Lazada's First ESG Impact Report Shapes the Future of the Digital Economy
Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy for 2022 is the first Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Impact report from the well-known eCommerce platform Lazada. 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.
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| Lazada's First ESG Impact Report Shapes the Future of the Digital Economy |
"What we've started is the foundation of our ESG commitments in the Philippines, which adds to the good things our company is doing for the area as a whole. Carlos Barrera, the CEO of Lazada Philippines, said, "I'm looking forward to strengthening our relationships with our partners and stakeholders to shape the future of a sustainable digital ecosystem in the country.
"These include our LazGoGreen project, about how we affect the environment, and our Lazada x For The Women (FTW) Data Science Scholarship program," Barrera said. "For example, we train smart young women who want to start a career in computer science in data science."
In the report, the company's ESG framework is broken down into four main parts: empowering communities, having a workforce ready for the future, being a responsible steward, and having good governance. It shows some of the company's most significant achievements under these pillars, such as:
Empowering Communities
Lazada Group made 1.1 million jobs possible through its ecosystem of sellers, digital commerce enablers, third-party logistics partners, and dedicated workers. Lazada is committed to helping communities and organizations regain their feet and build a stronger society. Lazada works with local stakeholders to make programs that help women who want to start their own businesses. It also awards women who have overcome obstacles to grow their businesses through Lazada.
Lazada Philippines has started capacity development programs and is inviting business owners from all over the country to join. This is to help Filipino-owned small businesses become more digital and use eCommerce more. Lazada works with ASEAN to spread the word about local Filipino products worldwide and make them easier to find in the region.
Future-Ready Workforce
Since the Lazada x For The Women Data Science Scholarship program began, 70% of the scholarship winners have been hired for new jobs in data science. The organization also works to improve the skills of its employees by putting in place programs that teach them both soft and practical skills. Lazada works closely with its managers, employees, and other stakeholders to improve the health and happiness of its employees and keep the workplace productive and free of stress.
Lazada Philippines started programs like Lazada University and the Lazada Learning Festival 2022, the largest virtual learning festival in Southeast Asia, to give MSMEs and small business sellers more power. The goal of these programs is to teach and involve aspiring business owners.
Responsible Stewardship
Lazada Group set up a baseline carbon inventory to find its operations' primary sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results of the carbon inventory activities will be used to improve Lazada's decarbonization roadmap over the next few years and align it with international goals to cut GHG emissions. The company is most interested in working with independent electric car contractors.
LazGoGreen is a program run by Lazada Philippines. Its goal is to reduce the impact of Lazada's packaging on the environment by getting people all over the country to recover and use less plastic. Lazada supports this initiative and helps shape the future of plastic production and use by working with organizations and communities to set up a network of relationships that will last. In March 2020, 70,000 plastic-free pouches were sold, and 35 Lazada sellers used plastic-free packaging all the time. The company opened up to 18 places around the country to collect plastic by the year 2020.
Effective Governance
ISO 27001:2013 certification has been given to Lazada Group, one of the few eCommerce sites in Southeast Asia. This international standard for information security lays out a detailed plan for keeping information private. It is the first online business in Southeast Asia to have a team whose sole job is to protect intellectual property (IPR). In March 2020, the team tested a proactive way to find and eliminate fake goods. By March 2021, 98% of proactive removals had already been done. Lazada Philippines works closely with the DTI, DICT, and NPC to create events and activities that raise awareness about cyber security and safe ways to use the internet.
This report was put together with the help of the GRI Standards 2021.
"We're still committed to creating a safe and healthy environment that brings our buyers and sellers together more meaningfully. We're not just the eCommerce pioneer for this reason." Barrera says that if we want to make a long-lasting, positive impact, we need to have stronger ties with our partners and other stakeholders along our value chain. So that's how we're doing things.
The full FY2022 ESG Impact Report: Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy can be found at this link.