Sustainable Brands Conference

From May 14-17, Cape Town will host the very first edition of the Sustainable Brands Conference that is taking place on African soil.

The Sustainable Brands events were founded on the belief that unleashing the best of our human ingenuity and innovation can change the shape of business, and with it, the world. The desire is to spark new ideas by connecting people from different perspectives and disciplines with each other in an optimistic, collaborative environment to create a shared vision of what is possible.

One company that is embracing this vision is Procter & Gamble (P&G), who will feature as the event’s main sponsor.

“We are proud to be partnering with Sustainable Brands for this landmark event,” says Virginie Helias, P&G Director of Global Sustainability. “At P&G, we believe that sustainability is not only our responsibility, but a business opportunity, and a way for us to better serve our consumers. Our commitment is for P&G brands to help consumers make more sustainable choices, and we are excited to network and learn from others at the Sustainable Brands Conference as we continue on this journey.”

Helias will be speaking at the event on the 17th of May, focusing on how to win the engagement challenge with business and brand leaders, when it comes to integrating sustainability into the business planning, innovation, brand building and culture of an organisation.

The theme of the Cape Town Sustainable Brands Conference ‘16 is “How Now” and will bring together global as well as uniquely African ideas and participants. The four day programme showcases sustainability innovations, case studies, workshops, expert speakers and networking opportunities, all with the aim to deliver inspirational tools to help answer the burning question of how to drive business success and positive impact now.

This question is critical for Africa. For global business, this continent represents the final frontier. Untapped opportunities abound in growing populations and economies: Here, products that are taken for granted in the developed world still have the power to transform everyday life. P&G’s President for India, Middle East and Africa, Mohamed Samir, will dive deeper into this topic on the 15th of May, looking at how P&G is progressing on its journey to grow with Africa, sustainably. The P&G approach to sustainability looks not only at environmental sustainability, but also at creating a positive impact in communities and at embedding sustainability, purpose, values and principles into the business operations.

The Sustainable Brands Conference programme comes to life over six different thematic tracks, with a plethora of content: Better Business (leadership and strategy); A New Language (communication and behaviour change); Creating Shared Value (circular economies); Innovation for Regeneration (macro trends and drivers); Building Resilience (supply chains and enterprise development); and The Age of Transparency (measure, manage and report).

Within these tracks, P&G will host two breakout sessions on the 16th and 17th of May. In partnership with Neuralsense, the first session aims to deliver a deeper and practical understanding of what really drives our thinking, decision making and behaviour, specifically as it applies to sustainability. The insights and exercises, based on extensive research from neuroscience, cognitive psychology and years of experience in marketing, aims to equip participants with practical tools and resources to drive the sustainability outcomes that they desire.

Bringing sustainability to everyday life

The second workshop takes a look at the future: From automobiles to toothpaste, innovations have been impacting our lives in meaningful ways every day. P&G has been innovating for 175 years to bring extraordinary to the everyday, from doing your laundry to cleaning the floor, from washing your hair to shaving your beard. In this workshop, participants will imagine the ideal experience for these everyday household chores and activities, and brainstorm ways that we could deliver this in an extraordinary, and completely sustainable way.

One P&G innovation that has made a difference in Africa is the P&G Purifier of Water, which is the backbone of P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water programme. This little 4 gram sachet can purify up to 10 litres of water, making it safe to drink, for communities who do not normally have access to clean water, or for those who have been affected by disasters such as floods or earthquakes. On May 4th, P&G will mark the delivery of its 10 billionth litre of clean drinking water as part of this programme.

To learn more about this initiative; to hear directly from P&G’s sustainability and business leaders; and to be equipped with tools and ideas through the P&G hosted breakout sessions, P&G invites you to join this exciting event.

• All event and one day passes are still available and more information can be found here.
• Download conference programme.