field. Therefore, the presenters stimulated much interest, lots of good questions and discussion flowed over into coffee and meal breaks. In general the contributions included could be grouped into three main themes: (i) Conceptual Models and Theory); (ii) Politics and People; (iii) Business and Management. In the first contribution, by Jia Li and Tomohiro Akiyama, Jia presented the work, “Perspectives on Sustainability Assessment: An Integral Approach to Historical Changes in Social Systems and Water Environment in the Ili River Basin of Central Eurasia, 1900-2008”. The paper proposed an integrated framework for sustainability assessment, developed by modifying Ken Wilber’s All Quadrants: physical perspective, personal perspective, cultural perspective and social perspective. The framework was applied to the Ili River basin across the period 1900-2008, located in the arid and semi-arid regions of central Asia. The presentation and discussion emphasized the role new and modified approaches could have in sustainability assessments and how we should reevaluate the use of the traditional versus nontraditional dimensions and domains of sustainability. Oguz Morali and Cory Searcy then provided an analysis of how sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has evolved in corporations, using Canada as a case study in their presentation titled “Evolution of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Canadian Perspective”. They have used Corporate Sustainability Reports to verify through content analysis how these organizations are implementing SSCM practices and to identify the evolution over a period of time. This study stressed an increasing need and sense of urgency for corporations to address sustainability issues in their supply chains and conduct further research investigating the evolution of SSCM practices, their driver approaches, drivers, strengths and weaknesses. The study of sustainability reports, produced by corporation or public authorities, plays a growing fundamental role for supporting several research initiatives, including the different areas of environmental and sustainability practices and tools adopted and communicated by business and management. A label to transfer standard environmental information along the product chain – The EcoBlock – by João Joanaz de Melo, António Galvão and Maria João Flôxo, was the third presentation. The study discusses the application of a life cycle inspired approach through the development of an eco-label for products (goods and services), mainly supported by environmental performance indicators. The method was described and some, of the assumptions, limitations and possible applications were vigorously discussed with the audience. The use of environmental performance indicators as a friendly approach to assess and communicate the eco-performance of products appears a very promising approach, despite the inherent complexity of trying to define general limits that broadly applicable. The fourth presentation, by Meg Holden, was entitled “Principles and Practices of a Politics of Sustainability Indicator Systems“. Meg analysed several aspects of indicator practices and outcomes, such as how the indicators stimulate a process to enhance the overall understanding of environmental and social problems, facilitate community capacity building, and help guide policy and development projects. Also discussed was the need for indicators to promote policy change and agreement on the desired ends of this change. Several North American sustainability indicator systems
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