Mondelez World Travel Retail (WTR) and CircleSquare have unveiled a sustainable design scorecard to help inspire the implementation of more sustainable point of sale materials in DF&TR.

Assisting brand-owners, retailers and airports in lowering their environmental impact through a Sustainable DNA Rating System is the main aim of the partnership initiative.

The rating system encourages the choice of more authentic materials and considerate construction methods, along with manufacturing decisions that allow for in-store units to be recycled easier at end of life.

Born from a collaboration that first quantified the impact of the company’s retail units, the scorecard identifies key areas for improvement.

Mondelez WTR and CircleSquare then implemented a sustainability framework that informs and validates their collective design decisions and pushes towards more sustainable retail practices.

TRANSFORMATION TO A GREENER FUTURE

Both parties are now sharing the scorecard with the channel to support the industry’s transformation towards a greener future.

Richard Houseago, Head of Customer Marketing, Mondelez World Travel Retail said: “At Mondelez WTR, we are committed to offering products that are right for people and planet, but also to collaborating with other stakeholders in the industry to ensure that we are not just talking about being better, but actually doing better.

“Travel retail is a channel with very specific in-store activation requirements and for good reason. Through the Sustainable DNA Rating scorecard, we hope to help role model in-store activation practices that are kinder for the planet.

“This initiative demonstrates what we can achieve through closer collaboration and aligning in common goals for the greater good. We’re proud to share the inspiring result alongside our fantastic partners at CircleSquare.”

Philip Handley, Executive Creative Director and Founding Partner at CircleSquare, added: “CircleSquare is renowned for coming up with cutting-edge creative solutions for brands, but this revolutionary new sustainability framework might be the most game-changing solution we have ever delivered.

“We count ourselves extremely fortunate to have worked in partnership with the inspirational and visionary team at Mondelez WTR. The brilliant results we can now share with the travel retail community, have only been made possible through our joint ambition, genuine collaboration and our shared desire to look after our precious and delicate planet.

“What is particularly exciting is this is only the beginning of what our partnership can achieve together.”

The rating system considers four sets of environmental impact criteria for each material used in the design implementation process: Recyclability (ease of which it can be recycled), Reusability, (ease of which it can be reused), Manufacture & Availability (environmental impact of manufacture and ease of procurement) and End of Life (environmental impact at point of disposal).

GUIDING GREENER CHOICES

Each component material is scored out of five against the criteria to deliver an average rating that provides a comparable score. The average rating provides an immediate understanding of the sustainable credentials of a retail unit to guide greener choices.

Mondelez WTR and CircleSquare have applied the Sustainable DNA Rating in their approach to the new Toblerone redesign in-store.

In assessing previous units, the scorecard was used by partners to look at how they could: reduce or remove plastics entirely; increase the quantity of biodegradable or raw materials, metals and wood; promote the use of mechanical fixings to replace glue bonds; and reduce power consumption where possible.

According to Mondelez, the result is a bold new look and feel that captures the spirit of the brand and sets a new standard for progressive sustainable design in travel retail.

In addition to the DNA rating system, the partners are tracking, upcycling and repurposing existing point of sale material to prolong life and encourage circularity, while also innovating with new technologies to reduce their environmental footprint.

These in-store initiatives form part of a broader sustainability roadmap that Mondelez WTR is progressing. The roadmap comprises corporate-wide and industry-specific commitments.

Mondelez WTR’s key focus areas also include: developing more ethical promotional activities that embed sustainability in their in-store brand engagement; the ingredients for their products; and packaging innovation and recyclability.

Ninety nine percent of Mondelez WTR’s travel retail chocolate product portfolio uses cocoa that is sustainably sourced through its Cocoa Life programme. The ambition is to achieve 100% by 2025.

The majority (93.3%) of Mondelez WTR’s packaging is already designed to be recyclable, with Toblerone already achieving the aforementioned 100% recyclability target. The remainder of its packaging is on track to be recyclable or recycle-ready by 2025.

In separate but related news, Mondelēz International and Olam Food Ingredients today (21 April) announced a partnership to create the world’s single largest sustainable commercial cocoa farm in Seram, the largest island in Maluka province, Indonesia.

MONDELEZ REVEALS ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIP

The 2,000-hectare cocoa farm will utilise sensors in fields to irrigation systems and advanced climate smart and plant science technology – rarely used to grow cocoa at this scale – to produce a blueprint model for cocoa farming best practice.

The partnership aims to create 700 jobs for local residents in the area, nearly half of which will go to women.

It will provide access to healthcare and education for all employees and their families, as well as housing, electricity, water, day care for the 200 families who live on site.

Cocoa, shade trees, forest trees and fruit trees to promote biodiversity and carbon capture will be planted across the 2,000 hectares of previously deforested brown field land.

More than 1,080 hectares have already been planted across the total plantation area of 3,380 hectares.

In addition, 47 hectares of forest has been identified as having High Conservation Value and is being fully protected as a habitat for flora and fauna.

The partnership with Olam Food Ingredients, a leading supplier of cocoa beans and cocoa ingredients, builds on Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life programme.

Click here to download the Sustainable DNA Rating scorecard.

Richard Houseago and CircleSquare Account Director Abby Loader provided more details on the sustainable design scorecard rating system during the Back to the Drawing Board: How Sustainability is Forging New Partnerships educational session on day three of Travel Retail Sustainability Week.

Houseago was also the subject of a Mondelez Sustainability Spotlight interview, which can be viewed here.