Innovation at the Sustainable Brands ’12 Conference

The morning plenaries began with a presentation by Lance Hosey,
President and CEO of the sustainability non-profit GreenBlue, who spoke about
how nature can be a powerful model for transforming business. Hosey drew
examples from his new book, The Shape of Green, which made its debut at
the conference, noting that the more attractive a product is, the more
functional we assume it is. Systemic bimimicry can solves LCA product design and
production issues, delighting consumers and making a more sustainable business
model.

“In the end, we only conserve what we love,” said Hosey.

Using Nature’s Technology to Make a Cleaner Planet – Adam
Monroe, President Stakeholder Relations, North America, Novozymes

Adam Hosey took the stage to talk about how we can drive
radical innovation towards a better world by making industrial systems more like
nature’s systems. Monroe urged attendees to consider that biotech is not just
about therapeutic drugs – it can also be applied to tons of processes to save
water and energy. If this were implemented, more than one billion tons of carbon
dioxide could be removed from the atmosphere, helping to avert climate change
and contributed to a healthier planet.

“For a healthy planet,” said Monroe, “Follow moms advice – mother
nature, that is.”

Driving Radical Innovation in Mobility at BMWi – Uwe Dreher,
Global Head of Marketing, BMWi

After showcasing BMWi’s new sleek video marketing their new line of
sustainable luxury cars, Uwe Dreher, Global Head of Marketing at BMWi presented
his company’s approach to sustainability. Although many might think that a
product cannot be both luxurious and sustainable, Dreher said BMWi has managed
to do both, not only in the vehicles themselves, but also in the production
process. To achieve this, BMWi balances their portfolio, focusing on a thrilling
performance, striking technology and an unrivaled customer experience.
Understanding consumers’ changing needs and environmental concerns, BMWi is now
offering a premium car sharing program in Europe to minimize waste and increase
efficiency in all aspects of the BMWi experience.

“We strive to build products that appeal to ego and eco,” said
Dreher.

Finding a Revolution in the Rear View Mirror – Chris Yura,
CEO & Founder, SustainU Clothing

SustainU Clothing CEO & Founder, Chris Yura, took the stage,
taking a look at history to show how our society has achieved sustainability in
the past. During World War II, it was a time of scarcity and the Greatest
Generation was forced to make do with less. For example, because the Japanese
military controlled most of the world’s rubber production, people of the time
had no choice but to recycle rubber and other materials necessary for winning
the war. Yura also stated how the Second World War brought our society together,
giving us a common purpose and desire to “save the world”, to take risks and
even die for a cause. Unfortunately, when the war ended, we lost this way of
thinking and personal sacrifice was replaced with self-interest. Today, our
society is again facing a time of scarcity, especially for recent-college
graduates who are finding it difficult to find gainful employment. Yura said he
is hopeful for the future because young people today care more about causes than
any other generation since World War II and businesses who whish to succeed will
need to address this.

“Companies and brands need to be more transparent,” said Yura, “In
the future, those that are using sustainability only as a marketing ploy will be
weeded out.”

Engaging the Whole for Transformative Change – John Lyell
Clarke, President & CEO, Clarke

Finishing up the first half of the morning plenaries, John Lyell
Clarke took the stage, sharing the inspirational story of his company’s
sustainability transformation. Realizing that he wanted his company to be more
than just mosquito-spraying business, he new he had to try something different
if he hoped for his brand to leave an impactful legacy. Although he was nervous
of spending money on change amidst the 2008 recession, he took a leap of faith
in the direction of sustainability, bringing together all of his employees to
present his idea for a better direction for the company. Although not everyone
agreed –several of his staff decided to leave – most of his employees embraced
the new vision and moved forward with him. The road to sustainability was not
always easy, but years later, Clarke was a company transformed – it saved
$500,000 a year from its sustainability practices, have a wait list for eager
seasonal employees and won its first Green Chemistry Award for developing an
environmental mosquito spray. 

“You can’t just change your operations to become a sustainable
business,” said Clarke, “You must also transform your culture.”

Overcoming Obstacles to Bringing a Revolution to Market –
Toby Corey, CRO, Solar City

Solar City’s Toby Corey took the stage to talk about how we can
drive a revolution in how we produce and consume energy. He noted that
electricity contributes to 60% of greenhouse gases, therefore, if we hope to
avert climate change, we need to embrace innovation to spur positive change. As
our current path is not sustainable, we must drive a different paradigm shift.
He cited Germany’s progress is becoming more sustainable – 50% of Germany’s
energy come from renewable sources – in comparison to the U.S’s meager 2%. We
need to promote fundamental change in the same way the lightbulb and the
internet transformed the world.

“We have to figure out ways to provide game changer values in this
space,” said Corey.

Media as a Force for Good –  Mike McCarthy, SVP, CNN
International

According to Mike McCarthy, the media of tomorrow needs to shift
from a simple neutral reporter of current events to a driving force for good.
McCarthy showcased CNN’s Freedom Project as an example of this idea – it is
CNN’s attempt to help free the world’s 30 million slaves. After showing an
eye-opening video about how something as seemingly harmless as chocolate drives
a life-crushing cycle of slavery in Western Africa, McCarthy showed attendees
what the Freedom Project was doing to shed light on the issue to bring about
positive change.

“Awareness breeds accountability,” said McCarthy, “Once people know
about supply chain issues, they have to respond.”

A Revolution in Product Design – Christian Maats, Founder,
Oat Shoes

Hailing from Holland, Oat Shoes Founder, Christian Maats, took the
stage to share his personal journey of taking a seemingly crazy idea and turning
into a bona fide sustainability innovation and how storytelling can be used as
an effective marketing tool to create a unique experience around a product or
service to create brand loyalty. Maats chronicled the story of how he came up
with the idea of a 100% sustainable shoe and traveled the world in search of the
right materials and suppliers to make the product a reality. Although many
thought he was crazy when he told people about his idea for a shoe that would
sprout flowers, his faith in his idea helped him stay the course until he
ultimately succeeded. Now with his sprouting shoes a real success, he is looking
beyond to develop other apparel that also bloom.

“As long as you believe that your dream is possible, you can make
it happen,” said Maats.

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