Winner – Avolta
Avolta has taken 13 ESG areas and pulled them together into four areas; Create Sustainable Travel Experiences, Respect Our Planet, Empower Our People and Engage Local Communities. The strategy is based on what the operator calls a Double Materiality Matrix, a system designed since the completion of the merger of Autogrill and Dufry last year that tracks and measures current performance and guides the future direction.
As well as this sizable piece of work, Avolta has also implemented board-level recognition of ESG through the creation of a chief ESG officer position and signed an agreement with logistics company DB Schenker to move to marine biofuel on the Barcelona-Miami shipping route. Finally, in 2023, the operator raised the proportion of electricity sourced from renewable energies to 40%.
Our judges said: “Avolta’s development of a ‘Double Materiality’ matrix is a major step towards pushing the group’s ESG strategy further and faster.”
Special Commendation – Lagardère Travel Retail
Late last year, Lagardère Travel Retail updated its 2019 CSR strategy. The programme, called PEPS (Planet, Ethics, People & Social) now has revised – and more ambitious – targets to 2025, among which are:
- Accelerate the switch of single-use plastic water bottles to 100% RPET so that at least three-quarters will be 100% RPET,
- All of the company’s suppliers to have up to signed its responsible supplier charter,
- a 50-50 gender split across the senior executive team, and
- 100% of markets to have initiatives to support local communities in place
In the nearer term, the operator unveiled a new strategy in September that is dedicated to shopping bags in GTR. As well as training sales staff to propose alternatives to travellers, the programme also features a switch to ordering certified FSC or PEFC paper bags and ceasing ordering of virgin plastic bags.
