Discussing the benefits of sustainable production for brands at SB16 Sydney
By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be millennials. Born between 1982 and 2000, this diverse group has been labelled entitled, self-indulgent and selfie-obsessed, but the data shows they are significantly more engaged with sustainability and social justice than previous generations. Seeing beyond financial reward and status, millennials are looking for purpose, sustainability and social impact when it comes to the brands they buy and the brands they work for.
With millennials embracing the decoupling of growth from natural resource consumption, known as the Circular Economy, Accenture recently revealed that it will be an industry worth $4.5 trillion in the next 15 years[ii]. And digital is powering the circular revolution just as the steam engine powered the industrial revolution.
This is one of the topics being debated at the inaugural Sustainable Brands conference in Sydney, Australia, 27 – 29 June 2016. Following on from the successful Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego (6 – 9 June) which saw over 200 speakers from companies like Coca-Cola, Ben & Jerry’s, Walmart, Microsoft, Nespresso, Mars, McDonalds, Google, Nestle, LinkedIn, Dell, PwC, Etsy, Target, Paypal and many more discuss the future of the corporate world.
Speaker at the San Diego conference and continuing on to keynote at the Sydney event, Bert van Son, CEO, MUD Jeans and inventor of the revolutionary Lease A Jeans formula believes a circular economy approach attracts millennials more than the overly utilised principles of the linear economy.
“For decades supply chains and products flowed in one direction: from manufacturing to consumption, ending in landfill, yet we live in a world with limited resources, so it’s time to consider the well-being of the earth and its resources across all industries including fashion.
“Brands need to reduce their dependencies on the world’s scarce natural resources and benefit from the opportunity to generate revenue from waste, to create more innovative, responsive and customer-centric product and services that millennials engage with. It’s not about losing money, it’s about boosting competitiveness in saturated markets.
“I’ve been in the fashion industry for 30 years, and it has many problems. Cotton is one of the worst things we grow on this earth. Every year we grow 24 billion kilos of cotton on 2.5% of our cultivated land and we spray 25% of pesticides and insecticides over it. Consumers want cheap products and brands want fast fashion and maximum revenue so we see many products made in very bad conditions. Then, the fast paced nature of fashion sees the world burn garments, which equates to about 10% of the world’s global carbon dioxide. All in all, bad for humans and bad for space ship “earth”.
“At MUD Jeans we are the first and only circular fashion brand making sure our organic and certified cotton jeans come back to us for recycling, by our Lease a Jeans concept. We target the market of millennials; our conscious explorers. I believe in a world without waste and at SB16 Sydney brands will learn that recycling is fun and sustainable too!” concluded Mr van Son.
Bert van Son, CEO, MUD Jeans is a keynote speaker at the Sustainable Brands inaugural Australian conference, 27- 29 June at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. Other keynote speakers include Dr Sally Uren, CEO, Forum for the Future, Simon Mainwaring, Founder, We First, Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO, TerraCycle and Jane Caro, social commentator, author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist and advertising writer.
SB16 Sydney is organised by MCI Australia and supported by host partners Banksia Foundation and Sustainable Business Australia. Strategic partners include the NSW Government and Destination NSW.
Register to attend: http://www.sb16sydney.com/register
Notes to editors
- Bert van Son is available for interviews prior to, during and after SB16 Sydney
- All other speakers are available for interviews on request
- Media passes are available – please email laura@zadroagency.com.au for details
- Media partnerships are available – please email laura@zadroagency.com.au for details
- More information about the conference including the full program is available via http://www.sb16sydney.com/
Media contacts
Laura Valentine, Account Manager, Zadro
9212 7867 | 0406 285 077 | laura@zadroagency.com.au
Elizabeth Williams, Group Account Director, Zadro
9212 7867 | elizabeth@zadroagency.com.au
About SB16 Sydney
2016 marks the first year the SB community will gather in Australia! We’ll be building on the HOW NOW theme to prompt leaders to actively apply the know HOW to shift business towards a more flourishing future NOW. Join us as and fully immerse yourself along with over 200 other distinguished leaders for a two jam-packed days of conversation and collaboration at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 27-29 June 2016.
Who attends?
Over 2,200 global and national companies, as well as government officials and NGOs have participated in SB-produced events since 2004. Companies such as: AT&T, BASF, Ben & Jerry’s, Bumblebee, Burt’s Bees, Clorox, Coca Cola, Dell, Disney, Frito Lay, Ford, General Electric, Harrah’s, HP, HSBC, Interface, Johnson & Johnson, Mattel, Office Depot, Pfizer, Marks and Spencer, Molson Coors, P&G, SAP, Starbucks, Starwood Hotels, Target, Toyota, Unilever, Williams-Sonoma, Yahoo! and many more.
About MCI Australia
MCI Australia (www.mci-group.com/australia)
MCI is the world’s largest provider of strategic engagement and activation solutions and has been a key driver of innovation in the meetings, events, association and congress industries since 1987. Through creative live experiences and digitization, globalization, brand enhancement and content strategies, MCI helps multinational companies and international associations enhance organizational performance, grow globally, energize communities and drive business results.
Services
Stakeholder mapping, analysis, engagement and communication needs to be detailed to avoid business losses or even worse, a crisis. How can you do this effectively to prevent failure? ...
Data-driven business decisions have never been as crucial, especially in this era. MGBF leverages off, technology, experience and market presence to aid businesses in making accurate decisions. ...
MGBF provides comprehensive strategic advice and results-focused solutions to solve clients' problems in business-government relations so they can focus on their core business. ...
A critical business challenge is meeting the right decision-makers and potential buyers through the best channel and platform. How will you improve your business competency? ...
Upcoming Events
MGBF founding chairman Nordin Abdullah and UMW Toyota president Datuk Ravindran K. will delve into the convergence of automotive innovation and environmental sustainability in Penang, Sarawak, Johor and Pahang.
Hosted by menumiz™ – an end-to-end restaurant management system – this roundtable will feature a case study presentation and a panel session to discuss the latest digital trends, challenges, and opportunities within the food and beverage sector.
In this episode of 'A Working Lunch with Nordin', MGBF's founding chairman, Nordin Abdullah, will host this discussion focusing on the biggest threats and opportunities for businesses as we look to manage change in the South China Sea.
This MGBF Roundtable will focus on regional food security issues and trends in the regional supply chain, and trade regulations and policies, including a new geopolitical tool i.e., weaponisation of supply chains.
MGBF In The News
Planet QEOS, KIS BlOCNG San Bhd, and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) have officially signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative framework aimed at producing bio-hydrogen via the Steam Biomethane Reforming (SBMR) Process. The MoU was signed by Planet QEOS executive chairman Dino […]
Planet QEOS and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) are interested in investing RM10 billion to co-develop advanced Megawatt peak (MWp) agrovoltaic in Baram, to further boost Sarawak’s green energy initiative and food security. Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was briefed on Friday by both the […]
Last week SPM results came out, 373,974 aspirants who have been waiting patiently over the last few months would now know their fate. Some 10,109 have received all A’s, the golden standard of academic success and the ticket to those looking to study the “more advanced” subjects in university. Proudly, […]
The classic knee-jerk reaction is to say, fire the coach, change the leadership of associations, and reduce the funding till they start performing better. This kind of negative reinforcement may work for kindergarten children, but we are dealing with high-performance adults – individuals much further along in their psychological and […]
Since its earliest tea plantations in 1929, Cameron Highlands has grown to become a key player in the agricultural landscape of Malaysia, producing 40 per cent of all vegetables grown. Despite Malaysia shifting its economic focus away from agriculture, the industry remains imperative for food security and the livelihoods of […]
Although at first glance the travel industry and the agricultural sector appear to have nothing in common, they actually share more than meets the eye. The economic benefits of tourism to the agricultural sector can be multiplied several times over. “Tourism brings the end consumers closer to the source, which […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) recently held a high-level roundtable themed ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’, attended by industry leaders and business associations. The guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Syerleena Abdul Rashid, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Bendera in Penang. The MP’s Special Session […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) will be hosting a roundtable on ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’ on 23 February 2023. It is the culmination of the first three MGBF Exclusive Roundtable Series titled ‘The Evolving Threat Matrix in the Digital Economy’ held throughout 2022. According to the […]
The Founding Chairman of the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF), Nordin Abdullah, today spoke on Bernama TV’s leading English talk show, The Brief, hosted by Jessy Chahal, on the topic of a stable political reality and what that means for the Malaysian economy. Nordin said, “The first thing that it […]
More than 1,100 years ago, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was developing the mathematical formulas that we know today as algorithms which now have become so intertwined with the business fortunes of global media giants and the very fabric of geopolitics. A series of recent high level international reports have revealed […]
KSK Land has been recognised by the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) for its role in attracting high net-worth individuals to Malaysia post-pandemic. The first challenge in investor attraction is “selling” the country. In the context of Asia, Malaysia is competing with some very established investment destinations. The second […]
Malaysia, in particular Kuala Lumpur, continues to position itself as a regional centre to do business, educate a family and enjoy a global lifestyle. One company, KSK Land, has taken the lead in positioning itself and the city of Kuala Lumpur as a property investment destination for the global citizen […]
The upcoming budget represents an opportunity to build resilience in the critical sectors that will form the backbone of the country’s future-facing economic ambitions. This however needs to be achieved in the context of managing the community sectors most impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years. The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) […]
Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has moved to support the creative economy as the overall economy moves into a recovery phase following the COVID19 pandemic. As a step in the direction of normalcy, the MGBF has agreed to host the art exhibition “I Know You’re Somewhere So Far” by one […]
Congratulations to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for taking up the mantle of the ninth prime minister of Malaysia. There is nothing normal about the situation; it could not have been scripted but it has kept the spectrum of media, mainstream and social, gripped. The first order of business for […]
In a stirring speech to the nation, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. stamped his brand of leadership on the presidency, in his first act as the 46th president of the United State of America, it signaled several shifts. Perhaps the weather was foreboding with snow falling before the ceremony that […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2022 – As the global economy continues to deal with unprecedented levels of disruption caused by the pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the convergence of energy security and food security issues has become a front-of-mind issue faced by policy makers and consumers alike. […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2022 — Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) ties up with scoutAsia to ensure that businesses are equipped with deeper regional insights. The past two years has seen a massive shift in the way businesses are conducted with digitisation, digitalisation and automation continuously being adopted to improve […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Security Concerns in Critical Value Chains’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The guest of honour was Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, former minister of […]
