Working Together to Develop our Sustainability Strategy
In 2006, Johnson Matthey decided to develop its corporate responsibility strategy into a broader sustainability strategy. Securing staff input and support for the new agenda was a vital first step. A series of workshops was identified as the best means of engaging our people and drawing on their understanding of sustainability – and their ideas on how best to move forward.
The UK sustainable charity, Forum for the Future, was asked to develop and facilitate the workshops. Five workshops were held internationally between March and May 2007, attended by around 100 middle to senior managers from a range of functional areas and business units.
The workshops explored the business case for sustainability, strategies and market opportunities. Areas for action were discussed, including platinum and solvents, emissions, energy, waste and water. The complexity of realising sustainability improvement was covered in discussion of lifecycle analysis, end of life issues and supply chains.
The challenge of creating a sustainability strategy for a company as diverse as Johnson Matthey was squarely faced. “It is difficult to set company objectives because of the diversity in business units,” said one workshop delegate.
The role of business units in developing KPIs at a local level emerged clearly, but the need for a consistent group wide approach was also recognised. “We’ve had lots of external enquiries questioning us about sustainability issues,” said another delegate. “We don’t want every business unit saying different things.”
Short term and longer term actions were discussed and the workshops were deemed a success – “far more engaging than I ever imagined”, according to one delegate. The workshop series benefited from the strong experience provided by Forum for the Future and, above all, from the contributions made by all those who attended.
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