How P&G and Estée Lauder Bring Sustainability Alignment Internally

Sustainability might seem like a topic that involves one particular department, but to drive change, leaders point out it requires a collective effort within an organization. At Adweek’s Sustainability and DEI Summit last month, Virginie Helias, chief sustainability officer at Procter & Gamble, and Nancy Mahon, senior vice president of global corporate citizenship at The Estée Lauder Companies, joined the virtual stage to discuss how companies can integrate sustainability into their business strategy and make systemic change. For Mahon, it is critically important to show empathy to other departments’ pressures, as the sustainability department is known for constantly pushing the envelope. It also requires developing a connection with leadership and thinking through how a win looks like for everyone, she noted. Similarly, Helias recognized that companies need to direct the team to a compelling destination, find out what motivates the leadership, and help them in order to drive change. “For us, at P&G, it's called Ambition 2030, ” said Helias, while in conversation with host Nadine Dietz, chief marketing and strategy officer at VRM and the ARIA Network and co-chair of the Adweek Sustainability Council. “That's our roadmap to enable and inspire positive impacts across our supply chain, our employees, our partnership, and our brands.” Additionally, Helias recommended companies create an external advisory board with thought leaders from across businesses, NGOs, and academia to help develop the company’s goals and help shift the past.As Helias sees it, it’s essential to start small and scale. She mentions sustainability needs to be built in across all existing internal brand-building processes. In 2017, P&G experienced a tipping point when it launched the first Head & Shoulders bottle packaging made out of recycled plastic collected from beaches. “It was a very strong statement to encourage people to recycle, and since then, we've scaled it,” said Helias. “You de-risk, it, you pilot, you prove that it can be financially and environmentally valuable, and then you scale.” The Estée Lauder Companies hasn’t yet scaled many of the environmental costs. But Mahon points out that it is still an exciting moment as big brand houses, including them, are opting for sustainable solutions. On this front, The Estée Lauder Companies is leaning on its commercial model to make sure that its sustainability and social impact model is as solid and consonant as its business model. The conglomerate’s climate goals are linked to its key engines of growth, which are online travel retail and China. Mahon noted that her team is focused on ensuring its brands are equipped with the best-in-class practices while still driving value to its investors. “We are in a very exciting moment where we are seeing more individual investors really opting into investing in sustainable companies,” Mahon added. ADWEEK SUSTAINABILITY PLAYBOOK

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How P&G and Estée Lauder Bring Sustainability Alignment Internally

Brand leaders discuss how teams can work together to integrate sustainability into their business strategy

Lucielle Salomon

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Lucielle Salomon