{"id":135992,"date":"2026-07-27T14:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/135992\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:39:12","slug":"ambition-into-action-trine-pondal-director-sustainability-social-responsibility-flying-tiger-copenhagen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/135992\/","title":{"rendered":"Ambition Into Action \u2013 Trine Pondal, Director, Sustainability & Social Responsibility, Flying Tiger Copenhagen"},"content":{"rendered":"

SustainabilityOnline recently published its inaugural\u00a0\u2018Ambition Into Action\u2019 report<\/a>, featuring interviews with senior leaders about how they are turning\u00a0sustainability<\/a>\u00a0vision into business reality at the mid-point of the decade.<\/p>\n

Trine Pondal is director of sustainability and social responsibility at Flying Tiger Copenhagen<\/a>, and has led the global transformation to embed sustainability into the core of the retailer<\/a>\u2018s business operations over the past six years. Prior to her current role, she served as head of sustainability and social responsibility, as well as sustainability and social responsibility manager, at the group, which she joined in 2019 from Pandora.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How has Flying Tiger Copenhagen moved from \u2018ambition to action\u2019 in turning sustainability into a core value driver \u2013\u202fin other words, how have you made sustainability \u2018good for business\u2019?\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Flying Tiger Copenhagen, we\u2019ve embedded sustainability directly into how we design, source, and sell\u00a0 \u2013 not as a side initiative, but as a core business function. Our approach is simple: reduction first, system change alongside, and storytelling last.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already reduced 64% of plastic in packaging and 24% in products, not through offsetting or green labels, but by re-engineering how our buyers, designers, and suppliers work. Some of these reductions translate into real cost savings. For example, through lower Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees across Europe, we prove that sustainability and business value can go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

To make this shift tangible, we created clear material guidelines built into every buying decision; shared sustainability KPIs between commercial and sustainability teams; and training programmes that turn product managers into sustainability change-makers.<\/p>\n

This alignment means sustainability is no longer an appendix; it\u2019s a product measure and a reputational strength. We also treat transparency as a driver of competitiveness \u2013 openly sharing our methods and challenges instead of hiding behind claims. That honesty builds trust with consumers, regulators, and partners alike.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re now at the mid point of the decade. What do you see as the single biggest barrier for businesses in moving from ambition to measurable action \u2013\u202fand how can it be overcome?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest barrier isn\u2019t a lack of targets. It\u2019s the lack of data and ownership.<\/p>\n

Many companies still don\u2019t have a full Bill of Materials (BoM) for their products. Without this, they can\u2019t see what materials and components actually make up their footprint. Without that data, measurement becomes guesswork, and accountability fades.<\/p>\n

By systematically improving BoM data, we can measure progress product-by-product, and design phase-outs or substitutions with precision. This turns sustainability from an abstract reporting exercise into operational practice.<\/p>\n

The other key barrier is human: sustainability can\u2019t sit with one department. We have learned that the people who actually drive change are the ones making daily decisions \u2013 buyers, logistics planners, designers. Once they\u2019re trained and empowered, progress accelerates.<\/p>\n

The fix? Integrate, don\u2019t isolate. Integrate sustainability into existing workflows, tools, and incentives. And make data accessible enough that it informs everyday choices rather than annual reports.<\/p>\n

What role can (and should) leadership play in ensuring sustainability commitments actually deliver results, rather than remaining aspirational? And how can you ensure buy-in from all stakeholders?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leadership\u2019s main role is to set direction and remove friction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the very beginning, our C-suite has backed our sustainability journey and ambitious targets with visible commitment. At one Townhall, our CEO even took to the stage to explain CO\u2082 emissions and their impact \u2013 a strong signal that this topic isn\u2019t delegated; it\u2019s led from the top.<\/p>\n

Our sustainability goals are not \u2018departmental\u2019. They\u2019re company targets, owned by everyone. But true buy-in comes from culture, not hierarchy.<\/p>\n

We focus on creating what I call a \u2018learning organisation\u2019 around sustainability. That means training before permission \u2013 we don\u2019t wait for sign-off to upskill teams. Also, recognising wins \u2013 using data and even symbolic rewards (like our internal Gold Star system) to celebrate progress. And finally, translating ambition into roles \u2013 making sure every colleague knows how their function connects to impact.<\/p>\n

Our experience shows that when sustainability is framed as both a professional skill and a shared mission, it unlocks creativity rather than compliance.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Flying Tiger Copenhagen\u2019s sustainability strategy at www.flyingtiger.com\/pages\/sustainability<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SustainabilityOnline recently published its inaugural\u00a0\u2018Ambition Into Action\u2019 report, featuring interviews with senior leaders about how they are turning\u00a0sustainability\u00a0vision…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[6],"tags":[108,5702],"class_list":["post-135992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-copenhagen","tag-copenhagen","tag-interview"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116992459885108309","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}