Sustainability Leaders Summit

The summit is sponsored by Suntory and co-hosted by Tak Niinami, CEO of Suntory Holdings, and Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. We’ll be joined by global leaders from multilateral institutions, national governments, and the private sector.

Our objective is ambitious: to define an action-oriented sustainability agenda for governments and the private sector, create more resilient societies, reduce plastic intake, create economic value and boost deterrence capabilities to build a more sustainable world.

Thursday, October 21, 2021
8 am ET / 8 pm SGT

• Asia’s Environmental Impact: Understanding the science behind key climate risks affecting the region and how Asian governments and industry are contributing to both problems and solutions
• Policy Priorities: How are policymakers and global organizations collaborating on climate action, setting and achieving targets, and working towards urgent outcomes?
• Innovation and Asia’s Future: Leading private-sector companies, start-ups and investors discuss technology and innovation’s roles in tackling climate change: Leading private-sector companies, start-ups and investors discuss technology and innovation’s roles in tackling climate change

Speakers:

• Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
• Tak Niinami, CEO, Suntory Holdings
• Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
• Ko Barrett, Vice Chair, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• Shinta Kamdani, CEO, Sintesa Group
• Kevin Rudd, former prime minister, Australia
• Shari Friedman, Managing Director of Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group (moderator)

Friday, October 22, 2021
8 am ET / 8 pm SGT

• Sustainable Plastic: Since its invention, plastic has enabled innovation in manufacturing, healthcare, engineering, food storage and transportation, to name a few. But irresponsible and illegal approaches to plastic waste management, along with unclear or absent recycling regulations have turned it into a global problem. Will a shift away from plastics to alternative materials be better for the environment and cut emissions? Are there safer, more sustainable ways to use plastic?
• The Roadmap to Circularity: What are the practical pathways and current roadblocks to a “circular economy”? How do we change attitudes and behaviors and move towards greater societal participation in recycling and reuse solutions? What role do policymakers have to play in this transition?

Speakers:

• Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
• Tak Niinami, CEO, Suntory Holdings
• Rob Kaplan, CEO, Circulate Capital
• Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative
• Colleen King, Associate Director, Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group
• Aloke Lohia, CEO, Indorama Ventures
• Tadashi Maeda, Governor, Japan Bank for International Cooperation
• Hannah Testa, Activist
• Shari Friedman, Managing Director of Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group (moderator)

Anchoring the Summit is a new research report prepared by Eurasia Group, “Unlocking Sustainable Plastics in Asia,” which advocates for a much more dynamic role for both the public and private sector in Asia to counter the proliferation of single-use plastic containers, which have had an outsized impact on the environment.