Managing policy risks to safeguard a beverage company’s brand

A major beverage company faced a wide range of EU policy challenges, spanning public health and nutrition, circular packaging, environmental sustainability, and corporate responsibility. These issues were becoming increasingly complex and required a coordinated response across multiple fronts. The company sought a holistic approach to address emerging policy threats, support and engage its extensive community of stakeholders, and ensure continuous, effective representation in the EU. Additionally, the company needed temporary in-house secondments to cover for staff on extended leave, ensuring seamless continuity of operations. The challenge was to develop an integrated public affairs strategy that could navigate this diverse array of issues while maintaining strong engagement with key stakeholders and supporting the company’s internal teams.

• Integrated into the company’s in-house team, collaborating to deliver comprehensive support across a wide range of public affairs initiatives.
• Monitored emerging policy issues, providing proactive advice and identifying potential threats, particularly related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations.
• Developed a stakeholder engagement strategy, leveraging the company’s existing relationships and fostering new alliances to support its policy goals.
• Provided temporary secondments to the EU team, ensuring continuity of operations and covering for staff on extended leave, allowing the company to maintain its public affairs momentum.
• Advised on the development and execution of strategies for addressing key policy areas, including nutrition, packaging, sustainability, and corporate responsibility.

Our integrated public affairs support allowed the company to remain agile and responsive in the face of a rapidly evolving policy landscape. As a result, the company maintained a proactive stance on a broad range of critical issues, from public health to ESG concerns. By staying ahead of emerging policy threats, the company was able to safeguard its business interests and mitigate risks related to regulation. The close collaboration between our team and the in-house staff helped build stronger, more cohesive relationships with key stakeholders, further enhancing the company’s impact on important policy decisions. Overall, our efforts ensured the company’s continued leadership in policy discussions, positioning it as a trusted partner and thought leader across multiple sectors, and successfully protecting both its business and brand in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.