Today, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has become a “must-have” component of business operations and strategy. Since ESG impacts a business' short- and long-term decisions, they must “future-proof” their organizations by analyzing, strategizing, and disclosing their ESG impacts. Attend this conference to identify strategic opportunities and meet competitive challenges.
The Indiana Chamber's 2022 Sustainability Leadership Conference will help you identify opportunities to optimize your company's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts.
This new program will cover topics in sustainability including ESG 101, decarbonization and net zero strategies, the circular economy, greenhouse gases, and sustainability compliance and current trends.
KERAMIDA is a global Sustainability consultancy advising clients on Climate Change, and Sustainability strategies and reporting for over 20 years. KERAMIDA is a CDP Gold Accredited Provider and an active member of GRI, SASB and other reporting frameworks.
Agenda:
8:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:45 a.m. Greenhouse Gases (GHG), Decarbonization, Science Based Targets, and Net Zero Strategies: A Strategic Discussion
– Albert Chung, Ph.D., P.E. Senior Vice President, Sustainability & Climate Change, KERAMIDA Inc.
The creation of a GHG reduction plan, whether it is a net zero strategy or a corporate GHG reduction target, requires a multi-phase approach which involves many people throughout all levels of the organization. The current investor preference is also to obtain certification of a GHG reduction plan and targets by the Science Based Targets Initiative (BSTi). This session will outline the specific steps needed to create a Carbon Action Plan, starting with development of a GHG emissions baseline and culminating to getting corporate buy in, provide public disclosure of GHG reduction targets and eventually obtain certification. The session will offer elements from case studies to provide examples of what to look out for and expect when creating such GHG reduction plans.
9:15 a.m. Global and National Trends in Sustainability
– Nick McCreary, M.S., LEED AP, Senior Sustainability Manager, KERAMIDA Inc.
Momentum behind sustainability is not slowing down. This session will cover recent trends in the Environmental, Social/Human, and Governance (ESG) sustainability pillars, including regulations, SEC proposals, investor requirements, industry standards, reporting updates, and consumer pressure initiatives, as well as significant recent events shaping the ESG landscape. We will conclude looking at several corporate sustainability trends that are likely to continue beyond 2022.
9:45 a.m. Making the CEO Case for Sustainability
– Becky Twohey, Ph.D., GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, Vice President, ESG Strategy, Planning & Reporting, KERAMIDA Inc.
The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act will have strategic implications for businesses. This session will explore the business case for sustainability, and how leveraging sustainability strategies and information can create value for a corporation. We will cover ESG core concepts, why ESG is important, recent ESG initiatives and their impacts, investor and non-investor driven frameworks and standards, and selection of reporting frameworks.
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. How to Start Your ESG: Four Critical First Steps
– Becky Twohey, Ph.D., GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, Vice President, ESG Strategy, Planning & Reporting, KERAMIDA Inc.
– Emilee Brown, GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, Sustainability Analyst, KERAMIDA Inc.
Prepare yourself with the knowledge needed to jump start your organization’s ESG program by four fundamental tasks: Benchmarking, Stakeholder Engagement, Materiality Assessment, and Data Gap Analyses - the foundation of an ESG plan. In this session, we will explore each of the four critical first steps to start your ESG program, why they are important, and how the results are used to direct your company’s efforts towards developing an ESG strategy and plan.
11:00 a.m. EHS Compliance and Sustainability Objectives: The Benefits of Overlapping and How to Manage Them
– Wesley Fleming, M.A., P.E. Vice President, Air & Compliance Engineering Services, KERAMIDA Inc.
Today’s EHS and sustainability managers are facing increasing pressure from both internal and external stakeholders and regulatory agencies. Senior management and investors are pushing for progress toward aggressive sustainability targets. Meanwhile, EHS oversight and enforcement from regulatory agencies is at an all-time high. How can one find the right balance? How can one maintain EHS compliance, cut costs, and pursue a new ESG strategy? This session will explore strategies to understand and navigate stakeholder priorities, especially when they may appear to be in conflict. The modern EHS manager must embrace a new outlook that combines the objectives of compliance and sustainability. When EHS compliance and sustainability objectives are managed together, beneficial synergies emerge.
11:30 a.m. Customer ESG Requests and Supply Chain Management
– Anastasia Kyrmanidou, Ph.D., Senior Sustainability Analyst, KERAMIDA Inc.
The fast-paced world of ESG is impacting all companies, and accordingly it has both a direct and indirect effect on their supply chain. The scale of demand for ESG-related requests is considerable and will only increase in the future as companies develop and implement ESG strategies and programs that allow them to evaluate their own and their supply chains’ ESG performance. This presentation will explore different types of ESG customer requests, from Audits to EcoVadis, and how companies can develop a management process that will allow them to manage such requests and be prepared to respond.
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Climate Action Plan for Cities
– Emilee Brown, GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, Sustainability Analyst, KERAMIDA Inc.
– Nick McCreary, M.S., LEED AP, Senior Sustainability Manager, KERAMIDA Inc.
The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 is the first ever international treaty on climate change. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming increase to well below 2°C, and preferably to 1.5°C. Cities of all sizes are stepping up to the challenge of climate change. With over 2/3 of Americans living in jurisdictions with a population under 100,000, smaller communities have a vital role to play. During this presentation, KERAMIDA will walk attendees through the process of launching a Climate Action Plan by a city. Every city is unique, and the developers of such plans should appreciate and respond to the intricacies of individual towns and counties to create a bespoke Climate Action Plan.
1:30 p.m. The Importance of ESG in Real Estate and City Regulatory Requirements
– Amber Greaney, MPA, LEED GA, Sustainability Analyst, KERAMIDA Inc.
Real Estate, both its construction and operation, is the largest sector, globally, of GHG emissions and plays a big role in most corporations’ sustainability plans. Reducing the carbon footprint from the operations of buildings is, therefore, an important component of a company’s GHG reduction strategy, as well as a city’s decarbonization strategy. New regulations by numerous cities, nationally, have started imposing GHG reporting requirements on Real Estate. In 2023, Indianapolis commercial and residential building owners with properties over 100k sq. ft. will be required to submit building-level energy and water data to the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. To take steps toward achieving the City’s carbon neutrality goal by 2050, the Indianapolis City-County Council passed a local Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance in July of 2021, which set these requirements. This session will dive into US trends on city sustainability requirements for Real Estate, how the requirements of the new Indianapolis Ordinance affect local building owners, and how to safeguard compliance and receive positive public recognition through the Indianapolis program.
2:00 p.m. CDP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, CSA, LCA, UNSDGs, SBTi: Which Alphabet Soup is Best for You?
– Anastasia Kyrmanidou, Ph.D., Senior Sustainability Analyst, KERAMIDA Inc.
The saying “What is Measured is Managed” applies to the various sustainability reporting frameworks and standards. While there is global momentum to simplify the sustainability reporting landscape, there are still lots of reporting platforms and options to consider. Selecting one or more disclosure options depends on a number of considerations, some of which your company may be in control of. Requests for specific reporting schemes by investors, banks, and others may also be imposed on a company. In this session, we will provide an overview of the most common frameworks and standards, and provide insight into which one/s may be the most beneficial for your company.
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. How to Manage Your ESG Program: Lessons Learned
– Becky Twohey, Ph.D., GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, Vice President, ESG Strategy, Planning & Reporting, KERAMIDA Inc.
Each company has a unique experience integrating ESG into its strategy and operations. The end goal, however, is the same: to manage resources efficiently, protect health and the planet, and maximize value for all stakeholders. In this session, we will present some obstacles experienced by companies in their ESG implementation journey and we will outline the steps to develop and implement an ESG Management System at your company.
3:15 p.m. An Introduction to GHG Verification & Assurance: The Most Significant New Aspect in the GHG Arena
– Albert Chung, Ph.D., P.E. Senior Vice President, Sustainability & Climate Change, KERAMIDA Inc.
Many companies fear the thought of having any type of data verified. The proposed SEC regulations will potentially require 3rd party verification of a corporation’s GHG disclosure, and major ESG reporting platforms now require data assurance. This session will provide an introduction into the verification and assurance process to alleviate any anxiety on these subjects. A discussion will be presented to illustrate how companies should envision the GHG verification process as an opportunity to improve one’s GHG disclosure and to provide a high level understanding of the risks and opportunities in one’s GHG disclosure.
4:30 p.m. Adjourn
Reserve your spot now for this important event on September 8 in Indianapolis.
