Sustainability metrics integration plan for a fiberglass company

For a leading fiberglass company, PRé developed a sustainability metrics integration plan. This allows the company to build the sustainability capacity it needs to answer customer queries and create more sustainable products.

About

Reducing the environmental impacts of chemical processes is an interesting, but difficult task. Reducing impacts in one category may mean increasing impacts in another category. This was also the case for a leading fiberglass company: to make glass without producing harmful emissions, a much higher temperature was needed, increasing energy consumption and requiring investment in more efficient combustion techniques to keep impacts low. Improving chemical processes is not the only way that such companies can improve their sustainability performance, though.

For the fiberglass company, PRé developed a sustainability metrics integration plan to build sustainability capability throughout the business. First, we assessed the current situation via a thorough landscaping process. Second, we identified and prioritized improvement opportunities and set goals. Third, we created an extensive road map to implement the changes needed to reach these goals. This will allow the company to achieve better communication with suppliers, customers and stakeholders, improve its environmental performance, and benefit from sustainable innovation opportunities.

Challenge

Our client is a leading fiberglass company that is committed to reducing its environmental impact. Before consulting with us, it already made significant improvements in reducing operational energy efficiency, for example by using new combustion techniques. The company has also developed and launched more environmentally favorable products.

The fiberglass company had been facing increasing customer demands for information about its environmental performance. As a result of these demands and of a growing internal awareness of the business value of integrating sustainability, the company decided to develop sustainability capabilities throughout its business. This would enable it to answer sustainability questions brought up internally and by customers, and to identify opportunities and risks in operational and supply chain efficiency. The company also wanted to develop greater supply chain visibility to identify sustainability hotspots and develop more sustainable products and processes. This would help the company proactively manage external stakeholder expectations and enhance its reputation.

Solution

PRé adopted a stepwise approach to develop a sustainability metrics integration plan for the fiberglass company. The first step was learning about its sustainability landscape by assessing the current situation and identifying opportunities. This landscaping exercise included:

  • Creating product portfolio transparency: gaining insight into the company’s environmental and social information
  • Obtaining cross-functional engagement: understanding how this information can be used for decision making and engagement
  • Setting meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets: understanding how the company communicates and tracks performance, internally and externally
  • Mapping the external landscape: attaining deeper knowledge of customer needs and sector best practices

After the landscaping, PRé ranked the opportunities using several relevant criteria, such as time and resources needed to implement. After that, PRé developed a sustainability metrics integration road map. The road map presented a comprehensive program with a list of activities to be carried out, identifying for each step which stakeholders to involve and what business value would be gained.

Benefits

With the insight provided by the sustainability landscaping exercise and the road map for integrating sustainability metrics, the company can achieve the following:

  • Enhanced sustainability commitments and communication
  • Improved operational environmental performance and potential cost savings
  • Increased brand reputation and stronger sector and customer relationships
  • Increased supply chain and product development sustainability
  • Growing internal sustainability capabilities, employee motivation and engagement
  • Sustainability-focused innovation and new market opportunities

Stay up to date with our newsletter

Newsletter Registration

Section

Section

Newsletters *
Conditions *