Eco-Design Initiatives: Leveraging Metrics, Communication & Engagement for Success
The Company’s Needs
- Evaluate the environmental and social performance of a new packaging design for a flagship product
- Define sustainability criteria for product portfolio to identify best performing products and areas for improvement
- Raise awareness of eco-design among the group’s employees
- Increase products’ value by integrating eco-design for future development
- Communicate on sustainability improvements
Quantis’ Solutions
- Develop the Sustainability Assessment Tool (SAT), enabling product assessment based on both environmental and social criteria
- Perform a life cycle assessment of the Avinew NeO packaging and design communications about its environmental improvements
- Organize eco-design training workshops, targeting a wide range of employee profiles: EHS+S, R&D, Innovation, Marketing, Operations, Procurement, etc.
- Assess environmental and social impacts of several products across the value chain and identify eco-design solutions
Initiating the Group’s Eco-Design Strategy
1. Avinew NeO was the first product pack that featured environmental improvements. This prompted efforts to raise awareness on eco-design among stakeholders. Specific communications were disseminated internally and externally via training sessions, leaflets, videos, conference presentations as well as a business game.
2. Between 2016 and 2018, 117 employees attended 6 eco-design training sessions led by Quantis in France and the US and 4 products were assessed leading to 64 improvement ideas and 7 project launches. 3.
In addition, 100 employees attended 2 webinars: one on eco-design and the other on responsible marketing and communications.
Key Learnings
- Implementing eco-design improved the environmental performance of the packaging of a flagship product.
- Eco-design training can support internal communication by accelerating brainstorming and the cross-pollination of best practices.
- It is valuable to find ways to integrate eco-design into innovation and product & process development.
Client Actions
- The Sustainability Assessment Tool is now being further enhanced and used as a pre-screening tool to evaluate the Animal Health Business Unit’s products.
- Eco-design improvement actions identified in workshops and trainings were shared with management teams. This helped pinpoint further products as candidates for an eco-design process. Trainings also generated awareness for more employees to become members of the volunteer CSR Ambassador Network.
"Implementing an ecodesign culture starts with developing skills and running successful pilots. Together with Quantis, we were able to bring meaningful values to the company, the employees, as well as positive impacts to the environment."
Carole Nevrinck, Global Lead Sustainability Development
Boehringer Ingelheim
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