From June 30 to July 2, “some of the world’s leading voices in sustainability” will gather in the capital for the Lisbon Sustainability Week.
Organized by the Center for Sustainable Finance and by the Center for Responsible Business and Leadership at Católica-Lisbon SBE, in partnership with Fundação Santander Portugal and SONAE MC, the initiative aims to promote “concrete solutions to accelerate the sustainable transition and reinforce the role of organizations in building a more resilient, competitive and inclusive economy,” the entities said in a statement.
Over three days, the conference will bring together more than 50 business leaders, academics, investors, representatives of public institutions, and international experts to discuss core topics such as responsible leadership, sustainable investing, biodiversity, natural capital, climate finance, and carbon neutrality.
Among the main speakers the organizers highlight Robert F. Engle, Nobel Prize in Economics in 2003; John Elkington, founder of Volans and recognized as one of the leading drivers of corporate sustainability at the global level; Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Oxford; Christine Schliesser, ethics and sustainability expert at the University of Zurich; and Humberto Delgado Rosa, former director for Natural Capital at the European Commission.
“Sustainability has ceased to be merely a compliance or reputational agenda. Today it is a matter of competitiveness, of innovation and value creation,” declares Filipe Santos, Dean of Católica-Lisbon SBE.
The responsible official says that “Lisbon Sustainability Week brings together some of the world’s leading specialists precisely to discuss how to accelerate this transformation.”
The first day of the conference, under the theme “Building and Financing Successful Sustainable Business,” will be devoted to the role of companies and financing in creating sustainable value. The session will feature contributions from John Elkington and Cameron Hepburn, as well as debates on responsible leadership, corporate transformation, and sustainable investment, involving representatives from organizations such as BlackRock, L’Oréal, Fidelidade, Grupo Casais, LightSourceBP and Banco Santander Portugal.
The day will also be marked by the ECGI Wallenberg Lecture, featuring Robert F. Engle, Nobel Prize in Economics and Finance Professor at New York University, considered one of the most influential figures in research on financial risk and markets.
The second day, under the theme “Nature Positive: From Thinking to Acting,” will be dedicated to integrating biodiversity and natural capital into business strategies.
“At a moment when nature is taking an increasingly central role in sustainability and investment agendas, the program will address topics such as biodiversity, markets for externalities, corporate accountability and the regulatory framework,” the organizers say in a note.
The agenda includes practical cases presented by organizations such as REN, Esporão and Fundação Faya, as well as a reflection on the role of boards of directors in incorporating sustainability and biodiversity into strategic decision-making processes.
The third and final day, “Delivering Climate Neutrality,” will take place at the Beato Innovation District and will be devoted to the role of cities in achieving carbon neutrality. The debates will focus on mobilizing investment for municipal climate projects, on financing solutions to accelerate the urban transition, and on examples of innovation developed by entities such as CARRIS, the Porto Energy Agency, Grupo Casais, FC Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal, and S.L. Benfica.
The initiative closes with a reflection on the role of cities, companies and financial institutions in accelerating the sustainable transition, reinforcing Lisbon’s ambition to position itself as one of Europe’s principal hubs for debate and action in matters of sustainability.
