CEO Sustainability Series | Tyrel BALL, Managing Director, South & North Asia Pacific Rémy Cointreau

Question 1. What has your company’s sustainability journey been like so far?

Rémy Cointreau is a family-owned spirits group made up of houses rooted in terroir.

The group is a forerunner in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), creating a CSR department in 2002, and adhering to the Global Compact since 2003. Today we emit 0.4kg of CO2 for each euro of operating profit, less than 10% of the average of our peers.

Despite this CSR remains a priority and is materialized in our "Sustainable Exception" plan. Structured around the Group’s values, “Terroir, People & Time”, it is championed from the Board, all the way to our global network of “CSR champions”.

Q2. What are some of the biggest sustainability issues you've faced and how did you tackle all these sets of challenges?

The Group has identified 3 key issues:

• First : global warming and its potential impact on the sustainability of agriculture;
• Second : the ongoing desirability of our exceptional products in a world where clients are demanding lower environmental footprints;
• Third : A duty to set an example in terms of responsible consumption.

It is based on these challenges that Rémy Cointreau built its “Sustainable Exception” roadmap.

Preserving our terroirs and promoting our soils as a solution to global warming

By 2030, all of Group farmers should be in conversion towards agroecology. These regenerative practices drive better soil resilience, but also have a positive impact on biodiversity and carbon sequestration. By investing in R&D, the Group also aims to identify climate resilient crops for all its key raw materials by 2030.

Acting for our people and our communities, because sustainable transformation can only be achieved together

The Group’s commitment to its employees is structured around three priorities: cultivating the diversity of teams, promoting the know-how and passing on our expert savoir-faire, and taking care of its people, with a strong focus on responsible consumption.

Committing through time; because the planet cannot wait, we are already contributing to the Group’s carbon neutrality, while investing to reduce our environmental footprint

Rémy Cointreau has made a dual commitment: it has set itself ambitious carbon reduction targets (-50% per bottle by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050). On top of this, it has made the commitment to offset its annual residual emissions, by financing climate actions in its main markets. Thanks to these actions, Rémy Cointreau is the first international Wine & Spirits company to be carbon neutral.

Q3. As a wine and spirits industry sustainability leader, how does sustainability shape the future wine market?

We will accompany our clients on a journey towards a more sustainable definition of luxury. For instance, a key action has been the removal of gift boxes on 76% of our bottles. By 2025, 100% of our bottles must be recyclable or reusable.

Being a sustainability leader requires collaboration with our stakeholders, given 95% of our emissions are driven by the rest of our value chain. Embarking our partners in this sustainable journey is essential for success!