Čeština
BIO Summit 2010
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Dear friends of sustainable business, Thank you for your participation and share in a pleasant atmosphere of the conference Bio Summit. The conference offered very topical and urgent messages especially in the area of ethical and sustainable business. Speakers pointed at many examples of global companies as well as middle-sized regional companies proving that to join values of economy and ethics is not only possible but also very beneficial for all parties, including stockholders, employees and customers, and of course, for environment in general. As Volkert Engelsman from Eosta company, the best evaluated speaker, emphasized in his presentation, wise businessmen take inspiration not in the past but in the future. Ethical consumers (lohasians) are not an economic but information elite. They are highly educated and from buying products they expect meeting their own values of sustainability. Completely transparent and open companies able to communicate their values will be successful. Sustainability can be a great business if the balance of ethical, ecological and economical goals is kept. Presentation of Petra Šánová from Czech Agricultural University Prague, who dealt with growing group of LOHAS customers was accepted also very well. These progressive consumers are opinion makers and leaders in the area of social, ecological and economical changes. Their market potential is practically unused even though LOHAS as a lifestyle influences a broad spectrum of consumer goods from food through baby products, household cleaners up to more ecological cars, houses and other related products and services. As presentations of Vladan Armus from Starbucks company or Iveta Kučerová from L´Oreal showed, being a global giant does not necessarily bring an unethical business, but rather vice versa. Starbucks, operating 16 000 cafés in 50 countries of the world as well as L´Oreal producing 23 global cosmetic brands with more than 67 000 employees are classified as one of the most ethical companies of the world and they are showing direction in many aspects of sustainability. Toralf Richter from Bio Plus company stressed in his presentation the fact the companies have to motivate for their values their employees first. Only educated and engaged employees are good representatives of the company vision. Tom Václavík of Green marketing summarized international and Czech organic market development. Consumption of organic food worldwide and in the Czech republic keeps growing, just the dynamics of growth is slower due to current economic situation. Sales of Czech producers with generic, non-profiled brands of organic food are stagnating, while emotional brands efficiently communicating their values keep on growing as well as sales of products from Fair trade, local (organic) food, organic cosmetics and organic textile – in other words products containing ethical values of LOHAS consumers are successful. Organic food has a great future, according to Tom Václavík. Currently the share of the organic food and drinks market in the developed world makes only 3 to 5 percent, but share of LOHAS consumer is estimated to 25 percent. We feel there is a growing demand for exploring the potential of needs of LOHAS customers and for impulses and strategies in meeting the sustainability in other business sectors. Therefore preparing the next year of the conference we would like to focus on topics of ethical and responsible business in broader context, not only in relation to organic products but rather as a forum for sustainable business. In the questionnaires, which have been filled by majority of you, and in our personal discussions we received many ideas on how to shift and conceptually develop the conference in this direction. Please, if you have any further ideas and opinion on desired topics you would welcome in the next year of the conference, please write to us. On behalf of the organizational committee we wish you a lot of prosperity in your business and satisfaction in your business and private life. | |
| Antonín Parma Blue Events |
Tom Václavík Green Marketing |
