To make meaningful progress toward mitigating climate change, sustainability goals cannot remain siloed within an organization – they need to touch every aspect of the business, from operations to finance and IT. In this conversation featuring the ESG champion of the second-largest grocery retailer in the country, the inaugural Executive Director at leading food waste think tank ReFED, and the CEO of a for-profit, social impact company in the SaaS space, you will learn how to meet and exceed your sustainability targets, even in challenging economic environments, by grounding every conversation in real-world business impact.
Aligning and Achieving Sustainability Goals with Measurable Business Results
Katherine Harris
February 23, 2023
Format
Fireside Chat (3 speakers maximum)
Themes
Pushing business progress, Bridging functions, Achieving impact goals, Socializing sustainability, Creating mutual buy-in
Purpose and Desired Outcome
Now more than ever, ESG work is at the forefront for many industries, including regional and national grocery retailers. In California, as part of environmental legislation SB1383, grocery stores must recover no less than 20% of edible food that would otherwise be disposed of by 2025. At the same time, leading grocers like Albertsons Companies have debuted ESG frameworks such as Recipe for Change, which calls for zero food waste going to landfills by 2030. And finally, knowing grocery stores are responsible for 43 billion pounds of food waste per year, 71% of respondents in a recent survey said they were more likely to support a grocery store committed to reducing food waste. So the question remains: with so many tailwinds supporting food waste reduction in grocery stores, why hasn’t more progress been made in getting edible food to those who need it most? The answer lies in the missing link between sustainability goals and demonstrated business impact – and the silo that sustainability professionals often operate from within organizations. The desired outcome of this session is for participants to be able to walk away with the strategies they need to build influence across their organizations, break down silos, and re-frame sustainability priorities as massive wins for the business overall. All three panelists have had real-life experience advocating for sustainability initiatives – and have experienced pushback from their counterparts. As Suzanne Long, Chief Sustainability and Transformation Officer at Albertsons Companies said, “My background is in business improvement and cost reduction. Doing the right thing in terms of food waste is 100% what we want to do to improve our business profitability. Reducing shrink and reducing the cost of our energy line on our P&L are just good business decisions.”
Audiences
Corporate & SME
Entrepreneurs
Service Providers
Government
Speakers
- NameSuzanne Long
- TitleChief Sustainability and Transformation Officer
- OrganizationAlbertsons Companies
- StatusInvited
- NameChris Cochran
- TitleFounder and Principal
- OrganizationGood Food Advisors
- StatusInvited
- NameMatt Schwartz
- TitleCEO and co-founder
- OrganizationAfresh
- StatusConfirmed
