Proof of Progress: How collaboration along value chains drives resilience and sustainability

Purpose & Context:

The EU Sustainable Finance agenda is entering a new phase. We are shifting from ambitious policy design to real-world implementation. Recent policy developments such as CSRD, CSDDD, SFDR, EUDR and beyond are reshaping how finance accelerates the transition. This is a crucial point in time, because change happens when policy intent moves to practical implementation efforts.

Now, businesses, financial institutions and governments are rolling up their sleeves and showing how implementing key Green Deal policies works in practice. We showcase achievements and demonstrate in a practical manner what becomes possible when firms drive the transition forward together. By sharing insights, participants will show hands-on how sustainability initiatives foster business resilience and sustainability.

The event marks the final milestone of our pilot projects Making Sustainable Finance Work (funded by the Mercator Foundation) and Changing the Narrative (funded by DBU). The projects focused on the food sector and textile sector, but we are open to conversations about other sectors, too. This is an opportunity to carry findings forward and scale them up. 

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AGENDA

13:30–14:00 | ARRIVAL

14:00–14:30 | OPENING

Welcome by the Master of Ceremony
Sven Saekert, Saekert Consuting

Welcome by the European Commission

Welcome by the Mercator Foundation

Setting the Scene
Theresa Spandel & Raphael Tietmeyer, Climate & Company

Keynote: Nature as a Reliable Partner – How Companies Are Shaping the Future Together
Gyde Wollesen, followfood

14:30–15:00 | POLITICAL KEYNOTE & Q&A
Sven Gentner, DG FISMA, European Commission

Political perspectives on the EU Sustainable Finance agenda

15:00–16:00 | SOLUTIONS LABS

Three parallel breakout sessions focus on companies, banks and workforce development. The final design may change according to speaker preferences and relevance. Each attendee will have a spot in one of the breakout sessions, but preferred sessions are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Register early to secure your choice: Solutions Labs Breakout Room Selection.

Sharing the Success Stories of Sustainability Frontrunners:
with Julian Deventer, Head of Impact at followfood; Jannik Rau, Managing Director of Rau Workplace Solutions; Katarin Wagner, Managing Director of econsense, Fritz Trienekens, Sustainability Reporting Expert at Climate & Company

Learn from companies that have put their sustainability goals into practice. Frontrunners share what worked, which hurdles they overcame, and what it takes to scale their solutions along the value chain. Together, we identify proven approaches and lay the groundwork for future collaboration.

From Transition Plans to Financing:
with Marie-Christin Lender, Sustainability Expert at Berliner Volksbank; Claudia Kister, Sustainable Finance Director at Association of German Banks, Session support: Malte Hessenius, Data and Transition Finance Lead at Climate & Company

Transition plans often fail without financing, yet many small and medium-sized companies struggle to access it, while banks explore how transformation along companies’ value chains can become bankable. Set against a real-life example of a mid-sized company, participants develop practical recommendations and carry them into the fishbowl discussion.

Accelerating the Transition through Workforce Planning:
with Johanna Kropp, CEO & Founder of Peaking Potential

Every strategy needs execution to be successful. This session provides a concrete methodology and mind-set for how to translate the business plan into workforce strategies and actions, to ensure the organisation has the right people with the right competencies to execute the business strategy. This session will address both the structural and cultural challenges to align people and business goals and will provide inspiration for how to make change happen for real – and in an engaging way!

16:00–16:30 | COFFEE BREAK & EXHIBITION
Recharge and explore our exhibition of sustainability success stories: hands-on examples and case studies from the food and textile sectors that show how sustainability management works in practice.

16:30–17:30 | FISHBOWL DISCUSSION
with Katarin Wagner, Managing Director of econsense; Claudia Kister, Sustainable Finance Director at Association of German Banks; Johanna Kropp, CEO & Co-Founder of Peaking Potential, Sven Saekert, Communications Consultant and Moderator at Saekert Consulting

“What measures do we need to accelerate the transition?” Insights from the Solutions Labs meet the whole room: chairs from business, banking and workforce perspectives one free seat for spontaneous contributions from the audience.

17:30–18:00 | CLOSING
with Ingmar Juergens,  CEO Europe of Climate & Company & TBD
Moderated discussion, key takeaways & next steps

18:00–20:00 | NETWORKING & EXHIBITION
Drinks, finger food, conversations, and the exhibition open all evening.

REGISTRATION
Spots are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests can register here.

LANGUAGE: English