Sustainable Brands in the 21st Century

Welcome and Introduction by Conference Co-Chair, Jacquelyn Ottman, President, J. Ottman Consulting

Bringing the Human Element to Life: Why Sustainability at Dow Matters

Julie Fasone Holder, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing, Sales and Reputation Officer, The Dow Chemical Company
Extraordinary change and opportunity is what the last two years have been like at Dow -- extraordinary change that has repositioned Dow's brand identity through the compelling and award-winning Human Element campaign, and extraordinary opportunity to showcase a new Dow through its groundbreaking sustainability goals. While story-telling around sustainability is deeply rooted in Dow's corporate history and that of the chemical industry, let's face it, building a reputation for a chemical company around sustainability has its challenges. In this session, join Julie Fasone Holder as she discusses Dow's sustainable brand journey to set the standard for sustainability amidst the challenges, in an entirely different way, on an entirely different level.

Leveraging Environmental Sustainability to Drive New Revenue & Brand Equity

Bill Morrissey, Vice President Environmental Sustainability, The Clorox Company
In recent months, Clorox has begun to recognize that brand leaders of the future will inevitably be leaders in sustainability as well. So in true form they set out to develop creative strategies for tapping in to market demand for healthier, more sustainable products, while at the same time, working hard and fast to develop new competencies around sustainability. In this session, gain insight into three tacks Clorox is taking to build more sustainable brands, what their goals are and what they are learning from each, and what they hope to learn going forward. Included in the discussion will be their acquisition of Burts Bees, the launch of a their new GreenWorks brand, and the recasting of an existing brand with its Brita for Good campaign.

NETWORKING BREAK

Current Consumer Brand Perception: Who's Topping, and Falling Off This Year's Green Brand List

Annie Longsworth, Managing Director, Cohn & Wolfe, San Francisco, Russ Meyer, Chief Strategy Officer, Landor Associates and Jay Leveton, Senior Vice President, Penn, Schoen & Berland
Updating research presented at SB'07, Landor, PSB and Cohn & Wolfe will present new research that explores specific behaviors and attitudes that are driving (or preventing) purchase of sustainable products, as well as the latest public sentiment about which brands are the best at being green.

KEEN's Unique Approach to Engaging Youth in Sustainability and the KEEN Brand

Bobbie Parisi, Vice President of Marketing, KEEN
Imagine a marketing campaign that could raise your website traffic by 58% and email newsletter sign ups by 90%. That's exactly what KEEN Vice President of Marketing, Bobbie Parisi did. Through their innovative STAND campaign, the sustainability-oriented footwear, bag and sock manufacturer has captivated the under 35 crowd and achieved significant sales growth. Hear about the elements that went into constructing this innovative outreach plan, and what makes this campaign one of AdAge's Top 50 Sharp Ideas.

Culture As Brand: Engaging your Workforce to Build Your Brand

Jeffery Hollender, President, Seventh Generation Inc.
Culture - the most elusive element of competitive advantage is frequently organically grown. However, as a business grows, culture needs to be nurtured, protected, and yes, in many cases, formalized to preserve the uniqueness that defined the brand. Seventh Generation's unique culture permeates the brand from the inside out. Hear Seventh Generation's visionary President Jeffery Hollender discuss the challenges and opportunities of creating, and maintaining a unique culture focused on sustainability through periods of extraordinary growth.

LUNCH

Conscious Consumers Are Changing the Rules of Marketing.  Are You Ready?

Raphael Bemporad and Mitch Baranowski, Co-Founders BBMG
As a growing number of businesses aspire to innovate for sustainability, brand leaders face the new challenge of distinguishing their companies, products and services in an increasingly crowded marketplace. This session shares not-yet-released results of a new ethnographic study and national poll on the attitudes, experiences and priorities of conscious consumers and offer branding principles and practices to reach, involve and inspire values-driven consumers.

The Designers Accord: Perspectives on How Sustainability is Pushing Design

Moderator: Valerie Casey, Global Practice Head, Digital Media, IDEO, Founder, Designers Accord
with Lucas Daniel, Lead, Gravity Tank; Eric Park, Creative Director, Ziba Design; Lynelle Preston Cameron, Director of Sustainability, AutoDesk; Peter Falt, BMW Designworks USA, and John Creson, Executive Creative Director, Addis Creson and Peter Falt, Director, BMW Grpup Designworks USA
Known loosely as the Kyoto treaty of design, the Designers Accord is a coalition of diverse professionals, who are working together to create positive environmental and social impact. Adopters of the Designers Accord are initiating a dialog about environmental impact and sustainable alternatives with their clients and undertaking programs to educate their teams about sustainability and sustainable design. Valerie Casey will guide a panel discussion with companies that have adopted its principles. Panelists will share their perspectives on how sustainability is pushing design and what opportunities and challenges they face to move the conversation further.

Winning the War for Talent: How the Right Environmental Strategy Will Attract, Engage, and Retain the Best Talent

Paul Hannam, President, Bright Green Talent; Joyce LaValle, Senior Vice President of Marketing, InterfaceFLOR and Jeffrey Hollender, CEO, President & Corporate Responsibility Officer, Seventh Generation
There is mounting evidence that employees and prospective employees are looking for more than simply a job and a salary from organizations. They want meaning, purpose and fulfillment; they want to integrate their work and their personal values. This panel will discuss how organizations can promote employee engagement strategies to motivate and inspire staff, leading to improved morale and performance. These strategies also have the potential for a positive impact on the bottom line, leading to reduced absenteeism and, above all, increased employee retention.

Capital Flow & Sustainable Brands: How Investors are Driving New Opportunity

Moderator: Carol Holding, President, Holding Associates
with Benjamin Allen, Director of Research, Parnassus Investments, Lloyd Kurtz, Sr. Portfolio Manager, Nelson Capital Management, Maria Kamin, Product Manager, Research, KLD
Intangible assets such as brand and CSR are finding growing importance in the realm of financial reporting and investing.  This session helps you understand how growing both individual and institutional investors are looking at your brand for clues to your social and environmental commitments. Starting with a look at the latest trends in screening for sustainability by leading CSR research analyst KLD, hear from Parnassus Investments about where brand and CSR cross paths to create financial value.  Finally, hear a tangible case story about how product safety issues affected stock price at Mattel and how they responded to protect their brand, especially in communications geared to investors.

Leveraging the Power of Partnership to Create a Global Brand

Robert Chatwani, General Manager of WorldofGood.com, eBay and Priya Haji, CEO and Co-Founder, World of Good, Inc.
Two socially conscious visionaries have figured out a way to leverage the strengths of two very different brands to create the world's largest online marketplace of people- and planet-positive products to engage people in compassionate commerce. Robert Chatwani and Priya Haji will discuss their creative business model, how WorldofGood.com got its name, how people can connect more directly to the producers and cultures where unique products are made, and how these vastly different organizations are working so closely together to make commerce a force for good.

Strategies for Measuring Your Carbon Footprint

Moderator:  Will Sarni, CEO, Domani Consulting, Expert in Residence, Sustainable Life Media
with Thomas Mooney, Senior Vice President for Sustainable Growth, FIJI Water; Phil Berry, Founder, Sustainable Products, Expert in Residence, Sustainable Life Media, and Andy Leventhal, Co-Founder & CEO, EcoSynergy, Inc.
Measuringyour carbon emissions can be a daunting and costly process.  However understanding your carbon footprint is becoming a fundamental requirement for sustainable brands.  Our expert panelists help simplify the process for you and present some of the emerging strategies and tools for measuring your footprint and helping you understand where to focus for efforts to give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Leveraging Social Networks to Build Brand and Drive Change

Moderator: Brian Reich, Principal, EchoDitto
with Joyce LaValle, Senior Vice President of Marketing, InterfaceFLOR; Joe Laur, Vice President of Content, Greenopolis; and Alex Hofmann, Changeagents
It's not news that social networking sites are revolutionizing communication.  But how can you utilize these tools to help you build your brand and drive behavior change at the same time?  Come hear from three well-known companies who are using their social network sites as drivers for completely separate business goals -- one as a new path to revenue growth, a second to create a level playing field around carbon commitments, and the third to educate and get closer to their consumer. If you're interested in new media, this is a must attend session!

Brand Successes from the Green Building Industry

Moderator: Eric Corey Freed, Principal, organicARCHITECT
with: Eve Blossom, Founder, Lulan Artisans; Anthony Marschak, Managing Director, Modern Bamboo, and Paul Burns, Fireclay Tile
The Green Building marketplace has been one of the first to ignite with successful sustainable brands. Join a distinguished panel of pioneers who have created their own sustainable success stories. Hear their challenges and triumphs and what they're learning about selling sustainable, and get their advice about what you should pay attention to as you build your own sustainable brand.

Environmental Labeling: A Corporate Perspective

Moderator: Doreen Reid, The Climate Group
with Betsy Blaisdell, Manager of Environmental Stewardship, Timberland; Erin Meezan, Asst. Vice President of Sustainability, InterfaceFLOR, and Alicia Seiger, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Sales, Terrapass
Increasing international policy and retailer pressures are pushing manufacturers to take the impending need for environmental impact transparency and labeling seriously. Panelists will share why and how they are communicating their eco-impact through labeling. Issues discussed will include market forces that may require more eco-labeling in the future as well as the challenges associated with when to label, what to cover on the label, and how to create labels that inform and resonate with consumers.

New Tools for Building More Sustainable Brands

Moderator: Brian Back, Sustainable Industries Journal with Andy Leventhal, CEO, EcoSynergy; Terry Swack, Co-founder & CEO, Sustainable Minds; Jeff Dlott, President & CEO, SureHarvest; Lynelle Cameron, Director of Sustainability, Autodesk

De-Commoditizing Through Sustainability

Moderator: Phil Berry, President, Sustainable Product Works, LLC, with Samantha Cabaluna, Director of Communications, Earthbound Farm; Derek Smith, YOLO Colorhouse; and Steve Emery, Earth20 Bottled Water
Commodities, by definition, have the same price per unit, a pound of beef, a bushel of wheat, a head of lettuce, a can of paint. The only way for a company to grow in a commodity business is to sell more or reduce cost. This panel will explore companies that have successfully used sustainability to rethink, remake and re-brand a commodity to add value for the consumer and create a secure market niche for their business.

Toxins Unloaded: Innovation & Commercial Success in Biorenewables

Daniel Robin, Managing Director, In3
Regulatory trends in Europe and elsewhere point to expanded market opportunities for advanced renewable materials: renewable raw materials for making biodegradable polymers such as bioplastics, foams and biocomposite materials used in packaging, automotive, food service, transportation/logistics, healthcare and more. Who are the main suppliers, what are their present capabilities and development plans, and why are they succeeding? What are the sources of radical innovation and the likely time horizons for mainstream acceptance? What industry issues or obstacles still exist? Join Daniel and other experts from the field in this interactive and stimulating session on the fast-growing biorenewables marketplace. 

NETWORKING BREAK

Marketing Sustainability to Women: Obstacles and Opportunities To Make (or Break) a Green Brand for America's Most Powerful Consumers

Diane MacEachern, Founder, Big Green Purse
Women purchase or influence the purchase of up to 80% of all consumer goods, and women are increasingly inclined to sample and use green products.  This session focuses on the key role women play as arbiters of the green marketplace, as well as the challenges women face in transitioning to a green lifestyle, given time and budget constraints and ongoing confusion over what to do.  The presentation also addresses common mistakes marketers make in "selling" sustainability to women and the use of straight forward messaging and marketing strategies to increase acceptance of green goods.

EVENING CONVERSATION STARTER: The New Social Ethic, Making Sustainability Personal

Featuring Judah Schiller, Executive Vice-President, Saatchi and Saatchi S and Ted Norhaus, Chairman, The Breakthrough Institute and Managing Director, American Environics, in conversation with Anya Kamenetz, Staff Writer, Fast Company Magazine

A Taste of the Central Coast: Wine Tasting Sponsored by the Central Coast Vineyard Team

Birds of a Feather Dinners: Themed group dinners at local area restaurants