A discussion of Wal-Mart’s approach to sustainability will be hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

The Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler will present a discussion of "Leadership, Innovation and Consumers of the Future" Sept. 25 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Koury Auditorium.

The event is part of "Leaders in Sustainability Series" of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Matt Kistler, Wal-Mart senior vice president of sustainability, and Kellie McElhaney, UNC Kenan-Flagler adjunct professors, will discuss the future of sustainability, trends and consumer behavior, and the roles that executives play in their companies.

The event is part of a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the founding of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise (CSE), which began as the Kenan-Flagler Environmental Business Initiative (later renamed the Sustainable Enterprise Initiative) in 1999. The CSE was formalized as a center in 2001.

UNC Kenan-Flagler established CSE to help executives and future business leaders understand how social and environmental considerations are changing the competitive landscape of business. CSE provides education, research and outreach to business students, executives, and organizations to help them benefit from the opportunities inherent in sustainable enterprise.

Sustainable enterprises use profitable strategies that approach social and environmental challenges as business opportunities and minimize harmful social and environmental impacts. They measure success in terms of a triple-bottom-line of financial profitability, ecological integrity and social equity.

McElhaney is a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate (B.A. in political science and English, 1988) and teaches a corporate social responsibility course at UNC Kenan-Flagler. She is the John C. Whitehead Adjunct Professor and the founding faculty director of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Kistler has been in a leadership position for Wal-Mart’s sustainability initiatives since 2005. He leads the office responsible for its environmental sustainability strategy worldwide. He joined the firm in 2003 as director of private brands for SAM’S CLUB and has held a variety of roles. He has held management positions with General Foods, Oscar Mayer and Kraft Foods.

The event will be followed by a reception. RSVP for the free event at cse@unc.edu. Parking will be available in the business school parking deck. For more information, call 919-962-1499.