Wave Strategy™ · Julien Clery

Sustainability only matters when operations change.

Most organisations already understand the sustainability ambition. What is missing is operational clarity — what is actually blocking progress, and what needs to change first.

How it works Let's talk

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Where it breaks down

Procurement

Supplier criteria unchanged for years. Sustainability doesn't influence the actual purchasing decision.

Commercial

Sales teams escalate every sustainability question. Delays, missed tenders, frustrated customers.

Operations

Sites don't know what to show customers. Sustainability stays in one department, disconnected from performance.

The engagement

One engagement. One question.

Why is sustainability not moving operationally — and what needs to change first? Everything starts from a direct conversation.

Operational Sustainability Advisory

Operational Diagnostic

€2,500

I come in, look at the operational reality, ask the right questions, and tell you honestly what I see — what is blocking progress and what needs to change first. One clear output. No obligation to continue.

—Short preparation questionnaire sent before the session
—90-minute working conversation — not a presentation
—Written summary note delivered within 48 hours
—Clear priorities and honest recommendations

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Case studies

From real situations

Industrial Packaging · 30 sites

Group strategy in place. Nothing concrete at country level.

Existing group RSE strategy. Nothing at France level — no roadmap, no budget, no operational foundation. Commercial teams escalating every customer sustainability question.

Outcomes

Country roadmap validated by leadership in 4 months

Budget allocated at country level for the first time

80% of customer questions handled autonomously by sales teams

B2B Logistics

Reverse logistics turned into a customer retention mechanism.

Underutilised reverse flow capacity. Growing circular requirements. Sustainability and commercial operating in silos without connection.

Outcomes

Circular service launched with 3 pilot customers in 4 months

2 customers restructured their operations around the service

Scope 3 supplier data produced for the first time

Specialty Chemicals · B2B

Three tenders lost. Fourth won with operationally verifiable data.

Strong RSE reputation, aggregated group-level data. A more modest competitor with precise site-level data was winning every time.

Outcomes

Fourth tender won — first win in 18 months

Data architecture built by site and product line

Sustainability response time reduced by 60%

The founder

Julien Clery

Head of Sustainability · Founder, Wave Strategy™

I built the sustainability function from scratch in a large industrial group — 30 sites, no budget, no team, no precedent. I know what it feels like to have the strategy on paper and nothing moving on the ground.

I now work with sustainability leaders navigating the same constraints.

Operational conviction

Sustainability integrated into reporting is a compliance function. Sustainability integrated into procurement criteria and supplier selection logic is a competitive advantage in formation.

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Field observations

What I observe in practice

All observations

Manufacturing industry

RSE head reports to the CEO. Procurement criteria unchanged for six years.

Two governance decisions connected sustainability and procurement in four months, without a structured engagement.

Structural integration problems look like cultural resistance. Different problem, different solution.

Specialty chemicals

Three tenders lost. Fourth won because the data was operationally verifiable.

Won against a competitor with more modest credentials but data the procurement team could actually evaluate.

Procurement cannot evaluate ambition. The translation gap is where value disappears.

Industrial distribution

Scope 1 and 2 reduced. Scope 3 exposure increased over the same period.

Fleet electrification improved published figures. Supplier base growth without sustainability criteria increased real exposure.

Reducing published emissions without supply chain integration can increase real exposure.

Next step

Ready to make sustainability operational?

A direct conversation. I listen first, then tell you honestly if I can help — and if so, how.

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Direct · No fees · No sales process