Sustainable impact at L'Oréal Netherlands & Belgium
Challenge
L'Oréal's Western European headquarters has set ambitious sustainability goals for 2030, as set out in the "L'Oréal for the Future" strategy. Each country was tasked with translating this strategy into a locally relevant context with a tailor-made roadmap. However, the beauty sector faces significant sustainability challenges, with growing demand for green, sustainable products. The complexity of the supply chain, from production to home delivery, makes it difficult to achieve these goals quickly and effectively. Moreover, the merger of operations in the Netherlands and Belgium created the additional challenge of harmonising and strengthening their joint impact on sustainability.
Approach
- Strategy
- Sustainability Strategy
To address these challenges, the Netherlands and Belgium decided to join forces to increase their clout. Our support was provided in several phases, starting with the development of a joint strategy for both countries. Given the need to reduce travel and the impact of COVID-19, the entire project was conducted through online workshops and homework assignments.
We started with a kick-off session in which personal sustainability ambitions of all participants were collected. These ambitions are essential to create conviction and commitment to change. Multiple sessions were then held to develop a vision of the future, which was validated both internally and externally. This vision was then broken down into work streams, with multidisciplinary teams from both countries working together to devise solutions that aligned with the head office's sustainability goals.
The proposed solutions were validated both internally and externally to assess their impact and feasibility in achieving the set goals. Finally, the roadmap was validated by the management teams of the Netherlands and Belgium to ensure their commitment. We made the roadmap executable by defining specific tasks, deadlines, responsibilities and a rhythm for monitoring to foster cooperation.
Result
The result was a well-supported roadmap, carried by L'Oréal employees who believe in the sustainability goals and are committed to achieving them. The project did not stop at planning; we continued to coach the initial teams as they began implementing the projects, measuring impact and learning from the results. This comprehensive approach led to a more sustainable portfolio for L'Oréal and proved the true impact of our joint efforts.
With this approach, L'Oréal is well positioned to achieve its 2030 sustainability goals and thus contribute to a more sustainable future.