Task

Alongside consumers, companies that used to rely solely on innovation are pushing forward with responsible environmental solutions that inspire a new era for all in business.  The demand for sustainable solutions is a threefold challenge for manufacturers: (1) Traditional success that centred on quality and durability is now forced to reduce, hampering the quality and integrity of materials. (2) Historically, monolithic business models have not been designed to reward sustainable innovation; customers’ demand must be widespread and consistent to encourage businesses to invest. (3) Demand for sustainable materials is in its infancy, and many larger organisations have shed smaller divisions with a sustainable focus.

That is where our story begins.  Our client was a private company, recently formed from merging four independent legacy material sciences businesses under a new and unknown parent. FastMora was tasked with finding a way to organise these entities into one strategic unit with a compelling and differentiated positioning, which would then favour a higher valuation.

Pilot

The first act was to find out what roofing tiles, polymers, Walmart, and healthcare packaging all have in common. We uncovered a clear opportunity through triangulating the company’s extensive investments in R&D, customer priorities, and circular economy principles: innovation in material compostability would drive growth and synergies across the entire organisation. Compostability is a characteristic that allows materials to biodegrade under specific conditions. This step in the sustainability race is achievable, measurable, and tangible.

As such, the organisation had substantial research to claim intellectual property leadership in the space, giving way to an IP-based model. What is an IP-based model? The master brand, in this case the holding company, curates and amplifies the IP that generates growth for all the specialty companies. We validated this proposal using extensive behavioural data and customer interview analysis.

Detailed target segments and KPIs for customers, IP partners, and investors followed.

Transformation

The four divisions were redesigned under a new boutique material sciences master brand as sustainable solutions organisations across the governmental, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, and telecommunications industries. The divisions focus on expert execution.