“We create chemistry for a sustainable future” is BASF’s purpose statement. How the world’s leading chemical company drives sustainable solutions will be presented at the first European Sustainable Brands Conference at the Mermaid Conference Center in London on November 27-28, 2012. BASF is a major sponsor of this event, which is being hosted by U.S.-based Sustainable Life Media. The 400 attending brand strategists, thought leaders, and design innovators represent global brands as well as bonfire start-ups, NGOs, and solution providers.
One highlight of the program is the workshop “Creating Brand Value with Applied Sustainability along the Lifecycle” moderated by Dr. Dirk Voeste, BASF’s vice president for sustainability strategy. It demonstrates how well-connected players in the value chain achieve the common goal of addressing market expectations and creating additional value for brands by means of applied sustainability. The speakers are:
- Carmel McQuaid, climate change manager at Marks and Spencer
- Dr. Christoph Günther, head of SET – applied sustainability, Europe, BASF
- Vidar Gundersen, sustainability manager at BioMar
“Our innovative tools and a variety of market-specific sustainability approaches help industries produce their goods more sustainably and increase their brand value significantly,” explains Dr. Dirk Voeste, who is responsible for BASF’s sustainability strategy. “A good example is SET, the company’s sustainability initiative for the nutrition and health industries. This customer-focused approach identifies relevant sustainability topics, optimizes the sustainability of production processes based on enhanced lifecycle assessments, and promotes transparency at all players throughout the value chain. Vidar Gundersen will explain how SET helped BioMar to create salmon products more sustainably and how the company uses a specific simulation tool to identify the most eco-efficient fish feed recipes.
In the BASF innovation lab titled “Experience it: Making Sustainability Tangible”, practical case studies let conference participants experiment and experience how BASF optimizes product sustainability in cooperation with its customers. The demonstrations range from creating more sustainable salmon and pork products across renewable beer filtration and stabilization to biodegradable packaging solutions as well as personal care ingredients and solutions that address the needs and expectations of “eco-ethical consumers”.
For more information on SET, the BASF initiative for applied sustainability, please visit www.set.basf.com. More information on Sustainable Brands London is available at www.sustainablebrands.com/events/sblondon.