Beginning to Measure Sustainability in Chemistry Organizations
By Laura Benavides, Director of Sustainability.
If there’s one misconception I hear often, it’s that every customer is looking for the same sustainability information.
After working across energy, mining, agriculture, personal care, paints and coatings, and industrial markets, I’ve learned hat sustainability isn’t just one conversation, it’s many.
Energy customers often prioritize performance first.
Personal care companies frequently require detailed Life Cycle Assessments and product-level environmental data.
Agriculture and coatings companies focus more heavily on regulatory compliance.
International customers often introduce entirely different reporting frameworks.
The result?
Suppliers can quickly find themselves pulled in multiple directions.
So where should companies begin?
I always recommend starting with the fundamentals.
A strong sustainability foundation includes documented policies, measurable KPIs, reliable emissions data, and clear governance.
Those building blocks make it much easier to respond as customer requests evolve.
Move from claims to evidence
Customers increasingly expect third-party validation.
Instead of saying a product is sustainable, they want data that supports it.
That may include:
- Renewable Carbon Index (RCI)
- Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)
- Biodegradability testing
- Product carbon footprints
- Regulatory certifications
- Performance validation
Evidence builds credibility.
Sustainability is a team effort
Another lesson is the amount of cross-departmental effort it takes to prioritize sustainability. And it has to be prioritized by the whole organization, from top to bottom, to truly move the needle.
Operations, regulatory, manufacturing, commercial teams, consultants, and leadership all have some role in these efforts.
Some of our most valuable improvements came simply from improving communication between teams that were already doing excellent work, and aggregating that data into a digestible format that we could use both internally and externally.
You don’t need to build for every framework
Build for your customers.
It’s tempting to chase every reporting standard at once.
In reality, the best strategy is understanding what your customers actually need today while creating systems that can adapt tomorrow. Start by identifying what reporting standards are important to them, then evaluating what you need to do.
Our Integrity BioChem sustainability journey started with customer questionnaires.
Today, we’re supporting product LCAs across multiple business segments and expanding the way sustainability data informs product development itself.
When sustainability moves beyond compliance and becomes part of how you improve products, strengthen customer relationships, and make better business decisions, everyone benefits.
