Q&A: How Flying Tiger Makes Circularity Key to Value Creation
Author: Thorfinn Stainforth
The Environmental Defense Fund is highlighting businesses that are advancing serious steps toward reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while building strong, profitable businesses in a series of leader interviews. These businesses have seized the opportunity to innovate with circular economic principles, renewable energy and leading technologies to provide the goods and services people need today. EDF’s Helen Spence-Jackson interviews Trine Pondal, Director of Sustainability & Social Responsibility at Flying Tiger Copenhagen, below in the first interview of the series.
Journey to Sustainability
Helen: Thank you for joining us today, Trine. I’d like to start by learning a bit more about your personal journey. You have an academic background in circular economy, and I’m curious to hear how that path led you to your current role at Flying Tiger. How has your educational experience supported your work here?
Trine: My academic journey began with a degree in ethnology, which focuses on cultural science. From there, I transitioned into corporate communications. However, after gaining experience in that field, I sought a more challenging role, which led me to sustainability. I initially worked in sustainability-related training and communications, but I soon realized that I needed a stronger foundation to make a meaningful impact. In 2016, I enrolled in one of the first MBAs in circular economy. The knowledge I gained from this program has become the cornerstone of my work at Flying Tiger, especially when paired with my understanding of culture and change management.
Helen: It’s fascinating to see how your background has contributed to sustainability at Flying Tiger. Can you tell us what drove the company to adopt sustainability initiatives? Was it primarily your leadership, investor demands, or other factors?
Trine: The drive for sustainability at Flying Tiger has largely been led by our leadership team. There’s a shared understanding within the company that this is the right thing to do, as well as a recognition of global trends. In fact, there have been instances where my CEO has read climate reports before I’ve had the chance to. It’s not up for debate whether sustainability is a necessity—it’s both a moral and business imperative. If we don’t prioritize this, we simply won’t survive as a company.
Operationalizing Sustainability and Redefining Eco-Conscious Products
Helen: I imagine it’s not just about setting goals; it must be essential to integrate sustainability throughout the company. How do you engage employees beyond the core sustainability team in these efforts?
Trine: Absolutely. In fact, we’ve been consistently training both internal staff and external partners, such as suppliers, since I joined Flying Tiger five years ago. We hold training sessions at least once a week. These sessions cover topics like circular economy, material inputs, the challenges with plastics, and the benefits of renewable and recycled materials. We also offer masterclasses tailored to specific departments, such as our economics and e-commerce marketing teams. Additionally, we’ve developed tangible tools for our commercial teams to operationalize sustainability, especially in purchasing behaviors. Since we deal with physical products, it’s crucial to make sustainability as practical and hands-on as possible.
Helen: Speaking of practical applications, I know that Flying Tiger has developed its own eco-conscious product definition. Can you elaborate on how this definition was developed and the reaction from your suppliers?
Trine:
“When we began this journey, we realized there were no existing tools that met our specific needs. We wanted to guide our buying teams toward more sustainable products while ensuring the criteria were measurable. We also chose to call it “eco-conscious” rather than “sustainable,” because, frankly, nothing in our business is fully sustainable. The definition is based on the materials used in our products—95% or more of the material must be renewable, highly recyclable, or recycled.
We’ve also added a “neutral” category for materials like ceramics or stone, which have minimal environmental impact. Electronics were also considered, as they’re essential for the modern world. Our goal is to ensure we use the best, most necessary electronics, like chargers, and avoid unnecessary gadgets. This approach allows us to track progress—we moved from 32% to 36% eco-conscious products over the last year.
In terms of supplier reactions, the sustainability knowledge among our suppliers, mainly Chinese trading houses, is still relatively low. However, we’ve engaged in ongoing discussions and training to bring them along on this journey. The key is ensuring that our commercial and design teams fully understand the eco-conscious definition, as they are the ones who engage directly with suppliers.
Innovative Supplier Training Approaches
Helen: I’m curious about the training you provide to suppliers. Could you share some of the innovative methods you’ve implemented?
Trine: One of the benefits of working in retail is that we can make sustainability very tangible. During training sessions, I often bring a selection of products—20 to 30 items—and after the training, we engage in a hands-on exercise called “play the sustainability team.” Suppliers assess each product through our lens, determining whether it meets the eco-conscious criteria and identifying opportunities for improvement, such as eliminating plastic or improving material separability. This approach helps them see sustainability from our perspective, and it’s effective because it’s grounded in real products.
Highlights and Challenges of the Sustainability Journey
Helen: Reflecting on your journey at Flying Tiger, what has been the most rewarding aspect for you?
Trine: The most rewarding part is seeing sustainability embedded within the company culture. When colleagues suggest eco-friendly ideas, like replacing plastic dice with wooden ones in our games, it’s incredibly satisfying. It shows that we’re making a tangible impact and working together toward our sustainability goals.
Helen: And what has been the most challenging aspect?
Trine: Patience. There’s always so much more to be done, and it’s easy to focus on what’s still left to achieve. However, each year when we review our progress, I’m often surprised at how far we’ve come. It’s a constant reminder to celebrate the small wins while remaining focused on the long-term goals.
Key Partnerships
Helen: Partnerships are crucial in sustainability efforts. Could you tell us about any key partnerships Flying Tiger has formed?
Trine: One of our most important partnerships has been with Plastic Change, a Danish NGO. Since a significant portion of our emissions comes from plastic, we partnered with them to deepen our knowledge of the plastic agenda. This three-year partnership has provided invaluable insights and resources, including training videos that we continue to use for onboarding new colleagues in our commercial teams. Bringing in external experts can also help amplify messages that our internal sustainability team is already communicating, as it sometimes opens ears in a way that internal voices cannot.
Advice for Other Professionals
Helen: What advice would you give to sustainability professionals looking to lead similar efforts in their companies?
Trine:
“Don’t underestimate the power of communication and training. You can set ambitious sustainability targets, but if no one else in the company understands why they’re important or what their role is in achieving them, nothing will change.
It’s essential to operationalize these goals—create clear, tangible definitions and tools that your colleagues can work with. And finally, it’s critical to have support from top management. Without it, your efforts will only go so far.
Shaping Policy for Industry Transformation
Helen: What is your vision for the future of circularity and sustainability in the retail sector? What would you like to see change on an industry-wide scale?
Trine:
“My dream is to see externalities—such as the environmental cost of pollution and climate impact—reflected in the price of products. I don’t believe consumer behavior alone will drive the necessary changes, but if these external costs were accounted for in product pricing, it would fundamentally alter how consumers make purchasing decisions.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure the European Commission fully grasps the importance of integrating these externalities into product pricing, but I believe legislation will be key in driving this shift. Time is of the essence, and we need to act fast to address the climate crisis.
There is no need to slow down climate ambition for the sake of business – in fact, businesses are showing that emissions cuts do not come at the expense of economic prosperity. Explore our suite of free resources to learn about how you can act on your climate goals today.
