements, watershed stewardship, and supplier engagement
• Building cross-sector partnerships to strengthen water resilience beyond your own operations
• Measuring progress and making the business case for water investments amid competing priorities
• Lessons learned from integrating water stewardship into broader environmental and business strategy

• Setting the bar — What does genuinely high-impact look like in your organization, and how do you know when you’ve hit it?
• The measurement problem — How are you moving beyond activity metrics to demonstrate outcomes that actually mean something to the business?
• Making it stick — What separates social impact programs that survive leadership changes and budget cycles from the ones that don’t?
• The partnership question — Where do you draw the line between doing it yourself and finding partners who can deliver better outcomes than you can alone?

• Moving circularity from commitments and pilots into enterprise-wide execution
• Building the business case for circularity while reducing waste, extending product life, and creating long-term value
• Embedding circular principles into product design, sourcing, manufacturing, and customer engagement
• The role of customers, suppliers, and cross-industry collaboration in accelerating circular solutions
• Lessons learned from scaling circular initiatives across global organizations

• How sustainability pressures are reshaping supplier relationships and sourcing strategies
• The growing intersection of resilience, traceability, emissions, and operational risk
• What companies are doing to move beyond supplier surveys toward measurable progress
• Where collaboration across value chains is becoming essential to execution

• Beyond carbon — How are organizations expanding their environmental strategies to include nature, biodiversity, water, and regenerative practices?
• Nature hits the balance sheet — When did resource and ecosystem risk stop being an environmental issue and start influencing business strategy, investment, and operations?
• Creating business value through nature — How are companies turning environmental innovation into competitive advantage, from regenerative supply chains to climate solution products?
• Scaling impact through collaboration — What role do suppliers, customers, and industry partnerships play in accelerating nature-positive outcomes?
• The investor and regulator question — How are you responding to rising expectations on nature without it becoming just another reporting obligation?

• Evolving philanthropic strategies from traditional giving toward more strategic, long-term community investment
• Aligning corporate resources, capabilities, and partnerships to address meaningful community needs
• Building stronger relationships with nonprofit organizations and community partners to drive greater impact
• Balancing local community priorities with enterprise-wide goals and commitments
• Lessons learned from creating philanthropic programs designed for lasting impact