Agenda
Monday, October 28
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10:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
Nike Headquarters TourTake a tour around Nike's World Headquarters. Sign up to attend during registration. |
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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |
Registration and Lunch |
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1:00 PM – 1:20 PM |
Keynote AddressPRESENTER:
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1:20 PM – 3:00 PM |
Startup Network Pitch PresentationsSESSION SPONSOR:
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3:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Networking Break |
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3:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
Startup Network Pitch PresentationsSESSION SPONSOR:
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4:30 PM – 6:00 PM |
Networking Event: Brainstorm, Bond, and Build |
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6:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
Welcome Reception at Nike |
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8:00 AM – 8:45 AM |
Light Breakfast with Refreshments |
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8:45 AM – 9:10 AM |
Opening RemarksPRESENTER:
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9:10 AM – 9:40 AM |
Keynote AddressPRESENTER:
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9:40 AM – 11:10 AM |
Session 1: Value chain barriers and opportunities in the transition to safer and more sustainable chemicals and productsAlthough often guided by similar sustainability goals, each part in the chemical supply chain has its own drivers, including chemical manufacturers, formulators, brands, and retailers. Misunderstanding around customer and supplier’s challenges and needs along the value chain can lead to frustration and delay the widespread implementation of more sustainable chemistries. During this session, we will uncover and discuss drivers and challenges to grow understanding across the supply chain on strategies to grow sustainable chemistry implementation and adoption. The cost of sustainable products, timelines, and collaborations needed to develop and implement new technologies will be discussed. MODERATOR: PRESENTERS:
SESSION SPONSOR:
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11:10 AM – 11:30 AM |
Networking Break |
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11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
Session 2: Defossilization & detoxification: necessary partnersAs the world races to reduce carbon emissions, the chemical industry is exploring alternative feedstocks, energy sources, and processes to effectively defossilize the supply chain. With net-zero goals quickly approaching, concerns have arisen around some alternatives being advanced too quickly without adequate consideration of trade-offs to different communities or the environment. In the past, this has led to regrettable solutions, such as CFCs to HCFCs and BPA to BPS. To be sustainable, defossilized solutions should also strive to reduce toxicity and emissions to consumers, communities, workers, and the environment. In this session, panelists will discuss how both can be prioritized in government and private sector policies and collaborations to achieve win-win long term sustainable chemistry solutions. MODERATOR: PRESENTERS:
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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM |
Lunch |
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2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Session 3: Creating supportive incentives and funding for innovation, scale and adoption of sustainable chemicalsLeveraging public-private investments and incentives have been critical to advancing climate neutrality. While both the government and private sector increasingly understand the reputational, regulatory, and litigation risks associated with chemical pollution, they have not yet espoused a coordinated approach to financing chemical solutions. Nonetheless, in certain areas, such as sustainable aviation fuels, there are clear and focused investments and incentives to drive scale. This panel will discuss the key investment and incentives needed to accelerate scale in sustainable chemistry from early-stage academic research to deployment and facility construction that addresses both climate and toxicity impact. This panel will explore needed steps in advancing patient capital and incentives along the investment continuum for sustainable chemistry that can more effectively grow the next generation of safer, more sustainable chemicals and materials. MODERATOR: Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry PRESENTERS:
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3:30 PM – 4:00 PM |
Networking Break |
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM |
Session 4: Building and empowering champions to institutionalize sustainable chemistry in organizationsThe reputation, trust, and sustainability of a company or product is becoming an increasingly important consideration for investors and in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Yet, while these drivers may be understood at the C-Suite or sustainability department levels, they may not permeate through the entire organization, particularly to those making business, purchasing, and production decisions. Building stronger connections across units within companies and empowering champions at multiple levels is critical to institutionalizing change. During this session, leaders from companies across the value chain will discuss successes, key needs, and opportunities to better institutionalize sustainable chemistry as a key sustainability priority and develop a sustainability-minded workforce. MODERATOR: Jenny MacKellar, Program Director, Change Chemistry PRESENTERS:
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5:30 PM – 8:00 PM |
Dinner Reception at Nike |
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6:30 AM – 7:00 AM |
Jog with Joel Tickner |
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8:30 AM – 9:00 AM |
Light Breakfast with Refreshments |
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9:00 AM – 9:30 AM |
Keynote AddressPRESENTER:
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9:30 AM – 11:00 AM |
Session 5: Driving innovation in sustainable plastics: opportunities and challenges across the life cycleGiven increasing attention to the impacts of plastics from extraction through end of life, retailers and brands are under increasing pressure to reduce the use of certain plastics, substitute chemicals of concern used as additives, and increase materials recyclability. Further, in its Bold Goals for the Bioeconomy, the Biden Administration set a goal of replacing 90% of plastics with biobased materials within the next 20 years. Meeting these demands and goals is complex given that each step in the chemical supply chain has its own drivers, including producers, formulators, brands, and retailers. Misunderstanding challenges, needs, and incentives along the value chain can lead to frustration and delay the widespread implementation of sustainable chemistry solutions. During this session, we will uncover and discuss drivers and challenges to grow understanding across the supply chain on strategies to grow sustainable chemistry implementation and adoption. The cost of sustainable products, timelines and costs needed to develop and implement new technologies, incentives, and more will be discussed. MODERATOR: PRESENTERS:
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11:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
Networking Break |
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11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
Session 6: AI as an enabler of safer and more sustainable chemicals and productsArtificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly powerful tool to advance chemical design, for example in advancing bioinformatics and drug design; but its use in in the green and sustainable chemistry fields is still at an early-stage. Nonetheless, a number of research efforts and early stage companies have emerged to harness AI in both molecular design and process efficiency. Yet, there are a number of challenges regarding model reliability, data security, and intellectual property that will need to be explored. This session will explore how AI can be leveraged to accelerate the deployment of more sustainable chemicals and products, using case examples of its application in practice. The barriers, opportunities, and risks of adopting AI throughout the value chain will be considered. MODERATOR: PRESENTERS:
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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM |
Lunch |
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2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Session 7: Scaling sustainable solventsSolvents are powerful chemical tools, used in manufacturing and product formulation. In some cases, using a solvent with specific properties is crucial to the efficacy of a process or product. Yet, several traditional solvents have significant toxicity and sustainability concerns. Despite nearly 30 years of research, supply chain dialogues, and tools for sustainable solvents, cost effective and high-performance sustainable solvents are not widely available in the marketplace. Recent EPA regulatory actions on a number of solvents, such as methylene dichloride, a solvent with widespread application, have led to industry being forced to quickly find an alternative, which without adequate attention may result in regrettable substitutions. Proactively developing and adopting safer, sustainable, and scalable solvents is becoming increasingly important. During this session, panelists will discuss how the value-chain can best drive this transition. MODERATOR: PRESENTERS:
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3:30 PM – 4:00 PM |
Closing Remarks & AdjournPRESENTER:
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