The pillars of ESG Summit Europe 2025 - October 7-8, Madrid
Photo credit: ESG Summit Europe
- Regulation, strategy, transparency, green finance, tangible impact, and cross-sector innovation will shape the agenda toward a sustainable business transition.
- María Jesús Romero de Ávila Torrijos, Director General of Economy at Madrid City Council, will open the event.
- The summit will bring together international institutions such as the European Commission, UN Global Compact Spain, EFRAG, IFRS, and ISSB, along with sustainability forums like Eurosif and Spainsif, and companies including SAP, Vodafone, EY, CaixaBank, LLYC, Leroy Merlin, ECOALF, Osborne Clarke, Trascendent, and Nespresso.
- The IMPACT Pitch Europe section will feature a live startup competition where disruptive projects will be presented to investors and corporations
The transition toward more sustainable and responsible business models will be the central theme of ESG Summit Europe 2025, a gathering of international leaders in sustainability, impact investment, and ESG regulation.
The summit will take place on October 7 and 8 at the Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío in Madrid, consolidating its third edition as one of Europe’s leading forums for addressing major economic, social, and environmental challenges.
Following the institutional opening by María Jesús Romero de Ávila Torrijos, Director General of Economy at Madrid City Council, the event will feature leading figures such as John Elkington, regarded as one of the fathers of corporate sustainability, and Marga Hoek, an international expert in responsible business, who will discuss the power of regenerative thinking in companies.
Then, Clara Arpa, President of the UN Global Compact Spain, will give a keynote speech on how sustainability has become a key factor in organizational competitiveness.
The program will include high-level discussions on transparency and accountability in ESG matters. Highlights include a panel analysing the future of non-financial reporting with Elena Arveras (European Commission), Jennifer Bofinger Schuster (ISSB), Aleksandra Palinska (Eurosif), and Chiara del Prete (EFRAG).
Other sessions will explore the value of green finance, featuring experts such as David Carlin and Stephen Jamieson (SAP), and the role of corporate leadership, with Brigitte Felber (Nespresso), Ángel Pérez Agenjo (Transcendent), and Ibo Sanz (LLYC).
The investor ecosystem will also have a strong presence, with a panel dedicated to impact investing in Europe featuring Pablo Hernández de la Merced (CaixaBank), Jan Herrmann (Osborne Clarke), Eduardo Brunet (Green Finance Institute), and Andrea González (Spainsif). Additionally, inspiring cases such as ECOALF, founded by Javier Goyeneche, will be showcased—the company that has turned marine plastic waste into a benchmark for sustainable fashion.
“With ESG Summit Europe 2025, we aim to bring together key players in the sustainable ecosystem—companies, investors, regulators, and startups—to jointly drive a real transformation toward a more innovative and responsible model, “ says Mónica Rico, founder of ESG Summit Europe.
Impactful Entrepreneurship: “Shark Tank”-Style Competition
IMPACT Pitch Europe, the official live competition of ESG Summit Europe 2025, modelled after Shark Tank, will allow Europe’s most promising sustainable innovation startups to present their proposals before a specialized audience.
Three finalist startups—selected for their innovative ESG solutions, scalable business models, and measurable impact—will each have five minutes to pitch, followed by a Q&A session with a jury of industry experts. The event will take place on the second day, hosted by Federico Garcea (Treedom), and the jury will deliberate and announce the winner live.
The three startups presenting innovative solutions are D3Companion, focused on sustainable building design, XNatura (by 3Bee), promoting biodiversity and nature-positive strategies and Re4Real, dedicated to plastic recycling and the circular economy.
Key objectives of the competition include empowering entrepreneurs with innovative ESG solutions, connecting them with funding and visibility, showcasing scalable models with real impact, and positioning Europe as a driver of sustainable innovation. The experience includes a program designed to accelerate startup growth, with mentoring, investor exposure, and public recognition.
Participating companies, institutions, and entities
The event will gather international and European institutions such as the European Commission, UN Global Compact Spain, EFRAG, IFRS, and ISSB, along with sustainability initiatives and forums like Eurosif, Spainsif, and Volans. Major corporations across various sectors will also participate, including SAP, Vodafone, EY, CaixaBank, LLYC, Leroy Merlin, ECOALF, Osborne Clarke, Trascendent, and Nespresso.
ESG Summit Europe
ESG Summit Europe is the leading sustainability event in Europe, bringing together leaders and professionals from the sustainability field to discuss and foster innovation and leadership in ESG. Through a variety of panels and conferences, ESG Summit Europe focuses on educating, inspiring, and promoting concrete actions toward a more sustainable future.
For more information about the agenda, featured speakers, and registration details, please visit the event website www.esgsummiteurope.com.
