Berlin Packaging
At a Glance
Industry
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing
Project Types
Goals/Targets, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2020
Location
Chicago, IL
Summary
Ruby Kaufman developed a proposal to re-frame Berlin Packaging’s internal sustainability strategy, encompassing a sustainable packaging sales strategy and internal sustainability improvement initiatives.
Goals
Berlin Packaging, a global hybrid packaging supplier with robust internal design and development services, had been engaging customers for years on sustainable packaging options. However, with ever-increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions, it was time to build a formalized strategy that could have meaningful impact and build marketplace credibility.
Berlin engaged Ruby Kaufman to enhance its understanding of the current state of sustainability across all product categories that Berlin sells and to develop a roadmap to elevate its sustainability position in the packaging industry.
Solutions
Ruby approached this challenge through a three-part process:
- GHG emissions benchmarking: Ruby collected sales and transportation data and used a life-cycle analysis tool to baseline the Scope 3 emissions associated with the company’s product portfolio. Ruby then modeled the impact of various product mix changes (e.g., material conversions from glass to aluminum, replacing virgin plastic with PCR).
- Materiality assessment: Ruby interviewed key internal and external stakeholders to understand which ESG topics were most critical to the business and to determine where improvement opportunities existed.
- Strategy development: Ruby ultimately delivered a sustainability roadmap that included recommendations for a sustainable packaging go-to-market strategy, supply chain and operations, data systems and tools, and ongoing ESG reporting.
Impact
By using Berlin’s new LCA capability, highlighting compelling case examples, as well as her materiality assessment, Ruby energized Berlin’s fresh, data-driven approach to sustainable packaging. Ruby also illustrated how Berlin can better promote sustainability internally and with its customer base.
Ultimately, this helped to align Berlin’s cross-functional leadership team to better understand the value of sustainability as a company goal and set the foundation for a credible corporate ESG framework.