SABMiller

SABMiller

Brokering open innovation

Context

SABMiller has set challenging targets to reduce the water and energy footprint of its bottling operations, e.g. relative to 2008 figures, reducing water use per hectolitre of lager by 25% by 2015 and energy use by 50% by 2020. To achieve these targets SABMiller has launched a suite of transformative innovation programmes that draw upon diverse, external perspectives.

Approach

Innovia Technology has helped SABMiller establish several such programmes; one example is a radically new approach to cleaning returnable glass bottles. Here Innovia developed tools to promote system-level thinking and canvassed relevant third parties to understand motivations and capabilities.

Impact

We designed and facilitated a workshop to bring together a lead group of external innovators and players in the supply chain. This proved a successful way to broker open innovation: participants created a range of attractive innovation themes and also the workstreams to progress them.

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