Business News
Xerox Hosts European Leadership Summit to Expedite Industry Wide Acceptance for Driving Sustainable Business
Tuesday 20. May 2008 - More than 100 European business leaders will meet to discuss the integration of innovation, profitability and environmental sustainability
On May 28 and 29, 2008 the first Xerox European Leadership Summit: Creating Sustainable Value will gather more than 100 leaders of European businesses to tackle the challenge of driving financial performance whilst responding to the sustainability agenda. Industry luminaries will share best practices and lead panel discussions to explore the creation of sustainable business strategies that foster innovation, growth and profitability.
The European Leadership Summit was convened in response to the increasing and sometimes polarising pressures businesses face from shareholders, employees, partners and customers. While the majority of summit attendees are dedicated to improving profitability and reducing their overall impact on the environment, it has been historically perceived that each outcome could only be attained at the expense of the other.
Businesses are growing increasingly wary about implementing environmental initiatives in good faith only to have these actions later branded as ‘greenwashing’ or ineffective by key stakeholders. The European Leadership Summit will attempt to address these challenges, spotlight businesses that are building sustainable value and explore possibilities for future proofing a sustainable business model in every sense of the term.
Armando Zagalo de Lima, President, Xerox Europe, said: “Businesses are under increasing pressure to deliver results, particularly as the credit crunch overshadows the global economy. However, there is also the undisputed need for every business to take action and reduce its own impact on the environment. This means finding new ways to transform business practices that yield greater efficiencies. It also means introducing new and innovative ways of working that reduce waste, carbon emissions and consumables. The question is about how to deliver results whilst responding to the sustainability agenda, as well as how to transform sustainable business practices into profitable opportunities.”
Some of the world’s most influential business leaders and subject matter experts, will be presenting at the European Leadership Summit including:
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox
Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive Officer, BT
Bob McDonald, Chief Operating Officer, Procter & Gamble
Dominique Cerruti, General Manager South West Europe, IBM
Frances Edmonds, Multilingual Writer and Broadcaster
Jacques Attali -Eminent, Economist & Writer
Jonathon Porrit, Co-founder of Forum for the Future
Jon Williams, Head of Group Sustainability, HSBC
Josephine Green, Director Design Strategy, Philips
Professor Richard Scase, Futurologist
Rita Clifton, Chairman, Interbrand
Sophie Vandebroek, CTO and President, Xerox Innovation Group
Stuart Hart, Senior Professor at Cornell University and Author of ‘Capitalism at a Crossroads’
Armando Zagalo de Lima, President, Xerox Europe, said: “While Xerox doesn’t have all the answers, the very nature of our core business places us at the centre of the sustainability discussion. Fundamentally, we believe that all businesses including our own can reduce their impact on the environment. We all have the responsibility to drive environmental solutions, and find new ways to integrate technical innovations with transformative business practices.”
Xerox has been at the forefront of introducing sustainable innovations since the first Earth Day in 1970. Xerox was the first company in the document management industry to remanufacture and reuse parts and components. Through these practices Xerox diverted more than 77 million kilos of waste from landfills last year alone.
Xerox is committed to helping its customers reduce their impact on the environment. Xerox pioneered two-sided copying, print-on demand, the use of recycled paper in the office, recycling toner cartridges and continues to introduce much tougher green standards for its paper suppliers. Recently, Xerox was named to the FTSE4Good Index Series and also unveiled the world’s first sustainability calculator that answered the question: how green is your office?