As a complement to the initiatives carried out with our suppliers, we encourage the adoption of sustainability certification. These systems follow a benchmark with environmental and/or social requirements that are verified by external entities and can cover one or more ingredients, the product itself and/or the packaging thereof. This certification ensures that good environmental practices are implemented in the value chain (guaranteeing that there has been no deforestation or conversion of high conservation value ecosystems, or that production processes to mitigate pollution are best in class) and/or that human rights principles are respected, confirming, for instance, that there is no child labour or forced labour, or that fair payment is made to the producer. Specific symbols and labelling are also used at the point of sale to facilitate the communication of these attributes to consumers, raising their awareness and encouraging them to opt for certified products.
Our goal is to ensure that at least 7% of sales of perishables and Private Brand products and/or packaging is sustainably certified and that such certification is communicated at the point of sale. In 2023, 13.4% of the sales of products in these categories came from products and/or packaging with sustainability certification (5 p.p. more than in 2022, the largest annual increase recorded to date).
Sales of private brand and perishable products with sustainability certification
by banner (2023)
A total of 1,494 references were certified under these systems1 in 2023, an increase of more than 65% compared to 2022.
Many certification systems are associated with paper fibres from sustainably managed forests (FSC®, PEFC or SFI), the organic production of food products, and the OEKO-TEX Made in Green certification of the textiles we market. These systems are related to the adoption of good agricultural and industrial production practices and ensure good labour practices.
We thus ended the 2021-2023 cycle with the sale of Private Brand products and perishables with sustainability certification accounting for sales 6.4 p.p. above the 7% target previously set. This increase results, above all, from the efforts of our teams to promote sustainability practices, both by identifying new suppliers that have already adopted them, and by encouraging existing suppliers to adopt them, remembering the importance of ensuring access for the vast majority of our consumers to products with these characteristics, ensuring their democratization.
Sales of private brand and perishable products with sustainability certification
(2021-2023)
Certification of these products implies the adoption of internal management practices and the identification of suppliers along the supply chain who can satisfy the requirements of these systems. To this end, we have established an ongoing and close working relationship with our suppliers. As a result of these efforts, 440 new certified sustainable products were launched in 2023. Around 85% of the suppliers who supply us with these products have maintained their relationship with our Companies since 2021.
1 Detailed information about sustainability certified products by certification type and Company is available on our corporate website on the Certified Products page.