Columbia Global Centers | East Asia and Columbia University’s Earth Institute will host a high-level forum on May 8, 2015, titled “Sustainability Policy and Practice – Promoting a Sustainable Supply Chain.” In partnership with The Sustainability Consortium, the forum will discuss Chinese enterprises’ experiences and strategies in sustainable development, focusing on the supply chain.

In recent years, China has been focused on accelerating its economic development through the four pillars of “Industrialization, Informatization, Urbanization, and Agricultural Modernization.” In March 2015, the pillar of “Greenization” was officially added to this development framework in order to reflect the importance of environmental sustainability to China’s goals of economic progress.  With advanced policy development, sustainability can stimulate huge economic opportunities, investment, and consumer demand. It is in this context that the forum will discuss how green supply chains provide a unique opportunity to bolster Chinese enterprise and create a positive and lasting impact on sustainability in China.

The Earth Institute and the Columbia Global Centers | East Asia will also present their findings from a recent project with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) evaluating TSC’s work in China, which aims to improve the systems and tools for assessing product sustainability. The evaluation team will share lessons learned for promoting a sustainable supply chain in China, specifically relating to establishing partnerships, engaging local stakeholders, and building capacity for Chinese suppliers.

Forum sessions will also cover existing green supply chain policy and standards, present urban sustainability metrics and frameworks, and share international and domestic best practices in sustainability for businesses. Zhang Dawei, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), will give a keynote speech. CCIEE, one of China’s preeminent think tanks, is currently working with the Earth Institute to design a sustainability measurement and metrics system and evaluation framework adapted to specifically to China’s unique economic development situation.

RSVP: http://sustainabilitypolicyforum.eventbrite.com

AGENDA

MORNING SESSION
(Presentations followed by a panel discussion; open to the public)

9:00 AM-9:05 AM  Welcome and Introduction
Joan Kaufman
Director of Columbia Global Centers | East Asia

9:05 AM-9:20 AM  Keynote Speech: Sustainability Policy and Metrics in China – What It Means for the Supply Chain 
Zhang Dawei
Vice Chairman, Executive Deputy Director and Secretary General of China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE); Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Henan Province People’s Congress

9:20 AM-9:35 AM  TSC Sustainability Globalization
Euan Murray
Chief Operating Officer, The Sustainability Consortium (TSC)

9:35 AM-9:50 AM  Sustainability Investing and Finance, and Sustainability Research
Satyajit Bose 
Lecturer in the Discipline of Economics
Associate Director, Master of Science in Sustainability Management, Columbia University

9:50 AM-10:05 AM  Scientific Findings on Product Sustainability
Bi Jun
Dean of School of the Environment, Nanjing University; Cheung Kong Professor of Ministry of Education

10:05 AM-10:25 AM  Sustainability and Smart Cities
Li Tao 
Chair, Director, GCG I&VC Government/Smart City/China Institute of Electronic Government, IBM

10:25 AM-10:35 AM  Coffee Break

10:35 AM-10:50 AM  TSC China Development: China Sustainable Capacity Building Program 
Zhou Weidong
Managing Director of TSC

10:50 AM-11:05 AM  Promoting Supply Chain Sustainability: Lessons from TSC China
Guo Dong 
Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Columbia University

11:05 AM-11:20 AM 
Ma Jun, Director, Institute of Public and Environment Affairs

11:20 AM-12:00 PM  Panel Discussion: Multilateral Cooperation for a Sustainable Future
Moderator: Weidong Zhou
Panelists:  
Columbia University Representative: Satyajit Bose
CCIEE Representative: Zhang Huanbo, Research Associate of CCIEE
TSC Representative: Euan Murray
INGO: Li Rusong, China Programme Director, Carbon Disclosure Project
Domestic NGO:  Zhang Xiaodan, General Manager, China Environmental United Certification Center, MEP (CEC); Ma Jun, Director, Institute of Public and Environment Affairs

AFTERNOON SESSION
(Closed-Door Roundtable; by invitation only) 

1:45 PM-3:30 PM  Afternoon Session I: Sustainability Policy and Standards
3:45 PM-5:30 PM  Afternoon Session II: Best Practices in Business Sustainability