March 19, 2025

tribeca rooftop NYC

In an era where sustainability commitments are at the forefront of business strategies and public discourse, the gap between ambition and measurable progress is glaring.

Companies, leaders, and industries are setting bold goals, yet the tangible outcomes often fall short. Why does this disconnect persist? SJ’s Sustainability Summit will dive into what’s holding organizations back from turning pledges into meaningful, scalable action.

Photos from 2024's Sustainability Summit

Letter from the Editor

Ambition vs. Action.

That’s the theme of this year’s Sourcing Journal Sustainability Summit.

But here’s what we really want to know. As more and more companies fall short of their own green targets, where should the blame lie? Were those targets intentionally “aspirational?” Is the challenge to meet them simply greater than anticipated? Was it a subtle form of greenwashing?

My personal feeling is that it’s a mixture of all of the above. At its core, I do believe that our industry and the companies that make it run want to do better for people and the environment. I also believe that that ambition and the reality of maximizing profit often run contradictory to one another. So how do we bridge that divide?

Join us on March 19 in New York City as we gather the leading experts in our industry to discuss this and so much more.

We are honored to have Ken Pucker set the stage for the day as our keynote speaker. Long an outspoken voice regarding our industry’s challenges and shortfalls, Ken is keenly aware of the scope of the problem and the fact that most companies have “already done the highest return things that they can do and are finding out it's harder and harder the more progress they make.”

We will also host in-depth panels and conversations on EPR, traceability, circularity, next-gen materials, the problem of scale, the benefits of collaboration and so much more. There will of course be ample networking breaks and opportunities to reconnect with your colleagues and even make some new friends.

It’s hard, particularly at this moment in time, to be optimistic about our ability to truly change the system. But failure is, quite literally, not an option. That’s why this discussion is so critical. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with the industry’s leading voices, gain fresh insights, and help shape the path forward. Secure your spot today—I look forward to seeing you there.

Register now and be part of the conversation that will shape the future of sustainability.

Peter Sadera

Editor in Chief

Sourcing Journal

TOPICS

  • Next-Gen Materials: From Vision to Viability
  • The Legislative Landscape: Navigating Policy to Drive Progress
  • The Worker Welfare Conundrum: Closing the Gap in Social Sustainability
  • Understanding EPR: Extended Producer Responsibility Unpacked
  • Certification and Mitigation: Building Credibility Through Action

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Industry-expert details on how they are navigating the daunting challenge of becoming more sustainable.
  • Real talk with brands and retailers as to how close (or far) they are in achieving their goals.
  • Insights into the technologies, services and developments aiding companies in their plight to achieve their aggressive sustainability targets.
  • Networking with like-minded individuals who are working to sift through the noise and the inundation of information to help their companies become not only more sustainable, but also more financially prosperous.

Who Should Attend

 

  • You are a CEO who needs better visibility into what sustainability means for your entire operation 
  • You are a sourcing manager responsible for raw material procurement for your organization who is curious about the latest innovations in alternative textiles and raw materials 
  • You are an executive seeking clarity on what existing (and potential) legislations mean for your brand
  • You are a creative director designing with circularity in mind
  • You are a logistics executive searching for more sustainable solutions
  • You are a CFO weighing the cost vs. benefits of green investments
  • You want to understand the nuances, challenges and solutions of recycling 
  • You are a compliance executive trying to create full transparency along the supply chain 
  • You are interested in how technology can help address and solve complex sustainability issues
  • You want to know what’s next in sustainable fashion

 

 

Agenda

Note: Timing subject to change
Breakfast & Registration8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Block I9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Morning Break10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Block II11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Lunch12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Block III1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Afternoon Break3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Block IV3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Cocktails & Networking5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Keynote Speaker

4 Questions with Kenneth Pucker

Sourcing Journal’s Sustainability Summit will explore the gap between ambition and action. Ahead of his keynote at our Sustainability Summit, Sourcing Journal caught up with Tufts University professor and former Timberland chief operating officer Kenneth Pucker to get his take on the divide between goals and progress.

 

 

On the divergent priorities between business operations and sustainability: “The rules and incentives of our system demand increasing revenue, profit and cash flow. If you're the chief sustainability officer or the chief sourcing officer, and everything is geared towards 'more,' you already have a profound challenge on your hands, because less damaging typically means less. So the engine is pushing towards more and you're trying to minimize damage—that already creates an immense challenge. What makes it harder is that your voice isn't as important as that of the CFO.”

On the challenge of making the business case for sustainability: “Folks have been writing and saying for years that green leads to gold, that there's lots of opportunities to deliver win-win solutions. If we trade out incandescent light bulbs for LED bulbs, the planet's better and our bottom line is better. If we eliminate waste and improve our cutting yields in a factory, the planet’s better, our margin is improved. If we swap to machinery that's more efficient and less polluting, it is a win-win. It's true that such opportunities do exist, but they're not the majority opportunities. The majority of investments in sustainability are net present value (NPV) negative, meaning they over time won’t deliver the promised win-win. It becomes challenging for CSOs to ‘make the business case for sustainability’ if the investments don't have a positive payback and they're competing with other investments that do.”

On brands’ approach to rapidly approaching 2030 goals: “Many of the companies that were front-and-center leaders of sustainable practice have retreated from prior commitments, and it's for a host of reasons. 2030 is closer, and they're doing the math and figuring out they can't get there. Second, they've probably already done the highest return things that they can do and finding out it's harder and harder the more progress they make and cost more and more. Third, there are increasing amounts of regulations to prevent greenwashing. If I have the threat of being sued, I might want to be more careful about what I'm saying I'm doing.”

On the need for legislation: “Sustainable practice is often undertaken by the same 10 brands. They're doing their best, and they’re doing it voluntarily, but they're less than 1 percent of the total production of our industry. If we want the industry overall to clean up, that's insufficient. In order to have a profound impact, we need everyone to lift the floor.”

 

FEATURED Speakers

ticket Rates

SUBSCRIBER

$799

NON-SUBSCRIBER

$949

PARTNERS

Venue

Tribeca Rooftop

2 Desbrosses St, New York, NY

Brands who have attended

Contact Us

Event Sponsorship

Melissa Rocco

SVP Sales

mrocco@fairchildfashion.com

Attendee Inquiries

Lauren Simeone

Senior Director, Audience and Business Development

lsimeone@fairchildfashion.com

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