(Justmeans.com / CSR News) -

INTERTEK SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS Presents:

Ethical Sourcing Forum Europe 2009

Visualize Possibilities. Realize Solutions.

Paris Forum Focuses on Re-thinking Decision-Making Models for Improved Sustainability Performance

NEW YORK - July 1, 2009 - Intertek Sustainability Solutions (ISS), a leading provider of sustainability advisory services and ethical supply chain management tools, will host its 5th Annual Ethical Sourcing Forum Europe (ESF) on October 7, 2009 at Hotel Lutetia-Concorde Paris, Paris, France. 

This year's Ethical Sourcing Forum-Europe offers a 'deep-dive' investigation into the latest advances in sustainability decision-making. Which decision-making models have the best track record for helping businesses address today's pressing social and environmental issues? Which new decision-making models have the potential to "change the game" in terms of delivering more effective, progressive sustainability solutions?

ESF-Europe this fall will feature a group of exciting presenters from leading corporate practitioner, NGO and academic communities, tackling a variety of core sustainability themes. 

Presenters include: Business in the Community (on results of the latest BITC Corporate Responsibility Index); Nestlé CARE Program (on managing environmental and social impacts via the Nestlé concept of Creating "Shared Value"); Starbucks Coffee (on collaborative decision-making in the context of the company's NGO partnerships; China Center for Labor and Environment (on "Supplier Capacity Development Models: Opportunities and Pitfalls"), SNCF (the French railway company, on managing sustainable procurement via a special balanced scorecard approach), and more.

Andre Raghu, president of ISS comments: "Business the world over is re-making itself.  It's not happening by accident - but because business is changing as players learn to visualize a new future and rethink the strategy needed to get there."

The Ethical Sourcing Forum has distinguished itself from other sustainability conferences or forums in recent years - by offering "Innovation Labs" that leverage the extraordinary potential of our Forum Community to arrive at real-world sustainability solutions for the pressing issues of today.  Participants of the Ethical Sourcing Forum Europe will emerge with insights and practical tools that can be shared collaboratively with fellow sustainability practitioners and which will be directly applicable to their organization's sustainability/ ethical sourcing programs.

For Ethical Sourcing Forum (and workshop) registration and other information, visit: www.intertek.com/ESFEurope09

** Delegates to the ESF are invited to attend a pre-Forum workshop taking place October 6, 2009: Measuring the Carbon Footprint of Your Products: The Latest on Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Labeling.

*** Delegates who register by July 15^th save $150 off the full registration fee, and receive a free, downloadable copy of the Ethical Sourcing Report (Europe 2008, vol. II) upon registering. The report features in-depth articles on a series of sustainability and ethical sourcing innovations currently implemented by companies. Report coverage investigates the pros and cons of the various solutions offered in the context of shifting stakeholder demands and urgent new priorities - such as the accelerating competition for the hearts and minds of ethically-conscious consumer.

**** Delegates who respond to the ESF Survey can win a Free Admission pass to the ESF Europe 09! 

The ESF is supported by the following partners CSRWire, JustMeans, and by Alonovo.com, a "sustainability partner."

About Intertek Sustainability Solutions’ Ethical Sourcing Forum (ESF)

The ESF is a unique industry event that brings together members of the global sustainability community in order to address emerging sustainability and ethical supply chain challenges; ESF is where you will find applied innovation and the latest solutions-development processes that yield social and environmental progress while advancing core business objectives. The ESF mandate is to offer practical pathways for robust Return-on-Sustainability-Investment (RSI) as well as breakthrough solutions with real business value.

For more information please contact:

Bela Fonseca, Event Director
+1.212.803.5304

Christopher Foss, Communications Director
+1.212.803-5314

About Intertek Sustainability Solutions (ISS)
Intertek Sustainability Solutions (ISS) works with businesses to seamlessly integrate CSR and Sustainability with their brand and operations. We are proficient in delivering solutions dealing with immediate environmental and social concerns, but our ultimate value for clients has proved to be our ability to develop a portfolio of initiatives (such as stakeholder engagement programs and ethical supply chain management tools) that align social and environmental performance with business imperatives for maximum Return on Sustainability Investment (RSI). 

For more information, please call ISS New York offices: +01.212.803.5300

About Intertek
Intertek (ITRK.L) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 23,000 people in 110 countries around the world.

For more information, visit www.intertek.com

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