Corporate Social Responsibility

As a Travel Retail operator serving hundreds of thousands of passengers every day, we must adapt the way we do business in order to contribute to building a more sustainable industry.

Our CSR strategy, PEPS (Planet.Ethics.People.Social), is aligned to the global stakes the travel retail industry is facing and is at the heart of our strategy and decision-making. It is articulated around 4 pillars underpinned by 12 tangible commitments which all relate to one of more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2021, we have established an ambitious roadmap to improve our environmental impact faster and have a greater positive impact on the communities we serve. We have set clear targets to measure the progress made towards fulfilling our commitments. These are fully aligned with our stakeholders’ needs and expectations and are monitored and communicated on a yearly basis in the Lagardère Group extra-financial reporting. Among them is a commitment to contribute to carbon neutrality since the end of 2023 (scopes 1 & 2), and we target to reach net zero emissions for all 3 scopes ahead of 2050.

Find out more information about our CSR strategy here.

Environmental impact reduction

From the early design phase of our architectural projects, our teams constantly strive to find innovative and energy-efficient solutions. Lagardère Travel Retail Belgium is also committed to reduce the use of plastics bags in-store

Our points of sale, located in open locations, are equipped with latest-generation glazing, employing cutting-edge technology to save energy and control temperature all year long. Our lighting solutions in particular are optimized to save energy through the positioning of light bulbs and the use of luminous materials and light deflectors.

Logistics flows are optimized to reduce our carbon footprint: advanced management of delivery tours and shared procurement management has reduced the number of kilometers traveled.

Food safety

Foodservice is not an industry where corners can be cut

It requires knowledge of highly elaborate production techniques and the ability to recognize quality, as well as familiarity with numerous rules relating to food hygiene and safety.

Rigorous audits are carried out in a number of countries by Eurofins, an international expert in food safety, to define action plans and targets per country. Ten countries were audited by Eurofins in 2017.

Since food safety is everyone’s responsibility, every operational staff member – including Lagardère Travel Retail’s Executive Committee – has also received training that stresses the importance of the subject.

Product traceability

By 2025, Lagardère Travel Retail will no longer be selling items containing eggs or egg products from battery hens anywhere within its network

This decision is the result of a close collaboration with French charity L214 and The Humane League, an international organization with which we have established a relationship of mutual trust.

Those organizations are committed to reducing animal cruelty, particularly by improving the conditions in which animals are raised. We will soon extend our actions to other categories of sensitive food products and are in the process of assessing the environmental and social performance of our suppliers in collaboration with the independent organization Ecovadis.

Social initiatives

Lagardère Travel Retail is proud to support humanitarian organizations regularly, on a worldwide basis

For example:

in France we regularly partner with Action Against Hunger, through fundraising campaigns in our points of sale and by taking part in the Action Against Hunger sports challenge. The funds raised go to children suffering from malnutrition.
in North America we partner with Make-A-Wish. Through cash contributions and donations in kind, we strive to make dreams come true for seriously ill children, brightening their lives in difficult times.

Gender diversity

Lagardère Travel Retail firmly believes that gender diversity in teams is a performance lever and stimulates creativity

The company is an active member of the LL network, initiated by the Lagardère group. The network’s aim is to promote gender diversity at every level of the hierarchy. Women hold 43% of executive management roles in the Lagardère group.

The LL network is built around networking events, workshops, personal and professional master classes, and inspiring conferences. It also offers mentoring programs for women, led by Group Executive Managers (men or women) over a 12-month period. Just a year after it was launched, the LL network now has 385 members.

Download(s)

CSR Report from the Lagardère Group