Savant Talks: Nisrene Haddad on Meeting Net Zero Goals

Welcome to our latest blog featuring Nisrene Haddad, the CSR Director for Manutan Group, who is at the forefront of driving sustainability initiatives and paving the way to meet net zero goals within the company. With an illustrious career spanning across various sectors including oil and gas, Nisrene’s journey to her current role is a testament to her passion for making a meaningful impact. In this exclusive interview, she shares insights into her career trajectory, highlights successes, and outlines strategies for integrating sustainability into the corporate fabric of Manutan Group.

Tell us about your career so far. How did you get to Manutan Group?

So I started my career in a very different sector from where I am today. I worked in the oil and gas industry for a few years before deciding to take a step back and do an MBA at the Rotterdam School of Management. It was during this time that I met inspiring peers and sustainability pioneers that made me rethink the next steps I wanted to take in my career. Post graduation, I had a wonderful opportunity to work for a market leader wanting to make a real change and integrate sustainability into their business. The experience I gained at Wavin working closely with the various teams in understanding the challenges and finding practical ways to make sustainability work got me hooked. I have not looked back since and continued to work in various industries from manufacturing to chemicals and packaging and learning how each industry has its challenges and unique sustainability opportunities and solutions. Which brings me to today where with the Manutan group, I am working with my colleagues to understand how we as a distributor can integrate sustainability into our value chain and drive positive impact with both suppliers and customers. 

You are leading the corporate social responsibility strategy at Manutan Group. Could you highlight successes & what to avoid?

At Manutan,  we have made a clear commitment across the board that we want to set and meet Net Zero carbon emission targets aligned with the IPCC recommendations and use g the Science Based Target initiative guidelines. Climate change is an undeniable phenomenon that is impacting us today and will continue to cause havoc and challenges across the globe. As a distributor, we rely primarily on the products of our suppliers and the choices of our customers, so this means, we have to play a key role in engaging our partners both upstream and downstream to reduce the carbon emissions along our value chain.

We have started to do this by providing transparency on the carbon and environmental footprint of products through our PEIS (product environmental impact score) where we rely on a standardised approach, the EU Product Environmental Footprint methodology, to calculate at the product level a score from A to E (similar to the nutriscore) that will guide customers to make a responsible purchasing decision. At the same time, the PEIS tool can be used by our suppliers to incorporate ecodesign principles into their manufacturing and further reduce the environmental impact of their products. Another key initiative is of course the circular services we just launched. We know that on average 80% of a product carbon footprint is linked to the processing of the raw materials. Therefore, and if we want to meet our net zero goals, we need to reuse the products we sell. So today, we are happy to take back all products (not only Manutan) from our customers at their end of life so we can refurbish and resell them. We hope with these 2 key initiatives we are able to address a key challenge facing our industry today.

Which brands/retailers/organisations impress you winning in this sector of sustainability and meeting Net Zero goals? 

I believe companies such as Patagonia and Interface have truly found their unique way to transform their business model to meet future challenges. Whether it is being a brand synonymous with open repairability of their products or carpet tiles that are recycled while maintaining high performance and quality both companies proved that customer loyalty will not shy away from a product that clearly embodies the triple bottom line.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Nisrene Haddad for providing invaluable insights into the world of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Her dedication to driving positive change within Manutan Group serves as an inspiration to us all.

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainability and engaging in meaningful discussions with others like Nisrene, be sure to join us at our upcoming events. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect, share ideas, and collaborate towards a more sustainable future!