Cape Town to host sustainability conference

The event is produced in partnership with the National Business Initiative (NBI), MCI events and the Change Agent Collective. The conference theme, "How Now" is set to explore and demonstrate how brands can tap into emerging innovation to successfully scale sustainability to the next level now to accelerate business success.

Implications of sustainability innovation

Global thought leaders and practitioners who are influencing the way brands innovate and communicate will lead interactive discussion groups, breakout sessions, plenary presentations and networking activities. Every session will be specifically designed to allow forward-thinking executives the opportunity to explore and understand the implications of sustainability innovation in the context of creating, measuring and communicating brand value.

"There is no more exciting place to be contemplating the path to a flourishing future than Africa at the moment, and we could not be more delighted to be hosting this important conversation in Cape Town," states KoAnn Skrzyniarz, founder of Sustainable Brands. "Companies who are developing innovative and adaptive products and business models are not only responding to today's social, environmental and economic challenges, but are preparing for tomorrow's business opportunities."

Implementing sustainable thinking and procurement practices

The conversations at SB'16 Cape Town will address how visionary leaders are creating the necessary conditions for effective and impactful sustainability-driven strategy and innovation, plus how to implement sustainable thinking and procurement practices across the whole value chain.

"This conference will be the business networking event of 2016," states Joanne Yawitch, CEO of South Africa's National Business Initiative. "Modern consumers increasingly care about brand associations and their enthusiasm combined with easy access to information through the internet and social media means that branding needs to be underpinned by robust, defensible and meaningful innovation and action. Our planned discussions will explore how leading companies are getting this right."

Deon Robbertze, managing partner, Sustainable Brands Cape Town and director of The Change Agency Collective notes, "The programme for this first event on the African continent has been carefully curated to showcase and inspire how sustainability-led innovation is the core focus of brands that are leading a new economy based on transparency, innovation and purpose."

Further information, including a programme overview for the 14-17 May 2016 conference can be found at http://events.sustainablebrands.com/sb16ct/.