How Kenvue’s New Data Framework Is Fueling Sustainability Efforts

CGT Subscribers Weigh In

Subscribers to CGT’s texting community had the opportunity to share questions with Tavares. Below are his responses, which have been lightly edited and condensed.

How can the industry balance the use of generative AI with the impact that it might have on sustainability efforts?

Tavares: We know that there’s a lot of consumption to use all the compute needed to generate these large language models. We see [the tech industry working on this with] different chips or technologies. You see photonics in the future or even the algorithms we use — instead of being exponential, they’re more linear. I think there’s a lot that very quickly we’re going to see in terms of reduced footprint there. 

But I do think we have a duty as customers of the tech companies to inquire about what are you doing about your footprint and how can we make it better? I think it’s a job to be done. It requires all of us in the industry to ask questions like this because we can’t block that and not address the implications that that might have.

Having said that, I do believe that the benefits of using genAI and AI — in terms of automation and frictionless processes — creates a lot of efficiencies in our plants, our activities, and the way we work. I think there’s an upside also in using these things to really reduce our footprint.

It’s a balance. If we can have the right metrics to track it, we can ensure that in total that footprint is going down.

What are the customer and consumer inputs you use to help shape your sustainability strategy?

Tavares: From a consumer input point of view, we’re always listening to our consumers, and we have been building what we call our Consumer360 data capability to sense consumer needs. We obviously have focus groups and old-school approaches to really talk to our consumers, but we’re sensing everything that’s going on in social. 

We know what they’re asking [and] what their aspirations are. A lot of them have to do sustainability, and we can distinguish that by brand [and] geography, but on the whole, they’re very consistent. It’s a direct input into our innovation process. We also have AI capabilities to help with driving the next wave of innovation that we’re going to be using.

In terms of how we partner with [our retail customers], they have very progressive sustainability practices and mandates, and if you don’t subscribe to them, you may not be on the shelf. 

But if you’re a category leader and you’re helping them shape that agenda and drive it forward, then you’re really going to become part of the value-creation model with your customers. So winning with customers for us is really important, and sustainability is a tremendous space for doing that as well.

We do that a lot by data sharing. As we sit with customers, we see more of our data scientists coming together from both ends and co-innovating, as opposed to being very protective or guarded about sharing their data. There’s more of an open mind of responsibly creating clean rooms and collaborating with our customers, and sustainability is one of the areas that we could partner more.

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