Project History

 Development of a Sustainable Product Portfolio 

1. Project Overview 

Industry: Plastics Industry
Company Size: >250 employees
Region: DACH (Market leader, headquarters in Germany)
Role: Strategic conception and implementation of a sustainable product portfolio
Objective: Transformation and scaling of the sustainable portfolio share  

2. Initial Situation 

The company already offered initial sustainable products. However, these were:

• not strategically bundled
• not positioned holistically
• not clearly differentiated in the market
• not structurally integrated into the overall product portfolio

At the same time, several external factors intensified:

• Increasing regulatory requirements (including climate neutrality targets)
• Growing customer demand for sustainable materials
• Competitive pressure within the industry

Sustainability was no longer an isolated topic but had evolved into a strategic competitive factor.

3. Objectives 

• Develop a clearly defined sustainable product portfolio
• Scale the share of sustainable products within the total portfolio
• Capture new revenue potential driven by increasing market demand
• Strengthen the company’s positioning as a sustainable market leader
• Prepare strategically for upcoming regulatory requirements

The sustainable product share initially represented approximately 10% of the portfolio, with a long-term target of increasing this to 60–70%. 

4. Approach

• Conducted market analyses to identify relevant demand potential
• Developed a comprehensive strategic concept, including marketing mix alignment
• Defined clear positioning criteria for sustainable products
• Structured and consolidated existing sustainable offerings
• Developed new products with clearly defined sustainability characteristics
• Coordinated closely with established supplier structures
• Integrated multiple business units to ensure a holistic transformation

The strategy acknowledged that sustainable products would initially involve higher production costs and temporarily lower margins. 

5. Results

• Increased the sustainable revenue share to approximately 40%
• Established a clear and differentiated market positioning
• Transformed isolated sustainable products into a structured portfolio strategy
• Created a scalable sustainable product segment
• Strengthened regulatory readiness and long-term competitiveness 

6. Strategic Impact

The company achieved: 

• Access to new revenue streams in a growing market segment
• Stronger competitive differentiation within the DACH region
• Future readiness in terms of climate neutrality and regulatory compliance
• Clear portfolio governance and strategic alignment
• Long-term market stability despite short-term margin pressure