In 2008 Finlays, the global tea and flower producer, commissioned our futures team to help the company understand its operating context in Kenya over the next 15 years. Finlays had just acquired Flamingo Holdings, a business importing vegetables and flowers for the UK market. 

This project explored major trends and uncertainties which Finlays could face up to 2023 – from the rate of natural resource decline to the nature of governance in Kenya, and from the structure of the global retail sector to the technological innovations which could affect the company’s supply chains. The project aimed to understand the way these might affect the company and how it could prepare for them to become a more resilient and sustainable organisation.

Forum for the Future created a set of compelling scenarios for 2023 using desk research and more than 70 interviews, which were used to explore the future risks and opportunities for the company. Several top-level strategic business ideas emerged.

Forum also created an ambitious set of sustainability commitments for the over the same timeframe:  

• We seek to address social, political and environmental issues by demonstrating that it is more financially rewarding to be sustainable;
• We aim to have ‘zero net impact’ as our minimum environmental standard; overall we commit to making a positive contribution to environmental recovery and resilience;
• We strive to make Finlays an enjoyable and rewarding place to work, that nurtures and develops our people for the benefit of the individual, the company, and the community;
• We will take an active leadership role in dealing with sustainability issues and share our knowledge for the benefit of our suppliers, communities and society in general; and
• We will develop and provide sustainable products and services that contribute positively to the health and well-being of society.

Finlays is putting in place a comprehensive set of measures and indicators to track progress against the company’s commitments at all levels; this will serve to embed the underlying ideas in established processes and policies so they become the new ‘business as usual’.

Finlays Commercial Director Simon Large says:

“Sustainability is now an unchallenged part of the company’s future.”

Image: Finlays