European food retailer assumes strategic approach to sustainable packaging

EMPOWERING CONSUMERS TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE CHOICES

Packaging sustainability is no longer a niche concern, but has become a major matter of debate on the global stage and a decisive issue within media, society and legislation. Increased media coverage has heightened consumer sensitivity to sustainability issues, leading to nprecedented scrutiny regarding the impact of the consumer goods industry on the environment. Consumers are also increasingly motivated to be more environmentally conscious and are demonstrating their concerns through shifts in their shopping habits. To address these concerns, as well as answer to stricter legislative requirements, retailers and consumer product manufacturers are taking meaningful action to optimize their product assortment.
In 2018, one of these companies, a leading European food retailer, had already launched several lighthouse initiatives focusing on sustainable packaging for its private label products. Yet without any measurable goals, KPIs, processes or tools in place to coordinate the various projects, it became clear that the organization required a more strategic approach to effectively orchestrate change. Building
on a track record of successful projects and a long-standing working relationship, Capgemini Invent was selected as a transformation partner to facilitate the transition period to sustainable packaging.

ALIGNMENT OF STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS

Capgemini Invent conducted extensive screening and analysis of packaging laws, consumer preferences, industry trends, packaging innovations and international best practices. The resulting insights and know-how enabled the partners to together define a clear strategic orientation and ambition based on concrete, medium-term objectives, which served as guidelines for prioritizing processes and future projects. Careful stakeholder management ensured all integral members of the organization shared the same end vision.
The next step was to operationalize the strategy by aligning ongoing operations to achieve set goals. After a comprehensive analysis of the full private-label Together with Capgemini Invent, the organization began the optimization of its private-label packaging to drive clean growth, satisfy new packaging laws and meet increasing consumer expectations