Consulting Modules and Solutions

Below is a list of specific offerings, but of course every situation is unique and we can customize depending on your needs.

Big Picture Projects

The WES Eco-Advantage Assessment

Are you a WaveRider? Is your company getting all it can out of its environmental strategy? The first step to answering these questions is knowing where you stand.

We conduct a top-level assessment of how well the company is prepared for meeting environmental challenges and taking advantage of environmental opportunities. We spend time with a range of professionals in environmental, operational, marketing, community affairs, and executive positions. The tightly written follow-up report, with handy "spider" chart for a quick visual score, will answer questions in five broad areas:

• Strategies: Is the company using environmental thinking to create value through revenue growth, brand enhancement, risk reduction, or cost cutting? Is the mix of approaches optimal?
• Tracking: Does the company understand its own "footprint", what measures does it keep, at what level of detail?
• Design: How integrated are product development and environmental knowledge?
• Culture: Is the organization using incentives and tools to bring all levels of employees into the vision and encourage environmental innovation? Are goals aligned?
• Tactics: Is the current plan of action on environmental issues on track? Will it solve the critical problems and identify opportunities effectively?

The overall goal is to understand the company's strengths and weaknesses and benchmark the company against best practices in each of these areas. Thus, this overview report will include some examples of best-in-class companies.

While the Assessment can stand on its own, its primary purpose is to get the lay of the land, identify weaknesses, and highlight the logical next steps to execute a fully formed environmental strategy.

Climate Change Strategy

Global warming, or climate change, is shaping up to be the dominant issue of our times. Companies are under tremendous pressure to develop a "climate strategy." But what does that mean exactly? WES can work with you to understand your unique impact on the climate crisis, including direct footprint and extended impact from suppliers and customers. We develop a concrete set of goals, an execution plan, a strategy for communicating to internal and external stakeholders, and an exploration of new business ideas tied to climate that can drive growth.

Intangible Value: Environmental Brand Positioning and Communications

"Intangible" value is tough to measure, but in many cases, very large. Reputation, license to grow and operate, ability to attract top-notch talent -- these are all critical to business success. Based on Andrew Winston's experience as a marketing and branding executive, married with his unique environmental strategy background, WES can help you pinpoint the key messages about your environmental work, and develop a plan for generating value in the marketplace from all that you do.

Environmental Impact, Risk, and Opportunity Analysis

We conduct an exercise with executives from around the company to explore how environmental issues affect the business, as well as how they touch suppliers and customers. The critical tool in this discussion is the AUDIO Analysis from Green to Gold, which highlights potential issues and identifies opportunities up and down the value chain.

Trends and Visioning

What environmental, technological, political, sociological, and consumer trends will shape the future of business, and your business in particular? This report will explore those areas, and could include a "download" of key trends in a small-group setting with key executives. We can also include a visioning exercise to explore what the business might look like in this new world.

In the Trenches

We offer a range of tactical and on-the-ground projects. A few examples:

Customer needs identification

We start with a tailored survey of key accounts and consumers to understand the following:

• What is the customer level of understanding and interest in environmental issues? What are their big concerns?
• Do environmental issues enter into the buying decision?
• What environmental needs are currently unmet?
• How do customers perceive your company and how it's doing on these issues?

The end result is a picture of your marketplace and your customers' environmental attitudes.

Product development and positioning

Given an understanding of customer needs, what products could your company develop to fill those needs? We explore how best to position the company or key products in the marketplace. We will work closely with your marketing and ad agencies to tailor the pitch to reflect new environmental sensitivities. We will also ensure that the claims are justifiable.

Tracking and metrics development

We will undertake a "digging" exercise to understand what the company knows about its own environmental "footprint," and whether it's using metrics to drive improved performance or communicate effectively with critical audiences from government to customers to communities. Then we will help develop a plan for implementation.

Stakeholder strategy

Have you identified the critical stakeholders that can make or break the company? We will help identify and prioritize both the broad categories of players, and specific contacts. An exercise with a range of managers in the company will highlight where stakeholder focus has centered, and where there's room for improvement.

Culture and organizational development

A "deep dive" study into the organization, including interviews with employees at all levels to answer a range of questions: Do employees have the tools they need to innovate and find better environmental solutions? Do they feel they have the incentive to innovate and find new environmental solutions? Does salary, bonus, or career advancement depend in any way on environmental performance? Are middle-managers "squeezed" by competing demands and how can the company relieve that pressure? A highly confidential report, with anonymous ideas and comments from within the organization, will highlight how well positioned the company is to move forward on environmental issues.

We can also conduct a tailored survey for a quantitative, wider-range view on employee perspectives on sustainability and environmental challenges in general, and how they feel the company is handling them.

Other Topics and "One-Off" Projects

WES can work with you on small projects focused on particular issues or for key internal meetings/events. Need an executive briefing on why companies are going green and how? We'll conduct a half day seminar with key executives. Or a report on a specific environmental issue, like climate change, and how your company may be affected? Or reactions to your latest CSR report, stakeholder strategy, or metrics?