• Program 2008-09

Market Transformation and Sustainability

Date: 

November 18, 2008

Time: 

6-8 pm

Venue: 

Smith Barney 345 Park Avenue New York NY

The leading barrier to sustainability is market failure. When proper prices are not attached to shared natural resources, these can be treated as free inputs for production or unrestrained consumption-a classic case of tragedy of the commons. When the resources are clean air and access to water, the effects can be felt on a global scale, requiring innovative approaches that go beyond national regulations. The Kyoto Protocol, ratified by more than 170 countries (one notable exception being the United States), highlights the necessity of market transformation by promoting market mechanisms, such as carbon trading, to reduce green house gasses worldwide. For non-compliant factories, is zero-tolerance the best answer, or is cooperative remediation better? What role can long-term partnerships play in solving supply-chain issues, or preventing them before they happen? The panel will consider whether, overall, corporations have truly created sustainable improvements in their supply chains.

Moderator: 

Michael Gresty, President, Kinetix

Panelists: 

Jonathan Diorio, Vice President, DWS Investments; William McInerney, Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft