Sustainability in Travel Retail
‘A market leading ambition’
Sustainability in Travel Retail
‘A market leading ambition’
Lagardère Travel Retail has committed to work towards a global, collective carbon neutrality, across all operations, by the end of 2023. The move, it said, represents “a market leading ambition”. Lagardère Travel Retail said it will play a leading role in building a more sustainable future for travel retail. As part of its CSR strategy, PEPS (Planet. Ethics. People. Social), the group aims to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, cooperating with other partners across the eco-system. An example is the first Aelia Duty Free eco-store, recently opened in cooperation with Geneva Airport, with a -40% reduction in the carbon footprint of its furniture and POS materials. The ambition covers all of the group’s direct emissions – under scope classifications 1 and 2 – resulting directly from the company’s activities. These include service vehicle fleet, buildings and energy consumption (bought directly or indirectly for all stores and restaurants, HQ and warehouses). It is based on an extensive review of operations, and a set of concrete measures.
The eco-friendly Aelia Duty Free store at Geneva Airport
A global action plan is being put in place to significantly reduce direct emissions, including more energy efficient POS equipment, furniture and construction, staff engagement and tools to reduce energy consumption, and an ambitious plan to switch to green electricity and renewable energy certifications for its own operations. Compensation for unavoidable residual emissions will only be used when all other measures have been taken by teams, stated the retailer. Lagardère Travel Retail is also working intensively on scope 3, which accounts for 95% of its total carbon footprint, and includes all indirect emissions generated by the products and services it purchases and sells, the upstream and downstream activities within supply chains, waste, and the end of life of the product offer. Based on the trajectories of the Science-Based Targets Initiative, and in alignment with the Paris Climate agreement, the company is targeting net zero emissions – across all three scopes – ahead of the 2050 date. This ambition is part of Lagardère group’s overall strategy to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions, across all scopes.
With the theme of ‘Embrace Gifts that Give Back. Together, We Can Save Our Planet’, the Changi campaign aims to promote environmentally responsible consumption
Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman and CEO Dag Rasmussen said: “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires any organisations and countries to reach the net zero goal by 2050. We are joining global reduction efforts by setting ourselves the industry’s most ambitious target in the reduction of scope 1 and 2 emissions and we will work relentlessly to address the bigger challenge of our indirect emissions well ahead of the 2050 hard deadline. “Our leadership team has made the pledge that there will be no stone left unturned – whatever the effort. We can’t put a price tag on the planet or the future we’re leaving to new generations. Our responsibility to them is what matters most, and I’m pleased to see us aligning our priorities to the ambition of our partners and getting ready to join forces to tackle the climate crisis.”
A new governance framework
To track progress towards achieving these targets and steer CSR action, a new governance framework has been implemented at the company. Under the guidance and supervision of the group’s Management Board and the global CSR team, a new PEPS Global Committee has been created with key members including Business Line leads, Product, HR and Communications experts. Reporting to the global PEPS Committee, workstreams supporting each of the four pillars of the CSR strategy have also been created and are responsible to drive action in their respective fields, ensuring targets remain relevant and are fully met. Key countries across the network are also creating dedicated CSR Committees, and the global community of PEPS ‘Local Heroes’ will continue to implement CSR actions locally. Regular collaboration with third-party experts has been activated to ensure the strategy remains aligned and takes most recent challenges into account. Finally, the achievement of CSR targets has now been included in the performance-linked remuneration of senior leaders across the organisation.
More detail about the group’s CSR roadmap is available here: https://www.lagardere-tr.com/en/about-us/corporate-social-responsability
The Moodie Davitt eZine Issue 309 | 29 April 2022
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