Primacy of Positioning
by Tim Greiner
14 June 2010
Sustainable Life Media recently invited me to share some thoughts on the importance of defining the level of sustainability a company desires and then devising a strategy to get there.
We all know sustainability is a journey. And each company has to forge its own path. But all of us would much rather have that journey resemble a 200 meter dash than a Sunday afternoon stroll. To set the most direct path, you need to start by defining where you want to go.
Positioning First.
Think about your company's position somewhere along a spectrum ranging from least commitment (compliance) to greatest (leading the future). Where do your company's sustainability goals place you along this spectrum and where do you want your business to be in the future?
Positioning First.
If your firm wants to position itself as anticipating market needs, then you need to understand the concerns of your customer's stakeholders (NGOs, regulatory requirements, your customers' competitors, etc.) and develop your strategy from there. If your positioning is to be an industry leader, you'll need to develop a different strategy — based in part on benchmarking your company's initiatives against what the leading companies are pursuing. Then you'll need to devise a plan to leap ahead of the competition. Too often, sustainability professionals focus on the program activities — whether to do an LCA, how to get carbon data on the supply chain, or finding a means to engage employees. These activities are important, but absent a positioning conversation at the highest levels in the company, they run the risk of being marginalized from the core strategy of the business.
Read the full of this article in Sustainable Life Media.
Written by Tim Greiner
Tim Greiner, a Pure Strategies Co-founder and Managing Director, has pioneered approaches to building environmental and social integrity into products, brands, and businesses. His experience spans the spectrum from developing sustainability strategy, drafting sustainability goals, designing product sustainability programs, creating approaches to transform sustainable supply chains and fostering collaborative mechanisms to lift the sustainability performance of entire industries. He is currently working with several progressive businesses on developing science-based targets and comprehensive climate strategies. He is a co-founder of the Chemical Footprint Project and has guided sustainable chemicals management strategies for companies across diverse industries. He has also led regenerative agriculture projects with food brands and retailers. Current and former clients include Annie’s, Walmart, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, The North Face, Stonyfield Farm, MilliporeSigma and U.S. EPA.
Tim holds Masters’ degrees in Environmental Policy and Business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Materials Science Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a founding member of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Planners Association and a former Board member and President. He is also founder of the Cape Ann Climate Change Network and is a Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. Tim has experience in industry as a Process Engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor. He also worked for the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance as Project Director and Chief Engineer.
