With the aim of reducing the impacts of its activities and contributing to the protection of biodiversity in the countries where we operate, the Jerónimo Martins Group develops a set of concrete initiatives, complemented by both ongoing and one‑off monetary support. The table below presents a brief description of the most relevant actions, outlining their scope within our value chain (upstream, own operations or downstream) and the internal policies that support them, ensuring alignment with the Group’s objectives.
Each action is classified according to the four levels of the AR3T1 mitigation hierarchy – avoid, reduce, restore & regenerate, and transform – proposed by the Science‑Based Targets Network (SBTN), which establishes a prioritisation order for addressing the negative effects of companies on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Initiative |
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Scope on the value chain |
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Actions |
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Mitigation hierarchy |
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Associated policies |
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Fighting deforestation |
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Upstream |
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Ensure that palm oil, soy, paper, timber and beef present in our Private Brand products and perishables are not associated with deforestation or ecosystem conversion (DCF – Deforestation and Conversion‑Free) |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Prioritise sourcing with sustainability certification (e.g., RSPO, RTRS, FSC®) whenever commodities originate from non‑negligible risk areas. |
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Avoid |
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Increase the traceability of commodities to the country or region‑of‑origin level. |
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Downstream |
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Invest in multi‑stakeholder initiatives aimed at supporting ecosystem preservation and regeneration – for example, Sustainable Landscapes in Mato Grosso (Brazil). |
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Restore & |
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Environmental Policy |
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Sustainable Fishing |
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Upstream |
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Identify the main species and FAO areas, assess the IUCN conservation status related to the species and the stocks that represent ≥80% of the Group’s Companies sales volume |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Own operations |
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Ensure alignment of sourcing teams with the Group’s Sustainable Fishing Strategy. |
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Upstream |
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Ensure traceability of the vessels supplying tuna species to the Group. |
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Assess fishing gear and its impacts on marine ecosystems. |
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Sustainable Agriculture1 |
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Upstream |
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Share agricultural best practices with suppliers of fruit, vegetables and flowers on farming operations in Portugal. |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Calculate the sustainability index of our suppliers’ farms and assess their level of alignment with the various environmental, agronomic, economic and social dimensions. |
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Avoid |
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Awareness‑raising, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem regeneration2 |
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Downstream |
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Support projects aligned with the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in Portugal, Poland and Colombia, the countries where we have our largest operations. |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Fighting climate change3 |
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Own operations |
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Invest in renewable‑energy generation technologies (e.g., photovoltaic panels). |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Transition to natural refrigerant gases with low global‑warming potential. |
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Invest in technologies and equipment with higher energy efficiency. |
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Promote the circular economy4. |
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Shift from fossil fuels to low‑carbon alternative solutions and increase logistics efficiency. |
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Pollution minimization5 |
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Direct operations |
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Monitor compliance with internal environmental management standards through internal audits of our stores, warehouses, distribution centres and operational units. |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Increase the number of sites with environmental certification (e.g., ISO 14001 and Global GAP). |
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Upstream |
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Carry out environmental audits of our Perishables and Private Brand suppliers and service providers. |
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Water Management6 |
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Own operations |
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Implement best practices for water use across our operations. |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Implement a mitigation and adaptation plan to improve water‑use efficiency and manage scarcity during low‑rainfall periods at JMA units. |
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Upstream |
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Carry out environmental audits of our Perishables and Private Brand suppliers and service providers. |
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Sustainability Certifications |
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Own operations |
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Increase sales of Private Brand and Perishable products and/or packaging with sustainability certifications7. |
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Avoid |
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Environmental Policy |
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Upstream |
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Promote the sustainability certification of our suppliers (e.g., RSPO, RTRS, Global G.A.P.)8. |
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Additionally, we participate in voluntary national and international business initiatives that contribute to the development of sustainability policies and practices focused on biodiversity protection, consistent with our values framework, the public commitments we have made, and the actions implemented in the countries where we operate.
1 The Action Framework (AR3T), developed by the SBTN and grounded in the mitigation hierarchy, provides a structured approach for managing companies’ environmental impacts. This framework establishes an order of priorities for addressing the negative effects of business activities on biodiversity and ecosystems. It guides companies to avoid and reduce the pressures that lead to nature loss, regenerate & restore ecosystems, enabling nature to recover and transform the underlying systems in which companies operate, addressing the structural drivers of nature degradation.