Stef Kranendijk, Desso CEO, to Present at Debate on Sustainability in the Sports Business at LBS Global Leadership Summit 2012

WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



Desso, the manufacturer of hybrid natural grass pitches at leading sports stadiums across the world as well as business and consumer carpets, will be showcasing its unique approach to business sustainability at London Business School's Global Leadership Summit 2012, Faster, higher, stronger: Lessons shared between Business and Sport.

Stef Kranendijk, Desso's CEO, will talk about the company's Cradle to Cradle^® strategy during a session entitled, 'Innovative infrastructure - the role of sport in constructing a sustainable future'.

He will be joined on the panel by Pascal Mittermaier, Head of Sustainability for EMEA, Lend Lease.

Since 2008, Desso has been embedding a Cradle to Cradle^® strategy into its business model, whereby it designs products for disassembly and recycling.

The aim of Cradle to Cradle^® is to redesign the way we make things so that our  products consist of positively defined^[1] materials which can be recycled on an infinite basis. In 2010, Desso was the first European carpet tile manufacturer to receive a Cradle to Cradle^® Silver certificate for an entire carpet tile product with its new product Desso EcoBase^®.  Due to its innovative composition, EcoBase's™ polyolefin-based layer is fully recyclable in Desso's own production process.

Carpet tiles with EcoBase™ backing have reached a level where up to 97% of the materials are positively defined^[1].

Desso has also developed a Take Back™ programme to retrieve used carpets (as long as they don't contain PVC) and recycle the materials.

In the implementation phase up to 2020, Desso aims to make all of its products Cradle to Cradle. All carpets will be designed according to Cradle to Cradle principles and a large proportion of the energy consumed will be provided by renewable sources.

The Desso GrassMaster pitches are valued for their ability to maintain a stable and even field based on its unique combination of natural grass with synthetic fibres sunk 20cm into the ground.

Alexander Atamanenko, CEO of the Donbas Arena in Kharkov, Ukraine - the host to five fixtures in this year's Euro 2012 football tournament - believes that the GrassMaster pitch at their stadium will be the "perfect playing surface".

The football finals in the 2012 Olympics will also be played out on a Desso GrassMaster pitch at Wembley Stadium.

The London Business School debate will be chaired by Dr. Loannis Loannou, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the School - also the lead author of a case study on Desso's sustainability strategy.

The Global Leadership Summit is London Business School's flagship event for its entire global community.  Held annually in London, it brings together 600 plus world leaders in business, government, finance and academia for one day, to discuss and debate the challenges and opportunities facing business leaders today and tomorrow.

Other top speakers include Andrea Agnelli, Chairman, Juventus FC, Sir John Armitt, Chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority, Michael Bolingbroke, COO, Manchester United, Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, GE, Sean Fitzpatrick, Founder, Front Row Leadership and New Zealand All Black Rugby Captain 1992-97, and Tom Fox, Chief Commercial Officer, Arsenal FC.

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1. Positively defined = all ingredients have been assessed as either Green (optimal) or Yellow (tolerable) according to the Cradle to Cradle® assessment criteria.