What does innovation really look like? For many of us, the word conjures images of white lab coats, breakthrough prototypes, and eureka moments. But Allison Reser, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), is here to expand that definition, and it's a shift every innovation leader needs to hear.
In a recent HeroX Speaker Series conversation, Allison shared how her work empowering 200+ member companies isn't about inventing new products in a vacuum. It's about something far more powerful: connecting the dots.
Rethinking the "I" in Innovation
Allison's journey into sustainability innovation began with a realization. Her role at PSC is heavily focused on sustainability, that is, the "why" and the "what" of building a better future for pets and the planet. But innovation? That's the "how."
"I see innovation as the how of what we do. And... it's about connecting the dots and creating psychological safety and mobilizing resources."
This isn't your typical innovation job description. Allison is orchestrating systems change, bringing together diverse stakeholders, facilitating collaboration, and building the infrastructure that allows innovation to flourish across an entire industry.
Why the Pet Industry Needs a Wake-Up Call
First, the uncomfortable truth: the pet industry is lagging behind. While human food and beauty sectors have made sustainability more mainstream (think organic in human food or cruelty-free in beauty) the pet industry is still earlier in aligning around shared standards and scalable solutions.. Part of PSC's mission is to move toward a future "where every choice for pets supports a thriving planet."
PSC isn't your traditional industry association, and they're not a typical sustainability consulting firm. They are a non-profit "agent for innovation" that works with companies across the entire sustainability journey. Whether you're conducting your first greenhouse gas inventory or you're an industry leader ready to push boundaries, PSC meets you where you are.
The Power of Designing Solutions Together
Take the Store Drop-off Action Collaborative, for example. Pet food packaging creates massive waste (those non-curbside recyclable bags are counterintuitive to a circular economy). But PSC isn’t only developing a theoretical solution and handing it to companies; they are bringing stakeholders together to design the solution collaboratively. Manufacturers, retailers, and recyclers sat at the same table, ensuring that everyone who would participate in the system had a voice in creating it. The result so far is momentum that lasts beyond pilot programs, funding that materializes because people are invested, and a genuine pathway to impact.
This is innovation as convening. Innovation as facilitation. Innovation as the art of creating the conditions for breakthrough solutions to emerge.
Setting Standards That Raise the Ceiling
PSC also offers a third-party verified accreditation program that helps establish credible sustainability benchmarks while supporting companies on a continuous improvement journey. . The program is evolving to become more flexible, recognizing different types of sustainable innovation while providing a roadmap for continuous improvement.
More than just checking boxes, it's about helping companies communicate their values to conscious consumers and challenging the entire industry to keep leveling up.
The HeroX Connection: Competition Meets Collaboration
If this collaborative approach sounds familiar to the HeroX community, that's because it shares DNA with crowdsourcing challenges. Jamie Elliott drew the parallel during the conversation: just like PSC's cohort groups, crowdsourcing creates a sense of community and shared value that mobilizes resources and drives solutions.
Whether it's the American Made Challenges or A2A solar communities, the magic happens when you bring diverse perspectives together around a shared problem. Competition and collaboration aren't opposites; they're complementary forces that accelerate innovation.
You Deserve That Title of Innovator
So here's Allison's message to anyone who's ever felt like they don't quite fit the "innovator" mold:
"If you are connecting the dots and if you are thinking about how one thing will have cascading impacts upon other systems and other people and other companies... you absolutely deserve that title of innovator."
The world doesn't just need inventors. We need conveners. We need facilitators. We need people who can nudge behavior change, create psychological safety, and build bridges between stakeholders who've never talked before.
Because here's the truth that Allison so eloquently captured:
"I don't think you can really have sustainability without innovation."
And increasingly, we can't have innovation without collaboration.
The Bottom Line
System-level change is the most powerful form of innovation we have. It's messy, it's complex, and it requires patience. But when it works, it doesn't just create a better product; it transforms entire industries.
The pet industry is proving it's possible. What industry will be next?
Ready to find your next innovative partner? Explore the HeroX platform to see how crowdsourcing, a powerful method for connecting diverse perspectives and mobilizing resources, can help your organization solve its most complex sustainability and business challenges.
Watch the full conversation with Allison Reser below:
Learn more about the Pet Sustainability Coalition's work at petsustainability.org or connect with them on LinkedIn. Explore their free Toolkit for sustainable business practices, and join them at the Pet Summit Conference in Orlando this March.
Image by Elisabeth Guggenberger from Pixabay
