The 2022 Consumer Goods Forum Sustainable Retail Summit has officially kicked off in Amsterdam, focusing on collaborative actions to address today’s biggest sustainability and health challenges.
Senior leaders from across the retail and consumer goods landscape, as well as NGOs and other industry stakeholders, are set to attend the annual event, which runs until Friday (28 October) and features the theme ‘From Conversation to Action: The Transition to Better Business.’
Opening the summit on Wednesday evening, Tobias Wasmuht of SPAR International reiterated the importance of the annual event, saying, “We find ourselves in extremely challenging times, so coming together to find solutions is hugely important.”
Speaker Line-Up
Confirmed speakers at this year’s summit include Frans Muller, president and CEO, Ahold Delhaize; Wai-Chan Chan, managing director, the Consumer Goods Forum; Florence Jeantet, chief sustainability officer, Danone; Nicolas Dhers, CSR director, Scope 3, Carrefour; Anna Turrell, group head of environment, Tesco; Paul Lalli, global head of human rights, the Coca-Cola Company; Christel Delberghe, director general, EuroCommerce; Christina Adane, Youth Board co-chair, BiteBack 2030; Veronika Pountcheva, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB); Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer, Unilever; and many more.
As in years past, ESM: European Supermarket Magazine is a media partner for this year’s summit, and you can keep up to date with the latest goings-on via our Twitter channel, and also the ESM website.
Stay tuned to @esm_magazine’s Twitter channel for the latest updates from the Consumer Goods Forum Sustainable Retail Summit over the next two days: #2022SRS pic.twitter.com/DVR3sQyvSS
— European Supermarket Magazine (@esm_magazine) October 27, 2022
Also, if you’re attending the summit, make sure that you pick up a copy of the latest edition of ESM.
An Urgent Need
Speaking ahead of the summit, Wai-Chan Chan, managing director of the Consumer Goods Forum, said, “Faced with the urgency of the climate crisis – alongside the cost-of-living crisis, supply chain disruption and shifting consumer needs – there has never been a more pressing time for the consumer goods industry to come together to discuss solutions and create a more sustainable, resilient industry that can ensure better business that protects people and planet.”
The event, which is now in its seventh year, will feature a series of keynotes, plenary sessions, expert panels, and interactive breakouts and workshops, seeking to illustrate practical ways that the industry can accelerate change. The venue for the summit is the Hotel Okura, Amsterdam.
Topics will include environmental and social sustainability, leadership and best practice, healthier lives, embedding sustainability across the value chain, technology and innovation, Race to Zero, ESG and reporting, behavioural change, and the consumer landscape.
Tangible Actions
“The intertwined relationship between business, society and the environment is clearer than ever,” Chan added. “Businesses cannot thrive unless the people and places around them are prospering – and events like the Sustainable Retail Summit help ensure this ambition translates into tangible action by bringing together health and sustainability experts to share knowledge and best practices on key issues like the cost-of-living crisis.
“By providing such a platform, we can more effectively find the balance between long-term challenges and short-term constraints, and help ensure business is taking meaningful action.”
For more information, log on to www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/events/sustainable-retail-summit.
Read ESM’s review of last year’s Sustainable Retail Summit, which took place in Paris. Our review of Day One can be found here, and Day Two here.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
