Household Products Manufacturer

Challenge:
A leading producer of household detergents and domestic cleaning products engaged us to assess allegations being voiced by European environmentalists regarding potentially harmful detergents found in public water supplies. Faced with the possibility of varying legal requirements being introduced in different European countries, the company faced serious threats with regards to its ability to cost effectively manufacture standardized products. Producing products with different formulations to meet individual country regulations would have resulted in crippling financial and logistical issues. In addition, the company was anxious to avoid any public “demonization” of its products by media savvy groups like Greenpeace.

Strategy/Implementation:
Work included deploying a “Stakeholder Mapping” process to identify all of the environmental non-governmental organizations, activist and advocacy groups in 27 different European countries. Our team categorized each organization according to their propensity to be “friend” or “foe,” assessed their positions and perceptions towards detergents and their potential impact to influence the debate, and classified each group to determine which should be prioritized for engagement. The study included a detailed examination of the key staff in each organization and where there was cross-border collaboration between groups.

Results:
We developed a clear roadmap for the company which provided the foundations for a comprehensive engagement program. After two years of discussion with many of the groups the company was able to gain consensus among the key protagonists which led to harmonized legislation across Europe. The discussions were contained in board rooms, thus avoiding potentially adverse media coverage which would have scared consumers and harmed the company’s reputation.