Flutter launches Positive Impact Plan sustainability strategy

Flutter Entertainment has highlighted three core objectives it aims to achieve by 2030 as part of its new sustainability strategy called Positive Impact Plan.
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Flutter Entertainment has highlighted three core objectives it aims to achieve by 2030 as part of its new sustainability strategy called Positive Impact Plan.

The group is looking to build on its previous sustainability accomplishments and target areas where it can maximize its impact, leveraging its ‘global scale’ to support local initiatives that ‘contribute positively’ to its customers, employees, and the communities. 

Setting goals to ‘challenge and stretch the business’, Flutter will assist its customers via a Play Well initiative, boosting its workforce’s ability to ‘work better’ and cooperating with local communities to ‘do more’. 

Commenting on the launch, CEO Peter Jackson said: “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.”

The first objective of the Positive Impact Plan is to push more responsible gambling. Flutter aims to have 75% of its active online customers using one or more of its Play Well tools by 2030, whilst also working towards encouraging 50% to use one or more tools by 2026. 

Helping to achieve this goal, Flutter invested $60m into safer gambling measures in 2021, directing funding towards technology, marketing campaigns, raising awareness and education, research, and treatment.

Jackson continued: “Continuing to show leadership in safer gambling is critical for the sustainability of our business and I believe that the goals we are setting out today as part of our new Play Well strategy will materially enhance our global customer protections and serve as a framework for the wider industry.”

Flutter’s second Positive Impact Plan objective is to build teams that are ‘representative of the locations in which we live and work’ via a comprehensive Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DE&I) strategy, with the end goal of developing diverse and inclusive business operations. 

Paddy Power and Betfair have set out to fill 40% of their top positions with female employees by 2026, measure and report on pay performance, progression, and retention across different demographics by the end of 2023, and measure the difference in sentiment across different demographics by the close of 2022. 

The third objective in the Positive Impact Plan will see Flutter continue working with local partnerships to achieve its community outreach and support goals, striding towards improving the lives of 10 million people using sport and play, its employees’ capabilities, and its brand reach. In addition, a policy will be implemented allowing Flutter employees to participate in two paid days of volunteering annually. 

The group has also assigned itself some environmental targets to be completed by 2030, having aligned itself with the terms of the Paris Agreement and joining the UN’s ‘Race to Zero’ campaign to achieve zero carbon emissions. 

In 2022, Flutter will continue working towards its Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments, develop and rollout a group-wide global e-waste policy, and transfer all its energy tariffs to renewable energy by 2030. 

Last year, the firm announced a repurposing of its existing Risk Committee under the broader title of Risk and Sustainability Committee with a brief to focus on managing material risks and oversight of Flutter’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy.

Jackson concluded: “Flutter’s leading brands are deeply embedded in communities and homes all over the world. Our approach reflects this and will continue to evolve over the coming years in line with shifts in our markets, technological developments, and continued collaboration with our stakeholders.

“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.”