IKEA Canada’s Head of Public affairs, Tim Fuchs, and RCC’s Manager of Sustainability, Harrison Brook, kick off a new half-day workshop experience designed to inspire action in retail sustainability. Engage in conversation and connection with fellow participants as we begin a dynamic journey focused on innovation, impact, and shared responsibility.

Join us to explore how IKEA Canada is accelerating the shift toward zero-emission home deliveries. By 2028, the company aims for 90% of its big and bulky truck home deliveries in key markets globally to be made with zero-emission vehicles. This session will examine IKEA Canada’s rapid EV fleet expansion since 2017 and its broader ambition to reduce its environmental footprint while continuing to meet its diverse customer needs.

Fleet electrification is no longer a future goal—it’s happening now, and leading organizations are facing real, operational challenges as they begin the transition. This panel will spotlight what fleets are experiencing on the ground when it comes to operations—both the positive and the challenging. Using real fleet experience, panelists will share insights on charging infrastructure, software, connectivity, telematics, energy management, and more. The conversation will focus on how to reduce costs, improve uptime, and scale quickly at lowest risk. Attendees will walk away with a clearer understanding of the pain points and practical approaches to move forward

Join us for a brief update on the Government of Canada’s initiatives to support freight efficiency and zero-emission vehicles. This presentation will highlight incentives and resources designed to help operators of medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles reduce fuel consumption, lower operating costs, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Join IKEA Canada and Power ON in an interactive workshop will dive into key enablers of zero-emission delivery, including fleet transition strategies, charging infrastructure for both residential and commercial needs, and available incentives and funding.

Join RCC’s VP of Sustainability, Michael Zabaneh, as he kicks off a new half-day workshop experience designed to inspire action and collaboration. Engage in conversation and connection with fellow participants as we begin a dynamic journey focused on innovation, impact, and shared responsibility

This panel session on October 29th will bring together associations, producer responsibility organizations (PROs), and leaders from across the value chain to examine Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) transitions in North America. Panelists will explore key challenges such as escalating system costs, regulatory requirements, and reporting complexity, while highlighting opportunities for collaboration across governments, regulators, producers, waste and recycling management providers, and other stakeholders. The discussion will surface lessons from early rollouts and identify practical pathways for harmonization, efficiency, and continuous improvement in EPR systems.

RPRA’s Registrar Mary Cummins will explore the evolving landscape of extended producer responsibility (EPR). As Ontario’s EPR regulator, RPRA is responsible for implementing and enforcing the province’s regulatory framework. In her keynote, Mary will highlight emerging trends, implementation challenges, cross-provincial harmonization, and efforts to strengthen regulatory effectiveness. 

Sponsor Spotlight

As extended producer responsibility (EPR) battery regulations continue to evolve across Canada and globally, Canadian retailers are continually adapting to increasingly complex requirements. Jon McQuaid, VP of Marketing & Communications at Call2Recycle Canada, will highlight the shifting battery landscape and share actionable strategies retailers can deploy to maintain compliance, elevate public education and awareness, and advance corporate ESG commitments.

Join EPR regulators from across Canada as they discuss how the provinces are collaborating to promote harmonization, drive efficiencies and ease regulatory burden. 

This workshop session will explore Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) transitions across North America from multiple perspectives. Producers will share experiences as new programs roll out, including cost pressures, reporting, and operational realities. Provincial regulators will outline priorities for oversight, compliance, and verification, while highlighting opportunities for harmonization. The session will also draw feedback from stakeholders across the value chain to identify pathways for greater consistency, efficiency, and continuous improvement in EPR systems.

Main Session Hall

Costco is advancing sustainability through a holistic approach that incorporates human rights, animal welfare, supply chain mapping, certification programs and land stewardship with the reduction of water, waste, energy, emissions and packaging. At the core of this effort is engaging and collaborating with its employees and suppliers to drive change across global supply chains and align sustainability with business practices. Lasting impact cannot be achieved by one company alone, real progress requires collaboration across the entire value chain to deliver the system transformation needed to reach our shared sustainability objectives.

Sponsor Spotlight

75% of gen Z’s are worried about the future and suffer from climate anxiety and 63% of retailers said that sustainability initiatives helped boost revenues. A sustainability strategy is no longer optional for retailers, it’s an expectation from customers, who are increasingly shopping with their values. Learn more about how Cool Climate Club – a nature-based solution to climate action – provides customizable, turnkey solutions for retailers to build and amplify their sustainability strategy, while engaging younger audiences through bold marketing opportunities. 

Global supply chains are under growing pressure to deliver not just efficiency, but environmental responsibility. This panel brings together industry leaders and sustainability experts to explore how decarbonization, safe chemical management, and climate risk mitigation can be embedded into the way we design, source, and move goods. We’ll discuss strategies for fostering sustainable consumption, advancing circularity, and driving collaborative action across the retail sector. Attendees will gain insights into practical solutions, partnerships, and innovations that can future-proof supply chains while creating long-term value for both business and the planet.

Additional Panelists to be Announced

Sponsor Spotlight

As extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations accelerate worldwide, Canadian retailers face mounting complexity at home and abroad. Adrian Vanaham, COO of the Canadian division of Reclay StewardEdge, highlights the rising cost of getting compliance right, the patchwork pace of regulatory alignment, and the practical tools that may finally make it all manageable. Drawing from cross continental insight, Adrian will map these shifts through the lens of EPR maturity progression in Europe and North America—offering valuable context for what’s likely to emerge next. He’ll also explore how forward-thinking teams can stay ahead of regulatory pressure while keeping costs under control. 

As the consumer goods industry moves toward more sustainable packaging solutions, refill and reuse models are gaining traction as viable alternatives to single-use formats. This panel discussion will spotlight the Consumer Goods Forum’s Refill/ Reuse Pilot Project, bringing together leaders from participating companies to share real-world insights, challenges, and early results. 

Panelists will explore what it takes to implement scalable refill and reuse systems, how consumers are responding, and what’s needed to drive broader adoption across the value chain.  

Sponsor Spotlight

Recycle BC is leveraging its experience and expertise to advance recycling outcomes for flexible plastic packaging using behavior change framework, new collection models, composition analysis, data, market development, technology, and finally and importantly, a collaborative approach.

Canadian retailers are operating in a time of profound transformation—facing climate-related risks, evolving consumer expectations, regulatory pressures, and supply chain volatility. In this context, sustainability is no longer optional; it’s a strategic lever for resilience, operational excellence, and long-term growth. This session will explore how leading retailers are integrating sustainability practices and proven solutions into core business strategies to mitigate risk, unlock efficiencies, and drive measurable impact. This panel discussion will focus on retail transformation and how sustainability is a catalyst for profitability and competitive advantage within organizations and across value chains.

Sponsor Spotlight

The retail regulatory landscape is evolving fast—and getting riskier. From PFAS bans in North America to EPR packaging laws and the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), global retailers are facing rising scrutiny around product materials, labor practices, and sourcing origins. Get a rapid rundown of the most urgent compliance shifts and learn how automation, AI and supplier data tools can help you scale market access requirements, reduce negative brand risk exposure, and avoid costly disruptions. 

Details to be announced.

This panel session will explore the power of a holistic, systems-based approach to sustainable retrofits—going beyond product-specific upgrades to drive meaningful, long-term impact. Rather than spotlighting individual technologies, the discussion will showcase integrated strategies that maximize energy efficiency, cost savings, and decarbonization. 

Attendees will gain insights from industry experts who will share real-world best practices, emphasizing collaboration, coordinated planning, and accountability across project phases. Key themes include integrated mechanical-electrical-building systems planning, the value of design-build models, and aligning stakeholders early to improve outcomes.

In an era where chemical management is becoming a core business imperative, Canadian retailers and CPG companies are entering uncharted territory as regulations on PFAS and other chemicals of concern rapidly evolve. With most PFAS now classified as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and a phased regulatory strategy in motion, businesses face complex compliance challenges spanning different product categories. This panel brings together industry experts to examine how companies are responding to proactively identify, substitute, and eliminate PFAS from their supply chains. Drawing on lessons from real-world experiences and market shifts, panelists will share strategies for enhancing supply chain transparency, conducting robust risk assessments, implementing product testing, and leveraging voluntary phase-outs and labelling initiatives.

The retail industry is at a critical inflection point. Join Mark Gonzalez, Sales Leader for the Americas at EcoVadis, as he reveals how top brands are turning supply chain sustainability into a tangible business advantage. This session will explore four market-shifting trends and the best practices for embedding sustainable procurement into your operations. Learn how a performance-driven mindset can mitigate risk, build resilience, and unlock new revenue opportunities. Join us to discover how to start or reassess your sustainable supply chain program and build a more resilient and competitive brand.

Lunch & Learn

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is announcing a brand new tool that you will want in your toolkit. Join us for a demonstration and learn how this tool will help you review plastic packaging, align with legislative requirements, and complete annual reporting. The new tool is a companion to the APR Design® Guide, the widely recognized source of truth for designing plastics packaging for recyclability today. Get your company and suppliers ready for the big changes that lie ahead.  

Details to be announced.

As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations mature across Canada, retailers continue to face hurdles in collecting, managing, and reporting accurate packaging data. This session draws on RLG’s extensive experience as a long-time provider of packaging data management services, offering practical solutions to the most common challenges. Speakers will explore how to close data gaps through stronger supplier collaboration, correct inaccuracies with actionable improvements, and uncover missed opportunities for cost savings, efficiency gains, and waste reduction. Attendees will also receive email access to RLG’s Retailer’s Guide to EPR in Canada. Delivered in a problem/solution framework, this session will equip retailers with strategies to strengthen compliance while contributing to Canada’s broader circularity goals. 

Regulated recycling targets for flexible plastics are in place across the country. Learn more about how producers, the PROs and recyclers are working together to tackle recycling of packaging that has traditionally been deemed ’hard-to-recycle’ or ‘non-recyclable’. 

Sponsor Spotlight

As extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for packaging and paper continue to advance across Canada, the need for cost-efficiency, harmonization and innovation in recycling systems is evident. As a national, not-for-profit producer responsibility organization, Circular Materials manages the collection of over 1 million tonnes of packaging annually on behalf of producers, working to ensure material can be returned to producers for use in new products and packaging. In this session, Circular Materials’ CEO Allen Langdon shares insights into the strategic and forward-looking vision needed to truly advance the circular economy, from pilot programs to long-term investments.

Recent changes to the Competition Act, along with the release of the Competition Bureau’s new guidance on environmental claims, raise important considerations for business.  This session will provide a high-level overview of the new legal framework, explore practical issues within the retail context, and address why these changes matter – including the increase in fines and penalties and the expansion of the new private right of action.

As climate pressures and shifting regulations reshape the food and retail industries, business leaders face the urgent challenge of delivering growth while accelerating systemic change. PepsiCo’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Jim Andrew, will explore how the company is responding to this pivotal moment through its end-to-end sustainability strategy, pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). Jim will share how PepsiCo is scaling impact by embedding sustainability into core business operations and building resilience across its supply chains, speaking to the need for greater transparency and the power of bold, cross-sector collaboration to drive the systems-level change required for meaningful progress.