“The revolution may not be all it seems”

Simon Propper reports from the Sustainable Brands Conference 2012 on the prospect of an ethical revolution

This year’s Sustainable Brands conference was held at the Paradise Point beach resort in San Diego, California, from 4 to 7 June.SB London will take place in November 2012, and the American edition showed how interest in sustainability has surged in recent years – it now has over 1,300 delegates attending over 90 sessions and hearing from over 180 speakers.

The conference is unique in providing a forum for the comms world to engage with the sustainability community, and delegates from these different worlds do not always speak the same language . This year, the conference was titled ‘The Revolution Will Be Branded’ – a clumsy misappropriation of Gil Scott-Heron’s trenchant social commentary, or a statement of the inevitable? ‘The Revolution Will Be Full Of Contradictions’ might have been more accurate.

A series of heavyweight brands set out their sustainability credentials at the conference. One such was BMW, which profiled the BMW i range of electric cars, designed with electric power exclusively in mind, set to launch in 2013.BMW offered little hard evidence for the environmental benefit of the i series, but the company has built up credibility through its technical credentials and uncompromising design – I’m inclined to trust its green claims. But the lack of technical information suggests that this version of the revolution may not be all it seems.

Novozymes, maker of enzyme ingredients for detergents, was not so techno-phobic, showing how its latest bio-technology reduces washing impact in the manufacture of cotton garments. The impressive life-cycle reductions in carbon emissions brought respectful nods from the sustainability contingent in the audience – we love evidence.

Determining which brand is the most sustainable of them all was fiercely debated, but the consensus was that Unilever, with its Sustainable Living Plan, is currently in the lead. The Plan is an appealing mix of simple goals (eg. halve the carbon footprint of an average product by 2020) with well-funded opinion leader communications, which gives it the right mix of substance and simplicity.

Close on Unilever’s heels is Coca-Cola, which profiled its Arctic Home tie-up with WWF. This campaign aims to raise $10million for the protection of polar bears – a marketing man’s dream. But again, the gulf between the marketing and the sustainability experts was revealed. The latter would have much preferred to discuss Coca-Cola’s truly ambitious and significant water stewardship programme; no other company comes close to Coca-Cola’s leadership in mapping local water resources and initiating work to protect and conserve the fast diminishing pool.

Numerous challenger brands showed their enthusiasm for carving out a market niche for green and responsible business. The popular Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle impressed delegates with an authentic presentation of its pro-family anti-factory farm sourcing values. The company stops short of committing to organic ingredients: with Chipotle’s great product and smart branding, perhaps half a revolution will suffice.

More than anything, the conference illustrated the tension between good sustainability evidence and good marketing material. The former is complex and frequently inconclusive, while the latter replies on simple propositions. The conversation between marketing experts and sustainability experts is only just beginning – we’ll need to exercise mutual patience and understanding to steer companies towards successful, sustainable products.

Simon Propper is the CEO of the corporate sustainability consultancy Context. He is based in Los Angeles.