Ways out of the Ecological Crisis - The First European Biodiversity Summit offers solutions to businesses

On the occasion of the first European Biodiversity Summit to take place from April 17th-18th in Stuttgart, Germany, the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign will show how businesses can successfully deal with the economic challenges from climate change, the scarcity of resources to the dramatic loss of biodiversity. In the framework of the 8th German CSR-Forum, high representatives of leading companies, such as Unilever, Holcim, Otto Group, Robert Bosch GmbH, HeidelbergCement and UPM, along with international experts and decision makers from the NGO and political arenas will discuss the challenges upon which industry will have to take a stand.

Climate change, dwindling resources, the loss of biological diversity and the increasing number of biodiversity related demands of various stakeholders require effective strategies for the preservation of the livelihoods of future generations.

In four plenary meetings pioneering views on climate change, the dependence of industry on biodiversity, as well as the valuation of ecosystem services within industry will be demonstrated. In the plenary sessions, the future of a European renewable energy system and the sustainable economic development within the meaning of the Rio + 20 Conference will be discussed. The main speakers from industry will include not only Hans-Otto Schrader, CEO of Otto Group, and Gavin Neath, SVP Sustainability, Unilever but also Dr. Hartmut Wurster, Executive Vice President Technology, UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Jim O'Brien, President European Aggregates Association (UEPG).

In further workshops, speakers will present practical examples and opportunities for action to businesses. These range from supply chain management, biodiversity financing, cooperation between companies and NGOs to the anticipation of environmental regulations and the use of synergies between energy efficiency, climate protection and biodiversity management.

The two-day Summit, which attracts approximately 500 participants, is set to show business representatives how their organisations can secure their competitive advantages through the protection of biological diversity while at the same time reducing costs. At the Summit in Stuttgart, businesses will discover how they profit in a sustainable way from the capital that is made available to them by the natural environment.

The European Biodiversity Summit will take place on April 17th and 18th, 2012 in Stuttgart, Germany. It is an integral part of the 8th German CSR-Forum. For further information, please visit: http://summit.business-biodiversity.eu and www.csrforum.eu

About the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign

The European Business and Biodiversity Campaign, led by the Global Nature Fund (GNF) was initiated by a consortium of European companies and NGOs. The goal of the project is to show the big importance of biodiversity, also from an economic point of view, and to motivate the private sector for the protection and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The European Business and Biodiversity Campaign supports companies through Biodiversity Checks, workshops and regional biodiversity forums. Experts and other stakeholders can present their profile, company profile and case studies for free. The European Business and Biodiversity Campaign is supported by the LIFE+ Programme of the European Union.

More information about the campaign: www.business-biodiversity.eu

For further inquiries:

Stefan Hörmann, European Business and Biodiversity Campaign Project Leader, Global Nature Fund, Bonn, Germany. Tel.: +49-228-18 48 69 411; Mobile: +49-160-532 10 52; E-mail: hoermann@globalnature.org

Fritz Lietsch, Campaign Communications Leader, ALTOP Publishing House, Munich, Germany, Tel.: +49-89-746611-11; E-mail: f.lietsch@forum-csr.net

This release was published on openPR.