Opening Day of Sustainable Brands ’10 Brings Visionaries and Innovative Companies Together with Game-Changing Launches and Insights

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Opening Day of Sustainable Brands ’10 Brings Visionaries and Innovative Companies Together with Game-Changing Launches and Insights

Business Leaders Share the Latest in Consumer Trends and Launch Breakthrough Products in Monterey, CA from June 7-10

MONTEREY, Calif., June 8, 2010 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Sustainable Brands 2010 (SB ’10) kicked off with brand leaders, entrepreneurs and start-ups vying to build the road to sustainability, despite uncertain economic times. Eleven finalists competed at the 2nd annual SB Innovation Open yesterday, with results (and the winner’s $10,000 prize donated by Nike) to be announced on the closing day, Thursday, June 10th.

The first full day of SB ‘10 celebrated companies that embody the conference’s “Power of AND” theme by creating products and conducting studies that are transforming the increasingly complex business and environmental challenges faced by organizations today. The services and findings of selected leaders span multiple industries – from sustainable sunglasses to forestry carbon offset programs – and represent diverse and uniquely compelling drivers shaping the future of the corporate sustainability movement.

The following companies will unveil revolutionary products and studies during Sustainable Brands 2010, offering a snapshot of the compelling announcements comprising this year’s programming:

Green Brands Survey

(Tuesday, June 8 from 1:00-2:00pm, B1)

The results of sixth annual ImagePower® Green Brands Survey, which examines consumer perceptions of green brands and corporate environmental behavior, will be announced today and reveal that consumer commitment to purchasing from green companies is shared around the globe, but the barriers to going green and environmental concerns are not consistent.

The 2010 data indicate that in the United States, 75 percent of consumers say that it is somewhat or very important to them that the brands they buy come from green companies and the majority of respondents globally plan to spend the same or more money on green products in the coming year. Over 60 percent of consumers in all countries want to buy from environmentally responsible companies, but the cost of green products continues to be a hurdle in developed countries. More than two-thirds of respondents in each country polled cite reducing toxics and dangerous substances as the most important activity a company can do to be green, followed by water conservation or recycling.

MODO Eyewear

(Wednesday, June 9 from 3:15-4:15pm, Ferrante 3)

Conceived as ‘Eyewear for the Individual,’ MODO offers products of definitive design and uncompromising craftsmanship to its discerning, confident clientele. MODO is taking a “green” direction and introducing eco (Earth Conscious Optics), the first optical and sunglass collection entirely made of recycled materials at Sustainable Brands 2010. Eco reinterprets the whole product lifecycle in an environmentally sustainable way, starting with its recycled content, certified by UL Environment. Eco plants a tree for each frame sold together with “Trees for the Future” and makes it easy to donate unused frames to people in need in developing countries.

SustainAbility/GlobeScan Survey: Improving Sustainability Performance is Key to Enhancing Corporate Brand Image, According to Experts

(Tuesday, June 8 from 2:00-3:00pm, Colton)

Improving performance on key sustainability impacts, not just improving communication, is key to enhancing corporate brand image, according to a new poll of global sustainability experts. But even some of the companies most commonly cited as sustainability leaders - such as Walmart and GE - are not maximizing this potential just yet. Findings from the 2010 Sustainability Survey by GlobeScan and SustainAbility, which is the largest global poll of the views of sustainability experts, show that while a majority of global thought leaders agree that improving sustainability performance improves overall brand image, significantly fewer believe that ramping up sustainability branding efforts results in improved sustainability performance. In fact, less than half of respondents believe that any of the most common branded sustainability efforts are improving actual sustainability performance.

Zumer’s 2009 Sustainability Initiatives Annual Report

At Sustainable Brands 2010, Zumer and SLM Insights are co-releasing their 2009 Sustainability Initiatives Annual Report. The 130-page report tracks the sustainability activities of 100 companies in 10 industries, analyzing what activity occurred in 2009 and what to expect in 2010. For sustainability executives, the report provides detailed analysis of industry trends, consumer demand and industry rankings to measure performance and set goals for 2011. Zumer (www.zumer.com) is a cutting-edge platform for collecting and analyzing sustainability activity. Since 2007, Zumer has partnered with corporations, universities and students to transform sustainability reports into valuable benchmarks, ratings and recommendations. Zumer’s database contains analysis on 700 companies in 20 industries, covering over 4,000 brands and 15,000 data points.

EcoSecurities Forest Carbon Offsetting Research

EcoSecurities, a leading organization in the business of sourcing and developing greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, Conservation International, The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, ClimateBiz and Norton Rose Group announce the findings of their second annual ‘forest carbon offsetting report 2010’, which focuses on corporations’ attitudes towards carbon offsets from forestry projects.

Focusing on the North American respondents, highlights of the research include:
-For the second year in a row, three out of four North American respondents claim to have a positive attitude towards forestry;
-Participants from North America highlighted the most important factor when purchasing forest carbon offsets are carbon standards (85%), closely followed by project location (85%) and project type (83%);

EcoFocus Worldwide’s “Are You Ready for Eco-Mom?” Report

(Wednesday, June 9 from 3:15-4:15pm, Steinbeck Forum)

EcoFocus Worldwide is a research based consulting company that conducts consumer trend research and provides marketing consulting specializing in the consumer perspectives on green and sustainable goods and services as well as insights into the health and wellness marketplace. Their latest report “Are You Ready for Eco-Mom?” will be released June 25, 2010 and answers the following critical questions:

1. What are the top 4 most important things to them when it comes to eco-friendly practices?
2. What are the 4 largest barriers that get in the way of eco-friendly choices?
3. What do you need to be doing to reassure them that your brand is the right choice?
4. What are the unexpected benefits that EcoMoms are getting from choosing a more eco-friendly lifestyle?

About Sustainable Brands Conference
Widely reputed to be the most compelling sustainability conference of the year, Sustainable Brands 2010 will convene more than 800 brand leaders, top executives from the global brands leading sustainable innovation today, all types of designers participating in this global shift, and an unprecedented list of others. Speakers and sessions provide inspiration, techniques and best practices as economic realities, corporate responsibility and the environment come together to create a new strategic business imperative. Registration is open and seating is limited: http://www.sustainablebrands10.com

About Sustainable Life Media
Sustainable Life Media (SLM) is the leading producer of sustainable business conferences and educational events, with products and services designed for the sustainable business community including membership, targeted e-newsletters, online learning programs, community, and the flagship Sustainable Brands conference. SLM delivers top news stories related to the who, what and how of environmental and social innovation, and helps community members connect with thought leaders, peers, partners and solutions providers who can help them quickly reach their goals.

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Contact:
Sasha Fedulow
Cohn & Wolfe
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sasha.fedulow@cohnwolfe.com