Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy for 2022 is the name of Lazada’s first Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Impact Report. The report explains what the company is doing to make eCommerce a force for good by helping communities, promoting honest and responsible business practices, and reducing its environmental impact.
“What we have started lay the foundation of our ESG commitments in the Philippines, which contribute to the overall positive impact that we are creating as a group across the region. I am looking forward to strengthening our collaborations with our partners and stakeholders to shape the future of a sustainable digital ecosystem in the country,” Lazada Philippines CEO Carlos Barrera said.
“These include our Lazada x For The Women (FTW) Data Science Scholarship program where we offer data science training to promising young women who are looking to build a career in tech for example, and LazGoGreen, our initiative addressing our environmental impact,” Barrera added.
Empowering Communities, Future-Ready Workforce, Responsible Stewardship, and Effective Governance are the four main pillars of the company’s ESG framework, which is described in the report. Under these pillars, it showcases a number of the company’s noteworthy accomplishments, such as:
Within its ecosystem of sellers, digital commerce enablers, third-party logistics partners, and committed workers, Lazada Group generated 1.1 million job opportunities. Lazada is dedicated to supporting communities and organizations in their attempts to recover and create a more resilient society. Lazada collaborates with local stakeholders to create initiatives that assist women in their entrepreneurial endeavors. It recognizes female company owners who have successfully navigated challenges to expand their enterprises through Lazada.
Lazada Philippines has started capacity development initiatives and is inviting business owners from all around the nation to take part in furthering the digitalization and eCommerce integration of Filipino-owned small enterprises. Lazada works with ASEAN to promote local Filipino products globally and increase their accessibility throughout the region.
Since the Lazada x For The Women Data Science Scholarship started, 70% of the scholars have found new jobs in data science. The company also tries to improve the skills of its employees by putting in place programs that teach them both soft skills and practical skills. Lazada works closely with its leaders, employees, and other stakeholders to improve the health and happiness of its employees and keep the workplace healthy, creative, and free of stress.
Lazada Philippines set up programs like Lazada University, an education program just for MSMEs and small business sellers, and the Lazada Learning Festival 2022, the biggest virtual learning festival in Southeast Asia, to teach and connect with people who want to start their businesses.
Lazada Group made a baseline carbon inventory to find the main sources of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from its operations. The results of the carbon inventory exercises will be used to improve Lazada’s plan to reduce carbon emissions over the next few years and make it more aligned with global goals to cut GHG emissions. The company wants to work with independent contractors with electric vehicles as much as possible.
Lazada Philippines has started LazGoGreen, a program that reduces the environmental impact of Lazada’s packaging by getting people all over the Philippines to recycle and use less plastic. Lazada helps this effort by working with businesses and communities to build a network of sustainable partnerships that will shape the future of plastic production and use. In March 2020, 70,000 plastic-free pouches were sold, and 35 of Lazada’s sellers switched to plastic-free packaging in full. By 2020, the company had opened up to 18 sites where people could drop off plastic.
Lazada Group is one of the few eCommerce platforms in Southeast Asia to be certified against the ISO 27001:2013 standards. This is an international standard for information security that outlines a holistic way to protect privacy. It is the first digital business in Southeast Asia to have a separate team to protect intellectual property rights (IPR). In March 2020, the team tested a proactive way to find and remove fake goods. In 2021, 98% of proactive removals happened before a transaction happened. Lazada Philippines has built strong partnerships with DTI, DICT, and NPC to put on events and activities that raise awareness about cyber security and online safety practices on various topics.
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards for 2021 were used to make this report.
“Even though we were the first eCommerce company, we are still committed to creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem that helps buyers and sellers connect in more meaningful ways. Our strategy is to have a “ecosystem mindset,” which means that we focus on building stronger relationships with our partners and other important people along our value chain “Barrera said.
Here is where you can find the total FY2022 ESG Impact Report: Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy.
- Lazada’s FY2022 ESG Impact Report details its ESG approach and performance across the Group’s operations in six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – and the operations of its subsidiary, RedMart in Singapore for the reporting period of 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 (“FY2022”), unless otherwise stated.
- This report also includes data from the prior reporting period of 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (“FY2021”) for comparison where applicable.
- The GRI Standards were selected as it is the most widely adopted global standard among businesses to report on sustainability matters across comparable criteria. A detailed GRI Standards content index is provided at the end of the report (page 58).
