Barco is a worldwide provider of innovative visualisation solutions, mainly to customers in the healthcare and entertainment sectors. In the last few years, the companies’ strategic focus and efforts have increasingly shifted towards sustainability.
In effort to strengthen its commitments, Möbius was asked to assist Barco to start building a sound sustainability program that delivers true business value. What follows is a brief overview of our unique approach and collaboration with Barco.
Sustainability strategy
A well-known success factor for effective change management in sustainability is focusing on a limited number of key domains that link directly to the organisations material challenges. After careful assessment, prioritisation and benchmarking, Barco chose these three pillars: planet (climate change and circular economy), people (diversity and development) and communities (community engagement and business ethics).
Sustainability program
Only 2% of sustainability programs meet or exceed expectations, because they are simply not managed as such. So, we introduced a few important tools and principles to ensure effective commitment to the project.
We installed clear objectives on KPIs across several core domains, and timely measurement systems were set up to track and report sustainability progress. For example: Barco cooperated with CO2Logic to consistently measure and manage its environmental impact within the program.
In order to deliver on the identified objectives, we helped Barco in translating key priority domains to tangible projects ranging from smaller over medium-sized to bigger ones, each one with its own milestones and accountabilities.
Finally, we started to build a clear governance structure at both the directive and executive level to ensure proper program management.
Anchoring into key domains and processes
The program was also centered around anchoring sustainability thinking and decision making into key functional domains and processes – don’t limit it to subsidiary activities! We delivered a plan for a more sustainable supply chain, among others, by setting up a dedicated carbon reduction roadmap per business unit.
In addition, an eco-scoring methodology was developed to enhance future product development processes. This eco-scoring methodology is targeted to allow you to measure and set targets on product sustainability performances, with criteria ranging from materials, energy, packaging, product design and circular economy outlooks.
Introducing key principles of the circular economy
Special attention was given to introducing key principles of the circular economy, a promising business and sustainability framework perfectly fit for the hi-tech value chain. A mix of different tools was used to translate this concept to Barco’s world ranging from serious gaming (VITOs Risk and Race), over inspiration session to piloting tangible experiments in the field of modular product design and re-manufacturing and product-as-a-service business models.
Impact on culture and leadership
Change management programs can never underestimate the impact of cultural change, more so sustainability programs – which are often perceived as a trade-off with respect to financial performance or competitiveness. Change management received specific attention, with specific communication campaigns towards key and core functions.
'Say. Do. Care.'
This project provided Barco with some effective tools and insights. They can now rely on healthy fundamentals to advance their sustainability program with key initiatives defined across all relevant domains (planet, people and communities), and a clear carbon reduction roadmap towards -20% in 2020 with a 1-year carbon emissions reduction of 15% (relatively) across the supply chain.
In addition, we trained and inspired more than 200 employees in key sustainability topics such as circular economy, green logistics and sustainable procurement.
Finally, the whole program and strategy commitment was supported and underpinned by a sustainability progress report, covering 2017.
Meanwhile, in 2020, Barco has received a Gold Rating from EcoVadis for its efforts on sustainability.
