A Look at the 2013 Asean Corporate Sustainability Summit APEX Global

A Convergence of Sustainable Minds - the first-ever 2013 ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Summit in Manila, Philippines last April 4-5, 2013. The event showcased 44 speakers from 11 countries and brought together over 200 sustainability practitioners from the ASEAN region.

'We wanted to connect a community of sustainability practitioners who will steward not just their companies but the extended community; and create a shared value by mainstreaming sustainability in their operations and relations with the community.'

The rise of Sustainability Headwinds, such as Climate Change, Globalization, the Digital Explosion and Population Growth, has created a notable rise in the number of companies that are implementing sustainability initiatives. Yet despite this encouraging progress, there is still a clear need for companies to weave sustainability initiatives into the fabric of their long-term strategy, finance and core operations as a means to not only survive, but succeed in their fields – this was the resounding message in the first-ever ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Summit, which was held at the Mandarin Oriental, Manila on April 4-5, 2013.

The theme of the summit this year was “Shifting Gears. Mainstreaming Sustainability.” as the aim of the event is to empower companies to shift their outlook on sustainability, from just a separate initiative, into a key part of their core strategy and operations. Organized by APEX Global, the learning solutions arm of ECCI, the summit fulfilled its purpose of cultivating an exchange of ideas by bringing together 44 speakers from 11 countries, who imparted how they have made an impact through sustainability, to the over 200 delegates from the ASEAN region who attended.
Highlights of the summit include a preview of the GRI:G4 Reporting guidelines by Dr. Aditi Haldar, director of GRI Focal Point (India); and Dr. Reiner Hengstmann, global director of PUMASafe Supply chain, who presented Puma’s award-winning Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) statement. Local industry leaders from the Philippines, namely: the Ayala Group through its subsidiaries - BPI, Globe Telecom and Manila Water; the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), TeaM Energy and Petron were also among the notable speakers at the summit, sharing their sustainability commitment to the delegates. The summit was augmented into three stream sessions: Stakeholder Engagement for Value Creation, Governance & Strategy, and Competitiveness through Innovation, providing the delegates with a good mix of discussions on implementing sustainability into their core operations.

“We wanted to connect a community of sustainability practitioners who will steward not just their companies but the extended community; and create a shared value by mainstreaming sustainability in their operations and relations with the community,” ECCI Country Manager Karthik Subburaman noted of the success of the event.

APEX Global is now working on next year’s event, the 2014 ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Summit and Awards, which will continue its legacy of providing relevant and engaging topics while also creating an avenue to recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact in their fields through their commitment to sustainability. For more information on the upcoming summit and of APEX Global’s other events and projects, visit their website at http://www.eccigroup.com.