An interview with LCBO President & CEO George Soleas

As a purpose-led organization, LCBO has made significant progress over the past year through our commitment to sustainability, industry collaboration, and community investment. We believe in every action for the good of Ontario. This is why we are proud to launch our 2024/2025 Spirit of Sustainability Impact Report and share more about our sustainability journey.

To dig in deeper to what this means and where we are headed, we spoke with our President & CEO, George Soleas, about LCBO’s impact and his vision for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

How are Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards evolving LCBO’s sustainability strategy?
When LCBO opened its doors in 1927, just after the end of the Prohibition, our mission was to regulate the sale of alcohol, to improve the industry and promote better drinking habits to keep Ontarians safe. Corporate Social Responsibility is woven into our DNA. Over time, and especially in the last decade with high customer expectations in trust and transparency, our vision has evolved through industry collaboration, community investment, and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion across all parts of the business.

In 2018, we launched our Spirit of Sustainability social impact platform to create a more sustainable future for Ontario by supporting the province’s social and environmental needs. In addition to our multi-billion-dollar dividend each year to the province, we are proud that this past year we have provided $12.5 million in charitable donations.

We also made the strategic decision to elevate the platform to align with our ESG standards and continue to build momentum in creating ambitious targets for the next five years. This evolution allows us to be more transparent, accountable, and proactive in addressing challenges and opportunities ahead.

What are the new priorities under ESG and how are they embedded into the organization?
Our Spirit of Sustainability platform pillars – Good People, Good Planet and Good Partnerships – stay the same, and environmental stewardship remains a cornerstone our business as we continue to reduce our carbon footprint and promote innovative practices. Under ESG, we have newly refined material topics with a focus on Climate Change, Waste Management & Packaging, Community Impact, DEI & Wellness, Indigenous Peoples Partnerships and Sustainable & Responsible Procurement. As we embark on this transition, we remain focused on integrating environmental targets and elevating our social innovation across every facet of our operations.

What role do our employees, customers and partners play in becoming more sustainable?

Listening to our employees and customers is important. Our employees, customers and our partners have been with us every step of the way as we grew to be one of the largest wholesalers and retailers of beverage alcohol in the world. I am proud to lead an organization where employees are invested in our impactful fundraising campaigns and have a voice on the issues and topics that matter to them when it comes to the charitable partners we support.

Working with suppliers, advocacy groups, and leading community institutions, we have advanced priority initiatives and strengthened sustainability standards. This past year alone, 93% of Retail Service Centre waste was diverted from landfills, 74% of containers were returned by customers through the Ontario Deposit Return program funded by the LCBO, and over 615,000 quality assurance tests were performed through the LCBO Lab on over 27,000 product samples. These are shared accomplishments. We could not do all of this and more without the support of employees, customers and our strong partnerships driving industry-wide change.

After close to three decades at the LCBO, what makes you the proudest when it comes to sustainability and social impact?

Our social impact measures are so deeply woven into the fabric of our business; they guide us in every decision we make. In an industry that thrives on celebration and connection, we have a profound responsibility to our communities, our employees, our partners, and our environment.

I’m proud of our efforts to promote safe and informed consumption, helping to ensure that enjoyment, no matter the occasion, always goes hand in hand with responsibility. More than that, we’ve made meaningful strides in building a more equitable industry where everyone has a seat at the table, and we know that long-term success means doing right by our planet.

What brings it all together, and what makes me most proud, is seeing LCBO team members across the province embrace this important work and believe in our initiatives so strongly. That shared commitment is the real engine behind our impact.

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Learn more about how we drive equitable change in our communities and our evolved ESG plan in the latest Impact Report.