Sustainability Solutions
Best Practices Research
Corporate Sustainability Messaging & Action Plan
Senior leaders of our Chemicals Practice worked closely with a multinational chemical company to help turn its corporate vision of sustainability into clear messages and implementable actions. Our process involved: 1) benchmarking 18 chemical companies on sustainability performance, 2) outlining key sustainability trends and various long-term scenarios of diverse industry sectors, 3) assessing the sustainability potential of the client’s business, and 4) pressure testing the credibility of its sustainability messages with the financial community and investors. Engagement outcomes directly presented the client’s overall strategy and communication programs with internal and external stakeholders.
ESG Goals in Mining, Metals, Cement, and other industries: Impact on Lubricant Suppliers
For a global energy major, the project scope included tracking ESG goals within mining, metals, cement, and other industries to determine how they impact the role of the lubricant supplier. Kline researched the major lubricant-consuming industrial sectors, such as mining, metals, and cement, in a number of large markets globally. Each sector was investigated to understand how global megatrends, as well as local sector and country trends, were playing out in that particular market. The focus was to understand how sectors are decarbonizing and what role the lubricant supplier can play in that journey. As a result of this engagement, the client was able to feed these insights into its country-level strategies in order to better serve its customers.
Marketing & Strategy Support
Investment Strategy in Bio-Renewables
A leading global specialty chemicals company required the understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with a significant investment in bio-renewables, potentially from raw materials through polymer compounding. We conducted a full market assessment of the conventional polymer universe and a forecast on current versus future bio-renewable alternatives. We also analyzed supply–demand, pricing and value chain, and key success factors together with the impact of oil prices to determine the probability of major risks. This comprehensive view of the entire bio-polymer value chain directly enables the client’s participation strategy.
Rerefined Oil: Future Role Decarbonizing Lubes Value Chain
For a global energy major, Kline evaluated the future of rerefined oil and the role it can play in decarbonizing the lubes value chain. The engagement involved developing quantitative and qualitative insights about used oil generation, collection, and rerefining in all major markets globally, while in parallel evaluating the current and potential regulations that would impact the industry. The results of the project were used in joint strategy planning sessions between Kline and the client in order to create regional strategies for decarbonizing the value chain.
Growth Strategies in Oral Care: Natural & Herbal Ingredients
The oral care innovation team at this major CPG needed a global foundation of information and insights – scientific, marketing, and more – to inform its innovation initiatives for oral care. In addition to building an always on library of ingredient information, the goal was to identify and prioritize a short list of ingredients that could be targeted and pursued ultimately for commercial development. The work process involved gathering and evaluating scientific research with the client’s R&D team, as well as conducting qualitative consumer research globally with the marketing and market research teams to evaluate product concepts. This program resulted in several new products and serves as a global knowledge center for natural and herbal ingredients.
Industry & Association Partnerships
Sustainability in Lubes Industry Survey with Lube Magazine & UKLA
Lube Magazine and Kline collaborated to assess sustainability in the lubricants industry. Sustainability is a critical global initiative currently representing one of the key business drivers of the energy sector. The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards are expected to have a profound impact on the operations and business practices of enterprises worldwide. To achieve their sustainability goals, companies across a wide range of industries will institute operational measures and decarbonization technologies. The purpose of this survey is to address the importance of sustainability and analyze the impact and implications that sustainability will have on the lubricants industry and its supply chains as this issue rises further in priority. Results will be presented at the Sustainability Conference 2022 hosted by Lube magazine and United Kingdom Lubricants Association (UKLA).
