Avery Dennison

Avery Dennison: Making a Material Difference

The Challenge

Avery Dennison is a global materials science company operating at the center of one of the world's most complex B2B ecosystems—spanning labels, packaging, graphics, and apparel solutions. With customers in industries under intense pressure to reduce environmental impact, the company carries both significant market influence and reputational responsibility.

As sustainability expectations around materials and packaging continue to rise, Avery Dennison faced a strategic inflection point. The company had robust sustainability initiatives underway, but lacked a cohesive narrative that could unify diverse business units, engage employees, and establish thought leadership.

The challenge was multifaceted: How do you communicate sustainability authentically in an industry facing legitimate criticism around single-use plastics and waste? How do you translate complex ESG commitments into language that inspires action rather than skepticism? How do you position a materials science company not just as compliant, but as a force for meaningful change?

Leadership needed a platform that could handle complexity, speak to multiple audiences, and position Avery Dennison as a credible leader navigating one of the defining business challenges of the next decade.

The Transformation

We First partnered with Avery Dennison to translate its sustainability ambition into something credible, accessible, and actionable. The engagement began with a materiality assessment to understand which sustainability issues mattered most to stakeholders, identifying key tensions: circular-economy transition, single-use plastics criticism, recyclability, supply-chain transparency, and innovation leadership.

We First developed a global ESG and thought leadership platform—"Making a Material Difference"—built around three core themes:

Materials Innovation: Pushing beyond existing solutions to reimagine alternatives with innovative sustainability properties, leveraging collective design. This positioned Avery Dennison as proactive in developing next-generation materials that advance the circular economy.

Collaborative Mindset: Redesigning operations while enabling positive impact across global supply chains, acknowledging that sustainability requires partnership with customers, suppliers, and the broader ecosystem.

Revitalized Planet: Establishing new ways of working to upgrade the entire value chain—from production to consumption—in ways that constantly revitalize our shared planet.

We First built a comprehensive messaging framework that translated these themes into clear goals and talking points, including three holistic sustainability goals replacing eight specific targets: (1) Deliver innovations that advance the circular economy, (2) Reduce environmental impact in operations and supply chain, and (3) Be a force for good, adding value for all stakeholders.

The platform was activated through a bi-annual Sustainability Report, website messaging that made sustainability central to the brand story, and internal engagement tools, including a manifesto and talking points that equipped employees to speak confidently about commitments.

The Impact

Avery Dennison now has a sustainability platform that

• Establishes thought leadership by claiming a clear position in the materials sustainability conversation—moving beyond compliance to advocate for     systemic change
• Unifies diverse business units around shared sustainability goals while allowing flexibility for local approaches
• Builds stakeholder confidence by transparently addressing industry criticism while demonstrating concrete progress
• Empowers employees with clear language to engage authentically in sustainability conversations
• Positions Avery Dennison as a partner by framing sustainability as a collaborative challenge requiring innovation across the value chain

The result is a company that doesn't just report on sustainability—it leads the conversation. Avery Dennison is proving that materials science companies can be forces for meaningful environmental change when they combine technical innovation with transparent communication and genuine collaboration.

This isn't just ESG reporting. It's strategic positioning for a company determined to make a material difference.

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