FRANCE/INTERNATIONAL. Lagardère Travel Retail has launched a sustainable shopping bag strategy across its stores worldwide. The initiative aims to reduce waste, stop the use of virgin plastic and foster eco-conscious practices among travellers.
Alongside this move, the company has announced two strategic partnerships with renowned global organisations, Reforest’Action and The SeaCleaners which further materialises its commitment to environmental responsibility and to preserving biodiversity.
As part of its global CSR PEPS (Planet. Ethics. People. Social) roadmap, Lagardère Travel Retail noted it is taking these bold steps to promote responsible packaging and disposables and minimise waste to contribute to a more sustainable travel retail industry.
Reconsidering its approach to shopping bags is a major step toward achieving these goals, the retailer said. This hopping bag strategy, rolled out in all 5,000+ stores globally, is built around three key pillars (see below) and global strategic partnerships with the organisations mentioned earlier.
Reduce
The first pillar involves reducing the number of bags distributed in stores by no longer automatically offering bags to customers, ahead of any global regulations. By training its sales force to propose alternatives and consciously avoiding the distribution of unnecessary shopping bags, the company is proactively fostering a more sustainable shopping experience.
Responsible & recyclable
The second pillar is about pursuing and strengthening the introduction of eco-friendlier shopping bags. Lagardère Travel Retail is switching from ordering traditional single-use plastic bags to alternatives made from materials which have the least negative impact considering the entire lifecycle of the bag and taking into account the global travel retail environment context.
This includes options such as certified FSC or PEFC paper bags. Given the different nature of products sold in Lagardère stores and the requirements of clients and partners, the range of shopping bags includes several other material options.
These vary from bioplastics sourced from natural elements to woven bags made from recycled content. Materials such as virgin plastic or oxo-degradable bags are banned and will no longer be ordered in the Lagardère network.
Go beyond & give back
To further champion sustainability and contribute to tangible actions to protect nature, the last pillar of this new sustainable shopping bag strategy is to give back to charities which preserve the environment.
Lagardère Travel Retail has entered into strategic partnerships with Reforest’Action and The SeaCleaners, both dedicated to biodiversity preservation and raising awareness on key topics such as deforestation and plastic pollution.
To this end, Lagardère Travel Retail will join forces and donate part of the bag sales to support the initiatives undertaken by these organisations, amplifying their impact and helping to drive positive change globally.
This effort is part of a more comprehensive strategy fostering a sustainable approach to plastic and packaging, the retailer added.
Lagardère Travel Retail VP CSR Arnaud Rolland said: “As retailers, we have an urgent responsibility to take tangible steps to promote a more responsible consumption, to cut down plastic pollution and find suitable alternatives to better protect nature.
“We are therefore thrilled to be on the leading edge in our industry and to support travellers’ expectations for more responsible shopping experiences by introducing eco-friendlier alternatives to virgin plastic bags. By partnering with two remarkable organisations, we also aim to play a pivotal role in preserving biodiversity.
“We invite customers, partners and stakeholders to join us on this exciting journey towards more conscious shopping experiences.”
For more information on Lagardère Travel Retail’s new sustainable shopping bag strategy and CSR commitments, click here.