Consulting firm seeks to make sustainability 'irresistible'

Why did you first join Saatchi and Saatchi S?

Cynthia: I love creating large scale change that makes a real difference

What is your vision for Saatchi and Saatchi S?

Cynthia: To make sustainability irresistible, by drawing attention to the how individual awareness

s and sustainability actions can create high impact innovation and business change.

Saatchi and Saatchi S has consulted with many top corporations to address their environmental and economic sustainability. What trends are you seeing in this field?

Cynthia: First and foremost, a sustainability strategy is quickly moving from something that would be “nice to have” to a necessity. This is due to a combination of both internal and external factors. Internally, we are seeing that more and more employees are asking hard questions before they join a company and who want to know what their company is doing to create a more sustainable future. New recruits are also asking about sustainability and, more importantly, want to know what kind of role they will get to play in its activation. Externally, consumers are paying greater attention to both the content and sources of their products. They are asking for more detailed information in order to make more informed choices and voting with their wallets.

What trends (if any) are you seeing when it comes to stressing the health and sustainability of employees?

Cynthia: Health and sustainability are becoming increasingly interconnected. Healthy employees are more engaged and productive. Employees are making the connection that a broad range of social, cultural, economic and environmental issues can have very real and negative impacts on their health and wellness. Often times, employees see this connection more readily than leaders. Human Resources professionals are becoming a focal point for insight, policies and resources to make changes in the work environment. Employees want to take action in the workplace which often impacts their community involvement.

Saatchi and Saatchi S recently did some work with Wal-Mart to encourage employee engagement in sustainability. Can you tell us a little about that?

Cynthia: We co-created the Personal Sustainability Project (PSP) to leverage the collective passion and wisdom of Walmart’s 1.3 million American and Canadian associates. PSP is designed to inspire a grassroots movement that moves sustainability from an overwhelming environmental issue to personal empowerment that connects sustainability with the personal actions of an individual.

PSP uses a store-based community social marketing approach. PSP is simple in design: each participant commits to a simple sustainability practice in his or her daily life - a small, repeatable action that is personally relevant and meaningful. In this way, PSP encourages small steps that lead to positive habits and create a big impact over time

What was the biggest challenge when it came to working with Wal-Mart employees?

Cynthia: To be honest, the biggest challenge we often faced was trying to contain the passion and energy of the associates we engaged. Their ideas were often so big; we needed to work with them to make sure their activities could be contained within the bigger framework of Walmart.

What was the biggest surprise?

Cynthia: I would say there were two big surprises. Initially, we were surprised to see how quickly Walmart associates made the connection between health and sustainably. That connection became a real focal point of our work with them and resulted in a majority of PSP falling into health and wellness categories. An example of this is the incredible number of associates who either chose weight loss or quitting smoking as their PSPs. Later on, we were surprised at how much ownership associates took in the project and how they took it to the next level by spreading PSP throughout their communities.

Is there anything you’d do differently in retrospect?

Cynthia: Start earlier, employees are a real, energizing force for change.

What was the greatest lesson you learned while working on this project?

Cynthia: There are countless and motivated employees at every company who can achieve amazing results if you give them an opportunity to activate their ideas.

What advice do you have for other business leaders who want to create a healthier and more sustainable workplace for their employees?

Cynthia: Start where people are interested, find out what do they care about. Provide resources, empower existing champions, support local action. Learn from other organizations, borrow ideas. Connect your actions to the brand of the organization. Lead by example.