Pitch series returns with high-profile Guardians

By Luke Barras-hill | Thursday, 7 November 2024 16:17

The popular Sustainability Pitch sessions will return to Travel Retail Sustainability Week (2-6 December).

An esteemed panel of ‘Sustainability Guardians’ will judge submissions to this year’s Sustainability Pitch programme, TRBusiness is pleased to announce.

As a flagship component of Travel Retail Sustainability Week (2-6 December), the DF&TR industry’s only virtual event dedicated to sustainability, CSR and ESG, the coveted Sustainability Pitch allow companies to put their eco-friendly products, services and initiatives to the scrutiny of an experienced lineup of industry stakeholders.

This year’s Sustainability Guardians lineup includes Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General, European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC); Ian Upton, Head of Category Operations, Fulfilment (inc HCC), Services, Sustainability, Heathrow Airport; and Graeme Stewart, CEO, Enviro-Point.

The adjudication process for this year’s tranche of Pitches is currently underway, with Ferrero Travel Market, Suntory Global Spirits, Kellanova GTR and Rémy Cointreau submitting initiatives in search of the coveted four-star ‘Travel Retail Sustainability Trailblazer’ and five-star ‘Travel Retail Sustainability Hero’ accolades.

Initiatives put to the test…

“Being selected as a ‘Sustainability Guardian’ is an incredible honour, reflecting my deep commitment to driving meaningful change within the industry,” commented Graeme Stewart, CEO, Enviro-Point.

“As a regular speaker and passionate advocate for sustainability, I believe in challenging brands to push beyond the status quo and embrace more sustainable practices. The ‘Sustainability Pitch’ initiative is a vital platform to bring forward innovative ideas, and I’m proud to be part of a movement that’s shaping the future of responsible business.”

Sustainability Guardians 2024 (left to right): Graeme Stewart, CEO, Enviro-Point; Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General, ETRC; and Ian Upton, Head of Category Operations, Fulfilment (inc HCC), Services, Sustainability, Heathrow Airport.

Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General, ETRC said: “I am truly honoured to have been chosen as a ‘Sustainability Guardian’ this year as I share a deep commitment to promote this topic and support our industry on their sustainability journey.

“Sustainability is a multi-faceted issue and has long been a key consideration in travel retail, from operations and supply chain management to product development and customer engagement. I look forward to reviewing the TRB ‘Sustainability Pitches’ which quality keep increasing year by year and reward the best of TR sustainability industry initiatives.”

Ian Upton, Head of Category Operations, Fulfilment (inc HCC), Services, Sustainability, Heathrow Airport stated: “I am thrilled to be selected as a Sustainability Guardian, part of the TR Business Sustainability Week and I look forward to hearing thoughts, ideas, and insights from the other organisations.

“As Heathrow’s lead on retail sustainability, I will be applying these valuable learnings to the unique airport environment, to ensure as the UK’s hub airport, Heathrow delivers a sustainable journey while meeting our passengers’ expectations.”

The 2024 pitch submissions cover a broad spectrum of areas: from efforts to protect the environment such as biodiversity preservation, ingredients traceability, decarbonising supply chains and reducing, reusing and recycling packaging materials, to personnel development, promoting DE&I and social responsibility.

– TRBusiness

Subject to qualifying criteria, company Pitch submissions will be evaluated and broadcast during next month’s Travel Retail Sustainability Week (more information on the timings of each Pitch session to follow).

To view the results from last year’s TR Sustainability Pitch sessions and discover which companies received Travel Retail Sustainability Hero and Travel Retail Sustainability Trailblazer status, click here.

Stay close to TRBusiness for more on Travel Retail Sustainability Week. For more information, visit travelretailsustainabilityweek.com