Implementing a sustainability strategy for a global pharmaceutical company

Challenge

Our client’s sustainability team had designed a new responsible business strategy, but it had not landed with various business functions and brands. With the sustainability strategy being a new concept for this organisation, there were low levels of understanding on how to translate the strategy into each area and develop unique propositions.

Gate One were engaged to work with the commercial organisation to raise awareness and understanding of the new strategy, successfully embed it within the organisation, and create implementation plans for the different areas of the business.

Approach

Gate One partnered with the central sustainability and brand teams.

We facilitated workshops to raise awareness of the new strategy and collaborated with business divisions to create bespoke roadmaps for implementation with areas most relevant to brands.

We developed a sustainability how-to to outline a consistent and best practice overview of the sustainability strategy, objectives and processes along with an engagement plan and workshops to roll out the guide.

We designed and established a Community of Practice to enlist change champions, providing two-way feedback and further embedding the changes.

We created an internal communications plan including a range of assets to engage leaders and colleagues.

Analysis was conducted of existing sustainability programmes, guidance and training materials already available. This lead to the development of a new sustainability capability framework for the overall business and each function, including an implementation plan to build the sustainability capability across the organisation.

Organisation and facilitation of a leadership alignment day, bringing the team together on the sustainability team’s vision.

Results

Established a consistent understanding of the responsible business strategy and processes across the commercial and brand areas of the organisation.

Engaged stakeholders with the new strategy and applied it within their relevant areas.

Development of meaningful sustainability initiatives and roadmaps across brands, enabling greater efficiencies in execution and greater engagement with their customer base.