Helping Rémy Cointreau establish and validate its FLAG targets
French spirits group Rémy Cointreau has been working with Quantis over the years for support on its climate journey. In 2021, the group decided it was ready to submit near-term and long-term science-based targets (SBTs) with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and naturally turned to Quantis for guidance. During the validation stage, the SBTi released its Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) guidance and offered Rémy Cointreau the opportunity to participate in the pilot. Distinguishing its FLAG targets from its energy-related targets was an interesting opportunity for the group to both meet the new requirements and help it leverage its regenerative farming practices to reach its 2030 goals and 2050 Net Zero target.
Challenge
In September 2022, SBTi introduced the FLAG guidance and began requiring organizations with significant FLAG emissions, such as food and beverage companies, to set a FLAG SBT.
Given Rémy Cointreau’s sustainability maturity and value chain, the SBTi suggested the company join a pilot to set FLAG targets. By separating these targets, Rémy Cointreau would be able to better showcase its work to preserve its own ‘terroir’ and the land of its suppliers. The process would allow the company to more clearly distinguish its agriculture-related emissions reductions and any potential removals increases.
Having supported SBTi in shaping the SBTi FLAG guidance and developing the methodology, Quantis was able to bring a unique perspective to the project, which ultimately helped Rémy Cointreau accelerate the data collection process and avoid common mistakes.
Solutions
Quantis helped Rémy Cointreau set, submit and validate its overall SBT short- and long-term target, including FLAG emission and removal targets and a Net Zero commitment.
Because of their previous work together, Quantis was able to easily identify the company’s FLAG-related commodities. The insights gained from the corporate footprint and the granularity of emission factors enabled the project team to effectively distinguish non-FLAG from FLAG emissions. It also allowed the team to zoom in on land management and land-use change.
This process was significantly sped up thanks to eQosphere, Quantis’ proprietary digital platform for emission factors management. Quantis used eQosphere to generate contribution analysis and breakdown impact factors into different categories, including FLAG and non-FLAG emissions.
Results
The project enabled Rémy Cointreau to set and submit its near- and long-term SBTi targets, including FLAG emission and removal targets that support the company’s net-zero ambitions. Rémy Cointreau is one of the first two companies to receive approval and have its FLAG targets listed. As a result, it can now effectively embed and track CO2 reduction and removal activities across its value chain, enabling a more holistic approach to its agricultural transformation, and report progress.
Additionally, the pilot contributed to the further development of the new FLAG guidance and methodology, paving the way for other companies relying on FLAG in their business models.
Services provided
Areas of expertise
Sector
“We are proud to be one of the first companies to successfully validate our FLAG targets. FLAG enables us to take CO2 removals into account across our value chain alongside CO2 reduction actions to achieve our overall Net Zero targets.”
Laetitia Delaye, Head of CSR
Rémy Cointreau
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