Annual Report 2018-2019
Outreach In 2018-2019, TISED hosted and supported events to actively share expertise from sustainability leaders with the academic community, students, and general public. These events promote knowledge production and discussion with decision-makers, industry, researchers, students, and the public to increase engagement on sustainability-based solutions and science-informed policy.
TISED hosted & co-hosted events Circular Economy Conference The Circular Economy Conference was held in collaboration with the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. On the 16th of November 2018, TISED hosted a conference on the Circular Economy of Retailing in partnership with the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for both professionals and academics, from leading firms and universities, to foster discussions about the latest research, industry practices and approaches, as well as trends and challenges related to the implementation of the circular economy in the context of retail. The conference helped facilitate equipping students with the “tools, knowledge and skills they will need to be prepared to meet the demands of the retail industry today and to help shape its future. If we do this – together – we can ensure that the retail industry innovates in ways that both create jobs and businesses and promote sustainable consumption and healthier societies.” (Professor Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice Chancellor of McGill University). To facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas, the event was highly interdisciplinary and featured speakers from a wide range of disciplines. The event started with opening remarks by Isabelle Bajeux, Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management and Professor Saibal Ray, Academic Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. The first talk was titled ‘Opportunities and Challenges for Electronics in a Circular Economy’ and was on how to deal with end-of-life product takebacks in the electronics industry. This was delivered by Carrie Snyder, Former Director of closed loop supply chain for Cisco, presently a circular economy consultant. This was followed by a talk by Kathleen McLaughlin, Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart and President of the Walmart Foundation titled ‘Walmart’s end-to-end approach to addressing food waste’ on the various sustainability initiatives in Walmart with special emphasis on what the company is doing in the context of sustainable food production, procurement and consumption.
