SB Bootcamp

OBSERVE: Sessions 1-4 | Strategize: Sessions 5-8 | Re-Design: Sessions 9-12 | Measure: Sessions 13-15 | Communicate: Sessions 16-19

Session 1:

Introduction to Opportunities in Sustainable Innovation

Introduction by KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, Taught by Gil Friend, President/CEO, Natural Logic

In this kick off session to the Sustainable Brand Bootcamp, learn who’s realizing what benefits in the drive to sustainable innovation. From new forms of investor support and share price stability to reduced expenses, improved brand equity and greater market share and sales, happier employees, stronger partnerships and more, the business benefits of making the commitment to start down a path toward building a more sustainable business and brand are many. Our series begins with a look at what many companies are already seeing in the way of return on their sustainable business leadership. Expect also a definition of terms to help you better interpret what you read and/or conversations you may encounter, as well as prepare you for the learning journey ahead.

Session 2:

Understanding Ecological Overshoot

Taught by Susan Burns - CEO, Global Footprint Network

Maintaining robust, resilient supply chains and resource systems will become more difficult as time progresses with increased material, energy, and water constraints. Join Susan Burns of the Global Footprint Network as she explores the big issues at hand, and how to design systems that will adapt and thrive.

Session 3:

Green Chemistry: The Move To A Cradle2Cradle Society

Taught by Leonard Robinson - Former Director, and Federal Liaison at California EPA - Department of Toxic Substances Control

A veteran in the drive to reduce and ultimately remove toxins from our environment, Leonard Robinson is one of the leading speakers on the issues and opportunities associated with the burgeoning field of Green Chemicals. In this session he will provide a quick look at dimensions of the problem, describe what green chemistry is, provide a look at some of the strategies for replacing toxins with benign ingredients that are also effective, and give you advice about how to prepare yourself for a world where toxins are no longer allowed.

Session 4:

The Changing Consumer Landscape

Moderated by SLM Columnist Maria Suricchio, Panelists include: Amy Hebard, PhD - Earthsense;
Gwynne Rogers - LOHAS Business Dir, Natural Marketing Institute

From moms to millenials to faith-based communities and more, various addressable consumer segments are becoming increasingly interested in products and services that demonstrate greater respect for health, the environment and the individuals and communities they impact. Consumers don't always put their money where their mouth is, though. This session will provide insight in to the state of the changing consumer marketplace and help you think about your own customers and what the implications might be of their growing understanding of the potential impact of their purchasing..

Observe: Sessions 1-4 | STRATEGIZE: Sessions 5-8 | Re-Design: Sessions 9-12 | Measure: Sessions 13-15 | Communicate: Sessions 16-19

Session 5:

Transforming Your Company Through Sustainability – and Engaging Your Customers and Employees in the Process

Taught by Bob Domenz, President, Avenue

To be a better, sustainable business or brand requires the involvement of your full workforce. It can be a challenge to engage a diverse group of employees in an effective and shared change initiative. It can also be incredibly powerful. This session reviews some of the strategies that work as well as some concrete examples of results being realized from successful execution of company-wide change initiatives.

Session 6:

Getting Started and Keeping Going on the Path to a Better Brand

Taught by Asheen Phansey - Professor, Babson College

The tried and true values of being honest, forthright, and not making vague & unsubstantiated claims still matter. But the style, direction, and purpose of branding has become led by values. What matters most to customers. What matters most to us as a company and defines our purpose. These are just a few of the self-reflective questions Asheen will ask you to explore on the journey to building better brands that aim high and achieve greatness.

Session 7:

Building a Balanced Sustainable Brand Strategy

Taught by Peter Salmon, Principle, SLM Faculty and Founder/President, Fische, LLC

The transformation to sustainable and ultimately regenerative business is not an overnight one. Getting started requires a long-term commitment. The challenge is determining how to identify and stage your business opportunities and investments so as to be able to realize short, mid and long term benefit with as minimal a cost possible. In this session you will be introduced to a terrific model for crafting a strategic business strategy that can serve as a roadmap for your efforts from beginning to end.

Session 8:

Innovative Responses to Today’s Environmental Hot Buttons: Climate Change, Water & Waste

Taught by Will Sarni, SLM Columnist and Director, Practice Lead, Enterprise Water Strategy, Deloitte

This session highlights examples of new, innovative business and product strategies from various markets that are successfully being brought to market in response to emerging environmental and social strains. Learn the stories of some of these leading companies as ideas are sparked about how you might begin to innovate in your own market sector and business.

Observe: Sessions 1-4 | Strategize: Sessions 5-8 | RE-DESIGN: Sessions 9-12 | Measure: Sessions 13-15 | Communicate: Sessions 17-19

Session 9:

Sustainable Product Design – An Overview of Prevailing Approaches

Taught by Nathan Shedroff, SLM Faculty, Author, Design is the Problem, Chair, Design Strategy MBA, CA College of the Arts

Rethinking the way you make things requires a shift in how you look at the problem set your business seeks to solve. In this session, you’ll gain a look at some of the most vibrant design strategies being implemented today by leaders in sustainable product re-design. Expect the flip of a bit in your thinking as you are exposed to some out of the box, as well as soon to be standard ways of looking at zero impact product design and even regenerative product/service solutions.

Session 10:

Design Tools for Sustainability

Terry Swack - Founder & CEO - SustainableMinds.com

Designing with ecology and social impact in mind is great. But so often, making early stage decisions on what materials to use, their relative eco-friendliness, carbon/water impacts, and other factors WHILE STILL striving for high operational and brand performance...remains a challenge. Join Terry as she brings you a variety of tools and tactics for building impact assessments, comparative methods and considerations to make in design scenarios, quantitative and qualitative frameworks, and how designers and brand managers can improve their products & processes.

Session 11:

Designing Sustainable Packaging: 5 Things You Must Know First

Taught by JoAnn Hines - Brand Packaging Specialist, PackagingDiva.com

Packaging is designed to convey and protect but what other functions must it also serve, and how can packaging be rethought for lower impact? The unnecessary waste associated with traditional packaging is of growing interest, yet there is considerable confusion about trade offs associated with various sustainable packaging options. How will this trend toward low impact packaging affect the supply chain? Will moving toward more environmentally sensitive packaging improve the perception of your brand or do consumers not really care? CPG packaging expert and advisor to Sprint, JoAnn Hines will answer these questions and more, while giving you smart ideas for rationally including a lower impact packaging system as part of an operations and brand strategy. Read Joann's 6 strategies for green packaging design for a small snapshot of what you'll learn.

Session 12:

Designing Collaborative Supply Chain Partnerships

Taught by Phil Berry Vice President, Sustainability Strategy, WSP Engineering & Energy

Your supply chain is a key link in your sustainable business/brand story. This session will provide a look at examples of successful supply chain partnerships that are yielding better economic, environmental, social impact results for all stakeholders.

Observe: Sessions 1-4 | Strategize: Sessions 5-8 | Re-Design: Sessions 9-12 | MEASURE: Sessions 13-15 | Communicate: Sessions 17-19

Session 13:

Business Metrics: Dashboards, KPI’s and other strategies for Goal Setting and Measurement

Paul Herman, Founder/CEO, HIP

Included in this session will be a review of merging tools and best practices for measuring environmental (and social) impact of your business. Included will be examples of leading edge information dashboards being used by today’s sustainable business leaders.

Session 14:

Introduction to Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Taught by Jeremy Faludi, Associate Professor, Stanford Design School

With the increasing demand of consumers for more information about the products they buy, as well as rapidly unfolding sustainable supply chain initiatives being driven by market moving retailers like Wal-mart and others, getting to understand and measure the impact of your products will soon be a basic business expectation. This session will introduce you to user/extended producer responsibility as well as introduce key strategies and tools for evaluating product lifecycle impact.

Session 15:

Sustainability Reporting: Methods & Measures

Taught by Elaine Cohen - CEO, BeyondBusiness

Objective and straight-up, Elaine will deliver practical advice on how to think about reporting your CSR efforts. Here's what participants will learn from attending:
* The rationale for Sustainability Reporting
* The content and key metrics in best of breed Sustainability Reports
* The GRI framework and its role in Sustainability Reporting
* Assessing the credibility of sustainability reports
* The value of sustainability reporting in driving performance

Observe: Sessions 1-4 | Strategize: Sessions 5-8 | Re-Design: Sessions 9-12 | Measure: Sessions 13-15 | COMMUNICATE: Sessions 17-19

Session 16:

Green Marketing Done Right

Taught by Jacquelyn Ottman, Founder, J. Ottman Consulting, Author, Green Marketing

The greening of the marketplace brings with it unprecedented opportunity—and a fair share of risk. Join Jacquie Ottman, the nation's foremost expert on green marketing, as she answers marketers' burning questions about going green the right way. You'll get answers to the questions on every green marketer’s mind, such as: When is the right time to tell our green story? What should we do if only some of our products are green? How can we avoid greenwashing? Does our product need an eco-label, and if so, how do we choose which one?

Session 17:

Designing Communications that Resonate

Taught by John Marshall Roberts, Author, Igniting Inspiration, A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries

Once you’ve established a solid brand position and value proposition you can support, its time to pull out all the stops to communicate to your stakeholders about it. There is not more powerful expert today on communicating effectively to both believers and skeptics alike than John Marshall Roberts. Do not miss this opportunity to learn some solid steps to ensure your messaging carries as much weight and delivers the best results possible.

Session 18:

PR/Social Media and Alternate Community Building Strategies

A panel of experts moderated by SLM PR counsel Sandy Skees

With all your ducks appropriately in a row, your product solid and messaging square, its time to get the word out. Proper use of today’s social media can be a boon particularly to authentic sustainable brands. Here is your introduction to the tools and strategies for leveraging your great efforts to date in to extended relationships with customers who will be there to support your efforts.

Session 19:

Effective Communications for Social Entrepreneurs

Taught by Cheryl Heller - CEO, Heller Communication Design

Social Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs are some of the most important people working today. But a worthy mission is just the beginning. How do you create a voice that extends into all the places you need to be known? How do align an entire organization around your vision and create the energy and focus to make it reality? Most important, how can you translate your great ideas into powerful, successful brands. Find out here.