Tackling Retail Emissions in the Lottery Value Chain: Insights from the EL Webinar

As part of the European Lotteries Environmental Initiative, which regularly brings members together through dedicated sustainability webinars, EL and digitalRG recently co-hosted a session focused on one of the most complex challenges in the sector: reducing emissions linked to retail operations within the lottery value chain.

This webinar came at the right time and was very useful in showing how lotteries and their suppliers can better understand and deal with emissions from terminals, ticket production, logistics, and thousands of points of sale as climate reporting, supply chain transparency, and Scope 3 accountability become more important.

The session showcased pragmatic methodologies, supplier perspectives, and tangible instances from lotteries currently executing significant environmental initiatives, providing a definitive pathway for organisations aspiring to advance in their sustainability endeavours.
 

Reducing Emissions Related to Retail Stores

Karol De Decker from Loterie Nationale in Belgium started the conversation by laying out a clear plan for how to deal with emissions from retail networks. The lottery has come up with a methodical, data-driven way to figure out how it affects people because 72% of its revenue comes from retail and there are more than 6,700 points of sale across the country.

Karol described a four-step process with examples from the field: defining material Scope 3 categories, gathering data, calculating emissions, and finding ways to cut them down. These included figuring out how much electricity POS terminals use and improving data quality to lower emissions from suppliers. It was clear what she meant: progress depends on good coordination within the company, close communication with suppliers, and steady improvements in the accuracy of data over time.
 

Tackling Retail Emissios: A Supplier Perspective

Dustin Lee of Pollard Banknote, who works in manufacturing, talked about how suppliers can help lotteries learn more about how retail-related products affect the environment. This included the complicated materials and processes that go into making tickets, promotional materials, in-store devices, and logistics.

Pollard's long-term investment in carbon tracking, which includes finding renewable energy sources, having third-party audits, and collecting detailed transport data, shows how suppliers can help lotteries report more accurately on Scope 3. Dustin also talked about big changes, like using FSC-certified paper, water-based inks, and lowering VOC emissions. He also talked about circular solutions, like recycling cold-foil waste.

His main point was that lotteries and suppliers need to talk to each other openly, early, and often, especially when they are making plans for new requirements or getting ready for bidding.

EL Member Lottery Case Studies
Heidi Florence from digitalRG closed the session by showing case studies from EL members who are already using new ideas to cut emissions in their retail operations. These examples, like casinos using advanced energy monitoring or including carbon considerations in purchasing, or retail networks collecting data better, show that the industry is already moving from ambition to action.

The Environmental Initiative keeps adding to its library of case studies, knowledge-sharing tools, and environmental resources to help lotteries on their journeys towards sustainability.

The message was clear in all three presentations: lotteries can make big strides by focussing first on the most important parts of their retail chain, building strong relationships with suppliers, and making sustainability a part of their procurement and operational planning. The examples discussed in the webinar are important because they show that it's better to keep getting better than to wait for things to be perfect. Good data and working together are what make small changes that lead to big, long-term change.

Access the Q&A, Full Presentations and Complete Webinar Recording

The full webinar recording, complete list of questions and answers, and all three presentations are available exclusively to members of the European Lotteries Association who have signed up for the EL Environmental Initiative.

For more information or to request access, please contact hello@digitalrg.com.