action

In a world where information is everywhere, talk is cheap. But where does it lead? From climate change to the loss of biodiversity; from food waste to decarbonisation – there are a lot of challenges to address. Instead of talking about them, at Jerónimo Martins we choose to take action.

And we have taken several steps towards a cleaner value chain. By the end of 2023, 430 of our stores in Portugal and Poland had charging points for electric and hybrid vehicles. We ended the year with almost 780 stores and distribution centres in Poland, Portugal and Colombia equipped with photovoltaic panels for self-consumption.

A better energy mix

We plan to accelerate our investments in cleaner technologies. Biedronka aims to have solar panels in all distribution centres and in around 2,000 stores by the end of 2024. We are also replacing refrigeration equipment with technologies that use natural or low global warming potential refrigerant gases. In 2023, 52% of our stores and 67% of our distribution centres and industrial units had this technology for refrigeration equipment.

Our ambition

Fighting food waste

Whatever their shape, colour or appearance, all foods that meet food safety requirements have a place in our operations. The soups we produce in Portugal and Poland, which are available in the stores, incorporate non calibrated foods, known as “ugly” vegetables, whose nutritional profile is the same as that of calibrated products – we are talking of carrots, onions or potatoes, for instance. Also, the cut and washed, ready-to-use packed vegetables sold in Pingo Doce and Recheio stores in Portugal, are also obtained from these “ugly” vegetables.

Food donations

Surplus food that meets safety standards but, for some reason, cannot be sold is donated to charitable organisations. It is through our stores and distribution centres that we donate food to these institutions, with priority given to those working with the elderly, children and disadvantaged young people. In 2023, 19,000 tonnes of food were donated.

Protecting biodiversity

We share the world with a huge variety of living beings – plants, animals, fungi, bacteria. Each one is doing its job 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We don’t realise all the work that is going on around us, but it is their existence that guarantees ours. Loss of biodiversity is therefore one of the greatest challenges humanity faces, with multi-dimensional impacts and also on the food sector. In 2023 we invested more than 600,000 euros to support 14 projects to restore natural habitats, protect biodiversity and raise environmental awareness.

Support for endangered species in Poland

The project that Biedronka supports since 2021, promotes the protection of six endangered species: wolf, lynx, European bison, dolphin, Eurasian pygmy owl and hedgehog. In 2023, Biedronka supported the purchase of equipment to save hedgehogs in rehabilitation centres and the development of the Polish Red List of Species website, a joint work by the Polish IUCN Commission, the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Salamander – Polish Society for Nature Conservation.

Green heart of cork

Developed and coordinated by ANP | WWF with the support of the Jerónimo Martins Group, since 2011 this project has been promoting the conservation of Portuguese cork oak forests and payment for the environmental services they provide. In 2023 we contributed to the conservation of more than 800 hectares of high conservation value forests.

Promoting ecodesign

Packaging is the first point of contact consumers have with a product. Designing a package is much more than just creating something that catches the eye on the shelf. It is safe to say that when it comes to products, the outside also matters. To reduce the environmental impact and optimise production, transport and waste management costs of product packaging, we have been implementing our own ecodesign project for more than ten years.

In addition, more than 80% of the paper and wood used for packaging in 2023 was recycled. As for the virgin fibres used in our private brand products, around 90% had a sustainability certification (FSC^®, PEFC or SFI), meaning that the fibres come from sustainably managed forests.