International Working Group: Events

The IWG annually hosts a Spring and a Fall Symposium for members to get together, discuss opportunities and developments in international socially responsible investing, and hear from invited speakers about up-and-coming issues of concern.

2008 Fall Symposium

“Supply Chain Management—New Perspectives”

This pre-conference event to the 19th Annual SRI in the Rockies conference will be held at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, in British Columbia beginning October 25, 2008 at 2:00pm PST and ending the following day at 3:00pm PST, before the full SRI in the Rockies conference commences. Panel discussions will highlight the progress and setbacks seen within this particular area of business over the past several years, with a more in-depth understanding of the new sectors addressing supply chain issues.

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Agenda - Panel and Speakers

Saturday October 25th

2:00              Registration & Welcome

2:15 – 3:15    Supply Chains – Overview and Update

How have companies adapted their supply chain management strategies in recent years? Several business sectors have been working to address and prevent problems in their supply chains, but what new areas have experienced pressure for more stringent oversight? In addition to these questions, an expert opinion will discuss recent progress and setbacks observed by business associations, human rights organizations, and other stakeholders.

3:15 – 3:45       Supplier Code of Conduct for the Property Service Sector

           Ashley Hamilton, Research Analyst, SHARE

Vancouver-based SHARE, which provides investors with active ownership services, will present its recent work developing a Canadian supplier code of conduct for the commercial property sector. Based on collaboration with several stakeholder initiatives, the code establishes guidelines for responsible employment practices and labor contracting policies.

3:45 – 5:00      A Conversation with Global SIFs

          Melissa Brown, ASrIA
          Matt Christensen, Eurosif (invited)
          Eugene Ellmen, SIO (invited)
          KoSIF representative (invited)
_ _ ___ Lisa Woll, SIF

Regional SIF leaders will come together in a roundtable setting to discuss current issues affecting the state of play in their portion of the world relating to sustainability and ESG issues. This will include exploring the very language that is used to describe sustainability and the different corporate engagement styles. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear how global initiatives have promoted greater trans-national collaboration between practitioners.

5:00 – 7:00     Networking Reception

Sunday October 26th

8:30 – 8:45     Breakfast

8:45 – 9:00     Opening and Welcome

9:00 – 9:45     Asian Perspectives on Supply Chain Issues

           Melissa Brown, ASrIA
           KoSIF (invited)

As the region continues to strengthen in a global setting, Asian companies continue to question the merits of changing a successful business model. Melissa Brown, Executive Director of ASrIA, will give a briefing on supply chain management from an Asian standpoint given the range of ESG engagement efforts encountered in the extractive resources and manufacturing industries.

9:45 – 11:00    Fair Trade Through the Supply Chain

          Daniel Stokes, Transfair USA
          Lindsey Bolger, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
          Ben & Jerry’s (invited)
          Divine Chocolate (invited)

Panelists will discuss Fair Trade certification, a market-based program that is benefiting farmers in the developing world by giving them access to major retailers. Investors will gain a better understanding the challenges corporations face when integrating Fair Trade goods. Are alternative routes and/or proprietary certification schemes required and effective? How can lessons learned be applied to other sectors?

11:00 – 11:15  Break 

11:15 – 12:30  Greening Supply Chains

           Miranda Anderson, Wal-Mart
           Tod Arbogast, Director, Sustainable Business, Dell
           Jacob Park, Assoc. Prof. of Business Strategy and Sustainability, Green Mountain College

Once a trend, incorporating “green strategies” into one’s core business is becoming increasingly widespread. Requiring suppliers and vendors to also meet those environmental standards adds another layer of complexity that many businesses are working to address. Panelists will discuss approaches to establishing standards and incentivizing performance among suppliers with respect to environmental practices, sharing examples of new initiatives and collaborative arrangements.

12:30 – 1:30    Lunch: IWG and Member Updates

1:30 – 2:45    Agricultural Supply Chains – Do Best Practices Exist?

Patricia Jurewicz, Associate Director, As You Sow
Heather White, New Standard
Richard Liroff, Investor Environmental Health Network
Gene Kahn, General Mills (invited)

The agricultural industry faces the scrutiny of investors and consumers toemploy best practices.Increasingly global and complex supply chains provide challenges for companiesas they try tomanage costs of production,environmental impacts and relations with workers.Panelists will discuss a range of issues and potential solutions related to these challenges.

2:45 – 3:00       Wrap Up and Close