Every year, Climate Week offers companies the opportunity to reframe how they think about their sustainability efforts. With discussions of new technology and proven strategies, sustainability leaders find new ways to advocate for increased resources and new initiatives.
This year, the event runs from Sept. 21–28, and features Blue Yonder’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Saskia van Gendt, who will speak on the intersection of AI and sustainability, among other topics. For full details of appearances, scroll to the bottom of this blog.
We put together some highlights that van Gendt is looking forward to discussing with fellow attendees. These are what we think are the most important ideas for executives to incorporate into their operations strategies to improve resilience, profitability, and long-term sustainability.
Sustainability is non-negotiable
The clock has run out on taking half-measures towards more sustainable supply chains. Consumers are smarter at differentiating between greenwashing and carefully crafted sustainability efforts. 65% of all consumers, and 75% of Millennials, consider sustainability when considering a purchase.
Despite a direct consumer preference, only 41% of companies reported emissions metrics on at least one Scope 3 category. While quick wins satisfied customers (and regulators) in the past, today’s standards are much higher. Sustainable strategies must represent a holistic view of the entire supply chain, including the way each company engages with vendors.
End-to-end visibility into sustainable efforts does more than just make a company compliant. It is an advantage over competitors. Consumers want to support companies that operate transparently with traceable actions. To that end, companies that can pull together comprehensive reports with data from throughout the supply chain will have a more compelling and fuller story to tell about their sustainability strategies.
AI integration and sustainable operations aren’t mutually exclusive
The impact of data, both on business goals and sustainability efforts, requires AI solutions. While there are some concerns about the energy required to sustain data centers, the efficiency benefits of AI solutions can offset the energy costs in three important ways.
First, AI can monitor and adjust energy use in real-time. Inside warehouses and within logistics, AI agents can assess baseline energy use, identify places where excess energy can be saved, and optimize for performance and sustainability over time.
Next, AI helps companies manage and reduce waste. More intelligent and accurate demand forecasting means less waste for the supply chain overall. AI can reduce waste from returns by quickly assessing return quality and routing it back into inventory or for recommerce.
Lastly, scenario planning reveals root causes for wasteful operations and offers solutions without requiring oversight from leadership or other workers. In terms of efficiency and informed decision-making, adopting AI will continue to add ROI in key sustainability metrics in the future.
Collaboration among executives keeps business goals on track
Perhaps the most important message to come out of Climate Week is an emphasis on collaboration and solidarity from executives. The risks of ignoring sustainability goals become more costly every day. To really make a difference in climate-related goals, both domestic and international, leaders must work together.
That includes sharing success strategies, participating in events like Climate Week that facilitate important conversations, and imagining use cases that can improve the future for everyone. It also means cultivating a sustainable mindset throughout your company. Innovation can come from anywhere. But workers won’t prioritize sustainable efforts if they don’t believe it’s valued at the organization. Communicate your goals and outline expectations so that everyone can be part of the changes we want to make.
To participate in van Gendt's appearances, check out:
Building the Future Summit: Co-hosted by Nasdaq and New System Ventures, this exclusive experience brings together brilliant minds from the climate ecosystem and beyond for an opening bell ceremony and half-day summit.
This year's theme, Investing in Future Systems, will look at systems innovation across several lenses, from finance and energy to agriculture and nature.
Event Details:
- Date: September 22, 2025
- Time: 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
- Location: Nasdaq MarketSite
- Address: 4 Times Square, New York, NY
Sustainability Live: The CSO Strategy Summit panel hosted by Sustainability Magazine. The panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities CSOs face in driving sustainability strategies, engaging stakeholders, and integrating sustainability into core business operations.
Event Details:
- Date: September 22, 2025
- Time: 3:50 PM - 4:30 PM
- Location: Convene
- Address: 360 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
If you're not in New York, make sure to follow Blue Yonder's LinkedIn for all important Climate Week updates.
