Quantifying Sustainability

Lots of good suggestions already here. Perhaps this will also help.

When we have been asked to take this task on in similar categories we started by getting the larger team to agree on what the long-term ideal is for the offering. Specifically, we broke it down into the all of the elements that make up the offering (carton, package, label, ink, product, manufacturing, shipping, etc.) and set a goal that was ambitious but limited to known materials and methodologies currently available (often in other categories). We then set up a five-year plan to achieve that ideal. The first step was making the changes that were easy to immediately implement (inks, materials, etc.). Later we tackled the more difficult/structural issues (product formulation and shipping). It turned out to have five separate steps with the precise definition of the last step changing with technological advances. It was cumbersome at times but I think it made it all a lot more palatable and measurable.