Sustainable Brands® Announces Full Program Details for Global Brand Innovation Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Sustainable Brands® recently announced full program details for SB’14 San Diego running June 2-5 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 driving business success towards a regenerative economy.

Over 160 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. Comprehensive workshops kick-off the week with skills building fundamentals and foundational learning in strategy and execution. Trends and market drivers set the tone for inspiring morning plenary sessions. Consumer and B2B research studies, challenging topics and one-of-a-kind case studies round out afternoon breakout sessions. Distinguished experts and thought-provoking contributors include:

• Alexander Collot d’Escury, CEO of Desso, will discuss applying circular economy principles in practical product and system design.
• Bill Shireman, CEO of Future 500, will host a multi-stakeholder discussion with Avery Dennison, Greenpeace and Asia Pulp & Paper to dissect corporate leadership in evolving stakeholder relationships.
• First in a public forum, Jason Graham-Nye, CEO of gDiapers, will speak about his experience with the FTC and transparency in marketing claims.
• Michael Smith, Director of Industry Relations at Nielsen, will reveal how brand managers can leverage applied neuroscience to drive consumer engagement.
• Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup, will speak back to back with Neil Grimmer, Co-Founder & President of Plum Organics, on redesigning the way Campbell uses purpose to make decisions, transform culture and connect with stakeholders.
• Sally Uren, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future, will share a new set of principles that identify “Net Positive” business models.
• Scott Mackinlay Hahn, CEO & Co-Founder of Loomstate, will help launch results from new and original research facilitated by MDBC that identifies fashion materials through the lens of the Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM Program.

Business issues will fall into seven afternoon breakout tracks: Leadership & Strategy, Stakeholder Insights & Influences, Brand Positioning & Communications, Organizational Development & Intrapreneurship, Supply Chain & Procurement, Product & Service Innovation and Materials & Chemistry. Collaboration and networking in these areas will continue in the Activation Hub 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: 

• A discussion with LEGO and Intel on testing the limits in the supply chain and influencing suppliers.
• A panel on skills, tactics and tools for effective change agents with business leaders from Sprint, Microsoft and Hilton Worldwide.
• A session examining applications of supply chain impact data from The Sustainability Consortium – from methodology, to data collection, to back-end tech platform support on an enterprise level – featuring partners Walmart and SAP.
• Key approaches, policies and tools in sustainable purchasing with business leaders from DEKRA Sustainability, McDonald’s Caesars Entertainment, Sodexo and Dell.
• Collaborative conversations with BASF, SAP, Coca-Cola and Arrow Electronics in various sectors of the Activation Hub.

“We're seeing a continued emergence around the world of creativity and innovation coming from both global brands and out-of-the-box entrepreneurs, who are each in their own way reimagining how they can contribute to a flourishing future economy.” states KoAnn Skrzyniarz, Founder of Sustainable Brands. “The front edge of leadership today is being defined by those brands, whether big or small, that are moving beyond reducing harm and toward delivering a net positive impact in the world through product and service innovation, new business models, deeper engagement with their stakeholders and better collaboration with both peers and members of their value network."  

This global gathering of prominent business leaders is generously supported by BASF, Saatchi & Saatchi S, Citizen Group, Target, Nissan, Arrow Electronics, Coca-Cola as Platinum and Gold sponsors, and Cone Communications, MSL Group, AoSA, ASU Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives, WeSpire and SAP as Silver Sponsors, as well as a host of other partners, sponsors and exhibitors. Guardian Sustainable Business is the premier media partner. For further information on the conference program, a complete list of confirmed speakers or sponsorship opportunities, please visit the conference website at www.SB14sd.com. Registration is now open and global business leaders with innovative solutions are encouraged to participate.

About Sustainable Brands
Sustainable Brands^® is the premier global community of brand innovators who are shaping the future of commerce worldwide. Since 2006, our mission has been to inspire, engage and equip today’s business and brand leaders to prosper for the near and long term by leading the way to a better future. Digitally published news articles and issues-focused conversation topics, internationally known conferences and regional events, a robust e-learning library and peer-to-peer membership groups all facilitate community learning and engagement throughout the year. Sustainable Brands is hosted by Sustainable Brands Worldwide, a division of Sustainable Life Media headquartered in San Francisco, CA.