How Specsavers is partnering for purpose
In this episode of The CMO Show we meet Cathy Rennie Matos, Head of Sustainability at Specsavers.
Cathy sheds some light on what sustainability means for Specsavers at a local and global level, and how her role is an opportunity to apply her skills in marketing, PR, CSR and stakeholder management to grow and achieve the company’s ESG goals.
Consumers are starting to care more and more about the sustainability of the products we buy. In fact, sustainable shopping is now at a point where even a new set of glasses can be environmentally-friendly, socially responsible, and contribute to a brighter future.
This modern retail landscape is a world all-too-familiar to Cathy Rennie Matos, Head of Sustainability (ANZ) at Specsavers.
For Cathy, the role is a meaningful opportunity to apply her skills in marketing, PR, CSR and stakeholder management to grow and achieve the company’s ESG goals.
“What's brilliant about what we are doing at Specsavers, from a sustainability perspective, is our ambition to take what we already do really well and expand it,” says Cathy.
“It's about enhancing access to sight and hearing care services and support for people that experience barriers.”
If you think that sounds like a big job to do all on your own, you’re right. Critical to this journey is the sustainable health of partnerships between private, public and NFP organisations.
Together, they form an ecosystem that promises to enable collective vision for thriving communities.
“I think the way that I look at partnerships, it's really about partnering to scale impact. I think if it is aligned with your purpose and it helps you to deliver your purpose and your ambitions, that's where it really needs to start from,” says Cathy.
Specsavers has collaborative partnerships with The Fred Hollows Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Vision 2020, and the Australian government to provide long-term, eye-health services in communities that need them.
It’s time to fire up this episode of The CMO Show and hear Cathy’s insights on partnering for purpose.
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Credits
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The CMO Show production team
Producer – Rian Newman
Audio Engineers – Ed Cheng & Daniel Marr
Got an idea for an upcoming episode or want to be a guest on The CMO Show? We’d love to hear from you: cmoshow@filteredmedia.com.au
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Transcript:
As consumers, we're starting to care more and more about the sustainability of the products we buy. Is this cleaning product eco-friendly? Is my t-shirt ethically sourced? And are these eggs cruelty-free?
Thankfully, they're all pretty commonplace examples, and the space is evolving.
In fact, we're now at a point where even a new set of glasses can be environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and contribute to a more sustainable future.
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Welcome to The CMO Show. My name is Mark Jones. Great to have you with me today. And my guest is Cathy Renee Matos. She is head of sustainability at Specsavers. Now, I wanted to talk with Cathy because I'm fascinated by the ways that marketing and sustainability intersect.
And what's really interesting about this whole space is that it's drawing marketers into it and what skills are transferable, how we can learn from the environment, from the movement in climate, how we can think about bringing in best practices as it relates to our supply chains, for example.
And so when it comes to Cathy in her role at Specsavers, it's a really meaningful opportunity to apply her skills in marketing and PR, in CSR and stakeholder management to grow and advance the company's ESG goals. It's a big job and you're going to love hearing how it's going.
So let's go to my conversation with Cathy.
Mark Jones
Cathy, welcome to the show.
Cathy Rennie
Thank you so much, Mark. Lovely to be on.
Mark Jones
Now one of the reasons I wanted to meet you and speak with you is that we've seen a lot of blending, if you like, of the roles of comms and marketing in sustainability. In fact, there's a fantastic history if we go back in time to the days of CSR, if you remember that.
Cathy Rennie
Absolutely.
Mark Jones
Yeah. You've come through the comms rank, into the sustainability role. So give us a quick snapshot of your career and I guess, your reflection on how all these worlds are colliding.
Cathy Rennie
Yeah. Absolutely. So yes, I come from a comms background. Marketing background. And I suppose for the last probably 10 or so years as part of my comms role, I have had CSR as part of that. And especially the community side of things. So very much PR, comms and the community CSR. And I think as I've progressed within Specsavers, as we've expanded that from just being community to people and now planet, I've now had this incredible opportunity to move over and take on sustainability in a full-time role encompassing all three areas.
But you're absolutely right, communications and CSR historically and now sustainability absolutely go hand in hand both internally and externally.
Mark Jones
So for those playing at home, what is sustainability? In terms of your role, when you think about the job spec, what are the things about it that help give us a concrete idea? And also what do you like about it?
Cathy Rennie
I love that it's so broad. And it still for me, has comms involved in it. But I suppose from our perspective, sustainability really encompasses everything that we are doing from a planet perspective, a people perspective, and a community perspective. And a governance perspective. So the ESG space. And it really involves not only helping to shape our strategy and our roadmap, and deliver that. But really act as a change agent internally. Because sustainability and becoming a sustainable organisation really only works if everyone is actually bought in, and everybody helps to deliver it.
It can't be just a team or an individual at the fringe of the organisation. So at the moment, my role is really that. I'm an agitator, I'm a planner. I'm a change agent first and foremost.
Mark Jones
I think personally listening right now, I'm quite sure more than a few people are pretty excited by the sound of that. It's one of those best roles ever, I reckon. But having said that, it really does rely on that executive team that you alluded to.
Give us a sense of what the team's like. This is where you try not to get in trouble with your boss.
Cathy Rennie
Without a doubt. So within Specsavers, we're actually set up as a global team. Our CEO is actually our chief sustainability officer. And that was really key, because we had to have buy-in at the very top of the organisation. We then have a head of sustainability in each of the regions that we operate. And we have a global team that's essentially made up of subject matter experts that each of the regions tap into, and that they help to drive the strategy in their particular area.
So for example, we have a carbon expert. We have a packaging expert. A waste expert, and materiality expert that really helps us through our supply chain and regionally. Then locally I have a dotted line to our commercial director, which is also really key. So I suppose globally, you could say I sit within the business transformation team. And locally, within commercial.
Mark Jones
So I'm going to fall back on one of my favourite questions which is, what business are you in? Because I think what you're touching on there is supply chains, and manufacturing. And plastics, and glass. And that kind of thing.
Cathy Rennie
Absolutely. So we're an interesting business, because we're essentially a healthcare retailer. So we sit in the healthcare space and service. But we also are a retailer, and we also manufacture. So yes, we cover off all of those different aspects. So huge supply chain in terms of glasses, lenses, hearing aids and accessories. And then we have all of our retail stores, manufacturing distribution sites, support offices. The whole kit and caboodle.
Mark Jones
Now my disadvantage in this conversation is I've got 2020 visions still, at my ripe hold age. So I don't get any marketing for glasses or contact lenses or anything. So how important is this sustainability notion now, to your customers? We know broadly speaking of course, that it's one of the top criteria. But part of that is this sense that you're going to choose fashion and fit. And I wonder about the sustainability angle there.
Cathy Rennie
Yeah. It's definitely a growing area of interest for our consumers. We are definitely seeing that. We have feedback from stores as an example, where we've got customers asking for... With contact lenses, whether a particular type of contact lens now comes in a monthly rather than a daily, so that there's less waste. So we are definitely starting to get that kind of feedback from our consumers.
I think the important thing to remember with glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids is that they are a medical device. So while there is absolutely certain things that we can do in terms of working on the materials that go into things like frames, the actual lenses themselves fall under medical device. So we are a bit more limited there. But as an organisation looking at our carbon impact, looking at the packaging of our products, looking at the waste and the end of life of products, all of that I think consumers generally are really interested in. And especially in addition to the planet side of things, environmental initiatives, it's really about what are you doing in the community? How are you helping to create sustainable communities? And what are you doing from a people perspective?
So I think that is just as important. A lot of our research shows that. The interest in the work that we are doing with the Fred Hollows Foundation is an example.
Mark Jones
So people are increasingly interested in the story as much as they are in the products. Is what I'm picking up there.
Cathy Rennie
Yeah. I would definitely say so. And it's complicated, in terms of telling a story in a way that customers actually understand. And they're able to differentiate between the different stories that different retailers are telling. And I think that, that's a challenge for all of us in the retail space. Is how do we actually take some concepts which are really complicated, and distil them down to something that a consumer can actually understand? And then be able to make informed decisions based on that information.
Mark Jones
And how is this perspective shaping the way that you are looking at your budgets? Resource allocation? We touched at the beginning, on stakeholders. But then of course, when it gets down to the plans and tactics, what's changing as a result of your focus? I was going to say lens there, but I didn't want to make a pun.
Cathy Rennie
Very beautiful. What's changing in terms of the focus? So I suppose first and foremost, we now have a dedicated role for sustainability. So it doesn't just fall as part of someone else's role. We have a governance structure globally and locally. So we actually have a committee that has functional representation that essentially then, responsible for driving change within each of the departments internally.
In terms of budget, increased budget for sustainability initiatives. And that's something that we are continuing to work through. Obviously, we are looking for opportunities where we can find efficiencies that then help offset other costs. So that's a really important thing. Looking at the business case for sustainability initiatives where you can make savings. But then also there are some initiatives that have costs, but the positive impact of that is so important. So it's something that I think all organisations that are in a similar situation are working through, and figuring out where does that budget come from?
I mean typically, it's come from... At least in our organisation, from marketing. Might come from supply chain. We are starting to increase what we are doing in the comms space. And that will continue. So finding how that fits in with the rest of the brand's storytelling. And how much is allocated I think, over the next couple of years. That will be really interesting to see how that plays out.
Mark Jones
You mentioned that you are a change agent internally. What are the challenges? And also on the upside, what's the fun stuff associated with that?
Cathy Rennie
Look, I think probably the biggest challenge is that everyone has their own priorities. And so when you are trying to implement a sustainability strategy and you're trying to get people to essentially add this into the work that they're doing and really understand and see the value of it, not only from a sustainability perspective, but from a commercial perspective as well, there's a lot of stakeholder engagement that needs to take place. There is a lot of change management that needs to take place there. And I think really key to that is relationships. And I think I mentioned before, around the looking at the small wins. And getting some runs on the board, as you work towards the bigger things. I think that, that's really key to keeping that momentum going. And not feeling like it's personal when something doesn't get up and running as quickly as you want, or you get those knock backs. You got to realise that it's a long term game.
So you've got to approach it in that way. And you'll get knocked down. You've got to pick yourself back up and have broad shoulders, I suppose. At the same time on the flip side, I think when things do happen, there is such a sense of pride and such a sense of achievement. And it's collective achievement. And I think that's the important thing. Because if I do something myself, that's great. And I can feel good about it. But when there's collective achievement where as a team you've achieved something, you've delivered something. You've implemented something, I think that, that's for me where I get the most enjoyment out of it. And being able to work with other teams, and get initiatives developed and implemented. And to be able to see the outcome of those. I think that for me, is really what rolls my socks up and down.
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Mark Jones
Now, tell me about the net-zero carbon goal. So aiming for net-zero by 2050.
Cathy Rennie
That's it.
Mark Jones
And thinking about reducing your environmental impact. I'm glad we got our research right there. So what's the story there? Give us a quick overview of how you are going, from a progress perspective.
Cathy Rennie
So very early on, to be completely honest with you, in that journey, we worked pretty much the whole of last year on our carbon baseline. We've been working with an agency called Carbon Intelligence globally, and we are just in the process of taking a recommendation on our interim target. So that's both an interim target for scope one and two, as well as an interim target for scope three. Obviously scope three being the more complicated, because it involves your entire value chain. Whereas scope one and two is your operational emission, so completely within your control.
So we are just about to take those targets to our global executive board for sign off. And then we will start to develop our reduction roadmap. So there are already some things that we are working on. Obviously, some of the more straightforward things around moving to renewable electricity tariffs. And obviously in Australia, so much of our grid is made up of fossil fuels still. So that's a big piece. But there's a huge, huge piece around supplier engagement. That's probably the next cab off the rank for us, is engaging suppliers as part of scope three. We have started that, but there's a lot more work to do.
Mark Jones
What's the hardest part about keeping the momentum up? Because it's not easy, and it's not quick. You got to keep your foot down right?
Cathy Rennie
You do. I think for me, it's about the quick wins. The low hanging fruit. So absolutely, you go 2050 is a long way away. Even 2030, although really only seven years. It's not that much, when you're talking about some really big things that need to happen. But I think it's really about looking at what are some of the other areas? Because, carbon is only one part. We've got five areas within our planet ambition. So we've got carbon, we've got packaging. Product, water and waste are the different areas. And within that, you can find some quicker wins.
So as an example, we moved all of our centrally procured electricity over to a renewable tariff as of January. Which was a huge move for us. Obviously, there's now a lot of work to do in reduction and the stores that are not on central procurement. We've been able to look at things within our packaging, that we are already starting to see changes in.
We are working on product end of life solutions. So there's a lot of different things that you can start working on, that you can start seeing immediate results in. Which I think, just helps keep that momentum going. And I think as well, it's about continual engagement. So that change management piece, and the engagement piece with stakeholders across the organisation. And actually putting some of the control and everything into their hands. So having them set their own goals and targets for their department. Identifying what they think the biggest sustainability issues or challenges are for them, so that it's not just about me always saying these are the things we should focus on. We are really clear about our priorities at a global and regional level within our plan.
But then you come down to each individual department. And I think giving them that ability to have some control over their own destiny as it were, I think that really gets them more engaged and more ownership over it.
Mark Jones
Yeah. Now when it comes to partnerships, you worked with Lions Recycle For Sight. Which I imagine, is one of a few different initiatives around the world. Partnerships themselves can be the best of times and the worst of times.
What's your advice, based on your experience here? How do you use the partnership approach to make sure that you can keep that momentum up we're talking about?
Cathy Rennie
I think the way that I look at partnerships, it's really about partnering to scale impact. And what's really key about those partnerships is honesty and transparency. Great communication. No different to your relationship with your wife or your partner. Yeah. I think that, that's what makes a great partnership. Because if you're really clear with each other about what you're both trying to achieve, where there are any issues that they're actually raised and managed, and dealt with and addressed. But really ultimately, that you're swimming in the same direction.
Mark Jones
What about on the advocacy side? So the likes of Patagonia is quite famous for really rattling the cage with documentaries and direct advocacy. And all sorts of work across the States. Just using them as a quick example. What about yourselves? How have you thought about whether or not there's a benefit in being far more noisier than you possibly already are?
Cathy Rennie
I think a lot of the advocacy that we do is more at a governmental level, to be completely honest with you. So when it comes to eyecare, our optometry team does a lot of work within the industry and government really to try and ensure that access is maintained. For example, we've worked collaboratively with the Australian government, Diabetes Australia, Vision 2020, SIRA, and the number of different organisations to get a programme called Keepsight up and running in the last few years. And Keepsight is a programme that has been developed to try and address diabetic retinopathy in essentially, patients with diabetes. And trying to address patients with diabetes not getting their eyes tested regularly enough. And therefore, trying to stop blindness and vision loss as a result of that. And that was a real collaborative effort. And when used to talk about advocacy, that is really a group of organisations coming together to advocate to government that we need this programme.
And then that programme is now up and running. And we are a really key part of that, and something that we are really proud of. And I think that they're the kind of examples of advocacy. We support the Fred Hollows Foundation in the advocacy work that they do with government around Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander eye health. And the work that they are doing very collaboratively with so many different partners, in trying to create sustainable delivery models that will provide those services long term in communities that need them.
Mark Jones
Well let's change tack a little bit, and talk about purpose. Because, you've been reflecting a little bit on this community programme. I guess, your heartbeat is there. That's that real passion for seeing social impact through the community. What work have you done, and what are you continuing to do around the notion of purpose?
And how can you make sure that, that idea is more than a nice to have from the consumer perspective? Because, they obviously need to see it enabled. They need to see it tangibly.
Cathy Rennie
Absolutely. I think for me, one of the things that I really love about Specsavers is that it's a purpose-driven brand. I think purpose is really important to an organisation, If not consumers, because it's what helps team members understand where they fit in. And that there's actually an alignment with how their own values and their own purposes as an individual.
And I think what's brilliant about what we are doing at Specsavers is that from a sustainability perspective, our ambition is really to take what we already do really well and expand it. So it's about enhancing access to sight and hearing care services and support for people that experience barriers. Because even though eye care is Medicare funded and we make glasses available from as little as $39, there are still groups within our community that experience barriers. Whether that be distance, whether it be cost. Whether it be language, there are a whole raft of reasons that there are still people within the community experience barriers.
And so we want to try and cut down those barriers, and work with partners to enhance that access. And I think that, that's where for me the community side and the purpose of the organisation fits so perfectly together. And I think for other organisations... If you look at Patagonia and what exactly as you said before, but what they stand for, they've always been about the environment. And there's that beautiful synergy. And I think that, that's what I see community for us as an organisation. The work that we do with the Fred Hollows Foundation to try and ensure that Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people have access to eyecare. That's care that we can't necessarily provide to them, but we can work with the Fred Hollows Foundation and their partners to deliver that.
Mark Jones
And so presumably, you have a funding model around that. So can you give us any insight into that? You don't need obviously specifics, but how do you go about enabling that?
Cathy Rennie
Yeah. So we have a community programme, and all of our stores participate in that. And essentially, it's a way for our partners to be able to give back. So there's an amount for every pair of glasses sold, that then gets donated to charity. The Fred Hollows Foundation being our national charity partner, they get at least 50% of that. Some stores choose to support them at 100%. Some stores choose to split it between the Fred Hollows Foundation and a local charity. I think probably though the biggest difference that we've seen in the last couple of years, in terms of the amount that we've been able to donate to the Fred Hollows Foundation has actually come from our limited edition frames. So we started this programme oh, I'm going to say probably about eight years ago. Something along those kind of lines. And the idea originally was to partner with an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander artist, and work with them to put their artwork onto some frames. And $25 from each of those frames would be donated to the Fred Hollows Foundation.
And originally when we did it, we actually worked with artists who had actually received sight saving cataract surgery through the foundation. So there was this beautiful link and story to be told. But with that comes some complexities around, a lot of these people are not easily accessible. They might not speak English. And so from a commercial perspective, we needed to approach it slightly differently to make sure that we could actually do it on an annual basis. And these days, we work with more contemporary Aboriginal artists. But who still have a real passion for the foundation, so it's really nicely connected.
Back about eight years ago when we first did it, I think we produced, I think it was two and a half thousand pairs of glasses. And I think we donated about $62,500, something along those lines. This last year, the glasses, we sold 18,000 units. And we donated $450,000.
So every time that we do these and we get to a point of selling more of them, that's more money that's going to the foundation. And that's really helped us to incrementally increase the amount of cash donations that go to the foundation. But it's not just about cash donations. We also look at clinical equipment that they might need. And especially for example, where our stores are changing over clinical equipment. And then we can... Rather than that clinical equipment not being able to be used for anything, we are really trying more and more to be able to re-use that. So be able to donate that, and stuff like that.
Mark Jones
One thing that sticks out to me, and I find quite encouraging about what I sense is a strategy for you is thinking long term. So obviously implicit in sustainability is the idea. That it's long term, it's ongoing. And we can keep it up. So if you layer that thinking over the top of these partnerships, what are the lessons that you've learned around finding people who share that view? Because, there is a lot of pressure for quick wins. So how do you approach that?
Cathy Rennie
No, you're absolutely right. I think there is absolutely some pressure around quick wins. And I think when it comes to community partnerships, I think it's about discussing and agreeing on what are the challenges that you're trying to address. And I don't think it's about marketing. I think the marketing, the storytelling that comes off the back of that is secondary. I think if it is aligned with your purpose and it helps you to deliver your purpose and your ambitions, that's where it really needs to start from. And I've listened to some of your other podcasts, and that's almost been a little bit of a theme that comes through. Which is about doing the right thing. First and foremost, it's about doing the right thing. It's about finding the right partners that really align with your business, that help you to achieve your joint goals. It's about working together. Breaking down those barriers. Having open and honest conversations.
And that's an example with the Fred Hollows Foundation. I don't only deal with the guys who look after our partnership, I also have direct relationship with the head of the Indigenous Australia programme. And we collectively talk about what they're trying to achieve, and how we can actually help that. And when they're looking at their long-term framework and we are looking at our long-term framework, we look at what are those things that we are trying to do? And how long it's going to take to get there. Because to your point, some of this takes years. But if it's to be sustainable in the long term, it's got to be long-term thinking. Keepsight's the exact same thing. It's not a one year. We went in to Keepsight with an initial five-year view. But to obviously look at continuing on that one as well. So they're just a couple of examples.
Mark Jones
Well look, there's a lot on your plate, which is exciting. And I have also been reflecting on how you've been able to grow beyond some of your PR experiences, but still apply a lot of these skills in what seems to be an environment or a sandbox that's getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
So there's going to be no shortage of things to keep you occupied. So thank you for sharing your story with us, Cathy. And all the best to you and the team on what sounds like a pretty... I was going to say a sharp focus.
Cathy Rennie
It's beautiful language.
Mark Jones
For the future.
Cathy Rennie
Great storytelling.
Mark Jones
Yeah. Thank you. Thanks so much Cathy.
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Well, there you have it. My glasses puns aside, a very informative look at what sustainability means for an organisation like Specsavers. And I think the word sustainability is often so conflated with environmental concerns. And while, of course, that's a big part of the story, what I loved about Specsavers and what Cathy is doing is that there's so much more going on and we need to pay attention to all the different aspects of what sustainability means for your organisation.
In fact, this long-standing partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation really illustrates that sense of social responsibility and the great work that Specsavers is doing out there in the community. I hope you've taken some really valuable lessons and a bit of inspiration from Cathy. Thanks for joining us on this episode of The CMO Show. Until next time.