Sustainability LIVE Dubai: Chalhoub Groups' Impact Strategy

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Speaking at Sustainability LIVE Dubai, Florence Bulte, Chief Sustainability Officer at Chalhoub Group, discussed the company’s sustainability strategy

On 14 May 2024, Sustainability LIVE hosted an engaging event that fostered connections between the sustainability and ESG leaders across the Middle East and Africa - Sustainability LIVE Dubai.

Across the day, those who attended the exclusive event were able to hear invaluable insights from internationally acclaimed business leaders, delve into the current themes in the industry and discover how they could embark on the path to a greener future.

At the start of the event, Florence Bulte, Chief Sustainability Officer at Chalhoub Group, took to our virtual stage to discuss the company’s sustainability strategy and work to support planet, people and partnerships. 

Florence began her session at Sustainability LIVE Dubai by outlining the company’s commitment to sustainability across its operations in the Middle East. During the presentation, she discussed how Chalhoub Group integrates sustainability into its core business activities, highlighting the company's approach to people, planet, and partnerships, supported by community engagement initiatives.

Florence Bulte discusses the Chalhoub Group's Sustainability strategy

Chalhoub Group’s sustainability journey

Throughout the discussion, Florence explained how the company’s sustainability journey began in 2009, emphasising that it is more than just a strategy—it is embedded in the company's very purpose. 

"Sustainability should be integrated into the business, perfectly aligned with our purpose and group values," Florence explained.

Florence continued to outline Chalhoub Group’s core sustainability strategy, which revolves around three key pillars: people, planet, and partners, with each pillar being tied to the company’s overarching purpose and aligns with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She went on to explain how this strategy covers the full breadth of their operations across eight countries, focusing on socio-economic and environmental needs, as well as business opportunities.

As well as this, Florence highlighted the fact that they conduct materiality studies every two to three years to ensure that the company strategy remains relevant and impactful.

Governance and integration of sustainability

Later in the discussion, Florence also uncovered how the Chalhoub Group follows strict governance standards to propel sustainability initiatives ahead.

She continued to explain that the company has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2014 and formed its sustainability division soon after. Since then, the company has consistently reported on their sustainability efforts every year.

Florence explained how the company has established three specific committees in order to implement its strategy effectively:

  • The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
  • The Ethics and Compliance Committee
  • The Environmental Task Force.

She continued to explain how each committee has quantitative objectives, with oversight provided by an ESG remuneration board that meets quarterly to assess progress.

Another key theme of the discussion that began to emerge was the importance of transparency in the company’s sustainability goals. Florence discussed how Chalhoub Group’s approach to sustainability includes an annual sustainability report. She explained that people could access the latest one through a QR code at the event, allowing attendees to discover their recent sustainability efforts.

"To be efficient, focus on what you can control, set tangible objectives, and be transparent in reporting your strategy and performance," Florence explained.

Partnerships and sustainability initiatives

Florence went on to discuss Chalhoub Group’s commitment to partnering for sustainability and pointed out the critical role that partnerships play in achieving progress. She explained how the company has a vast number of brands in its portfolio and has developed a supplier scorecard based on the United Nations Global Compact’s ten principles.

Across the scorecard, elements such as human rights, labour rights, environmental consciousness, transparency, and anti-corruption are all assessed. Florence highlighted that the organisation has a goal to increase participation from their partners in this programme in the future. 

She also went on to explain how last year the Chalhoub Group entered the sustainability-linked loans market by signing agreements with significant organisations such as Emirates NBD and HSBC, allowing it to strengthen its sustainability commitments. In addition to this, Florence highlighted how the company also launched a supplier engagement programme as part of the decarbonisation strategy that aims to pave the way towards the company's ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040. 

"We launched the supplier engagement program to pave the way to net zero commitment by 2040, " Florence said.

Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025…

Sustainability LIVE continues to expand its events with more to come in 2024 and 2025, discover our essential diary dates below.

2024 diary dates:

2025 diary dates: 

 


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