High-Level Plenary: Day 2
Value Through Consumers & Investors
10:30 - 11:30AM | 14 October 2026
ABOUT THE PLENARY
Day 2 focuses on how sustainability translates into market demand, financial performance, and investment decisions.
As companies adapt their strategies to a changing economic landscape, the ability to connect sustainability efforts with customer value, investor expectations, and market opportunities becomes increasingly important.
The High-Level Plenary will explore how businesses, investors, and policymakers can align to create stronger market conditions for sustainable products and services.
Key priorities for discussion include:
Strengthening market demand for sustainable products and services
Aligning corporate sustainability strategies with customer expectations
Mobilising investment to support industrial transformation
Enhancing transparency and credibility in sustainability performance
Creating policy conditions that reward sustainable innovation
Through these discussions, participants will explore how companies can turn sustainability into a driver of market opportunity, attract long-term investment, and strengthen their competitive position in evolving global markets.
Who should attend
CEOs and C-Suite Leaders
Investors and Financial Institutions
Chief Sustainability and Strategy Officers
EU Policymakers and Market Regulators
CONTEXT
While the transition toward sustainable industry is reshaping production systems, it is equally transforming markets, investment decisions, and customer expectations.
Companies are increasingly expected to demonstrate how sustainability contributes to business performance, access to finance, and long-term value creation. Investors, regulators, and customers are asking clearer questions about risk management, supply chain transparency, and the credibility of corporate transition strategies.
At the same time, policy frameworks across Europe are evolving to strengthen sustainable markets, encourage innovation, and ensure that companies investing in sustainability are able to remain competitive globally.
The second day of the European Sustainable Industry Summit focuses on the market and financial dimensions of the transition. Discussions will explore how demand signals, investment strategies, and policy instruments can work together to support companies that are scaling sustainable products, services, and business models.
The High-Level Plenary will bring together leaders from business, finance, and policy to examine how sustainable industry can translate into market opportunity, investor confidence, and long-term competitiveness.
agenda
| Time (CEST) | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:30 – 10:30 | Registration & Networking |
| 9:30 – 10:20 | CSR Europe Board Meeting |
| 10:30 – 11:30 |
High-level plenary II
|
| 11:45 – 12:45 |
Leadership Roundtables (3/3 possible choices) – Connected to the topic of the plenary II |
| 12:45 – 14:00 | Networking Lunch |
| 14:00 – 16:00 |
NPO Meeting CSO Network Meeting Drive Sustainability Grievance Platform Advisory Board |
About the Summit
On 13-14 October, over 200 stakeholders from the industry, European institutions, and civil society organisations will come together in Brussels, Belgium.
Collectively, they will define the path forward for industries to turn sustainability into business value.
Competitiveness has become a defining priority for Europe amid intensified global competition and geopolitical tensions. For European industry, the challenge is no longer only how to meet sustainability requirements, but how to translate sustainability into stronger industrial performance, resilient supply chains, and long-term market advantage.
Many companies have spent the past years preparing for new regulatory expectations. The next phase is about turning these efforts into tangible business value by strengthening resource systems, accelerating the energy transition, and building market demand for sustainable products.
This transition requires collaboration across industry, finance, and policy to ensure that sustainability drives innovation, investment, and competitiveness across the European economy.