Branding ESG for Advancing A Circular Economy & Sustainable Fashion

Communicate your sustainable brand values

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In this certificate, you will learn brand strategies and how they work for accelerating the achievement of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives. You will take a deep dive into how a corporation's brand—their financial and marketing policies, products (including textiles and fibers), and supply chains—can unify concerned communities and align with various stakeholder values in pursuit of a sustainable circular economy. Through case study examples of best and less than optimal brand practices, you will analyze brand websites, digital ads, and print marketing to learn about appropriate and questionable marketing communications. Understand how and why brands fall into greenwashing—and other forms of misleading imagery and deceptive messaging—and how these errors can be avoided.

This course is for entrepreneurs who want to brand their sustainable business model and for marketing, supply chain, merchandise managers, and all responsible people who know our planet is at risk. This course is also great for non-profit organizations in need of an internal branded vision to integrate employees so they can align with their stakeholders.

Requirements

• High-speed internet connection
• Standard laptop or desktop with latest browser & streaming video
• Built-in video & speaker capabilities

*If you think you are eligible for the 10% Alumni Discount, please complete the Alumni Verification Form prior to registration in order to receive your discount code.

Note: This certificate was previously titled Brand Strategies for a Sustainable and Purpose Economy and Brand Strategies for Sustainability and the Circular Economy.

Learn How To

• Determine why branding is needed for CSR/ESG and circular economy (CE) success
• Develop your own brand focused sustainability strategy
• Increase brand value and market caps
• Increase relevancy and ROI's for stakeholders with branded supply chains 
• Brand sustainability values for CRM and achieve customer loyalty
• Measure a brands contribution to CSR/ESG and CE initiatives

View Outline

Why FIT?

• Certificate developed and taught by professional brand experts
• Instructors are both scholars and practitioners, thinkers and doers in sustainability
• A unique certificate delivering branding tools and strategies for achieving CSR/ESG objectives
• Earn a certificate from FIT/SUNY, a world renowned college of art and design, business and technology

From Students

“As a person who always worked in sourcing part of fashion industry last 15 years, the certificate taught me how to analyze ESG practices and what brands are aiming to achieve more sustainable product. During the course you could see so many practices, additionally, Bill’s D’Arienzo’s unique teaching skills helps you to analyze greenwashing marketing and it’s consequences. I would highly recommend this course to whoever wants to deep dive sustainability in fashion and understand the purpose of brands.”
Nuran T, Sourcing Director

“I recently completed FIT SBS 001, and highly recommend it to anyone in any industry looking to understand the role that brands and branding play in meeting grand business challenges and creating new businesses. Professor D’Arienzo  shared his years of brand experience and in-depth knowledge of sustainability practices and helped me to see the world and my business through a kaleidoscope of brand and a wider and more purposeful lens.”
Lee F, Founder, CFA, CPA, GCB.D, EMBA Candidate

“Earning the certificate from FIT has increased the brand value of my business. It's allowed me to further clarify my message as a business owner. Through Bill’s insights, we've updated our creative agency mantra and expanded our branding services in relation to our clients ESG objectives.”
Sharon B, Owner, Digital Agency

“By taking this course and earning a certificate, I have improved my communication skill set in discussing CSR and ESG  with clients which is an important first step to develop a strategy for sustainability for a brand. Mr. D’Arienzo has turned on a light and I have been continuing in depth research reviewing sustainable practices of suppliers and vendors as well as processes for better design.”
Jenn K, Sr. Design Consultant

Meet Your Instructors

William D'Arienzo
Lead Instructor, FIT's Continuing & Professional Studies; Chief Brand Strategy Officer and CEO, WDA Brand Marketing; and Author, Brand Management Strategies: Luxury to Mass Market
Bill D'Arienzo is the founder of WDA Brand Strategies and is the creator/lead instructor of FIT's Brand Management Certificate. He has written widely on sustainability and brand strategy issues in fashion and beyond and is currently a strategic brand advisor for Actionnate; a web-based initiative that aligns people and their values with brands and their promises, and nonprofits and their purposes, all on a common vetting platform. It promises to be a revolutionary breakthrough in that it offers a central repository, a standardized language and meaningful metrics for assessing sustainability initiatives in the global marketplace. He also serves as Associate Strategic Advisor for US Markets for Ambrosetti, the # 1 think tank in Italy and the leading European premium and luxury brand advisory. His textbook on brand management strategies has been adopted by instructors in courses at 12 U.S. universities.

Scott Kerr
President, Silvertone Consulting; Host of "The Luxury Item" podcast; and brand strategy executive
Scott Kerr is founder and president of brand strategy firm Silvertone Consulting. Scott is a seasoned global brand marketer and strategist who has held senior positions at some of the top ad agencies, media companies, and consumer brands. He is also the host of "The Luxury Item", a podcast on the business of luxury.

Outline

Module I: The Challenges and Necessity of Branding CSR/ESG and CE Objectives

• Branding a Central Authority for One Lexicon, Metrics, and Product Standards
• Current Branding Efforts: The Role of NGOs in Brand Marketing
• Brand Archetypes: The Caregiver/The Creator: How They Work in Business

Module II: Branding Corporations For The Purposeful Economy

• Rebranding/Renaming corporations for Market and Consumer Alignment
• Branding an Enterprise Wide Sustainability Value System with KPI's
• Measuring Corporate Brand Strength using Sustainability Metrics

Module III: Re-Branding Capitalism: Purposeful Economics and Reshaping Finance

• The Triple Bottom-Line Initiative: People, Planet, and Profits ... aka Prosperity
• Equity Investors, Climate Change, and Risk Management: Fashion As Risk
• Branding Circularity to Scale Fashion Products..Renew, Re-use, Re-Purpose?

Module IV: Branding Supply Chains: Brand Values Must Define Supply Chains

• The Supply Chain as a Brand Storytelling Stage and Value-based Transparency
• The Supply Chain as a Distinctive Character and Protagonist in the Story
• Aligning Branded Supply Chains, your Corporate Brand and its Stakeholders

Module V: Branding Products, Textiles, and Certification/Sustainability Initiatives

• Branding Textiles and Fashion Products with Sustainability Standards
• The Challenge of Certifications and the Quest for Fashion Transparency
• Fashion Focused NGOs and Certification Agencies: How to Bundle and Brand

Module VI: Using Branded Sustainability Strategies to Increase CRM Outcomes

• Infusing Net Promoter Systems with a Branded Sustainability Voice/ Values
• How Sustainable Brand Values Inform Customer Relationship Mgt Metrics
• Measuring Consumer Loyalty vis-a-vis Product Standards and Brand Equity

Module VII: Sustainability Branding: Case Studies of Failures and Successes

• Retailers (e.g. H&M, Reformation, REI )
• Conglomerates ( e.g. Kering, PVH, VFC)
• Iconic Brands (e.g. Harley Davidson, Levis, Patagonia)

Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS)

FIT's CCPS offers credit and noncredit certificates and courses in fashion, business, design, technology, and marketing, to help you enter into or advance your career in the fashion and related industries. With short programs and flexible schedules, you can learn at a time and pace you can manage and afford.