The Challenge

The French cosmetics company needed one system to show packaging sustainability data because they needed this information to show eco-pictograms to customers and create reports for their organization.

The different environmental attributes which included materials and recyclability rules and supplier inputs existed separately between packaging specifications and supplier documentation and product information systems which caused delays in updates and introduced multiple opportunities for mistakes.

What was at stake

The system required manual consolidation which produced two major problems because it required excessive work to refresh the system and it made it difficult to track all audit and claims evidence.

The system failed to provide teams with SKU-level analysis which would have shown non-compliant/at-risk packs and helped them determine which packs needed immediate correction.

Objective

The solution requires the development of a governed dataset which will integrate with Power BI reporting capabilities to perform automated calculations and enhance data quality assessment and schedule regular data updates (daily or weekly instead of sporadic).

Our Role and Approach

Solution design & delivery

• The team performed data discovery to create a map of all relevant data sources which included packaging BOM/specs and supplier declarations and product master data. The team also identified the responsible personnel who maintain this data and their scheduled update periods.
• The system includes a KPI & rules engine which contains documented calculation logic for pictogram rules and thresholds and exceptions and built validation controls for missing fields and outliers and versioning.
• The solution includes a data model and pipeline which uses a scalable SKU-pack component-material model for refresh automation and audit trail functionality.
• The Power BI application contains four separate views which users can access through their roles for Sustainability and Packaging and Quality and Brand assessment. Users can access brand information through drill-through functionality which leads them to SKU and component data.
• The system includes three main components which are user guide and handover pack and governance routines that consist of data stewardship and monthly quality review.

Key findings/ Suggestions

• The system needs to allow suppliers to upload information through a self-service interface which will automatically check data for accuracy to reduce the amount of additional work and shorten the time required for updates.
• The system needs to create a ‘compliance readiness score’ which will show the status of each SKU for taking corrective actions and tracking continuous improvement across various time spans.

The Result

• The system operates with one sustainability database which produces dashboard reports on PBI to track eco-pictograms and packaging compliance.
• The system operates through standardized rules which combine with exception handling mechanisms and a repeatable refresh process.

Quantified impact

• The implementation of Power BI programs has brought about major reporting productivity gains because users can now create reports within one day instead of needing fourteen days for this task.
• Power BI customers achieve business results which become apparent through their documented success stories that show both a 26% decrease in operational expenses and total elimination of reporting work.