MERKUR UK is at the vanguard of ground-breaking Environmental Social and Governance philosophy

ESG issues such as environmentalism, diversity and inclusion are rising in importance which is why ICE365.com and DigitalRG.com have partnered to conduct a study of the international industry.

The environmental initiatives undertaken and supported by gaming businesses including MERKUR UK and parent company Gauselmann are examples of organisations embracing what’s known as the Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) philosophy and in the process working to secure a sustainable future.

To mark his 85th birthday, Paul Gauselmann, founder and CEO of the Gauselmann Group, launched The ‘Trees for Life’ initiative whose core objective is to make a sustainable contribution to the climate by reforesting forests in Germany.

The central goal of the project is to plant a total of 85,000 deciduous trees on reforestation areas so that new forests with a high degree of diversity can arise.

To date over 50,000 trees have been planted. Similarly, the company’s UK subsidiary, MERKUR UK announced its support for the National Trust’s Woodland Appeal which will see it fund the planting of 1,500 trees at the same time as spreading awareness of the work of the charity amongst staff, customers and the broader stakeholder community. The significance of the philosophy has prompted Clarion Gaming to partner with membership platform DigitalRG.com in order to conduct a ground-breaking study of the international gambling industry. This will take the form of a materiality assessment, a process used to assess the importance of ESG features to a business, and will be expanded across the industry.

The survey mechanic, which is being hosted on ICE365.com, has been designed to help the industry understand the key risks and opportunities when it comes to implementing an effective sustainability strategy.

Robin Harrison, B2B editor for Clarion Gaming,said key players in the industry have already embraced the ESG philosophy. He explained: “This has seen issues such as environmentalism, diversity and inclusion grow in prominence alongside other key ESG factors such as player protection. Furthermore, there is evidence that ESG is guiding investment decisions in the industry, so there is even more upside for businesses that embrace it.”

Other companies that have recognised their environmental impact include La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and Kindred. For Kindred this has included a commitment to sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2023. FDJ is also committed to limiting the impact of gaming materials on forest biodiversity by using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified sources for their scratch cards.

Laura Da Silva, director, DigitalRG.com said: “Every company needs to think beyond short-term profit in order to be sustainable in the long term. This is one of the reasons why ESG issues are rising in importance. With pressure from media, regulators, investors, players or even their own employees, more companies are recognising the need to understand the impact that they have on all stakeholders – including the environment – and aim towards a net-positive impact.”

She added: “In order to understand the key issues on which the industry needs to focus, business leaders can visit www.digitalrg.com/industry-materiality to complete a personalised materiality assessment.

“This will be used as part of the ICE365/Digitalrg.com Materiality Matrix, which will provide the most accurate picture of the ESG elements that the gambling industry will be prioritising over the next 12-months.” All information collected through the materiality assessment will be strictly confidential, and only used to compile the industry-wide Materiality Matrix.

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