From Plastic Problem to Purpose-Led Strategy:

How Waitrose Turned a Grey Elephant into Competitive Advantage

Co-creating a zero-waste vision through strategy, storytelling, and system-wide change

When BBC’s Blue Planet II aired in 2017, its haunting footage of marine animals entangled in plastic waste shocked the British public. For Waitrose, a premium UK supermarket chain renowned for ethical sourcing, this cultural moment presented both a challenge and an opportunity.

The Results Speak Volumes

52 million single-use cups eliminated annually

#1 ranking by Greenpeace for plastic reduction

97% recyclable packaging achieved

Zero food waste to landfill across 280 UK branches

One of the first high-profile wins—the elimination of disposable coffee cups—served as a visible and symbolic sign of Waitrose’s new direction, helping build momentum and trust.

The Grey Elephant in the Room

Plastic pollution exemplifies what TomorrowToday Consulting (TTC) calls a Grey Elephant — a high-probability, high-impact change driver that’s often ignored due to its complexity.

Despite Waitrose’s own research showing plastic waste as consumers’ top concern, progress initially lagged. Early internal discussions stalled—until competitor Iceland’s bold public commitment to eliminate plastic from all own-brand products by 2023, and the surge of public demand, made further delay untenable.

The challenge wasn’t ideological; it was organisational. Sustainability efforts were siloed under CSR, not embedded in core strategy. Waitrose needed to shift plastic reduction from a niche initiative into a company-wide movement—and fast.

Extraordinary Commitment, Extraordinary Results

What makes this case remarkable goes beyond environmental metrics.
When Waitrose urgently needed guidance, TTC co-founder Dean Van Leeuwen demonstrated extraordinary commitment — even while undergoing daily cancer radiotherapy.

“I said, ‘We’re passionate about making a difference. I’ll do radiotherapy in the morning, train to London in the afternoon, run the workshops, and head back to the hospital.’”

This spirit embodied TTC’s core principle: purpose-driven, urgent, and solutions-focused work.

Co-Creating Solutions:
Beyond Top-Down Consulting

TTC’s approach is distinct.

“We don’t arrive with a box of tricks or pre-packaged answers,” explains Dean. "We partner to co-create solutions using frameworks that help people think through problems differently."

Rather than impose top-down solutions, TTC engaged stakeholders across Waitrose through three key frameworks:

Earthshot Framework → Structuring environmental goals around Intent, Impact, Innovation, and Inspiration
Future-Back Thinking → Starting with a bold vision and working backward to identify necessary actions
Creative Ideation Techniques → Dragon’s Den pitches, opposite viewpoint debates, and quiet voice capture to surface bold and diverse ideas

Importantly, these frameworks aren’t just for retail - they’re adaptable across industries, equipping leaders to navigate complex change from climate pressure to digital disruption.

From Strategy to Implementation

TTC tackled the challenge of moving from good ideas to real results by:

Identifying quick wins for immediate impact and momentum
Establishing clear milestones that bridged vision and execution
Creating accountability mechanisms to keep leadership and teams aligned

“It’s about linking strategy to operations,” notes Steve Treasure, TTC Partner. “When leaders articulate bold ambitions, the next layer of management needs to know how to make that bold ambition become reality."

Aligning Purpose with Profit

This case demonstrates how sustainability and business performance reinforce each other. TTC helped Waitrose transform a reactive effort into strategic advantage by repositioning sustainability from cost centre to value driver.

Plastic reduction delivered multiple business benefits:

Improved procurement
Lower disposal costs
Enhanced customer loyalty
Positive media coverage
A re-energised, purpose-aligned workforce

“There are huge cost savings and efficiencies,” Dean emphasizes. “This isn’t just ‘do-gooder’ work—it delivers real bottom-line impact.”

“Thank you so much for helping us develop the strategy for the Zero Plastic and Waste project — especially while going through your radiotherapy treatment. Your commitment inspired me as much as the content itself. The fact that you went to such lengths to drive that session leaves us with no excuses as we move forward.”

Anthony Wysome, Head of Customer Propositions, Waitrose

Key Lessons for Every Organisation

Waitrose’s transformation offers valuable lessons for any organisation confronting its own Grey Elephants:

Elevate sustainability from CSR to core strategy
Use structured frameworks to navigate complex transformatio
Co-create with stakeholders, including dissenting voices
Align purpose with profit to drive lasting business value

Beyond plastic, organisations today face Grey Elephants like climate change, digital acceleration, and evolving workforce expectations. The opportunity is to turn these challenges into strategic advantage.

Turn Your Grey Elephants into Competitive Advantage

Will you wait for external pressure to force your hand? Or will you lead the change?

TomorrowToday can help you transform your biggest challenges into opportunities through:

Thought-provoking keynotes to inspire fresh thinking
Engaging Grey Elephant Workshops to identify overlooked opportunities and risks
Focused executive strategy sessions to co-create practical, purpose-aligned solutions

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