9
LUOMA ET AL .
to potential clients our environmental credibility, the more we can grow our business ” (managing director, professional-sales customer).
or might not be available at all. Some informants stated that, rather than respond to these requests on an ad hoc basis, they must proac- tively prepare themselves for impending data needs. For instance, informant B (the professional customer's sustainability manager) stated, “ We're trying to look into our crystal balls, trying to be looking ahead and see the customer demands [ … ] so that when [our] customers ask [for] some data, we can say , ‘ Yes, we have that . ’” Informants also saw the power of environment-related performance data for bringing related attributes into the sales discussions with second-tier cus- tomers alongside price and directly broadening the perspective behind consumers' purchase decisions. Several interviewees claimed to have noticed a shift in their customers' focus, from price toward sustain- ability, and that vendors are bringing environmental data to the table to support sales pitches: for instance, the informant quoted above emphasized that “ sales reps would love not having [price be] the only focus in a customer meeting , ” stressing that “ we have other values to bring to the table . ” E-commerce was recognized as enhancing the opportunities to bring environmental data into customers' and con- sumers' decision process. It was identified equally as a potential source of data on consumer behavior/preferences and as a route to encouraging environment-friendly purchasing patterns. Armed with environmental-performance-related data, vendors can also better serve their customers' work toward sustainability-based busi- ness goals, such as meeting emission- and packaging-related targets. One informant mentioned infographics as an especially impactful way to concretize how much single-use plastic a customer could avoid by switching to a more sustainable alternative. By actively identifying, recommending, and providing sustainable product alternatives, vendors can help their customers reduce their emissions and improve their engagement with the environment. Informant B offered the example of “ looking to a customer's company mission and say[ing] , ‘ I've seen that you have a goal here – you want to reduce this. I know how I can help you with that . ’” This ties in with the previous point: granting one's own customers and the end consumers access to the data is said to promote learning that favors more environmentally informed decisions. The informants recognized themselves as playing an important role in educating their own customers, and they acknowledged that the more environmentally aware those customers are, the better the decisions that are likely to fol- low. “ If they [customers] had data about their hand towels or their toilet roll, and the exact consumption and the exact carbon footprint and any- thing else that would reinforce that decision, I only think it creates a much more compelling argument, which then a decision will be made from , ” stated informant D (sales director for a professional-sales entity). Via data, the way they think about products might change, and they could be nudged toward more sustainable purchasing decisions. Additionally, the interviewees saw data as valuable for strengthen- ing credibility in customers' eyes. Data transparency in communication with customers and end users is perceived as building mutual trust and helping convince both established and new clients. A vendor that pro- vides environmental data for its products and operations is likely to gain the status of a trusted adviser to its customers. Also, customers deeming any given vendor committed to environmental issues hinges on active provision of data, as informant A noted: “ The more we can demonstrate
4.2.2 | Input to better-informed business decisions
The participants regarded availability of reliable product-specific and other environment-related data as able to drive better business deci- sions and target-setting related to their companies' environmental sustainability. They recognized said data as necessary input to viable business targets (whether for carbon reduction or product-portfolio improvements) and to company policies (e.g., on packaging and raw- material purchases). These data are required also for a well-reasoned foundation for investment logic and to aid in assessing business deci- sions: “ Decisions must be based on data so that we know what the rele- vant issues are and what kind of strict but appropriate goals we should aimfor ” (informant H1). In addition, data aid in steering the work toward the environmen- tal targets set and support tracking of progress. Measuring how well the targets are met and reporting to the management on the com- pany's environmental performance calls for readily available, up-to- date, and verifiable environment-related data. Informants explained that data are crucial for genuinely guiding business activities toward the targets and, furthermore, enabling leaders to make a change of course when needed. Interviewee H1 provided an illustration here too: “ We have science-based climate goals and a carbon-neutrality target year, so data is essential so that we can monitor and see where we are going [ … ]. If we don't have data, or if we only get data once a year, it's very difficult to lead that work in the right direction . ” Data that are genuinely product-specific and clearly connected to environment factors also assist in enriching understanding of the company's supply chains, and the informants identified supply-chain transparency as an increasingly important topic. Commitment to science-based climate targets, for example, obliges companies to make sure their suppliers are committed to climate-related improve- ments. They saw data as demonstrably enabling not only better risk management but also identification of improvement and collaboration opportunities in the supply chains: “ When we have better data on what kind of partner A is in relation to partner B, then we could move forward with that partner, A, because it has tried to do things better ” (C, the aforementioned sustainability director for a retail customer). Data may also support company-internal innovation and learning. Some informants cited this facet of their approach to sustainability as especially important. They did not specify what innovation emerging via the data might look like, however, and they noted that building on the data is hardest for pioneers.
4.2.3 | Evidence of compliance with regulations and bolstering of stakeholders' trust
Participants readily acknowledged environment-related data's value for supporting their ability to respond to regulatory requirements,
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software