Climate Week NYC | From Commitments to Credibility: The Role of Certification & Verification in Sustainability
Join Preferred by Nature during Climate Week NYC 2026 for a panel discussion and networking reception with leaders from across certification, standards and sustainability.
Event schedule:
4:00 PM | Doors open, arrival & refreshments
4:30 PM | Welcome keynote
4:40 PM | Panel discussion
5:20 PM | Audience Q&A
5:40–7:00 PM | Networking reception
Guests are welcome to join us for the panel only or stay afterward for drinks and networking.
Featuring speakers from FSC US, RSPO, Verra, B Lab, and more.
For decades, companies have used third-party certification and verification to manage risk, strengthen responsible sourcing and demonstrate progress against corporate sustainability commitments.
Today, those tools are being asked to do more. Companies are navigating increasingly ambitious climate and biodiversity commitments, new due-diligence requirements such as the EU Deforestation Regulation, and greater scrutiny of the sustainability claims they make to customers, investors and regulators.
So how should certification and independent assurance evolve to continue meeting the needs of business?
Senior representatives from across forestry, agriculture, carbon and corporate sustainability will discuss:
how companies are using certification and verification as tools for risk management and to demonstrate progress against sustainability commitments;
the growing role of independent assurance in supporting credible environmental and sustainability claims;
how certification can support responsible sourcing, due diligence and emerging regulatory requirements;
where biodiversity, climate resilience, adaptation and living incomes fit into existing systems; and
how certification and verification need to evolve as corporate sustainability strategies and expectations continue to change.
The panel will be followed by audience Q&A and a networking happy hour reception.
Speakers to be announced soon.
Who should attend
The event is intended for professionals working in corporate sustainability, responsible sourcing and procurement, climate and carbon, forestry and agriculture, legal and compliance, sustainability communications, finance, and certification or assurance. It is also for brands and companies that use or invest in certification and want to be part of the conversation about the value these systems provide and how they need to evolve.
Whether your organization has relied on certification for years or is considering how independent assurance fits into its broader sustainability strategy, the discussion will offer practical perspectives on where these systems add value today and what will be expected of them next.
Advance registration is required and space is limited. Registration requests will be reviewed to help keep the audience relevant and the networking meaningful.
Learn more about Preferred by Nature: here