Regulatory bans and restrictions as well as consumer, non-governmental organizations and retailer pressure to eliminate the use of specific, effective but harmful chemicals are reducing the palette of options available to chemical formulators. But the next generation supply of safer chemical materials is lagging behind demand.
Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) is addressing the inherent conflict between what consumers want and the available chemical options industry has to work with today. The member-based organization is ramping up its efforts to develop better chemical alternatives for consumer products. GC3 is changing the entire industrial chemical ecosystem to answer society’s need for healthier products.
GC3 has almost 100 members representing major retailers, brands, chemical manufactures and innovative green chemistry companies. Its members account for close to 7% of GNP. Their solution is green chemistry. Green chemistry builds on conventional chemistry by adding environment, health and sustainability criteria for molecular design to performance and cost criteria.
GC3 has attracted the most progressive companies from across the U.S. and around the world to accelerate innovation in chemistry and to ultimately make all chemistry green chemistry. It’s a powerhouse of business-to-business leaders that’s using commerce to transform the chemicals supply chain.
GC3 enlisted WestWordVision (WWV) to develop a strategic key message platform for positioning the organization as uniquely qualified to advance the application of green chemistry and design for environment across supply chains. The key message research will be developed into specific copy for attracting new members to the organization and increase participation among current members.
Collecting and Synthesizing Stakeholder Insights
To get started, we reviewed the GC3 website, reports, PowerPoint presentations and other select documents and constructed a baseline of existing key messages.
Next, WWV gained input from approximately 25 representatives—a core group comprised of staff members as well as GC3 members—to bring cohesion to the organization’s agenda and provide the basis of the GC3 narrative and key message content. Through one-hour interviews we explore the following topical areas to substantiate the value of membership:
- Organizational Relevance—GC3 successes, and the impact of those achievements on project partners and potential new members
- Organizational Equities—GC3 patterns of uniqueness and innovation in work, possibly including the collaborative model (may need to clarify shared staff-member roles and responsibilities)
- Organizational Capacity—GC3 ability to overcome challenges and advance the green chemistry agenda
- Market Environment—Industry-wide perception of green chemistry within the clean production enterprise
- Target Audience Mindset—New member perspectives, motives, agendas and needs
- Target Audience Desired Impressions—New member desired top-of-mind impressions regarding GC3
- Communication Channels—Best avenues to reach new members
WestWordVision structured interview questions to gain member and staff input, then synthesized input to develop organizational equities, functions, work model as well as member impressions, messages and general recommendations for recruiting new members.
After interviews were completed, WestWordVision prepared an interviewee grid and organized all qualitative data into a raw grid in Excel. After evaluating content patterns, we developed a key message grid and a key message pathway.
Research data was used to construct a GC3 Key Message Platform for communicating GC3’s ability to deliver a clear value proposition for members based on organizational successes, equities and role. While the key audience is potential new members, we believe that this research and corresponding key messages will also inspire and motivate current members.
The “commerce” in GC3’s name is key. For green chemistry to become standard practice throughout the economy, the effort to create the new supply must be driven by business. GC3 member companies span 13 major sectors in the end-to-end supply chain including the world’s leading retailers, brands and chemical companies. Major players in the supply chain are present and harmonized in their efforts to make green chemistry the mainstream.
For more information on WWV’s key message research process, contact CEO Paula Schaper at 520-604-6273.
