Speaker: Joseph Fiksel, Executive Director, Center for Resilience at The Ohio State University

Discussion Topic: Carbon emissions and resource consumption continue to rise with economic growth. It is not enough to reduce unsustainability; we must change the fundamental systems that give rise to these environmental impacts. At the same time, enterprises are increasingly challenged by the complexity and turbulence of the global business landscape. They need to become more resilient—anticipating surprises, recovering from disruptions, and adapting to change.

The sheer throughput of materials in our economy—about 30 tons per capita annually—generates a hidden mountain of waste and pollution, depleting natural resources and threatening ecosystem integrity. Design for Environment (DFE) is a business practice whereby companies assure that their product designs take full account of life cycle energy and environmental issues, from “cradle to cradle”.

Many companies have made DFE a standard component of their stage-gate innovation process. They use systems thinking to develop creative design strategies, including biomimicry and industrial ecology, and they use footprint indicators or life cycle assessment tools to assess the environmental benefits of their designs.

During this Issues in Depth Call, Dr. Joseph Fiksel, Executive Director of the Center for Resilience, will discuss how companies are rising to the “green design” challenge by developing sustainable products and processes, and he will highlight the tangible and intangible benefits that influence shareholder value.Conference line information and presentation materials will be distributed via direct email following registration.

About the Speaker: Dr. Joseph Fiksel is Executive Director of the Center for Resilience at The Ohio State University, which develops decision support tools for improving enterprise resilience and sustainability. He is also Principal and Co-Founder of the consulting firm Eco-Nomics LLC, and an internationally recognized authority on sustainable business practices. He has over 20 years of management consulting experience, specializing in risk management, product stewardship, design for environment, and sustainability. A native of Montreal, Dr. Fiksel began his career at DuPont of Canada, and then joined Arthur D. Little, Inc., where he led the Decision and Risk Management group. Later, he served as Vice President for Life Cycle Management at Battelle, and directed the Responsible Care® Product Stewardship program. His clients have included leading multi-national companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, electronics, defense, automotive, consumer products, cement, and electric power industries.

He has managed several major projects for the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI), a consortium of 40 leading U.S. companies, to develop tools that capture the business value of environmental excellence and sustainability. In 2001, he directed a $2.5 million study of the global cement industry for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, leading to an agenda for action adopted at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002. He holds a B.Sc. from M.I.T., a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Operations Research from Stanford University, and an advanced degree in applied mathematics from La Sorbonne.  

Presentation materials and conference access information will be distributed via direct email following registration.

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