Walpole: How did you come to work in sustainability?
Elizabeth McMillan: I’ve come to sustainability through new product development and an interest in sustainable design and packaging. I work for The Macallan and we are encouraged to take a longer-term view on people, place and planet.
In an ever-changing area of corporate policy, what's one resource that's really helped you in your role?
There’s great guidance available for businesses, it’s just sometimes difficult to find through all the noise. I recently completed the Cambridge University Business Sustainability Management programme, which is a super resource. It encourages you to think holistically about the environment and society and interrogate your supply chain through the lens of decarbonisation and climate risk mitigation.
What is the biggest challenge your company faces when it comes to delivering your sustainability goals?
Scope 3 emissions are going to the biggest challenge for The Macallan. We’ll tackle these through partnership, collaboration and innovation.
What's your best advice for communicating your sustainability work with customers?
Take time to study and understand the Green Claims Code before applying your brand's tone of voice to consumer communication. Give access to regularly updated long form information. Be specific and backup information with as much detail as possible and ensure short-form copy always links back to long-form information. Put things in context with clear benefits of what has been achieved or are aiming to achieve from your actions.
Is there an area of sustainability that you think doesn't get talked about enough in the luxury industry?
Climate risk: how the decisions and actions we take now will actively mitigate existing and future climate related environmental impacts. Our environment, supply chain and consumer living standards will change as the climate changes and we need to mindful of that and taking action now.
Which action you've taken has had the most impact during your time in the role?
I work with a team of experts from across the business and since we launched our first environmental and social sustainability strategy in 2019 we’ve achieved some early results. Our stretching goals are set for 2045, so we are still very much at the beginning of the journey. During 2022 The Macallan Estate will become Carbon Neutral through a combination of initiatives including renewable biomass heat, a REGO-backed electricity purchase agreement and a new fleet of electric vehicles.
What action do you wish you had taken sooner to aid your company's sustainability?
I’d have started earlier. It’s something that has always existed within The Macallan brand, but having a good articulation in terms of a strategy, goals and actions really focuses the mind and drives change.
What are your main priorities when it comes to sustainability?
In general we are focussed on the reduction of carbon across our supply chain, across our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Within that, we are prioritising a few areas including working with our suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging.
Collectively, what action is going to drive the most change for the luxury industry?
Collectively we all need to take responsibility and become part of the solution. We need to take a partnership approach with each of our suppliers, educating, collaborating and innovating to reduce our emissions.
Can you tell me another luxury company whose work in sustainability you admire?
I was impressed with Burberry's new biodiversity strategy and their commitments to be Climate Positive by 2040. It expands the scope of their current initiatives, applying a nature-based approach in their value chain and in areas of greatest need beyond their operations.
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