London - economie, the international organisation dedicated to the education, promotion and development of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) worldwide, today announced that Colin Baines of the Cooperative Group and Esther Garcia of DNV UK will be speaking at its flagship annual event, eco6. eco6 is economie's flagship annual conference aimed at raising global awareness and transform attitudes towards the fast growing economic movements of SRI and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Colin Baines, ethics adviser, Ethical Policy Unit, Corporate Affairs & Social Goals, the Co-operative Group, commented, "As a recognised leader in the field of Socially Responsible Investment, the Co-operative Group wholly welcomes and supports the aims of eco6. An event dedicated to raising the global awareness of SRI and CSR is very much what the global business world needs. As an organisation we have seen interest and a belief in SRI grow fast, and eco6 will create an invaluable forum for businesses of all sizes and sectors to discuss the realities of the 'how' and 'why' of SRI and CSR."

Esther Garcia, CSR specialist and Senior Assessor at DNV UK. Esther's field of work is CSR assurance services such as CSR risk assessments and verification of CSR reports. She is also co-Chair of the GRI/UNEP FI Working Group to develop indicators for the financial industry.

"CSR is an important and valuable consideration for all businesses and by opening up the debate on CSR and SRI together, eco6 will establish worthwhile channels of communication within the global business community." said Esther Garcia, "This is an incredible and unprecedented opportunity to meet both CSR and SRI experts from all over the world, and from diverse business backgrounds. This event will provide the business community a first hand opportunity to talk directly to investors and address investment challenges for the future. I hope that eco6 will drive forward communication between the sectors, to effect a positive and far-reaching change in attitudes towards CSR."

International speakers at eco6 include:
Mike Kelly Head of CSR, KPMG UK
Reino Fridh, Director SVN Europe, ISO 26000
Prof. Hans Ruh, Institute for Social Ethics at Zurich University
Amy Domini, Founder of Domini Social Investments
Wendy Luhabe, Social entrepreneur and chair of Alliance Capital Management South Africa
Roger Amhof, Partner with Head of Entreprise Risk Services, Ernst & Young
Nancy Kamp-Roelands, Partner Head of CSR Services, Ernst & Young
Noreena Hertz, bestselling international author and academic
Deborah Doane, Head Corporate Accountability at the New Economics Foundation Dr Kevin Money, Associate Director of the Centre for Organisation Reputation and Relationships (CORR)
Dr Humayon Dar, Managing Director of Dar Al Istithmar London, Deutsche Bank's global Sharia advisory service
Geoffrey Dennis, Chief Executive of CARE International UK
Malcolm Hayday, Chief Executive of Charity Bank
Dr. Jean-Luc Gerard Head of Sales, Care Group

"The growing support and number of influential speakers at eco6 demonstrates just how important the movements of SRI and CSR are in the modern business world", said Brian Spence, co-founder of economie. "Both The Co-operative Group and DNV UK have many years experience in the practical application of SRI and CSR in the business environment and the opportunity for delegates to learn from this knowledge is a very exciting one."

Sponsors of eco6 include Ernst & Young (Switzerland), Global Care - The Stakeholder Investment Company, SVN Europe and Quadris.

eco6 will be held in Zurich on 9th and 10th October 2006. The conference aims to attract national and multi-national corporations, financial institutions, private investors, financial advisors, charities and NGOs. The themes, "SRI - Just Another Marketing Ploy?" and "CSR - Fact or Fiction", will seek to address attitudes to these economic movements and to promote channels that facilitate social and environmental change.

About the Co-operative Group & Finance
Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Co-operative Group and was formed to bring together The Co-operative Bank, Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) and smile under common strategic leadership. CFS is a leading provider of car insurance, mortgages, current accounts, home and contents insurance, credit cards, life assurance, personal loan and pensions. Both The Co-operative Bank and CIS were first in their respective sectors to introduce CSR programmes with fully audited triple bottom line (social, environmental & financial) reports in the UK. The Co-operative Bank has a well-established Ethical Policy, which reached its 10th Anniversary in 2002. CIS operates an Ethical Engagement Policy across its £20 billion-plus investment portfolio. For more information please visit www.co-op.co.uk

About DNV UK
Established in 1864, DNV is an independent foundation with the objective of safeguarding life, property, and the environment and is a leading international provider of services for managing risk. DNV is a knowledge-based organization and an international company with about 300 offices in 100 different countries. It is Headquartered in Oslo (Høvik), Norway. DNV ensures that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an integral part of its management system and business culture. DNV provides both management system certification and climate change services targeting the areas of human rights, labour rights, community, marketplace and environment, and can assist a business in its approach to CSR. For more information please visit www.dnv.com

About economie
Founded in 2005, economie is an international organisation devoted to creating international awareness and establishing social responsible investment and corporate social responsibility as the norm. Headquartered in London, economie is made up of international partners from 20 countries, including Australia, Argentina and Norway, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA.

At the heart of the organisation's ethos is the belief that much more can be achieved by working together than by standing apart. For more information, please visit www.economie.co.uk.

About eco6
On 9th and 10th October 2006, economie will be hosting its flagship event, eco6. eco6 seeks to bring together the world's leading SRI and CSR experts. The conference offers delegates the opportunity to meet, learn from and be inspired by passionate, creative individuals from all corners of the SRI and CSR community. For further information about eco6, please visit www.eco6.co.uk

For more information about exhibiting, please visit here:
http://06.economie.co.uk/exhibitors/index.htm or contact Brian Harrison Spence, below.

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