Ohana Public Affairs Live Webinars: The Missing Piece in Your Sustainability Strategy

It was over a year ago when we first identified an opportunity to innovate on how Ohana’s public affairs consultancy services are offered. During our conversations with industry organisations, some representatives mentioned how they wished their members could provide more informed inputs in the EU consultation process. Others shared concerns about receiving a large number of questions from their members but feeling like they lacked both the time and the expertise to properly address them.

Those needs, combined with our desire to accelerate positive change, gave birth to a brand new service: Ohana’s public affairs live webinars.

A Representation of Ohana’s Core Values

More than an additional offering within our company, the live webinar services felt like the ideal solution because it spoke directly to our approach as a business and, specifically, to one of our core pillars – Change Through Awareness-Raising.

At Ohana, we believe that the world would be a better place if everyone was truly aware of the stakes involved in the environmental and climate issues currently faced by all nations. Both citizens and organisations must be continuously involved in efforts to protect people and the environment, but only by getting informed will we be able to start challenging the status quo.

We know that our survival and the transformation of the world we live in depend on everyone taking responsibility and, while it may sound cliché, there is indeed no time to waste. Waiting until 2024-2025, when the final legislation will be published, to start creating real change is not only a poor business decision but a dangerous strategy for humanity. It’s in everyone’s best interest that stakeholders at all levels are aware and prepared to take action, and Ohana is committed to playing its part in making that happen.

Want someone with deep experience and connections in the EU to help guide your sustainability strategy? Get in touch!

Ohana Public Affairs Live Webinars: How It Works

In order to fulfil this role of getting organisations well-informed and ready for action, our team is always on the lookout for the latest sustainability-related news and trends, and constantly developing fresh and relevant webinar content.

Naturally, the predominant subjects of our live webinars are the legislative proposals being tabled by the European Commission, but they also cover updates on the legislative decision-making process – e.g. identify any critical changes and gaps, so companies can adjust their strategies.

Structure of the Webinars

Each webinar is a 60 to 90-minute long meeting, including an informative presentation, which is always shared with participants for future consultation, and a Q&A session.

These educational sessions are always carefully designed with clearly set objectives, such as:

Raising awareness within the industry and across the entire value chain (not only brands and retailers) of the new licence to operate in the EU;
Introducing an overview of the key requirements of each piece of legislation, so that company representatives understand the necessary changes to be made within their organisations.
Offering high-level recommendations on how to start the internal conversation and early implementation processes – i.e. identifying which departments to include in the discussions and the ideal initial actions to take.

Who Can Benefit From Ohana’s Webinar-based Services?

We take pride in stating that the Ohana live webinars are deeply informative sessions from which anyone with an interest in EU sustainability can benefit, but there are certainly a few groups to which they are especially relevant, namely industry associations (national or sector). Within these organisations, sustainability teams, legal & compliance, supply chain, and marketing & communication teams are our most frequent audience for the webinars, but our consultants can also support in identifying all the relevant stakeholders that should get involved.

Benefits for National and Sector Industry Associations

Ohana’s webinar-based solutions are a great asset for industry associations which already provide leading sustainability services to their members, and are interested in going the extra mile. Legislative compliance is the baseline to sustainable leadership, and being able to prepare ahead of the legislative curve will help guarantee that their members remain as sustainability leaders.
Our services will also benefit both national and sector industry associations who wish to more proactively engage in EU public affairs, and/or ensure that their members provide quality inputs to associations, with the ultimate goal of better influencing the political process. During the webinars, we are able to clarify the potential impacts for companies, processes, and products, facilitating the discussions between members.

Benefits for International Organisations

International organisations across the value chain (brands, retailers, recyclers, manufacturers) which lack first-hand access to the EU policy development, but are impacted by the EU legislative framework, will also find the content of the webinars to be invaluable. More than a pathway towards compliance, for these companies, a proactive approach towards the demands of upcoming sustainability legislation will be crucial to securing the best business partnerships within the European market.

What’s Coming: Ohana’s 2023 Webinar Line-up

Following the success of the live webinars as part of Ohana’s service range, our team of expert public affairs consultants is already working on the offerings for the whole year. Here is a taste of the subjects that will be covered in the Ohana Live Webinar Series, in 2023:

EU Green Claims Regulation
Ban on Products Made with Forced Labour Proposal
Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
Microplastics Release Legislative Proposals
Waste Framework Directive & EPR
Textile Labelling Regulation
Due Diligence Legislation Proposal
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
Empowering Consumers Directive Proposal

Those interested in our webinar-based services can simply contact us and choose from one of our webinar packages, which include up to 9 sessions per year, held once a month, except during summer break and the holiday season (Dec-Jan).