Four leading duty free and travel retail stakeholders have this year put their pitches to our panel of green guardians with a view to securing TR Sustainability Trailblazer or TR Sustainability Hero status in the acclaimed Sustainability Pitch programme. 

Their video pitches, including the evaluations, have been rolling out this week at TRBusiness.com. Now, we are bringing you a handy roundup of the results.

The Sustainability Pitch is a flagship component of Travel Retail (TR) Sustainability Week, providing a platform for companies to put their eco-friendly products, services and initiatives under the scrutiny of an experienced lineup of industry stakeholders.

This year’s Sustainability Guardians are: 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.

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.

The 2024 pitch submissions covered 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. Thank you to all those who participated.

Suntory Global Spirits

For its pitch, the premium spirits company spotlighted its Peatland Water Sanctuary, which concentrates on the restoration and preservation of wetlands and peatlands as part of a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving the likes of the Scotch Whisky Association, Forestry and Land Scotland, and the RSPB.

The Peatland Water Sanctuary initiative plays into Suntory Global Spirits’ ‘Proof Positive’ strategy, which accelerates environmental and social change across several pillars: Nature Positive, Consumer Positive and Community Positive.

VIEW NOW: The Sustainability Pitch Session 1: Suntory Global Spirits

TRBusiness is delighted to reveal that Suntory Global Spirits has been awarded five-star TR Sustainability Hero status.

Kellanova GTR – Pringles

The sustainability journey of Pringles took a turn in the spotlight in the Kellanova GTR pitch, in view of several recent brand developments, such as the launch of Pringles’ newly redesigned and recyclable paper tube.

Pitch viewers are also gained a deeper dive into Kellanova’s work on social responsibility, espoused by the ‘Better Days’ initiative across four core pillars: Fighting hunger, sustainability, wellbeing and EDI.

VIEW NOW: The Sustainability Pitch Session 2: Kellanova GTR

TRBusiness is delighted to reveal that Kellanova GTR has been awarded four-star TR Sustainability Trailblazer status.

Ferrero

In this pitch, Ferrero zooms in on its responsible sourcing, environmental protection, responsible consumption and the empowerment of consumers to make informed choices, which forms the backbone of all its sustainability initiatives.

It carries commentary from several representatives, including Mario Abreu, Head of CSR and Sustainability at Ferrero, who opens the session pitch by explaining how the company views sustainability as a long-term journey of commitment and dedication, establishing best practice for nature protection and social justice.

VIEW NOW: The Sustainability Pitch Session 3: Ferrero

TRBusiness is delighted to reveal that Ferrero has been awarded four-star TR Sustainability Hero status.

Rémy Cointreau

In this pitch, the French spirits group, famed for its cognac production, demonstrates its efforts to promote sustainable viticulture in the face of climate change, which threatens its wine growing terroirs.

The company also talks about its comprehensive CSR approach, which puts people at the heart of the business, encourages ethical and responsible consumption and communication, eco-design product actions and reducing the environmental footprint associated with its activities.

VIEW NOW: The Sustainability Pitch Session 4: Rémy Cointreau

TRBusiness is delighted to reveal that Rémy Cointreau has been awarded five-star TR Sustainability Hero status.

The Sustainability Pitch broadcasts have been brought to you with production assistance courtesy of The Bluedog Group.

To learn more more on the methodology behind the Sustainability Pitch, click the button below for a video explainer.

Watch the live conference sessions on-demand. All the live conference sessions, which were broadcast on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 December, are now available to watch on-demand here.

View our sustainability content. Check out the dedicated section on our website to view more TR Sustainability Week content.

Read the TR Sustainability Week programme here – it contains everything you need to know, including details of this week’s speakers and our event partners.

To find out more, about TR Sustainability Week please visit: www.travelretailsustainabilityweek.com

Thank you to our event partners