EPISODE 15
Taking sustainability to the topline

As companies take steps toward sustainability and decarbonization, some increase in costs is often accepted. However, effective approaches can vary significantly depending on specific goals. According to experts Yvonne Ruf and Nikhil Sachdeva, a true “green product” requires more than innovation – it demands a structured approach across the organization, including the right strategies, partnerships, contracts, and value-chain collaborations. This includes segmenting the customer base, developing compelling products, and establishing internal structures to recover sustainability-related costs across the value chain and push companies top-line.

In our fifteenth podcast episode, our experts dive into the opportunities and challenges of financing the green economy. While efforts to reduce carbon footprints vary widely, the potential for impact is significant. Companies are weighing the costs of sustainability, investing in alternative energy sources, fuel innovations, and new production processes. But costs and investments represent only one side of the coin. The other side lies in monetizing sustainability—making strategic choices that align with customers’ willingness to pay for greener products and services. It is a commercial imperative to push the topline with green products to protect margins.

Understanding diverse customer needs—some highly climate-conscious, others less so—is as critical as forming the right internal teams. With procurement and customer maturity in mind, companies face essential questions around the right commercial structures. What goals and requirements should be prioritized? How should commercial, marketing, and sustainability departments work together to support these efforts? And what tools and processes can drive sustainable action, factoring in both regulations and incentives? Finally, we explore how vertical integration fits into this approach and examine innovators like Thomas Edison, United Alliance, and Tesla as role models in sustainable transformation.

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