Dufry Takes the Stage at TR Sustainability Week

The Travel Retail and Duty Free Industry ´s first virtual event dedicated solely to sustainability, organized by Travel Retail Business took place during the month of April and had Dufry amongst its keynote speakers. The event aimed to take the pulse of the industry when it comes to sustainability and recognise the quick development of the topic in the last few years.

Under the name of “Lead by example: Sustainable investments from industry leaders”, Dufry participated in an animated panel together with some of the industry powerhouses, such as L’Occitane en Provence, Nestlé Travel Retail, Lego, and ARI. The event helped to understand the major drivers of the participants’ sustainability strategies and main lines of action, whilst confirming the industry’s move towards a more sustainable business model and increased transparency in the main components of sustainability: Environment, Social & Governance – ESG.

Represented by Renzo Radice, Head of Corproate Communications and Public Affairs, Dufry shared the major improvements made by the company in the last couple of years, including the affiliation to the United Nations´ Global Compact principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the creation of a multidisciplinary ESG Committee chaired by Dufry´s CEO, Julián Díaz, and with the participation of C-level representatives of the related company departments – a best-practice within the travel industry.

Renzo also took the opportunity to introduce other major highlights of Dufry´s ESG engagement, such as the creation of a Sustainability Strategy, fully embedded in our business model, the development of Dufry´s Supplier Code of Conduct – to encourage sustainable business practices amongst our suppliers – and other major environmental developments, including the newly implemented carbon emissions tracking, a necessary first step towards implementing a carbon footprint impact reduction target.

Sustainable products

The panel also addressed an industry hot topic: the appetite of customers for more sustainable products. Whilst it was agreed that what makes a product more or less sustainable can be defined in many ways and does not have a clear definition – not just in travel retail, but in the retail industry in general – there was a certain consensus around different elements that make products more appealing for an increasingly environmentally and sustainability-biased consumer, such as environmental friendly packaging, use of organic components, impact on communities, etc.

In connection with this topic, Renzo shared with the audience that Dufry has designated a dedicated team who are closely collaborating with brand partners to assess sustainable products and to increase their exposure or display in store.

If you are interested in learning more about this panel, the event is accessible by clicking on the video link below.