Sustainability Issues and Opportunities
We foresee the following challenges with our recommendations:
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Challenge 1: Implement a Product Take-Back Program
This program proposes that the retail locations serve as “drop-off” points for the general public to bring back certain products, such as CFL light bulbs, batteries, paint, used oil, etc. This can create logistical challenges with the stores, the waste collectors, the manufacturers, and the general public. There may be little awareness of the program, resulting in too little waste collected, or too much awareness of the program, resulting an oversupply of product drop-offs.
Challenge 2: Create Greater Strategic Vision and Long-Term Sustainability Planning
Sustainability investments that have long payback periods may not be approved because CTC is still a public corporation that answers to shareholders, who look for quarterly dividend payments. The challenge is to simultaneously appease short-term economic goals and long-term sustainability vision.
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Challenge 3: Train Suppliers and Work with Them to Improve Their Energy Efficiencies and Environmental Performance
CTC must be in a credible position to provide advice to suppliers, some of whom may actually be more advanced than CTC in terms of sustainability. CTC must forge close relationships with suppliers so that they fully support CTC’s training initiatives and supply chain requirements.
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Challenges and Approaches
We would like to focus on Challenge 1. The potential approaches to overcome this challenge are as follows:
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Get Buy-In from Waste Collectors: Position this as additional revenue for them and a chance for them to be good corporate citizens.
Get Buy-In from Suppliers, Senior Management, and Employees: This is important so that additional resources and promotion can be provided to the program.
Plan Carefully: This requires a lot of logistical planning, involving multiple stakeholders. Products are being returned at different locations, being sorted at different facilities, by different companies. Therefore, it is important to plan and potentially run a test/pilot before rolling it out to all retail locations.
Designate Clear Accountabilities: Given the numerous stakeholders involved, be clear on who is responsible for what. Make sure people know who to reach out to if they have questions.
Communicate Internally and Externally: The program will fail if consumers do not know about it and do not bring products in. Therefore, communicate externally (using marketing tools) but also internally so employees tell their friends and family about the program.
Have a Contingency Plan: Acknowledge when things do not go well, prepare to stop the program if necessary, and prepare for the unexpected.
Share Results and Celebrate Wins: Monitor, measure, and share the results and share success with stakeholders to maintain momentum of the program.
Approaches to Overcome Challenge 1