GreenBiz 16 Brings Sustainable Business Trends, Tools and Techniques Back to Phoenix

OAKLAND, Calif., September 23, 2015 /3BL Media/ — GreenBiz 16, the eighth annual convening of the acclaimed corporate sustainability forum, is returning to Phoenix in February in partnership with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) and Arizona State University, recently named the most innovative university in America. The three-day forum, February 23-25, will convene more than 600 sustainability leaders to define the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing sustainable business today.

GreenBiz is framed around the annual, award-winning State of Green Business report that presents key metrics and explains underlying trends shaping sustainable business. Sustainability executives come to GreenBiz to learn about the tools and techniques they need to succeed, leveraging the experience and wisdom of their peers.

The unique partnership between GreenBiz, TSC and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute for Sustainability at Arizona State University brings together a diverse group of professionals from across sectors and geographies. With its focus on how the world’s biggest companies are aligning sustainability goals with business success, the event combines interactive workshops, high-wattage stage presentations and incomparable networking opportunities.

“GreenBiz has become the go-to event for sustainability executives, which is why it has grown every year,” says GreenBiz Group Chairman and Executive Editor Joel Makower. “Our partnership with ASU and The Sustainability Consortium brings the best of all three organizations’ networks, talents, and resources for the benefit the leaders in the field of corporate sustainability.”

GreenBiz 16 is the anchor event of the Sustainability Solutions Festival, a two-week series of events held throughout Phoenix, February 12-27, hosted by Arizona State University’s Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives. With a call to “(re)imagine your world,” the Festival attracts thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds for activities focused on inspiring a more sustainable world through innovation and imagination.

“As the nation's leader in innovation and sustainability research and education, Arizona State University looks forward to reconvening next year with esteemed business leaders who are also focused on finding solutions that benefit their organizations, their communities and our planet,” said Michael M. Crow, ASU president. “In two years, the Sustainability Solutions Festival has distinguished itself as a vital series of events that explore transformative social, environmental and economic collaborations and celebrates their impact on our world.”

As in past years, TSC's partnership includes hosting a special TSC member meeting at the event, in addition to a half-day tutorial, two workshops and keynote interview with TSC CEO Sheila Bonini, along with other member companies.

“As an organization committed to transforming the consumer products industry, The Sustainability Consortium is proud to once again be Premier Partner for GreenBiz, along with ASU,” stated Bonini. “GreenBiz convenes many leading brands and organizations committed to sustainability, including many TSC members, and the focus on topics such as supply chain and public-private partnerships mirror the mission and function of TSC.”

The annual GreenBiz forum attracts world-class leaders from the worlds of business and nonprofits. Past speakers at GreenBiz have included Adam Lowry of Method, Hannah Jones of Nike, the actress Jessica Alba and Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia. This year’s event will feature more than 100 deep-dive workshops, interactive sessions and mainstage presentations focused around six program tracks: Storytelling & Engagement, Design & the Circular Economy, Purpose & Leadership, The New Energy Landscape, Sustainable Supply Chains and Materiality & Metrics.

GreenBiz 16 will take place February 23-25 at the J.W. Marriott Camelback Inn. Learn more about the event here and mark your calendar for these future events:

• GreenBiz 17: JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, February 14-16, 2017
• GreenBiz 18: JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, February 6-8, 2018
• GreenBiz 19: JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, February 26-28, 2019

About GreenBiz Group
GreenBiz Group’s mission is to define and accelerate the business of sustainability. It does this through a wide range of products and services, including its acclaimed website GreenBiz.com and e-newsletters, GreenBuzz and VERGE; webcasts on topics of importance to sustainability and energy executives; research reports, including the annual State of Green Business; the GreenBiz Executive Network, a membership-based, peer-to-peer learning forum for sustainability executives; and conferences: GreenBiz and VERGE. 

About The Sustainability Consortium
The Sustainability Consortium^® (TSC^®) is a global nonprofit organization working at the intersection of science and business to transform the consumer goods industry to deliver more sustainable products. TSC creates credible, scalable tools, strategies and services that are based in science, informed by stakeholders and focused on impact across the entire lifecycle of consumer products, including environmental, social and economic imperatives.  The Sustainability Consortium is comprised of more than 100 members, including manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, civil society and corporations that work collaboratively on innovation for a new generation of products and supply networks. The Sustainability Consortium is jointly administered by Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas, with additional operations at Wageningen UR in the Netherlands and Nanjing University in China. For more information, visit www.sustainabilityconsortium.org. 

About ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability
The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of Arizona State University’s sustainability initiatives. The Institute advances research, education, and business practices for an urbanizing world. Its School of Sustainability, the first of its kind in the U.S., offers transdisciplinary degree programs to create practical solutions for environmental, economic, and social challenges. For more information, visit http://www.sustainability.asu.edu.