Press Release

Sustainable Brands Community Shows How to Innovate for Sustainability Now

Sustainable Brands® recently announced full program details for SB’15 San Diego running June 1-4 at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa. As the largest community gathering in the Sustainable Brands global conference network, it will convene nearly 2,500 brand innovators from around the world who are tapping into emerging innovation to drive brand value and scale business success.

Published 9 years ago | About a 3 minute read

Over 150 influential brand leaders and cutting-edge practitioners of environmental and social innovation will lead interactive discussions, breakout sessions, plenary presentations, deep-dive workshops and networking activities. Presented by BASF this year and running with the theme, “How Now”, comprehensive workshops will kick-off SB’15 San Diego with ‘how to’ skills building fundamentals and foundational learning in strategy and execution. Trends and market drivers will set the tone for inspiring plenary sessions. Consumer and B2B research studies, challenging topics and one-of-a-kind case studies will round out breakout sessions. Distinguished experts and thought-provoking contributors include:

Sheryl Connelly, Global Trends and Futuring at Ford on how Millennials and Gen Z are changing the game.
Len Sauers, VP Global Sustainability at Procter & Gamble on how to close material loops and drive value from innovative partnerships.
Letitia Webster, Global Director of Corporate Sustainability at VF Corporation on how to unify and scale sustainability strategy across a multi-brand portfolio.
John Bradford, Chief Innovations Officer at Interface on how to improve the ROI of business model innovation.
Sujean Lee, SVP Corporate Affairs at Chobani and Suzanne Ginestro, Chief Marketing Officer at Bolthouse Farms leading case study discussions on how to power content marketing with purpose.
Ron Voglewede, Global Sustainability Director at Whirlpool leading a discussion on how positive-impact homes are shaping the future of smart living.

Business issues will fall into seven discussion tracks: Macro Trends & Drivers, Leadership & Strategy, Workplaces of the Future, Driving Demand & Behavior, Circular & Sharing Economies, Supply Chain & Procurement, and Smarter Homes & Cities. Collaboration and networking in these areas will spill into the Activation Hub, hosted by BASF, where many companies will showcase innovations in these key areas that transform ideas into reality. Companies leading discussions around complex business challenges and sharing innovative solutions include:

Edelman will guide brands and attendees in ‘hacking’ their sustainability experiences to create meaningful and compelling stories.
PwC will devote discussions to stakeholder motivations, global environmental, social and economic trends, and translating the latest scientific research into practical guidance for the business world.
Jeff Mendelsohn, Founder of New Leaf Paper, along with leaders from Sprint, Kimberly-Clark, Staples and Canopy will share a behind the scenes view of an emerging market – how to use non-wood fiber to make paper and packaging.
A discussion with Starbucks, Avery Dennison, Stonyfield Farm and SupplyShift on how to intersect transparency and supply chain performance with data sharing.
The ISEAL Alliance, a global authority in credible standards, certification and ecolabels will unveil a new tool designed to support purchasing programs.

“Brands are committing to purpose-led innovation and finding business success,” states KoAnn Skrzyniarz, Founder of Sustainable Brands. “They are using leading-edge technologies and big data to revolutionize their systems, expanding the way they deliver value, redefining brand purpose and key narratives, embracing breakthrough ideas in product formulation and manufacturing, and establishing novel partnerships to bring new business models to market more quickly. It’s time to share how these emerging innovations and ideas are successfully scaling sustainability to the next level now."

This global gathering of prominent business leaders is presented by BASF. Platinum and Gold sponsors include: Citizen Group, Target, Edelman, PwC, JetBlue, MSLGROUP and Waste Management. HP, thinkstep, Sealed Air Corporation, Cone Communications and Knotty Pine are Silver Sponsors. FORTUNE and Guardian Sustainable Business are premier media partners. For further information on the conference program, a complete list of confirmed speakers and sponsors or available sponsorship opportunities, please visit the conference website at www.SB15sd.com. Registration is now open and global business leaders with innovative solutions are encouraged to participate.