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Greenwashing versus verified sustainability
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Credibility and transparency as fundamental challenge
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EUR 600 billion potential for worldwide sustainability market
The 1st International Conference on Sustainable Production, Trade, Consumption and Lifestyle takes place in CongressCenter Ost of NürnbergMesse from 17-18 February 2009, before the world-leading exhibition BioFach. The event offers participants from all over the world an ideal forum for obtaining information and exchanging views on sustainable management especially from the aspect of verifiability. Credibility and transparency are important principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is a matter of distinguishing between real sustainability and greenwashing. Consumers should have improved means of verifying how companies accept social responsibility in their CSR policy.
“The World Organic Trade Fair BioFach takes place in 2009 for the twentieth time. NürnbergMesse as organizer has already proved its know-how in this market. The whole organic world meets here every year. The International Sustainability Conference extends our expertise in this sector,” says Claus Rättich, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse. “We would like to offer the industry an international platform and sound out its needs in the field of sustainability and CSR.”
“Besides exchanging information and presenting successful case studies, we want to analyse ways of certifying and verifying sustainability. The conference focuses on issues such as setting up sustainable procurement chains for raw materials, product development and integrated corporate solutions,” explains Udo Censkowsky of consultant Organic Services, one of the conference organizers.
The conference is intended for buyers, product managers and procurement managers for consumer goods and services from trade, industry and official agencies, manufacturers and producers, international and national trade promotion organizations, CSR managers, scientists and researchers. The conference programme covers a broad spectrum and invites experts to the Nürnberg venue from all over the world. “We are delighted to have obtained the services of competent and noted speakers for our project, such as Prof. Klaus Töpfer, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, and Renate Künast, parliamentary party leader of the Greens and former German Minister of Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Well-known companies like Kraft Foods, Faber Castell, KPMG, Tschibo, Puma and Swiss COOP have also confirmed their contributions,” says Bernward Geier, COLABORA.
More information about the conference is available at: www.sustainability-conference.de
Contact for participants: Organic Services GmbH, Mildred Steidle, Tel + 49 (0) 89. 820 759 08, Fax + 49 (0) 89. 820 759 19, sustainability-conference@organic-services.com
Contact for programme: Organic Services GmbH, Udo Censkowsky, Tel + 49 (0) 89. 820 759 02, COLABORA , Bernward Geier, Tel + 49 (0) 22 45. 61 86 52
Contact for press and media: NürnbergMesse GmbH, Barbara Böck, Ellen Rascher, Tel +49 (0) 9 11. 86 06-83 28, Fax +49 (0) 9 11. 86 06-82 56, ellen.rascher@nuernbergmesse.de
