Advancing Sustainability Through Better Planet Packaging

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INDUSTRY:
Sustainable Paper-Based Packaging

SERVICES PROVIDED:
• Brand Integration
• Internal Communications
• Strategic Messaging
• Change Management
• Employee Engagement

Challenge

When Smurfit Kappa and WestRock joined forces to become a global packaging powerhouse, the newly combined entity needed more than operational integration — it needed to unite around a purpose that employees and customers could believe in.

One key challenge: Aligning global teams behind Smurfit Westrock’s legacy sustainability platform, Better Planet Packaging, and evolving it into a unifying banner for culture, operations, and customer value.

While the initiative had brand equity in Europe, it wasn’t well known in the U.S., and employees needed a clearer understanding of what it meant, why it mattered, and how they could bring it to life in their daily work.

Solutions

Game 7 partnered with Smurfit Westrock’s Sustainability, Events, Communications, and Experience Center teams to evolve Better Planet Packaging from a marketing tagline into a shared mindset and cultural driver across the organization. Key actions included:

  • Clarifying the Platform’s Purpose: Reinforced Better Planet Packaging as a lens for how the company thinks, designs, and delivers.
  • Crafting Unified Messaging: Built a narrative that connected sustainability with innovation, customer success, and employee pride.
  • Creating a SharePoint Hub: Developed a robust communications landing page including videos, infographics, overview and sales decks, FAQs, and other materials to support company events and activities.

Activating Internal Champions: Equipped leaders and ambassadors with talking points, playbooks, and engagement tools to drive local momentum.

Results

The Better Planet Packaging initiative achieved high visibility, internal momentum, and external clarity:

  • Embraced by leaders across Sales, Operations, R&D, and Sustainability
  • Integrated into Better Planet Packaging Day events, customer and partner conversations, internal meetings, and onboarding
  • Sparked renewed employee pride and stronger cultural alignment
  • Repositioned the platform as a strategic differentiator for the combined company

Today, the Sustainability Hub functions as a cornerstone of Smurfit Westrock’s go‑to‑market strategy, empowering sales teams to champion sustainability, deliver customer value, and reinforce the company’s position as a global sustainability leader.

THE WINNING INSIGHT

Embedding sustainability into company culture takes more than environmental goals — it requires storytelling, alignment, and activation at every level. By treating Better Planet Packaging as a mindset, not just a message, Smurfit Westrock turned purpose into performance and laid the foundation for lasting impact.

 “Game 7 helped us elevate Better Planet Packaging from a European campaign to a North American narrative that resonates with employees and customers alike. Their ability to connect internal culture with external brand was key to our successful rollout.”

Jose Rodriguez, Better Planet Packaging Engineer, Smurfit Westrock

“Brian was not just a strategic partner. He was a true advocate. When sustainability could have quietly lived on the sidelines, he brought it forward into our events and into the story we told our customers, our teams, and the industry. His ability to listen, thoughtfully challenge assumptions, and sharpen our strategy made him an invaluable sounding board and helped us drive both meaningful impact and real results.”

Devon Jay, Former Director of Events & Experiences, Smurfit Westrock