Programme 2025

The SSF25 programme provides sound food for thought and highlights specific options for action.

Participants can choose an individual focus from three topic streams and delve deeper into "Circular economy", "Supply Chain tension" or "AI & Energy management".

Programme (PDF)

Download

08.15

Arrival of guests & networking coffee

09.00

Welcome & opening – three parallel topic streams

Circular economy

Moderation

Sarah Andrina Schütz

Circularity: unlocking business value with a positive impact

Classification

Sabine Loetscher (Quantis), Alexander Meyer zum Felde (BCG)

Moderation

Sarah Andrina Schütz

Circularity: unlocking business value with a positive impact

Classification

Circularity is not only a sustainability goal, but also makes good business sense. Strategically integrated, circular practices open up new growth opportunities, improve resource efficiency and strengthen resilience. However, the true power of circularity lies in implementing it correctly: when embedded throughout the entire value chain, it not only increases company value but also has measurable positive effects on the climate, nature, water and beyond. In this session, practical examples (Hilti, Bucherer, Holicm) will be used to examine how companies are turning circular thinking into competitive advantages.

Speakers

Sabine Loetscher

Sabine Loetscher

Principal Sustainability Strategist, Quantis

Alexander Meyer zum Felde

Alexander Meyer zum Felde

Partner & Associate Director, BCG

Sabine Loetscher
Focus Topics

Sabine Loetscher

Principal Sustainability Strategist, Quantis

Sabine Loetscher leads the sustainability strategist work on fashion, sporting goods, chemicals and luxury sectors at Quantis Switzerland. For over 15 years, she has worked in sustainability for multinational enterprises, consultancies and leading NGOs across Europe, Africa and Asia. She contributed to innovative and bold solutions on climate, biodiversity, water, circularity and human rights. Acting as a sparring partner to C-level executives and board members, she co-designed sustainability strategies in close collaboration with M&A, corporate strategy, procurement, operations, finance, marketing and innovation.

Alexander Meyer zum Felde
Focus Topics

Alexander Meyer zum Felde

Partner & Associate Director, BCG

Alexander Meyer zum Felde is a Partner and Associate Director at BCG, where he leads the global work on circular economy and waste management. For more than 15 years, he has advised clients across industries on innovative products, solutions and business models in the circular economy. He also contributes to international initiatives such as the UN Global Plastics Treaty and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Prior to joining BCG, he worked at Goldman Sachs in New York. He holds academic degrees from Cambridge University, Northeastern University and ESB Reutlingen.

Circular economy in Switzerland: status quo and prospects

Classification

Martin Wörter (ETH Zurich)

Moderation

Sarah Andrina Schütz

Circular economy in Switzerland: status quo and prospects

Classification

Based on a specially developed concept for mapping the circular economy at company level, the Bern University of Applied Sciences and ETH Zurich's KOF Swiss Economic Institute conducted a written survey of around 10,000 companies in the KOF Business Panel, which is representative of Swiss industry, for the second time in 2024, following the first survey in 2020. The survey covered 37 specific activities in the circular economy and asked companies to indicate the areas in which they had achieved measurable changes between 2022 and 2024. The data collected allows for a comparison between industries, regions and company size categories, thus providing Switzerland – probably the first country in the world to do so – with a representative and differentiated picture of the prevalence of circular activities in companies.

Speakers

Martin Wörter

Martin Wörter

Professor at ETH Zurich and Head of the Research Division Innovation Economics at KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich

Martin Wörter
Focus Topics

Martin Wörter

Professor at ETH Zurich and Head of the Research Division Innovation Economics at KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich

Prof. Dr Martin Wörter is Adjunct Professor at the Department of Management, Technology and Economics at ETH Zurich and Head of Innovation Economics at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich. He is also a research associate at the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim. Previously, he worked at the Scientific Institute for Communication Services in Bad Honnef, the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and the University of Innsbruck, where he also earned his doctorate in social and economic sciences. His research focuses on structural change and innovation economics, with particular emphasis on the economic relevance of environmental innovations, the digital transformation and the circular economy.

Circular economy in procurement

Keynote

Antonia Stalder (Prozirkula)

Moderation

Sarah Andrina Schütz

Circular economy in procurement

Keynote

In order to achieve the climate targets that have been set, every company and every organisation must significantly reduce its upstream and downstream emissions (Scope 3). Circular procurement is an important tool for achieving this. This type of procurement helps to use ecological and economic resources more sparingly, increases security of supply, ensures stable prices and promotes innovations that make the economy more resilient.

Speakers

Antonia Stalder

Antonia Stalder

Managing Director, Prozirkula

Antonia Stalder
Focus Topics

Antonia Stalder

Managing Director, Prozirkula

Antonia is Managing Director of Prozirkula, the Swiss centre of excellence for circular public procurement. The organisation promotes the strategic use of public sector purchasing power to stimulate markets for circular products. This approach conserves resources and reduces indirect greenhouse gas emissions – a key factor in achieving Switzerland’s net-zero targets. Before joining Prozirkula, Antonia was Project Manager for Corporate Responsibility at Swiss Post, where she led sustainable procurement projects and helped establish the organisation’s circular economy unit. Today, she also lectures at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, the University of St. Gallen and Procure.ch, sharing her expertise in sustainable procurement and circular economy.

From vision to measurable impact

Panel Discussion

Patrick Eberhard (Eberhard Group), Margarete Olender (FHNW)

Moderation

Sarah Andrina Schütz

From vision to measurable impact

Panel Discussion

This session demonstrates how circular construction is not just a concept, but can be implemented in practice – with measurable sustainability goals, integrated processes and practical solutions from the construction industry and planning.

Speakers

Patrick Eberhard

Patrick Eberhard

CEO, Eberhard Group

Margarete Olender

Margarete Olender

Professor for Processes in Sustainable Planning and Building, FHNW

Patrick Eberhard
Focus Topics

Patrick Eberhard

CEO, Eberhard Group

Patrick Eberhard represents the third generation of the Eberhard family business and has been a shareholder since 2020. He joined the family business in 2016. A trained road builder with a degree in civil engineering, he took over as head of the building materials division in 2018 and has been CEO of the entire Eberhard Group since 2024. Patrick Eberhard also holds various board of directors mandates within the group.

Margarete Olender
Focus Topics

Margarete Olender

Professor for Processes in Sustainable Planning and Building, FHNW

Margarete Olender is Professor for Processes in Sustainable Planning and Building. Since 2010, the PhD-qualified architect has combined academic research with extensive practical experience in the general planning of complex construction projects. Her expertise focuses on the management of intricate project processes, particularly in the areas of circularity and interdisciplinary collaboration. She draws on the principles of lean thinking to promote the integration of all project stakeholders. Her current research concentrates on measuring circularity and developing a comprehensive circularity index. In her teaching, she conveys methods and strategies for a goal-oriented, systemic process culture in the construction sector.

Supply chain tensions

Moderation

Carolin Roth

Impact of developments in international trade

Classification

Andrea Rauber Saxer (SECO)

Moderation

Carolin Roth

Impact of developments in international trade

Classification

Andrea Rauber Saxer highlights how developments in international trade are affecting the regulatory environment in the area of sustainability and supply chains.

Speakers

Andrea Rauber Saxer

Andrea Rauber Saxer

Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO

Andrea Rauber Saxer
Focus Topics

Andrea Rauber Saxer

Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO

Andrea Rauber Saxer is Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements since 2024. From August 2020, she served as Head of Human Resources FDFA in the Directorate for Resources. Between 2016 and 2020, she was Swiss Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to that, she was Deputy Head of Mission at the Swiss OSCE Mission in Vienna. From 2008 to 2011, she served as Diplomatic Adviser to Federal Presidents Merz and Leuthard. Between 2000 and 2005, she was Deputy Head of Section at the Integration Office FDFA/EAER, followed by her role as Special Envoy for International Air Transport Negotiations at the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. Her diplomatic career began in 1995 as a Legal Officer at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

How can we effectively reduce Scope 3 emissions?

Panel Discussion

Charlotte Ahrens (SBB), Res Witschi (Swisscom)

Moderation

Carolin Roth

How can we effectively reduce Scope 3 emissions?

Panel Discussion

Reducing indirect emissions – especially in the supply chain – is crucial for companies to remain competitive and efficient. Accurate data enables them to gain reliable insights and take effective reduction measures. A practical example is used to show how partners along the supply chain work together on the basis of data to achieve their sustainability goals. It will also be discussed how digital platforms for CO₂ management work and how a shared ecosystem can simplify and optimise emissions reduction in the future.

Speakers

Charlotte Ahrens

Charlotte Ahrens

Project Lead Sustainability, SBB

Res Witschi

Res Witschi

Delegate for sustainable digitalisation, Swisscom

Charlotte Ahrens
Focus Topics

Charlotte Ahrens

Project Lead Sustainability, SBB

Charlotte Luise Ahrens is responsible at SBB for accounting and decarbonising Scope 3 emissions in the supply chain. In summer 2024, she wrote her master’s thesis on Scope 3 supply chain emissions in collaboration with SBB. With her international background in supply chain management and strong commitment to environmental sustainability, she combines subject-matter expertise with a practical approach to reducing indirect emissions across the value chain.

Res Witschi
Focus Topics

Res Witschi

Delegate for sustainable digitalisation, Swisscom

Res Witschi is responsible for sustainable digitalisation at Swisscom. In this role, he supports the company’s sustainability team in digitally enabling the transition to net zero and contributes to developing a business area that advises companies and municipalities on this topic. He also represents Swisscom on the boards of selected startups and is involved in planning investments in sustainable ventures. Res Witschi holds a degree in environmental sciences and has completed further education in entrepreneurship and board governance.

The contribution of the economy to a sustainable future

Keynote

Christoph Birchler (Maestrani), Antonio Hautle (UN Global Compact)

Moderation

Carolin Roth

The contribution of the economy to a sustainable future

Keynote

This panel discussion will examine the long-term responsibility of the private sector in the context of global developments and discuss how companies can develop a holistic, economic, social and ecological approach as a viable response to the increasingly complex challenges of our time.

Speakers

Christoph Birchler

Christoph Birchler

CEO, Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen

Antonio Hautle

Antonio Hautle

Executive Director UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein

Christoph Birchler

Christoph Birchler

CEO, Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen

Christoph Birchler has been CEO of Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen AG with the Munz, Minor and Avelines brands since 2021. He began his career in the central administration of Mövenpick. He then completed his education at the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lucerne. This was followed by various positions in the national and international hotel industry. After further training as a business economist at the HSW in Lucerne, he worked for Barilla for 15 years, including five years as Managing Director Switzerland and three years as Commercial Director at Barilla in Paris.

Antonio Hautle
Focus Topics

Antonio Hautle

Executive Director UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein

Antonio Hautle has been Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein since 2015. From 2001 to 2013, he headed Fastenopfer (now Fastenaktion), followed by his role from 2013 to 2015 as Head of the Department of Social Affairs and Society in the Canton of Lucerne. He holds an academic background in philosophy, business ethics and Catholic theology, and completed an Executive MBA at the HEC University of Geneva.

Sustainable change begins with enthusiasm

Keynote

Johanna Gollnhofer (HSG)

Moderation

Carolin Roth

Sustainable change begins with enthusiasm

Keynote

Many sustainable products and services are niche offerings, meaning that they are purchased by a small proportion of consumers, but often not by the mainstream. However, this is precisely where we need to start if green consumption is to benefit both sales and the environment. So how can we get people excited about sustainable products and services?

Speakers

Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer

Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer

Professor of Marketing, HSG

Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer

Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer

Professor of Marketing, HSG

Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer is Associate Professor of Marketing and Managing Director of the Institute of Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen. She researches, teaches and advises companies on customer-centric marketing and trends such as sustainability. She is the author of the book: Das 60%-Potenzial - Mit Marketing für grünen Konsum begeistern (published by Campus Verlag).

AI & Energy management

Moderation

Stephan Klapproth

AI & Sustainability: Building Sustainable Journeys

Classification

Adam Elman, Sebnem Erzan, Max Vogler (Google)

Moderation

Stephan Klapproth

AI & Sustainability: Building Sustainable Journeys

Classification

This session offers a strategic overview of the potential of AI to drive sustainability – presented by Adam Elman, Director of Sustainability for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Google. In addition, Sebnem Erzan and Max Vogler will provide insights into concrete applications: using the example of Project Contrails, they will demonstrate how an AI-based system helps airlines avoid climate-harming contrails – a scalable approach to reducing the aviation sector’s environmental footprint.

Adaptation instead of waiting: Resilient companies in climate change

Best Practice

Sebastian Glink (CLIMADA Technologies)

Moderation

Stephan Klapproth

Adaptation instead of waiting: Resilient companies in climate change

Best Practice

Using a best practice example from CLIMADA Technologies, this session shows how companies – taking the tourism industry as an example – can strategically take the effects of climate change into account and derive sustainable options for action.

Speakers

Sebastian Glink

Sebastian Glink

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, CLIMADA Technologies

Sebastian Glink
Focus Topics

Sebastian Glink

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, CLIMADA Technologies

Sebastian Glink is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of CLIMADA Technologies, a Swiss ETH spin-off operating internationally and specialising in climate risk analytics. The company provides critical decision-making insights to support global climate adaptation efforts. At CLIMADA Technologies, Glink is responsible for product development and technological innovation. He brings over 15 years of leadership experience at the intersection of meteorology, climate science, insurance, and digital product development. He previously managed global business units across insurance, agriculture and retail, and served as CTO of an insurtech firm focused on parametric weather and NatCat insurance. Glink holds a BSc in Meteorology and Geophysics from the University of Innsbruck and a MAS in Business Intelligence from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences.

12.00

Lunch 90’

13.30

Welcome & opening

Carolin Roth

Main stage

Planetary overshoot: Where is the good news?

Keynote

Mathis Wackernagel

Planetary overshoot: Where is the good news?

Keynote

What we already know about the future, and how these insights can help us.

Speakers

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel

Creator «Footprint»

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel

Creator «Footprint»

Dr Mathis Wackernagel created the ‘Footprint’ (together with Bill Rees) 35 years ago to help the world deal with ecological overshoot. To this end, he founded the Global Footprint Network, a sustainability think tank, best known in the media for its annual Earth Overshoot Day. His awards include two honorary doctorates, the 2024 Nobel Trust Award for Implementing Sustainability, two Medals of Merit from the Colombian Parliament, the 2018 World Sustainability Award, the 2015 IAIA Global Environment Award and the 2012 Blue Planet Prize.

Rethinking Leadership: Leading in Times of Responsibility

Fire-Side Chat

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Rethinking Leadership: Leading in Times of Responsibility

Fire-Side Chat

How can business success in the 21st century be combined with social responsibility and sustainability? Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman of Siemens, shows why traditional leadership models are reaching their limits. Drawing on his many years of experience in leading international companies, he explains how organisations can unlock their potential to be not only profitable but also future-proof.

Speakers

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Chairman, Siemens

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Chairman, Siemens

Jim Hagemann Snabe is Chairman of Siemens AG, former Chairman of A.P. Moller - Maersk and Northvolt and former Vice Chairman of Allianz SE. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Adjunct Professor at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS). He is a former Co-CEO of SAP AG and holds a Master's degree in Operational Research from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Throughout his 25-year career in the IT industry, Jim Hagemann Snabe has continuously expanded his experience and knowledge, starting as a trainee at SAP AG in 1990. Throughout his career, he has held various management positions at SAP and IBM, leading consulting, sales and product development organisations. He was appointed to the SAP Executive Board in 2008 and co-CEO of SAP AG alongside Bill McDermott in 2010.

Sustainable Shapers

Award

Sustainable Switzerland

Sustainable Shapers

Award

With the new "Sustainable Shapers" award, we are putting the spotlight on individuals who are playing a decisive role in shaping, influencing and advancing sustainability in and from Switzerland.

Systemic change instead of treating symptoms

Keynote

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

Systemic change instead of treating symptoms

Keynote

Sandrine Dixson-Declève zeigt auf, warum Krisenbewältigung nicht bei kurzfristigen Massnahmen enden darf. Statt „Band-Aid-Politik“ braucht es tiefgreifende Systemveränderungen, die soziale Gerechtigkeit, ökologische Belastungsgrenzen und wirtschaftliche Resilienz gemeinsam in den Blick nehmen.

Speakers

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

Executive Chair Earth4All & Honorary President Club of Rome

Sandrine Dixson-Declève
Main Stage

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

Executive Chair Earth4All & Honorary President Club of Rome

Sandrine Dixson-Declève is an environmental scientist and an international climate change, sustainable development, sustainable finance, and complex system thought leader. She is Honorary President of the Club of Rome and Executive Chair of Earth4All, dividing her time between the Club of Rome, advising on non-Executive corporate and academic Boards, lecturing, and facilitating difficult conversations. She is a TED global speaker and was recognised by Reuters in 2023 as one of 25 global female trailblazers and by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business.

United for Sustainability: Pathways to international cooperation

Keynote

José María Figueres

United for Sustainability: Pathways to international cooperation

Keynote

José María Figueres highlights why global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity and geopolitical tensions can only be solved through international cooperation.

Speakers

José María Figueres

José María Figueres

Former President of Costa Rica

José María Figueres
Main Stage

José María Figueres

Former President of Costa Rica

José María Figueres is Chairperson of SICPA Latin America and Co-Chairperson of Tojoy Shared Holding Group in China. He served as President of Costa Rica (1994–1998) and was later appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to lead the United Nations ICT Task Force (1999). He has held key global leadership roles, including CEO of the World Economic Forum and Chair of the Rocky Mountain Institute–Carbon War Room alliance. He also co-chaired the Global Ocean Commission and Ocean Unite, advocating for ocean conservation. José María Figueres holds a degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctorate from the International University of Geneva.

17.00

Network aperitif


Carmen Metzger

Do you have any questions?

We are happy to help.

Entrepreneurs Club - Exclusively for members

Don't miss this opportunity