Flutter Launches Sustainability Strategy
Author:
Muhammad Gregory
Flutter Entertainment has launched its inaugural sustainability strategy, the Positive Impact Plan. The Irish betting and gaming operator is keen to meet three main goals by 2030, which will improve experiences for players, colleagues and communities. It is also working to make its business greener by moving towards renewable sources of energy.
In addition to its Positive Impact Plan, Flutter has also set a number of environmental targets. ?Pixabay/Pexels
Positive Change
Leading betting and gaming firm Flutter Entertainment has unveiled its first sustainability strategy, the Positive Impact Plan. The strategy has identified three main points of focus which Flutter is seeking to address. It aims to make safer playing experiences, foster more diverse workplaces and support local communities.
According to Flutter, the program aims to support progress across the Group by reaching set goals by the year 2030. By then, it hopes to have 75% of its active online customers globally using one or more of its Play Well tools. By 2026, it aims to have reached 50% on the way to that objective.
Another goal is to create and foster teams that are representative of the locations in which Flutter’s workforce operates. This will be overseen through a comprehensive DE&I strategy, supported by stepping stone goals.
Thirdly, the operator aims to improve the lives of ten million people. It hopes to achieve this substantial ambition by using the power of sport and play, the skills of its colleagues and the reach of its brand. Chief Executive of Flutter Entertainment, Peter Jackson, was proud to announce the launch of the plan, stating:
“Our Positive Impact Plan is a comprehensive and challenging strategy which demonstrates that Flutter is setting the agenda for positive change. We are committed to contributing positively to our customers, colleagues and the communities in which we operate. This plan builds on the strong foundations laid by each of our divisions, leveraging our global scale and positioning us at the forefront of meaningful change.”
Jackson went on to add that during 2021, the Group took steps to enhance its safer gambling measures, investing more than ￡45 million to promote safer play. He said that continuing to innovate in safer gambling is critical for the sustainability of the business and will help to serve as a framework for the wider industry.
Safer Gambling
Launching its latest measures to support safer gambling, Flutter described itself as leading betting and gaming into the future, in a responsible and sustainable way. The Positive Impact Plan will leverage Flutter’s global scale to offer its portfolio of brands with improved access to its insight, skills and capabilities.
In turn, it hopes to support local initiatives and have a positive impact on the lives of its customers, colleagues and the communities in which it operates. Its three overarching goals are aligned with leading global standards while challenging the business. According to Jackson, the new plan has already been met with a positive response. He said:
“The initial response from colleagues has been fantastic and I couldn’t be prouder of their passion and commitment to ensure that we continue to lead betting and gaming into the future.”
This year Flutter will build on its existing achievements with a focus on enhancing its insights and reporting. In this way, it will be able to continue to develop its goals by targeting areas in which it can achieve the most significant impact. Announcing the Positive Impact Plan, Flutter went into further detail explaining what each goal aims to achieve.
Its first key area is focused on helping customers to “Play Well” by ensuring that they are provided with a positive, entertaining and safe experience at all times. Rather than opting for a “one size fits all” solution to safer gambling, Flutter says it has opted to apply universal principles to provide players with the tools, information and support to play well.
The global principles of “Play Well” are leading progress, promoting positive play, effective interaction with customers and to support and protect customers from harm. It will introduce tailored metrics across its operations, catering to the needs of different markets.
Greener Business
Flutter’s second area of focus is to empower its colleagues to “Work Better”. By 2026, it wants 40% of its top leadership roles to be occupied by women. It is striving to foster dynamic, inclusive and equitable working environments. Last year, the operator launched its first global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy.
By 2030, Flutter hopes that its “Work Better” strategy will have helped it to build a more diverse and inclusive business, reflective of the communities in which it operates. Its third objective is to work with communities to “Do More”. Last year, it invested ￡3.7 million into community initiatives. Now it wants to build on that, using its expertise to support communities, focusing on sport, health, wellbeing and tech.
Alongside the Positive Impact Plan, Flutter also announced its intention to reduce its environmental impact. 2021 saw the company align its climate mitigation targets with those of the Paris Agreement. It also joined the UN’s “Race to Zero” campaign.
This year, Flutter will set its sustainability strategy in line with its Science Based Targets initiative as it moves to towards a low carbon economy. It also revealed that it has started to report on how climate change could impact its business according to recommendations from the Task-Force on Climate Related Disclosure.
By the end of 2023, Flutter says that it will have developed and rolled out its own global e-waste policy, following the waste hierarchy. By 2030, it hopes to have transferred all of its energy tariffs to renewable energy.
In February, Flutter reopened its international headquarters in Dublin following an investment of more than €15.5 million. The head office is home to 1,600 colleagues and there are plans for further growth. The site includes Ireland’s first fully frictionless shop and a “live roof” with three beehives.
