Research & Advisory · Commercial Sustainability Creating commercial value with sustainability
Aviemore Partners Research & Advisory
Commercial Sustainability · For the P&L Owner

Profitable growth is hiding
inside your sustainability challenges.

Changing customer requirements. Packaging fees and new rules. Rising material and energy costs. Supply-chain exposure.

Aviemore Partners helps business unit leaders turn sustainability into revenue, margin, resilience, and customer value. We find the commercial value in the challenges you already carry, and we help you put investment where it creates the most.

"Sustainability is almost never the reason a customer buys. What they buy is better performance, a lower cost to run, or in B2B, less risk to carry. Sustainability is often what makes those possible. That is different from being the commercial proposition." Jennifer Mackey, PhD · Partner
How we help Start a conversation
Built for business unit leaders who own a P&L in food, grocery, foodservice, and consumer packaged goods, and in the packaging and supply companies that serve them. The conversation is commercial, not compliance.
The partner’s record
$55M
Sustainable, profitable own brand, launched from zero and grown by the business in two years
~200 sites
Climate roadmap to science-based targets, ahead of plan
100,000+ SKUs
Legislation intelligence for customers, verification in minutes, not days
25 years
In the value chain serving grocery, foodservice, retail, and CPG
How we help

Four levers, and the engagement for each

Sustainability creates value when it changes something the business already cares about: what customers buy, what a product costs, how much risk a customer carries, how resilient a supply chain is. We do not start by asking what sustainability initiative you should run. We start with the business problem you are trying to solve, the number you own, and where sustainability can help.

We read every initiative against four commercial levers and prioritize the ones that create the most value, which are usually the ones that pull more than one. Each lever has an engagement built for it, and every engagement is scored on the same instrument, The Crossing™ below.

01
Revenue & innovation

Growth

Identifying the sustainability investments that grow the top line: new segments, stronger demand, and products customers choose.

↓ The Commercial Sustainability Sprint
02
Cost & carbon

Efficiency

Reducing cost and carbon together, usually by using less, so the savings hold up beyond the next budget cycle. This includes a climate roadmap your operations team can own and deliver.

↓ The cost and carbon sprint
03
Exposure & readiness

Risk

Getting ahead of new rules, rising material costs, and supply disruption, from packaging fees and product bans to materials of concern and dependence on a single material, before they become a cost or a headline.

↓ The regulatory exposure and portfolio review
04
Preference & loyalty

Brand

Building a brand customers trust and stay with, on sustainability claims that hold up to scrutiny and that sales, marketing, and category teams can actually use.

↓ The brand and claims sprint
The instrument

The Crossing™

Where sustainability crosses over into business value.

The Crossing is the instrument behind everything Aviemore does. It is a structured read on a sustainability initiative, or a whole portfolio of them, that shows what kind of commercial value each one holds, and what investment logic it deserves. It asks two questions of each initiative.

1

How many types of value does it create?

New revenue or a new segment Stronger margins Resilience and lower risk A brand customers prefer Less exposure for workers, customers, and communities
2

How far does the value reach?

ComplianceEfficiency|DifferentiationStep change

From meeting the rules to changing what customers buy. In other words, does it pass The Crossing?

The Crossing: two questions of every initiative A chart. Across the bottom, how far the value reaches: compliance, efficiency, differentiation, step change. Up the side, how many types of value an initiative creates, one to five. A vertical line between efficiency and differentiation marks the crossing from protecting the business to growing it. Under each level, the investment logic it deserves. PROTECT THE BUSINESS GROW THE BUSINESS 1 type2345 types How many types of value? The Crossing One example shown per level.An initiative can sit anywhere on the chart. Meet a packaging fee Route optimization:cost and carbon down A product customersprefer and choose A category reset thatpays on several fronts How far does the value reach? (four levels) Compliance A budget line.Measured on cost avoided. Efficiency A payback case.Measured on cost andcarbon per unit. Differentiation A business case.Measured on share and margin. Step change A strategic investment.Measured on new revenueand category position. Different types of value deserve different investment logic.The Crossing shows which level an initiative has earned. Sustainability measurements are dependent on each initiative and are included.

Every type of value on the scorecard is measured in sustainability terms too, such as carbon, material, water, and exposure. The sustainability measure is the evidence behind the claim you make, the answer you give a customer, and the number you report to the board. The business value helps fund an initiative.

Request the one-page overview

Engagements

A complimentary first look, then the engagement that fits

While Aviemore is new, the method is not: it is how the partner made these decisions inside various companies and industries over twenty-five years. Engagement begins with a complimentary read, continues with a short entry engagement, and goes deeper only where the read shows there is value.

Step 1 · A complimentary first look
Complimentary
first look

Send us the three biggest challenges or ideas on your desk

A customer request, a packaging fee, a rising material or energy cost, a claim you want to make, a product idea. If it touches what you buy, make, or sell, it counts.

Purpose: a fast, no-obligation commercial read on where the value looks strongest, what needs evidence, and what may not deserve further investment.

What you leave with: a short written view, or a call. No fee.

Scope: a conversation, not a project.

Step 2 · Choose an entry engagement
Entry
engagement

The Commercial Sustainability Sprint

Find the value before you fund the work.

In two weeks, we take a sustainability challenge or opportunity to understand: will customers value it, can it improve revenue or margin, can it reduce cost or risk, and what would it take to capture that value?

Two starting points

Innovation Ideas. You have a sustainability idea, product, sourcing change, or business model opportunity. We test whether customers value it, and whether that value is commercially meaningful.

Customer Requests. A customer has asked for sustainability data, sourcing information, or a reduction commitment. We work out what they are actually trying to solve, what a credible response requires, and whether the request creates value or only cost.

What you leave with
  • a clear view of the customer problem or opportunity you are actually solving;
  • the business value the sustainability initiative could create, and where that value sits;
  • evidence from customers, stakeholders, and available data;
  • the critical gaps or questions that still need to be answered;
  • a one-page Crossing scorecard showing where the opportunity sits across value creation and strategic reach;
  • and a recommendation for what to fund, develop, test further, or stop.
From the partner’s recordThe partner took a future customer problem, upcoming packaging fees, and turned it into products customers bought: a sustainable own brand the business grew to $55M in two years. She also decided which products entered the brand and which did not, so the claims held.

When customers kept asking the same sustainability questions, she built the advisory and data consultancy that answered them, and it helped renew and grow Fortune 500 grocery, foodservice, and retail accounts.
Scope one business unit or defined opportunityTwo weeksFixed fee
↓ Go deepertake the winner to market, or turn the customer answer into an offering, as a scoped project (Step 3)
Entry
engagement

The cost and carbon sprint

This sprint is for companies that have a carbon target, or a reason to set one, but no plan yet. You may be encountering customers’ Scope 3 requests, investor expectations, or California’s climate reporting rules. Or you may simply want to cut operating costs, or gain confidence that you are funding the initiatives that make the most sense for your business.

What you leave with
  • a focused sprint sets the direction and priorities. We meet you where you are and point the work in the right direction;
  • we review your data and identify options to clean or build it where needed;
  • we find the activities where you are already reducing carbon and the gaps that matter most;
  • we provide clear responses you can share with your stakeholders on your current state, and we outline options to build a practical, full roadmap aligned with your business model and stakeholder expectations.
From the partner’s recordThe partner of Aviemore led a roadmap of this kind across nearly 200 locations, delivered ahead of plan on a lean budget.
Scope a company, a region, or a divisionThree weeksFixed fee

A full carbon roadmap requires deeper data, cross-functional input, and validation. It is aligned with stakeholders and your business model and prioritizes initiatives on carbon impact, cost, payback, and feasibility. The first reductions on most roadmaps pay for themselves. The last ones often do not, and the plan says which is which, so the business decides those on purpose.

↓ Go deeperthe full roadmap and Scope 3 supplier engagement follow as a scoped project or inside the fractional retainer below.
Entry
engagement

The regulatory exposure and portfolio review

Regulation is usually treated as a compliance problem. It is also a product and portfolio design opportunity. Extended producer fees on packaging are arriving state by state, and who pays depends on the state, the brand, and how the product reaches the customer. Behind the fees sit product bans, materials of concern such as PFAS, and the labeling and content rules that decide what may be claimed. The exposure reaches well beyond own brand, and for most companies that sell packaging, it is not a cost they can absorb.

What you leave with
  • we meet you where your data is and provide a directional map of fee and product-rule exposure across brands, categories, and states;
  • we identify the work that needs to be done on data and prioritize the categories and products where analysis and optimization pay back first;
  • where conditions support it, we show the commercial levers that turn the challenge into a growth opportunity;
  • we outline a practical plan for the full analysis, with owners and options for staffing it.
From the partner’s recordBefore the first producer fees went live, the partner of Aviemore protected the margins of customer accounts representing $850M+ in revenue by leading an EPR strategy summit with custom portfolio dashboards and mitigation roadmaps. In preparation for EPR, she led the launch of a sustainable own brand that the business grew to $55M in two years.
Scope an initial review, prioritized by categoryTwo to three weeksFixed fee
↓ Go deeperthe full exposure analysis by category and state, as a scoped project (Step 3)
Entry
engagement

The brand and claims sprint

Customers are asked to navigate sustainability claims they do not fully understand, and companies are increasingly exposed when a claim is not supported by evidence. A claim that will not survive a customer’s guidelines, a regulator’s labeling rule, or a competitor’s challenge is a cost waiting to land.

What you leave with
  • a claims and evidence assessment across the products in scope;
  • a read on which claims customers value and which they ignore;
  • the gaps and risks;
  • recommended claims with the proof behind each;
  • and practical guidance your commercial teams can use.
From the partner’s recordThe partner wrote the product standards, vendor criteria, and marketing-claims guidelines behind a $55M sustainable own brand, and the brand still runs on them.
Scope one brand, category, or product lineTwo weeksFixed fee

Each claim is scored on The Crossing for the value it creates and the exposure it removes.

↓ Go deeperthe standard your brand runs on, as a scoped project (Step 3)
Step 3 · Go deeper, or stay on

Every entry engagement ends with a recommendation. When the read shows there is value, the work continues one of two ways.

Scoped
project
For a business unit

A scoped project

The full version of what the sprint found.

What you leave with
  • The Crossing across the whole unit, for teams that want the full picture before they set next year’s plan;
  • the commercialization plan for the initiative worth funding: the customer research behind it, the case, the product line, the claims, and the sales tools;
  • the customer answer built into an offering: the data, legislation intelligence, and consultancy your customers will renew on;
  • a sustainability-led growth plan, by category and customer, with owners;
  • a full carbon roadmap, with owners and an accountability cadence;
  • the full exposure analysis by category and state;
  • or the standard your brand runs on: product standard, vendor criteria, and claims guidelines.

This is for teams that need to decide where sustainability belongs in the business plan, not simply what belongs in the sustainability plan.

Retainer
For start-ups and PE-backed companies

Fractional commercial leadership

Senior commercial and sustainability leadership, one to two days a week, for companies selling into the food value chain.

What you leave with

For start-ups. Before you invest heavily in product development, claims, or go-to-market, a clear read on how a distributor, grocer, or CPG buyer decides:

  • total cost to the customer;
  • performance in use;
  • ease of compliance;
  • and what the buyer’s own questionnaire will ask.

It puts the investment into what a buyer will pay for.

For portfolio companies. A senior commercial lead for sustainability during the hold, in order:

  • a read of the opportunities;
  • the customer-value case for the ones worth pursuing;
  • claims that will survive a buyer’s diligence;
  • the tools your sales team needs to sell those products;
  • and the cost and carbon plan the next owner will ask for at exit.
Diligence
For investors and private equity owners

Commercialization diligence

A bounded read on a food, packaging, or sustainable materials asset before the deal. Is the sustainability growth thesis real, will a buyer choose it, and what would it take to make it sell?

What you leave with
  • a diligence memo before you commit capital.
Why Aviemore

The same growth thesis, brought down to your P&L.

Aviemore is built for the P&L owner. The work is scoped to the business you run, whether a business unit, a company, or a portfolio asset, and led by the commercial question, without a program you did not ask for.

You may not have a sustainability team of your own, or the one you have is consumed by compliance, reporting, and customer requests. That is when the growth questions get set aside, and when an outside commercial read earns its place.

Experience across the value chain

Years in distribution, sustainable materials, and packaging manufacturing, between the supplier's claim and the customer's purchase order, serving grocery, foodservice, and CPG companies. We know the difference between what a supplier says, what a customer asks for, and what actually makes it onto the purchase order.

Focus on your business

Senior attention on one P&L, scoped to what it needs: a sprint in weeks, or a project with a defined end.

Customers first

We begin with what your customers value and choose, and how that strengthens your brand. The commercial questions come first and the reporting second.

Systems thinking, informed decisions

We look at the whole chain, suppliers, products, customers, legislation, and operations, and at how a change in one place moves the others. Then we give the commercial teams the insights to make an informed call and the tools to act on it.

The partner
Jennifer Mackey, PhD
Jennifer Mackey, PhD · MBA, Finance · Partner

Commercial instinct, sustainability depth.

Twenty-five years in distribution, sustainable materials and packaging manufacturing, and retail finance, serving grocery, foodservice, retail, and CPG companies. Most of it was spent in the middle of the value chain, close to the suppliers making the claims and the customers deciding whether they were worth buying. I am a commercial leader first. Sustainability is the depth I bring to it.

Across a plastics innovation center, a packaging manufacturer, and an $8.5B distributor, I used market insight, customer knowledge, and the economics of the business to decide which sustainable products and programs deserved investment, then built what sales teams and customers needed to act on them. That has included:

  • leading the launch of a sustainable, profitable own brand that the business grew from zero to $55M in two years;
  • starting an advisory and data consultancy that helped renew and grow Fortune 500 grocery, foodservice, and retail accounts;
  • protecting the margins of accounts representing $850M+ in revenue by leading an EPR strategy summit with custom portfolio dashboards and mitigation roadmaps for new state packaging fees;
  • building, with a small team, the legislation tracking, dashboards, and training behind those results;
  • and leading a climate roadmap to science-based targets across nearly 200 locations, cutting absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions 15 percent and carbon intensity 27 percent in the first five years, delivered ahead of plan with operations owning the levers.

I find that the change that lasts is built with partners, through the supplier programs, customer forums, and industry groups where we move forward together.

I grew up in an Iowa farm community, and my career has stayed close to food: the packaging that protects it, and the grocery and foodservice companies that sell it. My focus is supporting the companies that make, move, and sell food, so they can provide nutritious, affordable, and trusted food to the communities they serve.

Aviemore is a small practice. I do the work and bring in specialists when projects need them.

Selected experience
  • Vice Chair of the Executive Committee (former), The Conference Board Council for Sustainability: Growth-Innovation
  • Presented at industry events: FMI, the Product Stewardship Institute, Circularity of Compostables
  • Co-Advisor (former), InnoPlast Renewable and Recycled Plastics Conferences
  • Board member (former), Missouri Recycling Association

Start with the question you are trying to answer.

You do not need a sustainability program to start a conversation. You need a business question: what are you trying to decide, and where do you think there may be value but not yet the evidence? The simplest way to start is to send us the three biggest challenges or ideas on your desk. We will give you a quick commercial read on where the value looks strongest, what needs evidence, and what may not deserve further investment. It starts with a short conversation, and we decide together whether there is a fit.

Start a conversation

info@aviemorepartners.com