The CGF Sustainable Retail Summit Heads to Lisbon

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The Consumer Goods Forum

07 Aug, 2018, 13:55 GMT

PARIS, August 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Consumer Goods Forum once again brings together key FMCG experts to discuss solutions to today's leading sustainability issues and share best practices

Topics on the agenda include plastic waste, migrant labour, consumer health, food waste and transparency

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) will be hosting its annual Sustainable Retail Summit (SRS) in Lisbon, Portugal on 25th-26th October. The two-day event, now in its third year, has quickly become an influential addition to the FMCG calendar for those organisations looking to drive positive change and support sustainable business practices that benefit people and planet, as well as business. Bringing key industry experts and stakeholders together to explore solutions, share best practices and create global networks that are a force for good, the 2018 edition will see an even stronger focus on behaviour change, transparency, innovation and technology, and how these topics cut across all areas of sustainable business.

     (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/556222/The_Consumer_Goods_Forum_Logo.jpg )

The SRS will once again provide insights into how organisations are working collaboratively to overcome today's leading sustainability and health challenges, including food waste, deforestation, consumer health and forced labour. And, new to the agenda this year, solid waste and plastics. Never has this topic been more front and centre and you'll hear first‐hand how our industry is looking to do its part to protect the oceans and shift towards a circular economy. Delegates will also be treated to insights from the BBC's Blue Planet II team, who will be sharing their learnings from filming the award-winning TV programme. Discussions will also address how the CGF's newly-launched Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative is best-placed to support the development of socially and environmentally responsible supply chains and ensure trust in sustainability standards worldwide.

And, back by popular demand, the SRS's interactive workshops return, as does the impressive list of CEO speakers who will ensure delegates understand what it means to drive positive change from the top down. There will also be ample networking time for delegates to get together and develop global networks of like-minded industry peers.

The event is open to both members and non-members of The Consumer Goods Forum and will take place at the Dom Pedro Lisboa. It will bring together 300 change agents from the private sector, government and civil society. Speakers include:

  • Fernando Manuel Ferreira Araújo, Secretary of State for Health, Portuguese Government
  • Hans Van Bylen, CEO, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
  • Mike Coupe, CEO, Sainsbury's
  • John Ross, President & CEO, IGA, Inc.
  • Peter Freedman, Managing Director, The Consumer Goods Forum
  • Alice Webb, BBC TV Executive and James Honeyborne, Executive Producer, Blue Planet II
  • Susana Correia de Campos, Head of Employee Relations & Internal Social Responsibility, Jerónimo Martins
  • Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business, Marks and Spencer
  • Isabelle Grosmaitre, Alimentation Initiative Catalyst, Danone
  • Demir Aytaç, Chief Human Resources Officer, Migros Ticaret A.S.
  • Hugo Byrnes, VP Product Integrity, Ahold Delhaize
  • Solitaire Townsend, Co-Founder of Futerra. Author of The Happy Hero - How to Change Your Life by Changing the World
  • Tiago Pitta e Cunha, CEO, Oceano Azul Foundation
  • Barry Parkin, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, Mars, Incorporated

Peter Freedman, Managing Director, The Consumer Goods Forum, said, "The Sustainable Retail Summit is a great example of what makes the CGF unique. Led by the industry's CEOs, the CGF is all about collaboration to implement positive change at scale on issues that consumers care about. The SRS addresses the issues Millennials and younger consumers care most about - a healthy and sustainable future. It makes collaboration easier, by bringing together leaders, not just practitioners from multiple stakeholders for two concentrated days of inspiration and best practice sharing."

Pedro Soares dos Santos, Chairman and CEO of Jerónimo Martins, said, "Today's pressing challenges cannot be addressed by one company on its own. Plastics, waste, deforestation, forced labour, health through food and the role that digital tools can play in promoting a more sustainable use of our planets' resources demand for a collective effort. Regardless of where we operate our businesses, we are all exposed to globalisation through our supply chains and therefore we need to be ready to embrace complexity and act together to make positive change happen in the world. This is exactly where the Sustainable Retail Summit becomes an unmissable opportunity to engage in transformational discussions and build a common roadmap for a better future."

About The Consumer Goods Forum 

​The Consumer Goods Forum ("CGF") is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.