External Engagement Capability

make sure we don't mislead anyone. (...)We've been really trying to make sure that we get that view across and that's helped to build the basis of the alignment with other good input from Paboco and the other companies.

Simon: We don't want any partner to talk about this project as something that could be viewed greenwashing.

So we're creating a very clear messaging hierarchy about the project and about the traits of the final bottles so that the total community can’t be accused of greenwashing.

Moreover, when welcoming new members to the innovation network it is essential to establish a common understanding, in that everyone needs to be willing to share information and knowledge from their internal projects. This shared understanding of

is necessary to foster and enable necessary knowledge flows between the companies:

Michael: And second, break down the initial barriers. Be clear that people need to share the base-line information based on their own individual projects. Because Paboco, as a central leading entity, knows where each party but the other partners might not have this knowledge about each other.

8.1.2.2 Finding 6: An element that fostered the engagement was the sharing of challenges and past experiences

Sam, Håkon, and Michael mention that sharing current challenges and past experiences was helpful in fostering the relationship among the partners. Håkon states that they had regularly informal meeting with the ecoXpac managers in which they would share their current challenges and struggles. Moreover, when the new consumer brands joined, Carlsberg presented their past experiences in front of the new partners which in turn built a good foundation for their relationship.

Håkon: We had regular meetings with that committee. But we also had these regular meetings with Jesper and with Martin [former CEO of ecoXpac] where we were sharing our challenges. These meetings with Jesper and Martin were kind of informal.

Sam: I think we have more experience with this project than other partners have. So we have shared our experiences and we have been really open about our experiences.

Michael: Carlsberg has done an excellent job presenting, on their previous learnings, on what they did right, and on what they did wrong. Here, I actually have a memory of Simon standing up in one of our community meetings and presenting specifically what he might have done differently, had he had the knowledge that he brought into the project today. For the community, this is a massive help (...).

8.1.2.3 Finding 7: Trust was perceived to be essential in EOI relationships to facilitate openness throughout the innovation process

Trust was mentioned as an essential element in order to foster the collaboration. This trust was seemingly established by allowing access to organisational facilities, open and direct inter-personal relationships, and lastly by creating a sort of legal insurance - a contract that would give Carlsberg the first right of refusal once the technology is developed. Once the technology is developed Carlsberg has the right to claim the technology for themselves (as the first beer brand). However if they refuse, Paboco may to sell the technology to their competitors:

Mattia: Although with ecoXpac we had a continuous collaboration. We built a good trust. It was very easy to go there and run the experiments, since they allowed us to use their facilities. (...) It was a very ongoing collaboration. Without them I could not have done any experiments, because DTU doesn't have any facilities to produce paper.

Simon: One of the other things that played a big role were interpersonal relationships. Since the beginning Håkon and I have had a very open and very direct relationship with the ecoXpac company since the beginning, both with the CEOs and with the project managers. That this is something that is difficult to quantify in the traditional sense, but I think the interpersonal relationships, and the social capital and the trust that we built were so important. So whenever we were facing problems, we treated it as a team and we didn't start shooting at each other with unconstructive feedback.

Simon: And they assured us that they were not thinking of bringing in another beer company and that we would be the first one on beer. That’s also part of the agreement. We have a right of first refusal. Once it is developed, we can say if we want to buy it or not and then they can sell it to anyone.

8.1.2.4 Finding 8: The creation of the pioneering community fostered the collaboration and meaning through enforcing the higher purpose of the project

The Paper Bottle Community is still relatively new, however, it can be observed that it is used to create a central collaboration platform that embodies the higher purpose and defines what the collaboration stands and aims for:

Sam: (...) now there is this pioneering community behind the Green Fibre Bottle where more companies are on board to change the packaging industry for the better. In a sense, the community represents a movement for sustainable change in the industry. And it’s great that we literally have the biggest companies on board such as Coca-Cola (...).

The choice of words like “pioneering” and referring to the consumer brands as “pioneers” can arguably

be seen as part of defining what the community is trying to achieve. In other words, it is about doing

something that no one else has done previously. It is about developing a radical environmental

innovation and thus taking the leap into a new future with more sustainable packaging. Naming them

“pioneers” is not only seen as a tool for engaging and motivating the partners, but also seemingly enriches the personal and professional identities of the participants. It thus provides meaning to all participants and fosters collaboration between the partners:

Sam: The community is something that Paboco and Carlsberg created to kind of foster this collaborative approach, because everybody wants to get to the end goal. With the pioneering community we want to change the industry and to lead the movement towards sustainable change. (...) We are basically four companies, all going in at the same moment saying that we're all committed to paper bottle technology. We're working to achieve this, and we will work together where we can.

The community offers a central platform around which engagement is fostered. This engagement is structured around large community meetings focusing on community alignment, direction and definition, while small technical meetings are held on an ad hoc basis with relevant pioneers:

Michael: The other approach is then related to the joint community sessions. Here we have the project champions, for example, Simon being one of them, and Håkon being another, who then meet at pre-decided dates at the site of one of the pioneers. So they actually all fly out to discuss one topic, in particular.

Håkon: The first meeting was about setting up what the community is, what it’s role is and discussing how we share and how we work together. The second one was in Copenhagen and mainly about external communications. How do we communicate externally and how do we inform each other. The next meeting will be in June about sustainability. This will talk more about the technical side, the specific technological barrier development. Of course, during every meeting we have a general update on the current status, but we also have focus topics.

Håkon: The first meeting was about setting up what the community is, what it’s role is and discussing how we share and how we work together. The second one was in Copenhagen and mainly about external communications. How do we communicate externally and how do we inform each other. The next meeting will be in June about sustainability. This will talk more about the technical side, the specific technological barrier development. Of course, during every meeting we have a general update on the current status, but we also have focus topics.

Michael: The technical sort of meeting are held at a progressive ad hoc basis. So when there are key learnings or key results from testing to share, we have a group, a predefined group that then calls into the same teams call. We keep it small. We keep it a couple of participants from each partner, and select them according to whether it’s relevant for them specifically.

Noteworthy is that the community has created a

champions from each company. As mentioned by Michael the board is particularly focusing on the

alignment of the partners and the future direction of the community. While Carlsberg still plays an

important role, the center of community activities has shifted towards Paboco as the main driving force:

Michael: And we have a more higher, I would say not a steering committee, but a visionary board that we call our community meetings, which are dedicated to solving exactly these issues of alignment. Of course, Paboco being the driving force here and telling what the paper bottle is, what it will become in the future, and what is the sort of generational story that we present.