For manufacturers, utilities, and oil and gas companies, energy transition and industrial sustainability are now being woven into the core fabric of business strategies. In parallel, the financial community is moving ahead aggressively to back businesses with sound environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, as climate change is seen as a real risk to the global financial system. How are companies tackling the many, complex threads associated with the energy transition and improved environmental stewardship while also balancing financial performance and ongoing digital transformation?
Sean Bushart will outline how the World Economic Forum, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Accenture are collaborating to develop industrial clusters, which are integrated energy systems. These clusters are geographic areas where co-located companies, representing either a single or multiple industries, can partner to scale, share of risk/resources, aggregate and optimize energy to achieve net-zero emissions goals.
Kelly Lopez will then discuss sustainability-related economic and competitive pressures and the way they are reshaping how major brands view and purchase the products of the manufacturers that serve them. She will outline the reality all manufacturers currently face or will in the near future: the need for more transparency in the products and operations as they relate to the ESG goals of their customers.
A panel will follow featuring senior executives who will share how to identify and consider sustainability strategies, discussing common starting points. workforce issues, and digital technologies key to effective change.