ICCR roundtables convene multiple representatives from a sector or industry to help remove barriers and accelerate change on key issues of sector-wide relevance.
When decision makers from peer companies are gathered along with investors and subject matter experts from government agencies, NGOs and civil society, solutions to some of the most intractable issues present themselves sooner and, due to sector-wide buy-in, remedies become easier to implement.
On December 10, 2019, ICCR and the Initiative for Responsible Investment at Harvard Kennedy School hosted a convening that brought together faith- and values-based investors, investor-owned utilities, labor unions, issue area experts and civil society advocates to discuss engagement with the energy utility sector on how we can ensure a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy for workers and communities. You can download the roundtable white paper here.
Past ICCR roundtables have focused on issues such as childhood obesity, the human right to water, recruitment fees and promoting access to life-saving HIV/AIDS medications via the Medicines Patent Pool.
Togther with the Freedom Fund and Humanity United, in 2017, ICCR convened "Emerging Best Practices in Implementing Ethical Recruitment Policies across Industries". The second installation in our “No Fees Initiative" roundtable series, it explored key learnings from efforts to implement corporate ethical recruitment policies, including actions needed to overcome practical challenges and obstacles many companies face.
That same year, in collaboration with the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) Initiative, ICCR brought together restaurant and retail companies, meat producers, investors, trade associations, NGOs, and public health advocates for a Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on Opportunities for Sustainable Animal Agriculture to address antibiotic risk and the importance of protecting human health from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In 2016 ICCR and the Partnership for a Healthier America hosted the roundtable Innovative In-Store Marketing Strategies: How Today’s Grocery Retailer Can Positively Impact Childhood Obesity. The event focused on the strategies food retailers and food and beverage companies can employ around consumer purchasing behavior and innovative in-store marketing, and explored opportunities for new in-store marketing techniques.
Also in 2016, ICCR hosted a Roundtable on Sustainable Banking in San Antonio, Texas that brought together representatives from the local banking, academic, political, investor and investment management communities.
ICCR's 2015 Climate Finance Roundtable brought together investors, investment professionals and leaders in climate finance to brainstorm around investment solutions to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
That same year ICCR also convened a Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on Ethical Recruitment which examined how recruitment impacts workers, the risks it presents for the global supply chains of many industries, and best practice tools and frameworks being utilized by leading companies.
ICCR's Access to Nutrition Roundtable in 2013 convened major food and beverage brands to continue the conversation started by First Lady Michelle Obama around responsible marketing to children that will help prevent childhood obesity and promote healthy and nutritious eating habits.
ICCR's 2013 Water Roundtable, meanwhile convened 70 representatives from corporations, NGOs and community groups from around the world to discuss ways they could help protect communities' human right to water and mitigate against the impact of their operations in local communities.
In 2011, ICCR hosted a "Roundtable on New Mechanisms to Promote Access and Innovation to Medicines in the Developing World: A Conversation with Key Stakeholders", which brought together more than 50 participants to discuss how access to life-saving HIV/AIDS medications could be made more accessible and affordable via patent sharing.
In all these conversations, ICCR emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness, encouraging a diversity of voices that will contribute to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the challenges being faced and will lead to solutions that are truly equitable and sustainable.
The coordination of roundtables requires a significant investment in staff time and resources. Please consider a gift to help ICCR defray some of the costs of hosting these important events.