I have just left the first of this year’s Marketing Society green events. And what an inspiring event it was.

The productivity and volume of ideas was really impressive. Although I was rather dubious about the title of the breakfast workshop: “How to Make Sustainability Sexy” the content was both practical and inspiring. Sexy? – not sure, but it did signal a really positive way forward, like the proposed urban farm in Sao Paulo shown in the picture above.

We were primed by Malcolm Evans of Space Doctors with a whistle stop tour of the emerging semiotics of sustainability. Some wonderful soundbites that I will definitely plagiarise including “cultural conservation” in emerging markets that sits alongside established ecological conservation; and that modernisation is no longer westernisation by default.

The overriding impression was that sustainability, like many global themes, will be framed and defined by the BRIC (Brazil,Russia, India, China) economies. It is fascinating that China are positioning Nuclear power alongside Wind farms in the imagery of sustainability. Also that the trajectory for sustainability is from residual greenwash; to the now dominant transparency; towards the emergent actions-speak-louder-than-words (I’m sure there is a more elegant way to put that).

The workshop that followed got us to isolate possible codes that could motivate seven key segments of attitudes towards sustainable behaviour, as defined by DEFRA. Each table taking one particular segment from “Honestly Disengaged” to “Concerned Consumers”. Some fabulous ideas emerged and interestingly the analysis excluded the traditional target of green marketing the “Positive Greens”; is this enviro-discrimination? Jo Kendrick, from Homebase, promised the results on The Society’s website soon. So watch this space

I was left with a really uplifting feeling that sustainability is slowly turning the corner. We are leaving behind the dull moralising of traditional environmentalists and recognising and celebrating the innovation, ingenuity and aesthetics of sustainability. In this we will be led by practical necessities, not intellectual theory. It will be the emerging economies that are relatively free of baggage and are growing nor stagnating that will take the lead. We in the West, as we desperately try to redefine our definition of capitalism, will have to wake up and smell the yummy fair-trade coffee.

Rather strangely in wandering the vast halls of Ecobuild 2012 at Excel I was reminded of a phrase from the bible “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”. This is in fact Corinthians 13 – thanks Wikipedia, what would I do without you.

The show was big, impressive with lots of stands flogging PV, renewable technologies and other fantastic products. I particularly liked the Stoves Online stand for the flame effects in the wonderful wood burners. This was my first visit as I am a relatively recent entrant to the business of sustainability. However in conversation with some of the old lags, who have seen the growth of the show over the last 10 years they felt something is missing. The show was rather homogeneous, lacking in real highlights and innovation.

I can’t argue with this, one PV stand is very much like another. The issue, I believe is the whole sector has grown up, or rather, it needs to. The same debates around climate change are being held, complaints about lack of Government consistency and the Feed In Tariff and as Michael Portillo said in one conference speech he has been rolled out again as the pantomime dame. The agenda should no longer be here. It needs to be pushed on to engage business and about getting the mainstream of business to genuinely integrate sustainability into their thinking and their doing.

The keynotes should be delivered by the likes of Paul Polman from Unilever inspiring us with its Sustainable Living Plan and how the company will double its turnover and halve its impact by 2020. Another could be Ian Cheshire from Kingfisher on new retail business models, framed from a sustainable perspective. Ecobuild could be the springboard for the CEOs of the future not merely the eco-entrepreneurs of today.

The sector needs to look broader, attract the real players on the global scale and look forward to an exciting and productive future. A future in the mainstream, not restricted by “Green” or “Eco” labels but proudly proclaiming the opportunities of a genuinely sustainable world.