Source 44 Concludes Second Year as Title Sponsor of RILA’s Retail Sustainability Conference

Oct. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- SOLANA BEACH, CA and WASHINGTON, DC (October 20, 2011) – Source 44 LLC, the world’s leading provider of Sustainability data and supply chain transparency services, has concluded its second stint as title sponsor of the Retail Industry Leader’s Association’s (RILA) Retail Sustainability’11 Conference. The three-day event, which concluded on Friday, featured presentations by three Source 44 representatives, executive contribution to the conference’s first video blog and the company’s debut of its industry-leading video on product sustainability.

“This was an outstanding conference,” said Jess Kraus, Source 44 President and CEO. “Our decision to partner with RILA was continuously validated throughout the week; the industry response to Source 44’s expanded service offering was incredible.

“This event attracted an impressive crowd of forward-thinking and innovative sustainability leaders from around the world," Kraus said.

The three Source 44 representatives played key roles at this year’s conference.

Jess Kraus, Source 44 President and CEO
Kraus welcomed the audience to the opening General Session and discussed the distinct shift in consumer interest in the area of product sustainability. “At a minimum,” Kraus said, “customers are demanding to know the real story behind the products they purchase. They will want to see verifiable evidence that the retailers and manufacturers who make and sell the products they buy are doing all they can to be responsible advocates of the planet. With this growing level of customer concern companies can’t afford not to know what suppliers are operating within their supply chain – it’s imperative that companies know the real story about their products.”

Mike Fraser, Source 44 Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Fraser joined REI’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Kevin Hagen in presenting, “Leveraging Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) to Improve Your Product Footprint.” Fraser emphasized the opportunity at hand for today’s retailers – and the potential benefits of addressing this issue now.
“With 80 to 90 percent of a retailer’s total carbon footprint residing within their supply chain, it’s imperative that companies make the effort to understand what lies within it,” Fraser said. “Beyond that, it’s an incredible opportunity – what I call a foundation for innovation – that just doesn’t come along very often. Consumers will begin to understand what product sustainability is all about, and as they become more proficient you’ll see their preference for purchasing green products will become much greater.”
Fraser added that product footprinting actually represents a business opportunity akin to the Six Sigma or TQM efforts of recent years, which often times uncover inefficiencies that had been hidden throughout the years. “Once addressed, these improvements represent hard-dollar savings, which means you can actually deliver a measurable ROI in the majority of these product footprinting initiatives,” Fraser said.

Hank Habicht, Source 44 Senior Advisor
Hank Habicht was a general session speaker for “Environmental Innovation: Current Trends Shaping the Future of Environment Policy for the Retail Industry.” Habicht’s unique background as both a Washington insider and investor in emerging green technologies quickly captured the audience’s interest. “Over the years I’ve seen the EPA transition from Environmental Watchdog to Pollution Preventer to its current position – that of Innovator,” Habicht said. “There’s a major emphasis on greening the retail supply chain, and I see three primary benefits of taking action:
1. Avoiding palpable risk – including civil and enforcement liability
2. Finding cost savings in areas such as utilities, material resources and supply chain costs
3. Growing sales by driving customer loyalty

“This was a terrific week,” Fraser concluded. “It’s a privilege to work alongside the leaders of the world’s best and brightest retailers, and it was the perfect platform for unveiling our latest technology and capabilities. The reception certainly exceeded our greatest expectations – we can’t wait for 2012!”

The 2012 conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown September 19-21.
   

About Source 44
Source 44 delivers supply chain sustainability as a continuous flow of subscription services to meet your ever-changing product stewardship needs. We examine your supply chain through the lens of sustainability, and when we identify an opportunity or risk we alert you. Regardless of your products’ complexity, we deliver affordable technology, resources, creativity and expertise to rapidly improve your supply chain sustainability—no matter how your needs change. Source 44 derives its name from the molecular weight of carbon dioxide – 44 – the measuring stick of Greenhouse Gases. The companyis based in Solana Beach, CA, with additional offices in San Diego, Dallas and Atlanta.

About RILA
The Retail Industry Leaders Association is the trade association of the world’s largest and most successful retail companies, whose executives participate in RILA for its unique educational forums, its effective public policy advocacy, and its advancement of the retail industry.

For More Information
Source 44 LLC
Lauren Gambaccini, Marketing Communications Manager
Email: marketing@source-44.com
Phone: 877. 916. MFDS (6337) ext: 1007

Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
Sandy Kennedy, President
Email: sandy.kennedy@rila.org
Phone: (703) 600-2018