Case study: Strengthening DE&I and Employee Resource Groups at DS Smith

The challenge

DS Smith, a global manufacturing firm, was entering the next phase of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) journey and wanted to move from intent to sustained impact.

While commitment to DE&I was strong, there was a need to:

  • Provide clearer structure and direction for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

  • Equip leaders and managers with practical guidance to lead inclusively

  • Create a shared narrative that aligned DE&I priorities across the organisation

 DS Smith invited True to support the progression of its DE&I strategy and help strengthen its Employee Resource Groups.

Our approach

As with all our work, we began with deep listening  engaging those directly involved to understand what was genuinely needed, what would resonate, and what would work in DS Smith’s context. We worked closely with the business to deliver:

  • A clear DE&I narrative to align leaders, managers and ERG leads

  • A stakeholder engagement plan to support consistent activation and ownership

  • A practical Employee Resource Group guide, providing clarity on purpose, roles and ways of working

  • A Manager’s Handbook, designed to help managers operate more inclusively in day-to-day practice. The handbooks were translated into multiple languages to support accessibility and consistency across regions.

 

The impact

 The work helped DS Smith to:

  • Bring greater clarity and confidence to its Employee Resource Groups

  • Provide managers with practical tools to support inclusive leadership

  • Create stronger alignment between DE&I ambition and everyday behaviours

  • Establish a solid foundation for the next phase of its DE&I journey

 

DS Smith’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion programme received Gold at the 2025 Paper Industry Gold Awards, hosted by the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI). This Group-wide award recognises the work DS Smith is doing to create a more inclusive, equitable and supportive environment through employee networks, inclusive leadership training, and open conversations that foster belonging across the business.

 

What our client said

“At DS Smith we were beginning the next phase of our journey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). We asked True to help us move forward on that journey and were delighted with the insightful support that they provided.

They helped us to provide structure and direction for our Employee Resource Groups, as well as creating impactful content, including materials that will help our managers operate more effectively.

True brought an approach based both on their extensive experience of working in global organisations and on deep listening to those that we were targeting, so that we had a clear picture of what was needed and would work. They delivered creatively, on budget and on time — and they were a pleasure to work with.”

Head of Employee Engagement, DS Smith

 

If you’re facing similar challenges, we’d be happy to explore how a listening-led, people-centred approach could support your next phase.