The Jerónimo Martins Group Sustainability Statement was prepared in accordance with the ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards) as outlined in the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive). In subchapter “Reporting frameworks” of this chapter, we aim at relating this Statement with other sustainability standards, namely GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board), and IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards Sustainability). This approach allows for greater interoperability and comparability of information, ensuring that the Statement meets the expectations of various stakeholders, among which current and potential investors. It also provides additional sustainability information required by other legislation and specific methodologies for reporting non-financial information.
How to read this report?
The following pages of this report refer to the Jerónimo Martins Group’s1 value chain, including identified impacts, risks and opportunities upstream, downstream, and within own operations.
In specific cases, we may omit information due to “intellectual property, know-how, or the results of innovation”, as described in the ESRS. When this happens, the note is explicitly stated in the respective indicator.
As part of our business strategy and reporting, aligned with the principle of sustainable development, this Statement was prepared on a consolidated basis, considering the same scope as that of the financial statements. Referring to the year 2025 (from 1 January to 31 December), this report includes the Companies of the Group, namely the Jerónimo Martins’ holding and its subsidiaries.
All subsidiary undertakings included in the consolidation are exempt from the requirement to prepare individual or consolidated sustainability reports. In the case of the Group’s Companies with operations in the European Union – whose size would otherwise make them subject to mandatory sustainability reporting requirements –, such entities are exempt because the parent company (Jerónimo Martins, SGPS, S.A.) prepares and publishes consolidated sustainability information in this Sustainability Statement. For Group Companies operating outside the European Union, such as Ara, there is currently no regulatory requirement to prepare sustainability statements, as this report is developed on a consolidated and voluntary basis in the present Statement.
The time horizon considered in this report is the same as the one in the financial statements. The Jerónimo Martins Group assesses impacts, risks, and opportunities across the time frames defined by ESRS 1: short-term (one year), medium-term (two to five years), and long-term (more than five years).
The indicators reported in this Sustainability Statement are based on actual data collected through internal sources and databases. We acknowledge that, in the disclosure of quantitative information, there may be instances where approximations and estimates are used to determine certain metrics, for example information derived from the value chain that is used to calculate Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. The Group also uses conversion factors obtained from external sources. The values of these factors may change over time as a result of technological developments or advances in scientific knowledge (e.g., greenhouse gas emission factors used to convert operational activity data into carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, or soy conversion factors used to estimate commodities associated with deforestation risk), among other factors. These external dependencies may affect the estimates, as well as the potential variability between projections and verified data.
To enhance the transparency and facilitate the understanding of the information disclosed, we identify, where applicable, the calculation methodology, including approximations, emission factors and criteria applied, as well as any methodological changes or developments in the preparation of the information. The same applies to cases where the scope of Companies considered varies from those of the financial statements.
Indicators that involve significant estimates or judgements, including those that depend on value chain data, may present future differences compared with the estimates initially communicated. Such variations do not necessarily reflect a change in performance, but rather improvements in methodologies, enhancements in data sources, or an increase in the level of granularity and coverage. The quantitative metrics or monetary values disclosed are not subject to a high level of estimation uncertainty.
The scope of sustainability indicators and information disclosed in this Statement has been significantly expanded to comply with the requirements of the CSRD and the ESRS. These requirements were implemented for the first time in 2024, although the CSRD has not yet been transposed into national law in Portugal, where the Group’s registered office is located. This report includes data and information to meet the revised reporting standards. Where changes were made to practices or errors from previous reporting periods were identified, these are clearly described in the specific sections where the topics are discussed. Until the final publication of the report on the corporate website, the information provided will also be reviewed whenever deemed important and necessary to ensure its accuracy and reliability. Moreover, updates will be made on the dedicated 2025 annual report website, where warranted.
Our policies, strategy and targets have been distributed across the several dimensions of the ESG formula, in line with the recommendations of the ESRS. Our commitment to transparency in corporate reporting, reinforced by our presence in over 180 sustainability indices, translates into our continuous efforts to improving the quality and granularity of the data reported year-on-year. For this reason, this Sustainability Statement provides the mandatory detailed information regarding topics identified as material, as well as a set of actions and indicators related to topics that, although not reaching the materiality threshold, we nevertheless consider relevant for our business and/or at least for some of our stakeholders. A clear distinction between the mandatory information and the voluntary information is ensured using a specific iconography next to the titles/subtitles of each section:
The Sustainability Statement is subject to a limited assurance review conducted by the Group’s appointed external and independent auditor. This review process involves evaluating the accuracy and reliability of the information presented, providing additional credibility and confidence in the reported data.
The tables of ESRS Disclosure Requirements incorporated by reference and the ESRS datapoints associated with other EU legislation are provided in “Annexes”.
For more information about the basis for preparation of this report, please refer to “Basis for presentation”, and “Information on Shareholder Structure, Organisation and Corporate Governance”.
1 The Jerónimo Martins Group’s value chain diagram is shown in “Value chain”.