Diageo spearheads drive to cultivate partnership and action in sustainability
Sustainability roundtable: Representatives of Diageo, Gebr. Heinemann, Tony's Chocolonely and L'Oréal got together at Cannes
During this year’s TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, Diageo hosted a ‘sustainability roundtable’ with representatives of Gebr. Heinemann, L'Oréal and Tony’s Chocolonely, who got together because of their stated ambition and action to date in driving sustainability in travel retail.
Diageo has been working for some time to bring its sustainability and inclusion ambition, 2030, Spirit of Progress to life within its global travel business, recognizing both the heightened challenge which travel retail presents with complex carbon impacts, extra gifting, global logistics and more.
Diageo has collaborated with Gebr. Heinemann over the past year on a joint green business plan. Gebr. Heinemann has also been partnered with L'Oréal in this way and like Diageo’s Baileys brand, Tony’s Chocolonely is a B Corp business committed to doing business the right way.
Focusing on a sustainable future in travel retail
The group developed a new discussion and action forum on sustainable practices in the travel retail space, focusing initially on three areas for sharing learnings, collaboration and test and trial:
- Carbon reduction in supply
- Reaching the consumer with sustainability content and communication
- Innovation in retail space and product
The group will meet quarterly, sharing challenges, best practice, new materials, projects and consumer outreach to try and engender greater action in a channel where waste, weight and carbon footprint weigh heavily on consumer traveler, airport, retailer and brand owner.
Graeme Black, Diageo Global Travel Supply Director, said, “There is so much to go after to reduce our carbon footprint in travel retail it can seem overwhelming, we have workstreams focused on energy, supply, distribution, packaging, weight and more.
“But we recognize that if we as Diageo do it, not only is it not enough but we cannot solve our sustainability challenges and those of travel retail alone. We need the support of our retailers to help us reach consumers, and buy into new products. We also need inspiration and best practice where we have gaps from our peers.”
“We were delighted to formerly kick off what we hope will be something of a sustainability forum for our interested peers and customers in TR. Being together at Cannes was the perfect moment,” Saskia Moller, Director Legal, Compliance & Sustainability at Gebr. Heinemann added.
“Once again collaboration is key. Bringing sustainable leaders together at one table is a huge leverage towards a more sustainable global travel retail industry. As retailer we have to close the gap between producers and consumers to zero distance by promoting responsible choices and consumer empowerment and education at the POS. It is a giant task that can only be accomplished by joining forces.”
The group will meet again virtually in the coming months to share best practice examples of sustainable materials and continue to discuss digital and supply solutions from QR codes for information to EV vehicle delivery and on shelf information. The aim is to meet twice a year including Cannes.
In attendance were Saskia Möller, Gebr Heinemann; Joël-Florian Beck, Gebr Heinemann; Bastian-Philipp Müller, Gebr Heinemann; Oliver Scharnweber, Gebr Heinemann; Rijk de Bie, Tony's Chocolonely; Valentine Florin, L'Oréal; Jeanne Scholz, Gebr Heinemann; Moritz Kühn, Gebr Heinemann; Laurence Pardieu Duthil, L'Oréal ; Guido Tappeser, L'Oréal and Cedric Remeur, L'Oréal.
