Join P&G's global sustainability leaders and Jo Confino of The Guardian for a unique exchange with the world’s largest consumer packaged goods company.

The conversation will dive into P&G’s work, partnerships, and commitments and challenges to responsibly meet the needs of its customers. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in a live forum during the chat. From aiming to save a life every hour with safe drinking water packets to accomplishing zero-waste and 45 manufacturing sites and inspiring families to switch to cold water washing for every load of laundry, the people at P&G are focused on finding ways to improve its environmental profile while leveraging its global scale to make a tangible difference for people everywhere.

Please register online to join the Live Chat on Monday, April 22, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST.

The Conference Board Summit on Sustainability brings together sustainability experts, practitioners, and institutional investors share the latest perspectives on how corporations are transforming their global operations by integrating sustainability into a long term return-on-investment strategy.

Businesses, foundations, universities, governments and consumers are actively seeking solutions for an increasing number sustainability concerns, creating a new “sustainability market.” In this environment, corporations benefit by promoting innovative technologies, resource-efficient business processes, and new methods and partnerships for research and development.

The Conference Board Sustainability Summit examines four critical themes. The first two focus on the people who drive sustainability: Investors and Stakeholders. The second two themes focus on tools used for sustainability: Technology and R&D. All comes together with targeted discussion on the new touch points of sustainability, including innovation, technology, eliminating waste, dramatic energy efficiency, water supply, and a reinvented workforce.

Why Attend?

• Learn how investors view non-financial factors as value drivers
• Hear experts in energy, water supply, human capital and other sustainability practices discuss the environmental and social impact of their operations on local/regional stakeholders
• Understand technological advances that solve sustainability problems and reshape how companies organize and create value
• Apply innovations from R&D strategic partnerships between companies, universities, governments and foundations

The 2013 Conference Features Two Pre-Conference Seminars – bring home some specific tools on how you can benefit from the new sustainability mindset

Plenary Sessions – hear from renowned keynote speakers and panelists as well comments and questions from the full audience

Four Tracks – tailor your conference to your own expertise or interests. Choose from tracks on:

• Shareholder/Corporate Governance
• Stakeholders
• Techhnology
• Research & Development

A Pre-Conference Survey – determine what your peers view as the main touch points of the new Sustainability Regime. These will be revisited throughout the conference to see how they fit in with the discussion as it unfolds

Interactive Sessions – Creatively collaborate with fellow attendees during the Design your Own Smart City group exercise designed for executives in charge of corporate sustainability, environmental health & safety, supply chain, purchasing and procurement, resource management, investment and financial firms, sustainability consulting firms, and government entities/agencies.

Today, sustainability reporting lacks comparability, rigor, and implications for inclusion in financial valuation and therefore, can’t be tied to performance in a way that is actionable by management or investors.

Despite GRI's continued popularity -- and high expectations from the upcoming G4 guidelines -- and the International Integrated Reporting Committee's [IIRC] work on shifting reporting toward an integrated format, there remains a critical need for standards that help companies address, and investors analyze, the most material environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in their industry.

But what is materiality? And how do you deduce fair share of resources in a way that neither of the environment, social or governance metrics are getting siloed? Further, can any one organization lead us toward a sector-specific standardized approach that allows analysts, investors, consumers, employees and all other stakeholders understand and credibly compare corporate apples to apples?

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) was publicly launched in October 2012 to "advance the concepts of industry-specific performance indicators and integrated reporting for the benefit of U.S. publicly listed corporations, their investors, and the general public."

The organization was borne out of the idea that "integrated reporting and industry performance indicators are concepts that are mutually reinforcing and the essential next step in responsible, complete, and comparable disclosure."

Now, six months in, what is the SASB upto? How did it codify the Materiality Map and how are the Industry Groups it set up working?

And what are the key differences between SASB's mandate and that of the GRI and the IIRC? Can we expect SASB to make sustainability standards as clear and enforcable as accounting standards by the Fair Accounting Standards Board [FASB]?

Join CSRwire's Editorial Director Aman Singh in conversation with SASB's Associate Director of Education Marisa Mackey and Associate Director of Stakeholder Engagement Katie Schmitz Eulitt for a webinar to discuss all these questions and more.

Learn about SASB’s work to develop industry-specific sustainability accounting standards and how these standards will affect your industry and organization. Consider this a great opportunity to have your questions answered about the future of ESG disclosure and learn how to become involved in the standards-setting process.

Date: April 18, 2013

Time: 12:00pm EST

Registration: Register here and send out the following tweet:

 I will join @sasb_org + @CSRwire on 04/18 to discuss #ESG #disclosure, #materiality & #sustainability standards! http://bit.ly/sasbcsrwire

Hashtag: #SASBCSRwire

About SASB

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board™ (SASB)™ is an independent 501(c)3 organization that establishes and maintains industry-tailored key performance indicators for use in disclosing material sustainability issues for the benefit of investors, corporations and the public. For more information about SASB, visit www.sasb.org, or follow us on YouTube, Twitter or LinkedIn.

About CSRwire

CSRwire is a digital media platform and the leading global source of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability news. Founded in 1999 to advance the movement towards a more economically just and environmentally sustainable society and away from single bottom line capitalism, CSRwire has paved the way for new standards of corporate citizenship, earning the international respect of thought leaders, business leaders, academics, philanthropists, activists and the media community. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The LOHAS Business Conference provides a cross section of executives like no other, and is known for fantastic networking with decision makers who are interested in LOHAS business. Countless deals and successful relationships have manifested as a direct result of participating in the LOHAS Business Conference.

The Essential Sustainability Program for the Media Industry: What you need to know next.

The daylong program addresses the unique need for media industry executives to understand the fundamentals of sustainability and the business case for integrating CSR principles and practices into business operations.

Participants will benefit from a confidential, peer learning experience guided by seasoned sustainability experts and media executives. They will leave with practical knowledge of how best to leverage competitive advantage within the rapidly evolving sustainability marketplace. Key topics include global trends; standards and protocols; financial market drivers; risks and opportunities; and sustainable supply chains including a featured Case Study presented by Lyn Brown, VP Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for Catalyst Paper Corporation, one of the largest global paper supply companies.

During lunch, Lou Nowikas, director of real estate and facilities planning, Hearst Corporation will provide a special presentation on the LEED Platinum Hearst Tower.

Cocktail reception and GRI Findings Report presentation to follow.

Register Now!
CSRwire members receive a special discount – enter CSRWIRE for a 20% discount.

A special leadership gathering of impact investors, government officials, social entrepreneurs, scholars, and economic developers to explore the role of for-benefit enterprise in accelerating job creation, promoting economic and community development, and enhancing regional competitiveness.

"I am pleased to see that such a diverse group of our nation's brightest minds will be meeting at Harvard to discuss innovative approaches to revitalizing our economy. It will take leadership from many sectors to continue to grow an economy that creates quality jobs, promotes shared prosperity, and builds strong, sustainable communities. These are issues I have worked on for years, and I look forward to the valuable ideas and recommendations that will be generated at the summit."

Larry H. Summers, Summit Advisory Council
President Emeritus, Harvard University; Director, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government, Harvard Kennedy School; 71st U.S. Secretary of the Treasury

About the Summit

During this time of mounting fiscal challenges and a sluggish and fragile economic recovery, there is a growing sector of “hybrid” or “for-benefit” enterprises that can create quality jobs and promote economic growth, contribute to the tax base, drive new resources to the nonprofit sector, and tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues that would otherwise fall on the shoulders of government and nonprofits. These enterprises are drivers of an “impact economy”—one that promotes social, environmental, and economic value creation.

To grow the impact economy and effectively harness its potential, there is a need for a more coherent and comprehensive national approach to developing the for-benefit sector. Economic development policies and programs, which are currently focused primarily on growing for-profit firms, need to be expanded to also support for-benefit enterprise development.

This invitation-only summit will bring together a mix of perspectives and participants involved in developing and supporting for-benefit economic models. Delegates will engage in thoughtful, off-the-record discussions about advancing regional and national economic development strategies for accelerating the growth of the impact economy. This will be a participant-driven, outcome-oriented gathering intended to serve as a springboard for action. Informed by advance research, and supported by innovative session design and a team of expert facilitators and reporters, delegates will have the opportunity to develop roadmaps for action and find new possibilities for collaboration and partnership. $25,000 in seed grants will be awarded to the most promising initiatives that emerge from the gathering.

Visit the summit website for the most up-to-date agenda and list of speakers.

"This gathering is timely. Especially in the past few years, leaders of the millennial generation have been passing up more traditional careers to pursue socially responsible work. If we can combine this younger generation's propensity for service with our nation’s inherent entrepreneurial spirit, the results could be game changing. We need the brightest leaders across multiple sectors to come together to rethink our model for prosperity."

David Gergen, Summit Advisory Council
Professor of Public Service and Director of the Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School; Senior Political Analyst, CNN

Registration

To optimize its impact, this Summit is designed to be an intimate, action-oriented leadership gathering of practitioners and thought leaders in the field. Participation is by invitation only. We have set aside a block of delegate slots for individuals who should be in the room but have not been identified by our process. Please share your wisdom with us by nominating sector leaders you believe would bring an important perspective to—and would benefit from—this gathering. Please feel free to self-nominate. Click here to nominate a delegate.

Our most exciting Webinar Series ever will provide keen insights and practical guidance on the latest developments in ESG voluntary and regulatory reporting, and will address, for the first time, how to harmonize and integrate these two distinct ESG reporting worlds, which have disparities that are undermining global capital markets. Registration fee discounts of 40% are available for a limited time.

Speakers include:

• Pietro Bertazzi, Senior Manager for Policy and Government Affairs, GRI
• Hank Boerner, Chairman, Governance & Accountability Institute
• Brian Rice, Portfolio Manager, Sustainability Risk Management Team Leader, CalSTRS
• Sanford Lewis, Counsel, Investor Environmental Health Network
• Christine Rhodes, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young LLP
• Linda Lowson, Esq., CEO, Global ESG Regulatory Academy™

3 Reasons Why You Should Attend:

1. Exclusive, Authoritative Source and Venue for this Global ESG Regulatory and Reporting Education: This must-have knowledge and practical guidance is not available anywhere else. CSR Insight™ is the only organization worldwide that has conducted a five-year Research Program which included comprehensive, drill-down legal, accounting, and technical analyses of all major global ESG voluntary and regulatory reporting regimes. This is the future of financial reporting, affecting every global capital market participant.
2. Gain Essential Knowledge to Avoid Serious Liabilities: Whether you are a C-Suite, Board, Finance, Legal, Audit, Risk, Compliance, Strategy, Sustainability, Analyst, Researcher, Asset Manager, or Asset Owner executive, you need this knowledge and you need it now, to fulfill your job responsibilities and avoid serious liabilities and risks of which you may be unaware. ESG reporting is now a strategic imperative. Be proactive, not reactive, and you will reap the professional and financial rewards.
3. Receive Important Guidance at a Nominal Cost to Fulfill Internal and External Stakeholder Expectations: You will reap the benefits of a five-year, $5.5 million Global ESG Regulatory and Reporting Research Program, quickly, conveniently, and at a nominal cost, including sophisticated technical analyses of both voluntary and regulatory ESG reporting frameworks, translated into simple laymen guidance on understanding, managing, and streamlining these two reporting worlds for maximum benefit and at lowest cost.

Webinars have limited capacity. Early registration is recommended.

Webinars will feature a live Q&A session. All Registrants will receive the archived Webinar recordings and the Webinar presentation handout materials, even if you cannot attend the live Webinars. Don't miss this unique, exciting, and important education!

Also, if you missed our Fall 2012 Webinar Series, it is now available for a limited time at a 40% discount: SEC ESG Compliance: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

This Series provides an in-depth explanation and the first-ever analysis of SEC ESG Requirements, Liabilities, and Risks for the C-Suite, the Board, the External Auditor, and the Asset Manager.

For Speaker, Sponsor, and Registration Queries: Contact Linda Lowson, Esq. at inquiry@globalregulatoryacademy.com.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to invite you to join a select group of economic, business and political decision makers and participate in the fourth edition of the Zermatt Summit, 20-21 June 2013.

Our theme for this year is Business & NGOs: Building partnerships of winners.

The Zermatt Summit was created in 2010 as a platform to promote a constructive, action-oriented dialogue between civil society and business. It is our conviction that it is through this kind of dialogue and through a better interaction between civil society, business and governments that we will be able to achieve a more inclusive globalization.

I am looking forward to the pleasure of welcoming you personally to the Zermatt Summit in June. In the meantime, should you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms Jacqui Manini (jacqui.manini@zermattsummit.org) or Mr Stephane Barbot-Maire (sbm@smadja.ch). Both will be pleased to assist you.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher Wasserman, President

For more information and early bird registration, visit www.zermattsummit.org.

View the program here, http://bit.ly/10cuf7i.

GreenBiz is bringing their international VERGE conference series to Boston, May 13-14, and is offering CSRwire members a special discount.

VERGE conferences have traveled the globe with events in Shanghai, London, Washington DC, and San Francisco. VERGE Boston will bring together the emerging ecosystem of companies, products, and services at the convergence of energy, information, building and transportation technologies. It’s a great opportunity to get out of your silo and see what happens when people, technologies, and ideas converge.

VERGE conferences feature thought leaders from a wide variety of sectors, and include fresh perspectives on the innovative ideas, business opportunities and enabling technologies shaping our future. It's a big picture focus, targeting executives and senior management with opportunities to learn and discuss real world challenges and what the future holds within the VERGE domains: M2M/Internet of Things, Data: Big; Open and Shared; Smarter Supply Chains; Next-Gen Buildings; Future Cities; Intelligent Transportation; New Energy Systems.

The fantastic lineup of speakers includes: Kathrin Winkler, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, EMC Corporation; Mary Fisher, Carbon Master, Stonyfield; Douglas Gensler, Principal and Managing Director, Gensler; Heather Henriksen, Director of the Office for Sustainability, Harvard University; Cheryl Martin, Deputy Director for Commercialization, ARPA-E, U.S. Department of Energy; Jason Jay, Director, Sustainable Business and Society, MIT; Brian Swett, Chief of Environment and Energy, City of Boston; Victoria Mills, Managing Director, Corporate Partnerships Program, EDF.

Visit the event program for even more speakers.

CSRwire members recieve a special discount! Use our 10% off priority discount code (VBOSCSRwire) when you register here: www.greenbiz.com/events/verge/2013/05/boston.

The fourth North American edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will take place in New York City on 16-18 May 2013.

Focal themes of this new edition are novel green ingredients, marketing developments and consumer behavior. For the first time, a summit will look at ways of reducing the environmental footprint of cosmetic products by using green ingredients and encouraging sustainable consumption. With many cosmetic companies preoccupied with ecological impacts, the sustainability initiatives session discusses ways of improving the social footprint of personal care products. How can cosmetic and ingredient firms make a social difference by their products?The summit ends with an interactive workshop that tackles the technical issues associated with using green cosmetic ingredients.

Organized by Organic Monitor, the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is a series of international summits that focuses on the leading issues the beauty industry faces concerning sustainability and ecological products.

The aim of the summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together key stake-holders and debate these major issues in a high-level forum.

More info on: www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com
Email: info@sustainablecosmeticssummit.com
Tel: (44) 20 8567 0788 Fax: (44) 20 8567 7164

Green Festival begins an exciting 2013 season returning to Javits Center North for Earth Day Weekend, April 19-21!

New York Green Festival returns to celebrate community with the largest, most diverse and most trusted place for learning, shopping, networking and having fun.

The Festival will feature favorites, like the organic, vegetarian and vegan food court; the Sierra Club Green Cinema; eco-fashion exhibits; hands-on DIY workshops; live music; an organic beer and wine garden; inspiring keynote presentations and, a nationally renowned Green Marketplace featuring products and services from local, regional and national green and sustainable businesses and organizations.

Learn more here.

Leading investors are rapidly ramping up programs to engage with companies on ESG related risks and opportunities. Much of this important work goes unnoticed because it is conducted privately. How do investors decide to use private rather than public means of engagement? How do investors choose companies for these closed-door dialogues? Most importantly, how are these dialogues influencing investment decisions as well as company practices? Join the conversation that will address these critical questions at the Ceres Conference 2013, and ask your questions in real time via Twitter.

Check out the entire conference program and agenda here.

Why Should You Attend The Ceres Conference?

Hear from previous conference attendees about why they attend the Ceres Conference every year in the video below.

Join us at the Ceres Conference 2013 to connect with fellow leaders creating the innovative solutions that will build a more sustainable global economy.

Register Now

Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategies to Create Business and Social Value will take place from September 25-28, 2013 on the HBS Campus.

Participants will learn to align CSR with business strategy by defining priorities, integrating social responsibility into business structure and managing risk.

To learn more and apply, visit here.

The Spring of Sustainability brings 60 “stars” of sustainability to a global audience in a mix of free teleseminar, web and live events spanning the Spring of 2013: April 2 - June 14.

Join world-class leaders like Bill McKibben, Mike Brune, Vandana Shiva, Dennis Kucinich, Frances Moore-Lappe, Joanna Macy and dozens more – in the Spring of Sustainability 2013.

Learn more here.