Diageo
Diageo Sustainability
Rooting sustainability strategy in stakeholder dialogue.
Pro-active workshops and stakeholder dialogue delivered key insights on changing sustainability perceptions in the drinks sector.
Stakeholder dialogue guides strategy for Diageo
Sustainability management demands that a business adjusts to evolving issues – and meets changing perceptions of leadership within its sector. For global drinks company Diageo, in-depth interviews provided vital insights on stakeholder expectations and important changes in perspective on key issues.
Objectives
- Help to develop a new, long-term Diageo sustainability strategy
- Identify perceptions of corporate responsibility leadership within the drinks industry
- Gain insight into key emerging issues for Diageo and the drinks sector
Action
Corporate Citizenship ran a Diageo sustainability workshop to identify stakeholders for different regions and map the extent of existing stakeholder dialogue. We then recruited global opinion formers to represent each stakeholder viewpoint and conducted in-depth interviews on the relative importance of different issues for Diageo. From this analysis we identified gaps in Diageo’s existing CR strategy, as well as emerging issues that could be addressed to establish a leadership position in sustainability. Presenting these findings in a follow-up workshop helped to build employee engagement.
“They understand practical issues, and are flexible in finding ways to get the job done”
Results
- The process rooted Diageo sustainability planning in a clear view of current issues and emerging trends
- Key insights included developing attitudes to responsible drinking campaigns, once considered leadership initiatives but now regarded as an essential ‘hygiene factor’
- Diageo was able to build CR strategy around a clear understanding of leadership expectations from stakeholders
