"We focused on three main topics in order to drive the strategic alignment of the project," says Novelli. Besides launching sustainability projects – the actual core of the initiative – the task was to focus particularly on the impact the measures are having. "We first needed to lay the foundations to launch a monitoring system with specific key performance indicators (KPIs)," recalls Hund, Head of Quality at ZEISS Vision Care, and in charge of the Environment, Health and Safety, and the GSR initiative. To collect consistent data, terms and definitions had to be harmonized and systemized across all global sites of the strategic business unit. To do this, the exact basis was taken that Dr. Uwe Hamm had created at the different sites over the last decade in his role as Corporate Environmental Officer. That's why the data was made consistent in collaboration with him and Carl Zeiss Energie GmbH. "At the same time, communication on the sustainability topics is to be stepped up in order to reach certain stakeholders such as talented individuals, customers and employees," says Novelli, explaining the third pillar of the GSR initiative. This also includes the integration of communication and marketing departments into the overall process.
The team at ZEISS Vision Care has now created the structures for implementing sustainability initiatives. The initiative has established work groups for the Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety, and Energy Managers from the respective production sites worldwide. These feed into ongoing experience and knowledge sharing. "There is an international network of GSR officers who are communicating and implementing the measures at the different sites," says Novelli. He's certain that "Sustainability must play a role for all company departments and functions – and it must be championed, too."