Explore the Agenda
7:00 am Registration & Networking
8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Balancing External Pressures & Internal Commitments
8:10 am Panel: Evaluating the Top Pressures on Contractors’ Today: From Federal Regulations to Client Goals and Employee Drivers
- Defining the various ways a sustainable agenda can manifest for a contracting organization to ensure maximum resilience despite changing operating environments and competing pressures: How are firms looking to go broader, deeper and faster at any given point to grow as much as possible?
- Tracking evolving U.S. policies, particularly in California and other leading regions, to assess direction of travel for investments, tax incentives, and federal funding
- Identifying strategies to integrate decarbonization efforts into long-term financial planning, even amid regulatory uncertainty and the need to remain agile as sustainability policies and economic landscapes evolve
8:50 am Audience Discussion: Ensuring Social Actions Are a Core Part of Your ESG Transformation
- Understanding how government and client requirements are shaping contractor social commitments
- Examining how companies are integrating social responsibility within broader sustainability initiatives and the impact this is having on their competitive advantage
- Identifying key metrics and frameworks for assessing the long-term success of social initiatives, and ensuring they go beyond regulatory requirements
10:00 am Morning Refreshments & Speed Networking
Track 1
Tackling Jobsite Sustainability
“Ensuring effective emission reporting & reduction in the field”
Enhancing Accountability & Transparency
10:40 am Discover – Embedding Meaningful Sustainability Goals into Project Scopes from Day One
- Making sustainability a standard discussion point in project interviews and early planning phases to align client expectations and contractor execution
- Harnessing industry benchmarks and reports to shape stretching but achievable targets
- Engaging estimators, contractors, and clients to ensure goals are budgeted for and owned by a specific stakeholder at every project stage
11:40 am Discover – Collecting Reliable Emissions Data Across Complex Supply Chains
- Defining the necessary data and identifying the responsible parties trace emissions and environmental impact across multiple tiers of the supply chain
- Leveraging innovative methodologies to streamline data collection and improve accuracy
- Navigating the limitations of diverse suppliers with varying levels of maturity in carbon reporting and sustainability efforts
12:10 pm Develop – Navigating LEED v5 Certification to Achieve Practical & Scalable Green Building Project Success
- Discussing key changes in LEED v5 compared to previous versions and examining prerequisite revisions, stricter requirements, and their impact on project planning
- Exploring how to accurately measure and balance embodied and operational carbon
- Understanding the role of carbon credits and how they impact LEED certification
- Sharing strategies for timely certification without compromising cost or quality
- Finding repeatable approaches for companies looking to certify multiple assets
12:40 pm Lunch Break
Carbon Reduction Strategies
1:40 pm Discover – Looking Into MEP Scopes to Unlock Impactful Carbon Reductions
- Understanding the financial and logistical hurdles of integrating lower-carbon MEP solutions and how to navigate them
- Discussing how sustainability strategies like natural ventilation can adapt to new environmental challenges, such as poor air quality from wildfires
- Making prefabrication an inherent part of construction delivery to support long-term sustainability and waste reduction goals: How can GCs take a proactive role in leading prefab discussions rather than waiting for client or specialty contractor direction?
2:10 pm Develop – Overcoming Challenges with Employing Low Carbon Alternatives
- Exploring how contractors can advocate for, and facilitate the adoption of low-carbon materials and alternative solutions on projects
- Understanding how potential tariffs may impact the possibility of lower carbon alternatives
- Exploring how contractors can support smaller, lower carbon suppliers that may lack resources to provide Environmental Product
- Declarations (EPDs)
- Finding ways to continue low-carbon procurement efforts even if government incentives are reduced or removed
2:40 pm Action – Using Scenario Analysis to Identify the Most Efficient Carbon Reduction Alternatives for Your Project
- Exploring the step-by-step framework of building scenario analysis: from defining key variables to stress-testing strategies against regulatory, economic, and technological uncertainty
- Educating clients on low-carbon systems and materials, even when sustainability isn’t a contractual requirement
- Harnessing effective evaluation sessions to move your team beyond low-hanging fruit to trialling more ambitious, innovative technologies and strategies
Track 2
Building Corporate Sustainability Strategy
“Shaping business strategies & priorities”
Strengthening Resilience Into Your Program
10:50 am Discover – Securing Financial & Cultural Commitment to ESG Initiatives to Support Your Net-Zero Transformation
- Evaluating where your company should invest in emission reductions, carbon offsets, and operational changes to get the highest ROI
- Exploring whether costs should be covered at the corporate level, project level, or through an internal carbon charge
- Presenting a robust business case to upper management to secure adequate financial backing
- Shifting the mindset from sustainability as a client-driven cost to an internal investment for long-term success
11:40 am Discover – Crafting Corporate Messaging That Resonates with Customers & Employees Alike
- Positioning sustainability as a competitive advantage for attracting clients, talent, and investment opportunities
- Developing messaging frameworks to connect sustainability commitments with individual employee drivers
- Leveraging cross-functional collaboration to integrate success stories into everyday conversations and promote further support
12:10 pm Develop – Building Internal Investment Programs to Promote & Propel Innovation
- Exploring how large companies are driving industry change by showing financial interest in emerging sustainable technologies
- Addressing common challenges in aligning financial, operational, and environmental priorities within large enterprises to sustain innovative investments
- Exploring cost-effective strategies for fostering innovation within smaller firms
12:40 pm Lunch Break
Climate Regulations & Risks
1:40 pm Discover – Navigating the Impact of CSRD on U.S. Climate Disclosure & Global Reporting Standards
- Understanding the complexity of CSRD’s data requirements and strategies for effective, streamlined compliance
- Mapping out the differences between CSRD, SEC climate disclosure requirements, and emerging state-level regulations in the U.S
- Anticipating how U.S. companies can proactively align with evolving regulations to remain competitive in global markets
2:10 pm Develop – Developing A Climate Risk Mitigation Plan to Translate Vulnerabilities into Resilience
- Adjusting project schedules and construction methods to accommodate extreme weather disruptions
- Implementing heat mitigation strategies for worker safety amid rising temperatures
- Exploring material and design innovations that improve structural resilience against wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding
- Weighing the upfront costs of resilience efforts against longterm savings on insurance and disaster recovery
- Integrating stakeholder feedback to shape actionable risk strategies and stay agile to evolving climate conditions, real time
2:40 pm Action – Adapting to Evolving Climate Change Issues to Strengthen Durability & Reduce Environmental Impact
- Discussing where evolving building codes lag behind climate realities and what companies can do to stay one step ahead of mandated requirements
- Exploring innovative materials and nature-based solutions for climate resilience
- Evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of climate-adaptive strategies, including insurance savings and long-term cost benefits
3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments
Building Alignment & Consistency
3:30 pm Client Panel: Creating Consistency in Requirements Across Markets to Drive Transparency, Accountability & Maximize Industry Progress
- Understanding client motivations for ESG Reporting – whether disclosures are a “check-the-box” exercise or a strategic decision-making tool – to align project proposals with client priorities
- Discussing what truly defines net-zero to get greater consistency of expectation across market sectors
- Exploring how clients are ensuring transparency and accountability in sharing real project and material emissions data, not just corporate carbon strategies
4:10 pm Empowering Field Teams to Incorporate Sustainability Initiatives Into Their Day-to-Day to Build a Stronger Jobsite Culture
- The evolution of incorporating sustainability into company culture, similar to the shift in safety culture
- Translating corporate goals into action and creating clear expectations, accountability, and practical implementation strategies for sustainability at the jobsite
- Developing enforcement mechanisms to ensure sustainability expectations are met— whether through incentives, clear job site protocols, or accountability measures at the project level