Environmental audits are carried out during the selection of perishables and Private Brand suppliers and service providers, and throughout the business relationship. We assess water quality, packaging, effluents, waste, emissions into the atmosphere, and hazardous substances, among other aspects.
For selection audits, environmental criteria are given the same weight as food safety and quality items and are therefore equally relevant in the approval of a supplier. In 2025, a total of 122 new suppliers were assessed and approved after meeting both criteria.
Around 100 requirements are assessed in the follow-up environmental audits of perishables and Private Brand suppliers and service providers. Supplier performance1 is categorised into one of four levels: Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Inadequate.
Audits of perishables and Private Brand suppliers are carried out by an external entity, and the selection of suppliers for audit are based on the following criteria:
the volume of purchases made by our Companies (more than one million euros in the 2024-2026 period);
the results of previous audit;
the significance of the environmental impacts of suppliers’ activities;
the environmental risk in the country of supply.
For services providers, audits are conducted by internal teams, prioritising those whose activities may have a higher environmental impact2. Suppliers and service providers with a score of “Inadequate” are given a corrective action plan that must be implemented within no more than six months. The status of implementation is measured in a second audit, carried out the following year. We reserve the right to suspend cooperation in cases where the action plan is not complied with. Improvement plans are presented in cases where nonconformities or partial conformities are identified.
In 2025, a total of 141 perishables and Private Brand suppliers were audited, including re-audits3 (40 in Colombia, 50 in Poland and 51 in Portugal). Of the suppliers audited, 34 were ISO 14001 certified, equivalent to a score of “Excellent”. We also audited 67 service providers (20 in Colombia, 26 in Poland and 21 in Portugal).
Environmental audits - distribution of suppliers of perishable goods, private label and exclusive brands, by performance levels
Environmental audits - distribution of service providers by performance levels
In total, more than 200 environmental audits were carried out to perishables and Private Brand suppliers and service providers, in line with our commitment to conduct environmental audits of at least 20% of selected perishables and Private Brand suppliers, based on a risk assessment and a purchasing volume greater than one million euros in the 2024-2026 period. For more information on these targets, see “2024-2026 Commitments”.
1 Assessment scores are determined as followed: (i) Excellent: compliance with 100% of the critical requirements and compliance with more than 94% of the Satisfactory level requirements, plus a compliance of between 71% and 85% with the Good level requirements and at least 70% of the Excellent level requirements, or compliance with 100% of the critical requirements and the existence of a certified environmental management system; (ii) Good: compliance with 100% of the critical requirements and compliance with between 85% and 94% of the Satisfactory level requirements, plus compliance with 70% of the Good level requirements; (iii) Satisfactory: compliance with 100% of the critical requirements and compliance with between 70% and 84% of the Satisfactory level requirements and; (iv) Inadequate: non-compliance with one or more critical requirements and/or compliance with less than 70% of the Satisfactory level requirements.
2 Production and supply of equipment, transportation, refrigeration and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), waste management operators, installation and maintenance of treatment systems, and printing shops.
3 New audits of suppliers that obtained a score of “Inadequate” in the first audit. They serve to assess the extent to which the improvement plan has been implemented.