Written by Valentina Romagnoli (BiPRO) Barbara Stoifl (AEA Austrian Environmental Agency) and
Anke Joas (BiPRO) ndash 19 December 2017
Environment
Monitoring of REAP
commitments amp technical support for Retail Forum issue
papers
Service contract No 0702012016736900SERVENVB1
Contribution of the REAP signatories to the Circular
Economy and the environmental hotspots
Final Report 2017
Monitoring of REAP commitments amp technical support for Retail Forum issue papers
Service contract No 0702012016736900SERVENVB1
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Environment Directorate B mdash Circular Economy and Green Growth Unit B1 mdash Sustainable Production Products and Consumption
European Commission B-1049 Brussels
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Environment Directorate B mdash Circular Economy and Green Growth
2017
REAP 2016-2018
Contribution of the REAP signatories to the Circular
Economy and the
environmental hotspots
Final Report 2017
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (httpwwweuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
ISBN [number] doi[number] copy European Union 2017
Printed in [Country]
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REAP REPORT 2017 5
Content INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1
PRODUCTION PHASE 2
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE 4
CONSUMPTION 5
END-OF-LIFE 6
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS 7
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS 10
AHOLD DELHAIZE 11
APED 12
AUCHAN 13
CARREFOUR 14
COLRUYT 16
COOP (ITALY) 17
COOP NORWAY 19
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS 20
ICA 22
IKEA 24
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS 25
KAUFLAND 26
KFCOOP SVERIGE 28
LIDL 29
MARKS AND SPENCER 30
MERCADONA 31
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt 33
REWE GROUP 35
S-GROUP 36
SONAE 38
VAKCENTRUM 40
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR 42
ANNEX REAP commitments 2016 progress status and Store visit reports 2017
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
Monitoring of REAP commitments amp technical support for Retail Forum issue papers
Service contract No 0702012016736900SERVENVB1
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Environment Directorate B mdash Circular Economy and Green Growth Unit B1 mdash Sustainable Production Products and Consumption
European Commission B-1049 Brussels
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Environment Directorate B mdash Circular Economy and Green Growth
2017
REAP 2016-2018
Contribution of the REAP signatories to the Circular
Economy and the
environmental hotspots
Final Report 2017
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (httpwwweuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
ISBN [number] doi[number] copy European Union 2017
Printed in [Country]
PRINTED ON ELEMENTAL CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (ECF) PRINTED ON TOTALLY CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (TCF) PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER PRINTED ON PROCESS CHLORINE-FREE RECYCLED PAPER (PCF) Image(s) copy [artists name + image ] Year Source [Fotoliacom] (unless otherwise specified)
Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
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() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
REAP REPORT 2017 5
Content INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1
PRODUCTION PHASE 2
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE 4
CONSUMPTION 5
END-OF-LIFE 6
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS 7
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS 10
AHOLD DELHAIZE 11
APED 12
AUCHAN 13
CARREFOUR 14
COLRUYT 16
COOP (ITALY) 17
COOP NORWAY 19
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS 20
ICA 22
IKEA 24
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS 25
KAUFLAND 26
KFCOOP SVERIGE 28
LIDL 29
MARKS AND SPENCER 30
MERCADONA 31
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt 33
REWE GROUP 35
S-GROUP 36
SONAE 38
VAKCENTRUM 40
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR 42
ANNEX REAP commitments 2016 progress status and Store visit reports 2017
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Environment Directorate B mdash Circular Economy and Green Growth
2017
REAP 2016-2018
Contribution of the REAP signatories to the Circular
Economy and the
environmental hotspots
Final Report 2017
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (httpwwweuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
ISBN [number] doi[number] copy European Union 2017
Printed in [Country]
PRINTED ON ELEMENTAL CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (ECF) PRINTED ON TOTALLY CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (TCF) PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER PRINTED ON PROCESS CHLORINE-FREE RECYCLED PAPER (PCF) Image(s) copy [artists name + image ] Year Source [Fotoliacom] (unless otherwise specified)
Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
REAP REPORT 2017 5
Content INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1
PRODUCTION PHASE 2
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE 4
CONSUMPTION 5
END-OF-LIFE 6
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS 7
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS 10
AHOLD DELHAIZE 11
APED 12
AUCHAN 13
CARREFOUR 14
COLRUYT 16
COOP (ITALY) 17
COOP NORWAY 19
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS 20
ICA 22
IKEA 24
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS 25
KAUFLAND 26
KFCOOP SVERIGE 28
LIDL 29
MARKS AND SPENCER 30
MERCADONA 31
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt 33
REWE GROUP 35
S-GROUP 36
SONAE 38
VAKCENTRUM 40
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR 42
ANNEX REAP commitments 2016 progress status and Store visit reports 2017
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (httpwwweuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
ISBN [number] doi[number] copy European Union 2017
Printed in [Country]
PRINTED ON ELEMENTAL CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (ECF) PRINTED ON TOTALLY CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (TCF) PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER PRINTED ON PROCESS CHLORINE-FREE RECYCLED PAPER (PCF) Image(s) copy [artists name + image ] Year Source [Fotoliacom] (unless otherwise specified)
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REAP REPORT 2017 5
Content INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1
PRODUCTION PHASE 2
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE 4
CONSUMPTION 5
END-OF-LIFE 6
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS 7
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS 10
AHOLD DELHAIZE 11
APED 12
AUCHAN 13
CARREFOUR 14
COLRUYT 16
COOP (ITALY) 17
COOP NORWAY 19
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS 20
ICA 22
IKEA 24
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS 25
KAUFLAND 26
KFCOOP SVERIGE 28
LIDL 29
MARKS AND SPENCER 30
MERCADONA 31
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt 33
REWE GROUP 35
S-GROUP 36
SONAE 38
VAKCENTRUM 40
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR 42
ANNEX REAP commitments 2016 progress status and Store visit reports 2017
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 5
Content INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1
PRODUCTION PHASE 2
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE 4
CONSUMPTION 5
END-OF-LIFE 6
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS 7
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS 10
AHOLD DELHAIZE 11
APED 12
AUCHAN 13
CARREFOUR 14
COLRUYT 16
COOP (ITALY) 17
COOP NORWAY 19
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS 20
ICA 22
IKEA 24
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS 25
KAUFLAND 26
KFCOOP SVERIGE 28
LIDL 29
MARKS AND SPENCER 30
MERCADONA 31
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt 33
REWE GROUP 35
S-GROUP 36
SONAE 38
VAKCENTRUM 40
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR 42
ANNEX REAP commitments 2016 progress status and Store visit reports 2017
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 1
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform
aims to reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector and its supply chain to promote
more sustainable products and to better inform consumers about green purchasing
opportunities Membership in the Retail Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join the
Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The Retail Forum for Sustainability launched in 2009 as
a voluntary multi-stakeholder platform aims to reduce
the environmental impact of the retail sector and its
supply chain to promote more sustainable products
and to better inform consumers about green
purchasing opportunities Membership in the Retail
Forum is voluntary and open to all retailers who join
the Retailers Environmental Action Plan (REAP)
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the
current REAP signatoriesrsquo commitments and
achievements which address the most relevant
environmental hotspots in each product life cycle
phase to provide insights on how REAP members are
contributing to a more circular economy and
summarize the topics which are considered most
relevant on a future perspective
In 2016 21 retailers over 26 REAP signatories have set
out a total of 179 commitments with different target
years The commitments have been analysed grouped
by topic and allocated to four life cycle phases
An assessment of the commitments of each REAP
signatory has been performed in order to evaluate the
alignment with the most significant environmental
impact categories and hotspots for the retail sector
based on the results of the OEF retail screening report
in the context of the EU Organization Environmental
Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots1
The outcomes of the individual assessments have been
shared directly with the retailers in order to trigger a
fruitful exchange on the most relevant environmental
topics and hotspots already addressed or which need
to be addressed more systematically to obtain a
comprehensive view of the retailersrsquo actions towards a
circular economy and to explore the existing barriers as
well as the future options and opportunities
1OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015 The
Organisation Environmental Footprint is an harmonised methodology
for the calculation of the environmental footprint of organisations
developed by the DG Environment the European Commissions Joint
Research Centre (JRC IES) and other European Commission services
with the aim of enabling Member States and the private sector to
assess display and benchmark the environmental performance of
companies based on a comprehensive assessment of environmental
impacts over the life-cycle
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
As of October 2017 73 of retailers that set out
commitments (16 out of 21) provided data on the
progress achieved In total 157 commitments have
been assessed and overall nearly half of them have
reached the set targets (42) More detailed results
show that 68 of the commitments with target year
2016 and 31 with target year 2017 have been
achieved For those commitments with timeline
ongoing or not indicated so far 67 have been
already implemented while understandably for a
timeline 2018 or beyond only a minor part is already
accomplished (16)
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
2 REAP REPORT 2017
2OEF retail screening report in the context of the EU Organization
Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) Pilots April 2015
PRODUCTION PHASE The production phase can have relevant environmental impacts and
can be addressed either through improved product design or more
sustainable production processes Many of the REAP commitments
set out for the year 2016 and beyond are focused on the Production
phase with a total of 50 commitments (28 of the total number)
The OEF study2 reports that the highest contributions to the
environmental impact of the production phase come from the food
products in particular meat and meat alternatives and dairy
products responsible for land use water and soil pollution The
2016 REAP commitments however are mainly focused on palm oil
wood and paper seafood and packaging
PRODUCT DESIGN
Product eco-design represents a key challenge in the
production phase and a key action area for the
retailers since it influences all the productrsquos life cycle
phases The EU Circular Economy Action Plan suggests
different measures to foster better product design
Efforts should be put in making products more durable
or easier to repair improving their upgradability and
recyclability as well as the efficiency and the
environmental performance of energy-related
products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 7 out of 21 retailers are active with 12
commitments in this field addressing mainly the
optimization of packaging with regard to volume
composition and use of recycled or renewable
materials Adopted measures include packaging
designed with lighter materials the reduction or
elimination of unnecessary over-packaging the
introduction of refillable packaging and the elimination
of PVC
Additional initiatives
The direct exchange with the REAP signatories
highlighted that product and packaging design is one
of the most widely addressed issues Initiatives aimed
at improving packaging shape in order to maximise the
load capacity while reducing the amount of materials
used have already been implemented A strong
cooperation with the suppliersproducers is in place
and constantly pushed forward by the retailers
Future developments
The current challenge on this field appears to be the
substitution of the most widely used fish packaging the
expanded polystyrene boxes REAP members are
currently involved in different research projects in
order to find a suitable and more sustainable
substitute
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
More than one third (48) of the
commitments on the production phase where
progress data were provided have been
already achieved by end of 2016 The share of
achieved commitments is nearly the same for
the subtopic ldquoSustainable sourcingrdquo (51) For
the topic ldquoEco-designrdquo the share of achieved
commitments is slightly lower with 29
Figure 1 Contribution of REAP commitments to product design
divided into sub-topics
8
75
17
Bags
Packaging
Sustainable
products
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 3
3The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a civil organization that
promotes responsible production processing and trading of soy on a
global level httpwwwresponsiblesoyorg
PRODUCTION PROCESSES (SUSTAINABLE SOURCINGPRODUCTS)
Even for products or materials designed in a smart
way inefficient use of resources in production
processes can lead to missed business opportunities
and significant waste generation
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan are to improve the use of
resources and sustainable sourcing in production
processes to foster the cooperation across the value
chain to promote innovative industrial processes and
the remanufacturing of products
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active with 38
commitments in this field focusing mainly on palm oil
seafood and sustainable woodfibres The majority of
the commitments regard in particular the increase of
the sale of certifiedlabelled products (eg EU Eco-
Label FSC etc) the purchase of fair-trade cotton or
the substitution of palm oil the establishment of
binding requirements and guidelines within the supply
chain typically addressed by means of good
agricultural and fishing practices
Additional initiatives
Many REAP members are implementing activities on
the topic ldquomeatrdquo The actions implemented address for
instance the use of more sustainable cattle fodder (eg
RTRS certified soy locally grown plant proteins GMO-
free feed) the implementation of life cycle assessments
aimed at providing the meat with the Environmental
Product Declaration (EPD) the elimination of
antibiotics in livestock farming and the promotion of
vegetarian alternatives in order to reduce the meat
intake
Future developments
Several REAP members confirmed that the topic meat
will be increasingly addressed in the future Most of
them will continue their efforts on sustainable
agriculture reducing the use of pesticides and
supporting the diffusion of organic farming
Figure 2 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
sustainable sourcing divided into sub-topics
3 3
26
5
10
3 3
16
26
5 Labelling
Organic products
Palm oil
Paper use
Seafood
Stakeholder dialogue
Supply chain
Sustainable materials
Sustainable products
Wood fibers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
4 REAP REPORT 2017
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
35 of the targets where progress data were
provided (40 out of 50) have been already
achieved by end of 2016 As regards the
achievement of commitments set out under the
topic ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo more
than a third (36) has been accomplished
Concerning the topic ldquoWaterrdquo the single set out
target is currently in progress
DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS RETAIL PLACE This life cycle phase together with the Production owns the
highest number of reported REAP commitments for 2016 and
beyond It counts 50 commitments (28 of the total amount) that
almost entirely focus on the main topic ldquoEmissions and
(alternative) energyrdquo The highest contributions to the
environmental impact of this life cycle phase are given by the
transport of goods and the energy consumption together with
the use of refrigerants for cooling systems in the stores The 2016
REAP commitments address these hotspots focussing on actions
towards the increase of energy efficiency the reduction of carbon
emissions and the productionuse of renewable energy
CO2 ENERGY AND WATER
Even if the EU CE Action Plan does not suggest any
special measures targeting directly distribution
logistics and retail place the contribution to circular
economy in this field is substantial
Current REAP commitments
Currently 18 out of 21 retailers are active in this field
with 50 commitments The majority of the
commitments concern the reduction of GHG emissions
related to transport and energy consumption by
increasing the share of renewable energy the
installation of more efficient machineries and electrical
appliances and the employment of natural refrigerants
Additional initiatives
The opening of new stores in areas well served by the
public transport or the conclusion of agreements in
order to extend it to the new stores are established
practices for most of the REAP signatories Many of
them are currently working on the substitution of the
old air conditioning and refrigeration systems with CO2
based ones As regards water the focus is on saving
and reuse actions such as the installation of dual
systems for the use of rainwater for the toiletsrsquo flushing
and the irrigation of the external areas
Future developments
Efforts will continue to be put into the reduction of
GHG emissions and increase of energy efficiency (ie
through the conversion to low-energy stores) the
adoption of alternative and greener fuels and the use
of electric vehicles The topic ldquowaterrdquo will continue to
be addressed by the retailers with regard to the stores
and headquarters At the same time increasing
attention is being paid to the environmental impacts of
water consumption along the supply chain
Figure 3 Contribution of reported commitments to distribution
amp logistics sub-topics
8
27
4 27
10
20
4
Distribution system
Energy efficiency
Energy management
GHG emissions
Refrigerants
Renewable energy
Supply chain
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 5
CONSUMPTION The most relevant environmental impacts as regards the
Consumption phase originate from the consumption of goods
The 44 commitments set out by the retailers (24 of the total
number) for the year 2016 and beyond address these impacts
indirectly by means of actions aimed at influencing consumersrsquo
behaviour
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
support consumers and to boost circular economy in
this key area such as the implementation of awareness
campaigns the use of more trustworthy labels and
green claims the extension of products lifetime
through reuse and repair
Current REAP commitments
Currently 15 out of 21 retailers are active in this area
with different topics depending on the subject on
which they aim to influence consumers Nearly half of
the commitments contribute to general environmental
topics through initiatives aiming at raising customersrsquo
awareness followed by nearly a third related to waste
management Also sustainable products reusable bags
and the phasing-off of single use carrier bags play a
considerable role
Additional initiatives
Examples of additional activities reported by the REAP
members include the development of a dedicated app
for smartphones aimed at raising awareness on the
carbon emissions related to the consumersrsquo grocery
shopping and the development of a special bycicle for
the collection of litter during events Choice editing is
often performed in a indirect way by raising the bar on
the existing targets on sustainable sourcing
Future developments
Even if the awareness raising activities will be
continued no specific topics have emerged as
particular focus for the future Choice editing has a key
role but is considered challenging in some cases the
retailers need in fact to combine the protection of the
environment with the satisfaction of the customers
which might not be always aligned
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (48) where
progress data were provided (33 of 44) have
been already achieved by end of 2016
Figure 4 Contribution of reported REAP commitments 2016 to
consumer behaviour sub-topics (incl food waste)
7
2 2
2
2
9
28
48
Bags
Circular economy
Climate change
GHG emissions
Seafood
Sustainable products
Waste
Environment (general)
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
6 REAP REPORT 2017
4Food Waste is a relevant topic with regard to waste management and
one of the priority areas in the context of the circular economy For this
reason further information regarding this topic is given at page XXXX
END-OF-LIFE Waste and especially food waste
4 is among the most significant
environmental hotspots related to the end-of-life of products This
life cycle phase is addressed by the retailers through 27
commitments of which 15 addressing the topic ldquoFood wasterdquo and
12 addressing ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo It has to be noted
that the actual number of commitments on this phase is slightly
higher if the commitments on the topic ldquowasterdquo which have been
classified under the consumption phase were considered because
they contained initiatives aimed at influencing the consumersrsquo
behaviour on this topic
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different actions to
address the waste topic which vary from the need of
increasing the recycling rates the improvement of
collection and sorting systems and infrastructure to the
reduction of landfilling and incineration which should
be substituted by waste-to-energy treatments
Current REAP commitments
Currently 10 out of 21 retailers are active in the field of
reuse and recycling of waste Examples of
commitments include actions aimed at improving the
waste sorting and management in the stores staff
training return and take-back schemes for different
consumer goods particularly for textile and electrical
appliances
Additional initiatives
Waste sorting and recycling at the store is a
widespread practice among the REAP signatories The
employees are trained on the topic by means of
dedicated guides and training courses Many retailers
provide waste container for the customers also with
regard to small electronic devices and other
specialhazardous waste (batteries light bulbs etc)
Future developments
Plastic waste sorting and recycling is one of the focal
points for the retailers sometimes challenging giving
the high range of plastic types Initiatives and studies in
order to improve sorting and recycling will be
performed by many REAP members in the upcoming
years
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Nearly half of the targets (45) have been
achieved by end of 2016 in this life cycle phase
60 of the commitments with regard to the
topic ldquoFood Wasterdquo and nearly one third (29)
of the commitments under the topic ldquoReuse and
recycling of wasterdquo have been accomplished by
the end of 2016
Figure 5 Contribution of reported commitments to waste
management sub-topics (excl food waste)
25
17
41
17
Return system
Waste recovery
Waste recycling
Waste reduction
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 7
CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRIORITY AREAS A number of sectors face specific challenges in the context of the circular economy which need to be addressed in a
targeted way in order to support an efficient interaction between the various phases of the cycle
PLASTICS
Some of the most important measures suggested by
the EU CE Action Plan in order to address this topic are
increasing recyclability and biodegradability of plastics
eliminate hazardous chemical additives and improve
eco-design
Currently 12 out of 21 retailers have reported to REAP
16 commitments in this field Measures regard weight
and volume reduction use of sustainable materials the
phasing out of single use plastic bags optimization of
own brand plastic packaging and the organization of
information campaign for customers and employees
Additional initiatives
Initiatives aimed at eliminating microplastics from
cosmetic and hygiene products are currently being
implemented
Future developments
Enhancing the effectiveness of plastic waste sorting is
considered by the REAP retailers as a key commitment
which should be pursued both on an internal (retailer)
and external (customers) level The many different
types of plastic available today and the different local
recycling policies make this target crucial and
challenging at the same time Collaborations between
the retailers and the local authorities on this area are
already in place and will be further developed in the
future
Figure 6 Contribution of REAP commitments to priority area ldquoPlasticsrdquo
(considering all four life cycle phases)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
32
6
31
31
Recycling of plastics
Plastics free from
hazardous chemical
additives
Reduction of
shopping bags
Plastic (packaging)
eco-design
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
8 REAP REPORT 2017
20
5
10
40
25
Food donation
In-store farming
Byproducts and not
saleable products
useWaste reduction
Communication
FOOD WASTE
Food waste is a topic of increasing concern at a global
level From the environmental point of view the
generation of food waste carries the burden not only
of the environmental impacts caused by food disposal
but also the ones related to the production
distribution and storage
The EU CE Action Plan suggests different measures to
address this topic such as to increase food donation to
prevent food waste along the value chain and change
behaviours through awareness campaigns and the
dissemination of good practices to maximize the
contribution of actors in the food supply chain and
improve the use of date marking and its understanding
by consumers
Currently 11 out of 21 retailers are active with 20
commitments in this field including actions on waste
prevention and reduction along the supply chain as
well as communication activities Implemented
measures include also the preparation of pet food
from food by-products and of ready-for-use meals
from vegetables not suitable for selling the adoption
of food packaging able to keep products fresh for
longer time the adoption of software for purchasing
demand-driven quantities of food consumers
campaigns
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives currently implemented include
dedicating specific store areas and apply a discount to
the products approaching the expire date provide
training and raising awareness initiatives for the staff
distribute labels which help the customers to better
store vegetables As an ldquoend-of-liferdquo measure the
methanization of food waste is also being
implemented
Future developments
If the reduction of food waste is the today retailersrsquo
focus the prevention appears to be the tomorrowrsquos
one Providing bulk products and selling smaller
portions are some of the initiatives which will help
pursuing this target On the other hand providing
smaller portions has a drawback on the packaging
which needs to be properly addressed
Figure 7 Contribution of REAP commitments to food waste sub-topics
(considering also communication)
REAP commitmentsrsquo progress update
Available progress data (13 out of 16) shows that 8
commitments have been already achieved (50)
In particular the single commitment with target
year 2016 for which progress data were received
has been achieved together with the commitment
with target year 2017 all the ldquoongoingrdquo
commitments and one commitment with target
year beyond 2018
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 9
CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials are defined as critical when they present
a high economic importance for the EU and at the
same time a risk of a disruption in the EU supply
Critical raw materials are often present in electronic
devices The measures suggested by the EU CE Action
Plan to address this topic are to improve the
recyclability of electronic devices by better product
design and to perform a high quality recycling of these
devices in order to be able to extract and recycle the
raw materials
Currently 3 retailers have reported commitments in this
field with regard to the collection of WEEE from the
customers (without any further purchase obligation)
and the substitution of the dielectric fluid in storersquos
transformers All the 3 commitments have been
already achieved
Additional initiatives
The collection of WEEE is promoted at the store by
many REAP members which provide special containers
where the customers can dispose of small devices
Future developments
In the future further actions might focus on improving
product design through cooperation with producers
suppliers and other stakeholders and on increasing
recycling of electronic devices through return- and
take-back systems and active consumersrsquo involvement
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
Waste from construction and demolition processes is
produced in very high quantities and often contain
valuable materials which are not always recovered
The EU CE Action Plan suggests to encourage design
improvements which will increase durability and
recyclability of buildingsrsquo components and to improve
the collection and recycling of the materials after the
demolition
Currently no retailers have set out commitments in this
field mostly because the retailer sector has just
marginally an overlap with the construction sector
Hence only limited actions can be applied for instance
when new stores are built
Additional initiatives
The exchange with the retailers showed that activities
on this topic are already in place such as the reuse of
material from demolition and excavation as filling
material in other retailerrsquos construction works In
addition some REAP members have committed to
achieve a LEED or BREEAM certification for their new
buildings which already include specific requirements
on this topic
Future developments
The topic ldquoConstruction and demolitionrdquo as already
mentioned affects only partially the retail sector The
REAP signatories even if aware of the topicrsquos
relevance do not consider it at as a priority
BIOMASS AND BIO-BASED PRODUCTS
Biomass and bio-based products play an important
role in a circular economy since they are a renewable
biodegradable and compostable alternative to fossil-
based products and energy Their use should be
promoted and increased by intensifying the use of
biofuels with regard to the transport of goods and by
improving the cooperation with the producers aiming
at increasing the use of renewable material in the
production processes
Currently 3 out of 21 retailers are active with 3
commitments in this field regarding the use of
alternative transport biofuels derived from bio and
food waste and the production of biodegradable and
compostable shopping bags One of the commitments
has already been achieved
Additional initiatives
Additional initiatives on this topic include for example
the development of grocery bags and gloves made of
a bio-based biodegradable material and the
production of milk cartons made entirely of bio-based
materials including the cap
Future developments
Future developments in this area might regard the
increase of the use of biofuels for the logistic
operations as well as the diffusion of compostable
grocery bags
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
10 REAP REPORT 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY REAP MEMBERS
The following pages include for each REAP signatory who set out commitments during the first
two years of the current REAP cycle (2016 and 2017) the current status of the REAP
commitments a short description of other interesting initiatives implemented future trends and
developments In addition for ten retailers also a summary of the commitments verified during
the store visit is provided The detailed list of REAP commitments with progress status and the
full store visits reports are included in the Annex
Analysis of commitments
Overview of the current commitments and
progress update
Other interesting initiatives
Selection of other interesting activities
implemented by the retailers but not currently
included in the REAP commitments
Future developments
Future targets or planned initiatives
Summary of store visit and commitments verified
Ten store visits were performed during year 2017
in order to carry out an exemplary snap-shot
verification of targets giving also the retailers the
opportunity to highlight particular achievements
made in the visited stores The retailersrsquo selection
has been based on the verifiability in store and the
target years of the commitments (2016 2017 or
ongoing) Other store visits will be performed in
the course of next year with the aim of
completing a full round of store visits before the
end of the current REAP cycle
Note For the REAP signatories Eroski Tesco and The
Co-operative no individual paragraph is available due
to the lack of information and data provided on the
current commitments additional initiatives and future
developments
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 11
AHOLD DELHAIZE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Production Commitments Sustainable Sourcing of
Healthy and Sustainable Products
In order to secure sustainability of the global supply
chains 100 of seven critical commodities in Ahold
Delhaizersquos own-brand products will meet industry
recognized sustainability standards by 2020 These
commodities are cocoa coffee palm oil seafood
South American soy tea and wood fibers Ahold
Delhaizersquos own brand products that contain sustainably
sourced ingredients will have the appropriate
sustainability logo in order to engage and
communicate the retailerrsquos sustainability commitments
to its consumers
Distribution Logistics Retail place Commitments
Emissions and alternative energy - GHG emissions
Ahold Delhaize will continue decreasing the carbon
footprint of its facilities (stores warehouses and
offices) by utilizing the latest building materials and
technology monitoring usage of energy and
refrigerants and installing energy efficient
technologies Ahold Delhaize is aiming to decrease
energy (electricity and all on site fuels) consumption
per sales area control refrigerant leakages and
gradually move towards natural refrigerants and more
eco friendly transportation
Consumption Commitments Influencing Consumer
Behavior Through Reporting
Ahold Delhaize will report annually on progress
towards sustainability targets through its Annual
Report and also to external parties such as CDP
End-of-life Commitments Food waste reduction amp
Waste Recycling
Ahold Delhaize will reduce food waste by driving
down food waste in its own operations by 20 by
2020 (from its 2016 baseline) maximizing the recovery
of unsold food to reduce hunger in its communities
working with its suppliers on innovations to reduce
food waste upstream and helping customers reduce
food waste at home Ahold Delhaize will recycle 80
of its total waste by 2020 diverting it from landfills and
incinerators
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Instock is a restaurant foundation supported by Ahold
Delhaize with the mission to reduce food waste and
increase awareness Products that would otherwise
remain unsold are used to prepare fresh and delicious
food The goal is to showcase the value of food in
several ways through a high quality dining experience
in one of the three restaurants offering master classes
and through selling a variety of food and beverage
products and Ahold Delhaizersquos cook book Instock
Cooking
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Ahold Delhaize and its brands have the potential to
have a more positive impact than ever before for its
customers associates communities and suppliers
Ahold Delhaize takes this responsibility seriously and
has embedded it into its Sustainable Retailing
roadmap shaped by the UN Global Compact and
Sustainable Development Goals Ahold Delhaize wants
to ensure its products are safe to consume and
sustainably sourced so its operations have minimal
impact on the environment Future commitments and
developments will remain on Ahold Delhaizersquos three
global focus areas of healthy eating food waste and
healthy and inclusive workplaces as well as five
essential areas of product safety and sustainability
climate impact local community connection associate
development and safety at work
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
12 REAP REPORT 2017
APED
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
APED is an association of retailers meaning that APED
can suggest measures to be applied by but not
impose decisions to retailers The main core of APED is
to enhance dialogues and communication among
retailers and to certain extent to influence decisions of
retailers for what concerns environmental protection
APEDrsquos commitments address two life cycle phases the
Consumption (with three commitments) and End-of-
life (one commitment) No commitments have been set
out as regards the production distribution logistics
and retail place phases and all the commitments are
classified as communication initiatives
The APEDacutes guide-book on environmental best
practices has been published in July 2017 The book is
related to EU and Portuguese regulations and has the
aim to raise awareness and inspire member companies
with best practices The book addresses topics related
to production such as eco design evaluation of life
cycle analysis collaboration throughout the supply
chain and the promotion of sustainable products in the
store shelves This book wants especially to
recommend measures to those retailers still lagging
behind and with less experience or lacking the know-
how on the implementation of sustainable practices It
provides a selection of best- practices on labelling and
offers also self- check tool retailers can use to assess
their performance Best practices and guidance on
efficient transport energy and refrigerant gases are
also provided It can be therefore argued that APED
commitments address many environmental topics
related to production from sustainable sourcing to
better agricultural practices including water and
pesticides use to increase reuse and recyclability
through design (for instance of packaging) but in an
indirect way
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
APED is currently running a project on energy efficient
appliances in retailer stores which is running under a
major financing program from the Portuguese energy
services regulatory authority Retailers can present a
project to APED to receive funds which has to be used
to improve the efficiency of the technical equipment in
the stores
APED also performed an information campaign on
correct practices for consumers to dispose correctly
cooking oil which often gets discharged into kitchen
sink with huge environmental impacts especially on
groundwater
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In general there are ongoing discussion on future
topics to be included in the focus of APED but it is not
possible to draft conclusions at the moment The main
activity of APED will anyway remain dissemination
In addition APED has a strong interest in following the
debate on circular economy and in involving other
retailers in the dialogues They will see how it evolves
at the EU level before proceeding at the national level
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 13
5Auchan first reported its commitments regarding Auchan Group and
Auchan France for 2016 in July 2017 Therefore only the actual
environmentalsustainability strategy of Auchan have been considered
The methanization unit in Haimen store in China
The Ecobox in place in Auchan Retail France stores in
order to recycle plastic bottles of our clients
AUCHAN
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS5
Auchan Retail has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging energy efficiency water
consumer behaviour food waste and waste recycling
In addition all five Circular Economy Priority Areas
(Plastics Food Waste Critical raw materials
Construction and demolition Biomass and bio-based
products) in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
are considered
Increasing sustainable and local sourced products is a
main topic and is focusing amongst others on fish
palm oil wood cotton cosmetics and local sourcing
Several measures are already implemented regarding
packaging (eg eco-design for bottles optimization of
packaging to increase transport efficiency) As regards
energy efficiency initiatives to reduce storesrsquo energy
consumption regarding refrigeration lighting and
heatair conditioning are carried out Auchan Retail is
already applying a sustainable water management (eg
rainwater catchment tanks and basins water-efficient
equipment evaluation of consumption data) Auchan
Retailrsquos measures in the consumption concern raising
awareness information campaigns and also activities
with direct involvement of customers To combat food
waste Auchan Retail stores apply a series of measures
to reduce the number of binned items like optimising
the choice of product ranges the improvement of
ware housing in stores the display of items with short
best-before dates and
finally food donation In
addition Auchan Retail
is working continuously
to improve waste
sorting and to
cooperate with well
organised local partners
regarding treatment
Nevertheless it could
be taken into
consideration to support the topic ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo by further measures and
address more actively the substitution of synthetic
products with bio-based ones (eg biofuels
bioplastics)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Currently Auchan Retail is working on a pilot project
regarding the methanization of food waste in France
and China Approx 5 of the energy consumption of
the store can be covered by applying this concept In
addition Auchan Retail is developing an internal ldquoBest
Practice-Bookrdquo in order to collect useful measures to
prevent food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Considerations to measure in future the water foot
print of textiles are currently done Furthermore life
cycle phases will be studied by relevant product
categories to determine Auchanrsquos main impact and
goals to be achieved As regards emissions an
indicator for CO2 emissions linked to logistics supply
will be defined by 2020 and calculated for all Auchan
Retailrsquos countries Concerning critical raw material
Auchan Retail is now focusing on a responsibility
scheme for own-brand non-food-products in order to
guarantee their reparability and to ensure that
customers can return broken products and get back a
repaired one instead of being wasted
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
14 REAP REPORT 2017
CARREFOUR
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Carrefourrsquos 15 commitments address all the four life
cycle phases with particular focus on the distribution
logistics retail place phase (which counts 7
commitments) followed by the production and
consumption phases (with 3 commitments each) and
the end-of-life phase (2 commitments) Carrefour is
focusing mainly on both (i) promoting initiatives aiming
at increasing the sustainability of own brand products
and at preventing food waste and (ii) extending the
sustainable transport concept (optimization of supply
chain and setting up of further biomethane charging
stations) No commitments and activities have been set
out so far regarding the topics ldquoIncrease reuse and
recyclability through designrdquo and ldquoWater 2 of
Carrefourrsquos commitments address the five Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
promoting the sorting of different types of plastic)
food waste (by reducing organic waste) and critical raw
materials (by promoting the collection of WEEE)
As regards the sustainability of own brand products
the number of products of Carrefour Quality Lines
raised by 45 and the sales of organic products
increased by 322 in 2016
In France Carrefour (with Tex Bio brand) is the first
organic cotton seller with a turnover of 41 million
euros in 2016 Since 2010 the Group has been
working towards a goal of zero deforestation by 2020
and with that in mind has developed sustainably
managed supply chains for soya palm oil wood and
paper products and beef
To combat food waste numerous steps have been set
at store level and with regard to cooperation with
suppliers and customers Concerning sustainable
transport Carrefour intends to reduce its CO2
emissions linked to transport by 30 by 2025
To accomplish this the Group is further working on its
logistics models in order to reduce the distances
between warehouses and stores to optimise lorry
loading rates and to encourage the use of return
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable sourcing
Increase annual sales of products
from Carrefour Quality Lines and
organic agriculture
Increase annual sales of Tex Bio
and maintain a 100 Carrefour
private label ldquoTex Biordquo organic
cotton certified OEKOTEX
ldquoZero deforestationrdquo
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce transport-related CO2
emissions (per pallet)
Increase the share of renewable
energies in the energy
consumption
Alternative fuel in Transports
Reduce energy consumption per
sqm of sales area
Reduce CO2 emissions generated
by coolant production
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Customer Waste Collection
Encourage waste sorting
End-of-life - food
waste Reduce the organic waste
Other interesting
initiatives
Carrefourrsquos roof garden
Promote bulk sales of dry
products
Promoting sustainable fishing
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown (ie
waste sorting at store) but were instead explained The store
visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Carrefour were accurately shown and explained
Additionally interesting new projects like the roof garden to
preserve biodiversity were presented Carrefour is focusing on
both (i) promoting initiatives aiming at increasing the
sustainability of own brand products and at preventing food
waste and (ii) extending the sustainable transport concept
(optimization of supply chain and setting up of further
biomethane charging stations)
journeys with suppliers Furthermore the Group is also
seeking to develop alternatives to the use of diesel by
employing hybrid vehicles and deploying a fleet of
lorries running on biomethane in France
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 15
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As of 2017 locally grown plant protein as an
alternative to imported soy will be used to feed pigs of
Carrefour Quality Line marketed by Carrefour France
After successful implementation the Group wants to
establish the same approach in other countries To
reduce shopping trips of the consumer to supermarket
by car Carrefour tested in one region of France a
service-application in order to support customerrsquos car-
sharing In France and also in other countries a special
campaign called ldquosustainable weekrdquo is carried out each
year to promote environmental issues Concerning
water
consuming products special communication is done
directly in the stores As regards CampD waste Carrefour
has implemented the ldquoCharte Chantier Vertrdquo with the
aim to take better account of the environment in the
construction of buildings As regards Biomass and bio-
based products Carrefour has changed the material of
plastic bags used to sell fruit and vegetables
Compostable bio-based plastic bags are already used
in France and Poland
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Carrefour has a strong commitment on sustainable
agriculture and will continue the work on further pilot
projects and on being a forerunner on the food retail
market In partnership with suppliers and producers a
tracking tool for brazil beef will be developed in a first
step in order to guarantee that this beef is from zero-
deforestation
Furthermore Carrefour is developing a ldquomobility
programmerdquo for the whole Group including the
reinforcement of e-cars and customerrsquos transportation
of goods from outlet to household
Concerning food waste Carrefour is currently engaged
to measure how much food waste is included in storersquos
residual waste targeting on finding solutions for a
more improved waste sorting and in order to increase
recycling
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
16 REAP REPORT 2017
COLRUYT
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Colruyt set out 14 commitments mostly focused on
ldquoDistribution logistics retail placerdquo but which address
also the Production the Consumption and the End-of-
life phases The most relevant topics amongst the
commitments are ldquoRenewable energyrdquo followed by
rdquoRefrigerantsrdquo ldquoWaste Reductionrdquo and ldquoWasterdquo As
regards the subject sustainable sourcing the
commitment to buy certificates for over 30000 tonnes
of soy non-segregated to cover the consumption
according to the amount of meat sold with target year
2016 is currently on the right track in July 2017
already 28000 tonnes have been reached Good
results have been achieved also with regard to the
target of having 100 of the palm oil used in own
products to be RSPO certified (segregated) by 2018 at
the end of 2016 already 845 of the palm oil was
certified RSPO Colruyt is reporting good results also
on its carbon footprint reduction plan the goal is to
reduce the Scope 1 amp 2 carbon footprint with 20
between 2008 and 2020 in a relative way primarily
focusing on cooling heating and transport which give
the biggest contribution on the retailerrsquos footprint
Furthermore the commitment to reach a recycling rate
of 80 in 2017 has been achieved
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Colruyt has being testing the CHAIN OEF approach on
different product groups in particular on diapers
Starting from the testrsquos results a new thinner diaper
has been developed which has a reduced
environmental impact due to the less material used
and the reduced space needed for the transport In
January 2017 Colruyt launched the first recyclable
cardboard container for cold meat cuts with 55
smaller impact on climate change over its entire
lifecycle The composite container consists of 90 FSC-
certified paper fibres and of a thin film applied on the
inside and can be thrown out with the rest of the
paper waste Because of its smaller size it also reduces
the amount of transport and necessary storage room
Street litter is one of Colruytrsquos current main focuses In
order to address this issue a special electric delivery
bicycle called the Recycle has been developed by the
retailer The Recyle has containers for PMD6 residual
waste and glass and can be borrowed for free from
anyone whorsquos organising an event to keep it litter-free
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Colruyt is currently assessing the possibility to test the
CHAIN OEF approach used for the diapers also on
other different product categories (eg meat) in order
to implement targeted impact reduction strategies
Moreover Colruyt keeps on working on the production
of hydrogen and the extension of the number of
hydrogen-fuelled pallet jacks In addition to the
hydrogen-fuelled passenger car already owned by the
retailer the purchase of additional ones is planned for
the next years At the end of 2017 Colruyt will also start
a project for the realization of a new hydrogen station
for the public Eventually a new strategy on packaging
is planned to be soon released
6PMD refers to recyclable waste including plastic metals and drinking
cartons
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 17
COOP (ITALY)
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Coop in Italy has set out 13 commitments which have a
particular focus on the Production the Distribution
logistics and retail place and the End-of-life life cycle
phases Most of the commitments are currently in
progress being the target year ongoing 2017 or
beyond The project ldquoCoop beyond Kyotordquo with the
aim of working with the suppliers for reducing their
GHG emissions and increasing energy efficiency has
continued also in 2016 During the 2015 317 suppliers
were involved in the project with a water saving equal
to 5 milions m3 and the reduction of packaging
materials 4845 t paper 2272 t of plastic 210 t of
glass 610 t of other materials These initiatives allowed
saving more than 213 milions t of CO2 emissions due
to energy and gas consumption reduction and a
donation of 50000 t of productsfood for charity
As well as the initiative on decreasing packaging waste
by applying the 3R strategy In year 2016 210 own
brand products were involved in the project with a
total packaging material saving equal to 4200 t and
the substitution of 2100 t packaging material with
recycled material (cellulose and plastic) These
initiatives allowed saving 7300 t of CO2 emissions in
2016 In the framework of the CommONEnergy
project Coop achieved its commitment of obtaining a
building (the Canaletto store in Modena Italy) with low
environmental impact and high energy saving
adopting technologies for decreasing energy
consumption increasing the amount of renewable
energy production and increasing sustainable lighting
In 2016 it also relamped 450 stores with exclusive use
of LED technology In 2016 Coop counted 23 FSC-
certified references (paper tissues napkins) and 10
PEFC-certified references (diapers)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Increase the amounts of eco-
friendly products
Increase the amounts of products
with FSC or similar certification
Increase the amount of products
not GMOs
Production ndash
increase reuse
recyclability through
design
Increase the number of products
following the 3R policy
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
To realize a building with a low
environmental impact and high
energy saving (CommONEnergy
project)
To relamp old buildings and
realize all the new stores with only
LED lights for a total of 450 stores
in 2016
Increase the number of suppliers
involved in the project COOP
OLTRE KYOTO promoted by
Coop Italia which has the aim of
working with the suppliers for
reducing their GHG emissions and
increasing energy efficiency
End-of-life ndash reuse
and recycling of
waste
Increase application on labels of
Private Label products of a
dedicated space to provide
information on separate waste
collection
End-of-life ndashFood
waste
PROJECT ldquoBUON FINErdquo ndash
AVOIDING FOOD WASTE ANCC-
Coop for the next 3 years will
increase by 20 the stores
involved in the project for the
reduction of food waste which
aims to recover still edible unsold
food products and donate them
to charities and people in need
Other interesting
initiatives
Closed refrigerators and heat
reuse
Carrier bags
Local products
New store model Ipercoop
Formigine
Conclusions
All the selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified and additional written information
regarding the two visited stores has been provided The
programme of the day was well prepared and all the
initiatives and specific store features were accurately
explained by the persons involved in the visit Coop in Italy
confirms its commitment on continuously increase the
sustainability of its products and is putting more and more
efforts on the reduction of the impacts related to the stores
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
18 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards the topic ldquomeatrdquo a project on progressively
reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock farming was
launched in April 2017 with the direct involvement of
the poultry sectorrsquos suppliers first Furthermore Cooprsquos
own brand beef and veal meat is provided with the
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
In order to promote the separation and recycling of
waste at the store Coop has developed and
distributed a dedicated Guide which provides
information on how to correctly separate waste at the
shop with rules and requirements for waste managers
and practical information for the employees
Coop provides the customers with bags made of
ldquomater-birdquo a biodegradable and compostable
bioplastic The Unicoop Firenze moreover has
developed and offers the customers also grocery bags
and gloves made of this material
As part of the Cooprsquos commitment against food waste
an increasing number of stores select fresh packaged
and even loose products close to the expiration date
and propose them with special labels in refrigerated
counters dedicated to members and customers at
heavily discounted prices (project Mangiami Subito Eat
me Immediately) Moreover further extraordinary
offers are increasingly being offered in the evening
near the closing hour on the products of the day
worked in the bakery and gastronomy departments
(project Happy Hour)
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
In December 2017 Coop will be presenting 2 projects
against food waste in cooperation with national
institutions universities and volunteer associations
- the LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE (White book about the food waste)
- a web community Coopnospreco
(Coopnofoodwaste)
The LIBRO BIANCO COOP SULLO SPRECO
ALIMENTARE is the most completed and updated
analysis of food donations for solidarity purposes and a
complete and in-depth quantitative and qualitative
analysis conducted on the phenomenon of production
and destination of food surpluses
The WEB COMMUNITY COOPNOSPRECO accessible
both through a website (wwwcoopnosprecoit) and a
dedicated application aims at informing and
supporting consumers volunteer associations schools
local institutions and businesses in implementing
prevention reduction reuse and recycling of surpluses
and food waste
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 19
A few new products from Coop Aumlnglamark organic line launched in
2016 and the Coop ldquoVeggie Dayrdquo redbeet-burger
COOP NORWAY
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Coop Norway set out 2
commitments addressing two of the four life cycle
phases namely the production phase (sustainable
sourcing) and the retail place (emissions and
(alternative) energy) No commitments have been
reported regarding the Consumption and End-of-life
phases Increasing sustainable and local sourced
products is a main topic and is focusing amongst
others on fish palm oil wood GMO-free food and
feed and on organic vegetarian and eco-labelled
products With its own brand ldquoCoop Aumlnglamarkrdquo Coop
Norway supports strongly the sale of organic-grown
products In total more than 700 products in all
product categories (pasta meat milk etc) have been
offered in 2016 at Coop stores and sales increased by
46 compared to 2015 Alternatively to meat Coop
has launched the private label vegetarian product line
- Coop Veggie Day A series of initiatives have been
taken to reduce energy consumption eg the
prolonged energy program ldquoE-kuttrdquo energy saving
measures regarding cooling heating ventilation and
lightning demand-based energy management at
store-level and consumption monitoring The five
Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste
Critical raw materials Construction and demolition
Biomass and bio-based products) are not directly
addressed by Coop Norwayrsquos commitments but several
measures focusing on the priority area plastics (eg by
being a member of the Nordic Program on
packaging) food waste (eg by establishing an internal
zero-vision of food waste) biomass and biobased
products (eg milk cartons are made of 100
biobased material) and critical raw materials (by taking
back electronical devices and ensuring appropriate
recycling) are already implemented
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
As regards increase reuse and recyclability through
design Coop Norway takes a lot of attention on
packaging and plastic bags Regarding packaging a
few initiatives are already implemented like paper bag
for spaghetti or tetrapack for tomato sauce Coop
Norway is further working on reducing packaging by
product design and will reinforce cooperation with
suppliersproducers Currently a pilot projectconcept
for assessing challenges and obstacles of stand-alone
energy systems is done ndash specifically using
photovoltaic power and battery storage in stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Coop Norway will working towards a more sustainable
soy policy besides the already established GMO-free
policy Furthermore the sales of vegetarian products
by developing a private brand vegetarian line should
be increased As regards packaging Coop Norway is
currently working (initial phase) on the ldquoNordic
Program on packagingrdquo with other partners targeting
on reducing weight of packaging using renewable raw
materials improved recyclability and sustainable usage
of plastic Regarding transport Coop Norway will work
on the substitution of fuel by using alternatives and on
further optimization of its supply chain Concerning
retail place Coop Norway is currently implementing a
pilot projectconcept ldquoWood storesrdquo for assessing
environmental and economic effects of using wood as
building material which should be continued for further
stores Increasing customerrsquos awareness on food waste
especially on the topic meat will be continued through
communication at store level on productrsquos packaging
and also via online channels
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
20 REAP REPORT 2017
EL CORTE INGLEacuteS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes set out 11 commitments which address
in particular the Production and Consumption life cycle
phases The Distribution logistics and retail place
phase is addressed by one commitment though
including a number of different measures to be
implemented in order to reach the defined target The
End-of-life phase is addressed by means of one
commitment on food waste and one related to waste
recovery Four of the commitments have already been
achieved The Sustainability month is one of the most
important initiatives of customer engagement during
which El Corte Ingleacutes presents employees and clients
different sustainable measures El Corte Ingleacutes also
published a number of brochure and magazines
containing information regarding organicecological
products available at the supermarket and providing
every-day life sustainability tips for the customers As
regards food waste in 2016 3 more stores in
comparison with the previous year have donated food
to food bankssoup kitchens the amount of food
donated being increased by 516 from 2015 to 2016
Also the amount of WEEE collected has increased
+550 in 2016 compared with the previous year The
number of certified fish references wood products and
organic products has increased as well and El Corte
Ingleacutes is on the right track to reach its targets by the
end of 2017 The same applies to the commitment of
improving energy efficiency in May 2016 (from 2008)
a reduction of around 16 in the energy consumption
per square meter was registered Eventually El Corte
Ingleacutes achieved (in 2016 from 2008) a reduction of
74 in the number of single use bags sold in the
stores
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
El Corte Ingles is engaged in a demonstrative project
whose title is Use of expanded polystyrene fish boxes
to manufacture a new polystyrene food contact
application The objective is to recollect the expanded
polystyrene of the fish packaging to treat it in order to
eliminate the odour producing molecules and to
produce
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
sustainable
sourcing
Increase by 4 the number of
certified fish references
Increase by 35 the number of
certified wood products
Increase by 35 the number of
organic products
Distribution
logistics retail
place - emissions
and (alternative)
energy
Promoting general systems
improvement focusing on energy
efficiency and emissions reduction
Consumption -
influencing
customers
behaviour
Offering our customers different
models of reusable bags in our
supermarkets
Raise environmental awareness of
our employees and customers and
inform them on environmental
practices within the Company
(Sustainability month in El Corte
Ingleacutes)
Direct customers towards the choice
of ecological products by publication
of brochures on high ecological
value supermarket products
End-of-life - food
waste
Reducing the food waste in stores by
increasing the donations of food in
stores
End-of-life - reuse
amp recycling of
waste
New waste containers to increase
recovery rate of waste - increase the
collection of waste (kg of small
WEEE)
General Participating in projects of circular
economy in our products
Conclusions
All the commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified in store and at the central offices and detailed
and exhaustive documentation has been provided The store
visit was well prepared and all the sustainable initiatives were
accurately explained by the different El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos
responsible persons involved in the visit El Corte Ingleacutesrsquos is
continuing to make efforts in order to increase the level of
sustainability and is supporting the development of a more
circular economy with innovative projects
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 21
a polystyrene adapt for food contact The resulting
application will be offered to El Corte Ingleacutes own brand
suppliers for use in their products
El Corte Ingleacutes has started collaborating with Tesla and
other partners for providing charging stations for
electric-vehicles in the stores This action will be
continued and extended in the next years
In 2017 the project Textile recycled collection has
been launched which aims at collaborating with the
suppliers for the introduction of recycled material in
their products The initiative consists in the collection of
used denim from customers which is then recycled
and reused in the production process for each bag of
used denim the customers receive a discount ticket for
a next purchase
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
El Corte Ingleacutes will continue to work in order to achieve
its sustainability targets In particular it will continue
working on the project for the development of an
alternative and more sustainable fish box and on the
textile recycled collection project As regards waste it
commits to increase the number of shops which make
donations to soup kitchens and to increase the
collection of waste in the shops by providing the
necessary containers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
22 REAP REPORT 2017
ICA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
ICArsquos 15 commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the production phase
(which counts 8 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the consumption
phases (with 3 commitments each) while the End-of-
life phase counts only one commitment on food waste
The commitments address mainly sustainable sourcing
and products packaging CO2 emissions and
alternative energy and sustainable consumer
behaviour 3 commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to plastic (by
phasing out hazardous chemicals from packaging
material and increasing use of renewable plastics)
food waste (reducing food waste) and also biomass
and bio-based products (bags and packaging made of
renewable plastics) No measures have been set so far
with regard to the topics ldquowaterrdquo and ldquoreuse and
recycling of wasterdquo
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to
increase the sustainability of own brand products (also
with regard to consumer packaging solutions) ICA
Swedenrsquos main product range included more than
3200 organic products (also for meat and dairy
products) in 2016
As regards sustainable consumer packaging solutions
ICA is at this moment developing a long term
packaging guidance targeting on renewable
recyclable re-useable and re-closable solutions In
addition ICA in co-operation with suppliers is currently
working on the development of a product using re-
cycled raw materials
Concerning emissions and energy ICA wants to be
climate neutral by 2020 which will be realized by
optimising energy consumption refrigerants in stores
and transport
As regards Food waste numerous steps to combat it
have been set at store level and in cooperation with
suppliers customers social organisations and other
stakeholders For example Food waste becomes fish in
a circular system by using food waste from ICArsquos
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
Extend the range and the number
of eco-labelled products (FSC
MSC ASC The Nordic Eco-label
EU Eco-label Good
Environmental Choice etc)
Increase sustainable palm oil in
our private brand products
Increase assortment on
sustainable products
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Increase the range and number of
sustainable consumer packaging
solutions for private label
Increase the sales of bags and
packaging made by renewable
plastics
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Enabling change in consumer
behaviour
Direct customers towards the
choice of sustainable products
Other interesting
initiatives
Reduction of energy consumption
at store level
Waste collection point for
customers
BPA-free food packaging and
products
Conclusions
All selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016 have
been verified and additional information regarding the other
activities which couldnrsquot be shown by a visit has been provided
ICA is focusing on numerous initiatives in order to increase the
sustainability of own brand products (also with regard to
consumer packaging solutions) and preventing food waste
Furthermore ICA is strongly working towards being climate-
neutral by 2020 by implementing different measures like
renewable energy for stores use of natural refrigerants and use
of renewable fuels and efficiency in goods transport An
important topic for ICA in the future is to further increase the
awareness raising of customers regarding sustainable products
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 23
production of organic potatoes as food for insects
which are then used as fish feed for instance for Arctic
char sold under ICArsquos private label Besides that ICA
increases continuously the number of eco-labelled
buildings
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
ICA is a member of the new Swedish Network
ldquoStockholm International Water Institute (Siwi)rdquo aiming
at providing suppliers with standardized tools in order
to save water during production and financing experts
for consulting on site As regards reuse and recycling
of waste ICA is supporting the independent stores
regarding their waste management eg regarding
efficient contracting with recycling companies
Furthermore public means of transport plays an
important role and ICA considers during planning of
new buildings the needs of all stakeholders and is in
strong contact with local authorities In addition ICA
Real Estate began work on a concept for charging
posts for e-vehicles and plug-in hybrids As regards
critical raw materials ICA offers all customers to bring
back their electronical devices and its appropriate
recycling is ensured according to law
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
ICA will intensify their cooperation with
suppliersproducers supporting them to reduce the
climate impact of products considering also energy
issues In addition more attention will be paid on the
reusing of equipment through individual contracting
As regards home delivery by van ICA will develop
appropriate measures targeting eg on cars aiming as
low CO2 emissions as possible Increasing customerrsquos
awareness on energy reduction and on food waste will
be a main topic in the near future In particular the
discussions regarding ldquoFresh until at leastrdquo date should
be taken up again and work should be continued on
solutions for unexpected unsaleable products with high
volume in order to guarantee a further usage
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
24 REAP REPORT 2017
IKEA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
IKEArsquos 9 commitments have a particular focus on the
ldquoProductionrdquo and the ldquoDistribution logistics retail
placerdquo phases with ldquoEmissions and (alternative) energyrdquo
being the most tackled topic IKEA committed to reach
100 of renewable andor recycled material
(cardboard steel aluminium plastic wood) or
recyclable material in its home furnishing products and
is working on this topic in the framework of the
product sustainability scorecard (launched in 2010)
The commitment to reduce in 2016 the carbon
emissions from the transport of goods by 30
compared to FY12 is being pursued by means of many
activities such as vegetable oil-powered trucks in
Sweden diesel-hybrid vans for customersrsquo delivery in
Hamburg and hydrogen fuel cells in Lyon
Furthermore with the aim to reduce the environmental
impact of the transport of goods IKEA is strongly
promoting the e-commerce service As regards waste
IKEA pledged to reduce its waste from store operations
by 10 in 2020 A series of initiatives are currently in
place in order to reduce waste generation and to
increase the recycling rate such as the collection of
waste at the stores and a take back system for specific
productsmaterials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
On the 19th June 2017 IKEA has launched a new
initiative where the pre-consumer food waste is
weighed IKEA set out a specific new target regarding
food waste before 2020 it aims to halve food waste
and 90 of it should be recycled or turned into a
resource such as compost or biogas
In September 2017 IKEA Group joined EV100 a global
initiative bringing together companies committed to
driving the transition to electro-mobility EV100 sets
out four key influence areas on which commitments
can be taken fleets staff customers service providers
In every IKEA Group market each new IKEA building
(store shopping centre office and distribution centre)
shall be the most sustainable IKEA facility at that point
in time for this location In October 2017 IKEA Kaarst is
the first more sustainable store The ambition is for
every IKEA Group market to have a leading sustainable
IKEA store by 2022 to try out and learn about new
sustainability innovations
Eventually in order to increase its knowledge of the
recycling process IKEA has recently bought a minor
share in a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IKEA has recently undergone an important
organisational change which saw it split into two
separate entities IKEA Group (Ingka Holding BV) and
Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding BV) IKEArsquos
current REAP commitments will therefore be modified
in order to include only the activities under the
responsibility of IKEA Group
As regards sustainability IKEArsquos main focus will remain
the IWAY (code of conduct for suppliers) in order to
increase sustainability throughout the whole supply
chain IKEA Group Sustainability Strategy is being
updated and will be finalised by February 2018
The other main topics addressed by IKEA will be
sustainable cotton and wood since they are the most
used materials and initiatives will be implemented in
order to reduce food waste and increase food
sustainability
TOMAT spray bottle - made from wrap plastic from IKEA store operations
More sustainable store - IKEA Kaarst Germany
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 25
JEROacuteNIMO MARTINS
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
For the year 2016 and beyond Jeroacutenimo Martins (JM)
set out 10 commitments addressing all four life cycle
phases namely production distribution consumption
and end-of-life They tackled topics including
sustainable certificates palm oil supply chain
packaging energy efficiency water consumption
reduction raising awareness among consumers
reducing food waste and diverting waste from landfill
JMrsquos commitments have a particular focus on the
production phase and sustainable sourcing JMacutes
Sustainability standard for Private Brand and
Perishables target their Private Brand suppliers and
consider greenhouse gas emissions waste hazardous
substances and water and energy consumption In
addition JM conducts regular audits to its Private Brand
and Perishables suppliers which include a range of
areas such as quality and food safety labor issues and
environmental criteria In 2016 over 3200 audits were
carried out In parallel JM has recently finalized a
Sustainable Agriculture Manual for Perishables
Suppliers targeting their 1st and 2
nd level of suppliers
The goal is to provide suppliers with a self-assessment
tool that will enable them to identify areas of
improvement Suppliers will be regularly audited
against this reference allowing JM to map its producers
within a specified range of fruit and vegetables JM
commitments in the consumption phase concern
awareness raising and information campaigns The two
main topics addressed are waste prevention and
recycling As part of this initiative for instance the
collection in Pingo Doce stores of used coffee
capsules was launched in 2013 In 2016 more than
137 million coffee capsules were collected and
recycled into compost and other valuable materials
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
JM implemented initiatives in the area of distribution
and logistics The ldquoBackhauling Projectrdquo for instance
consists of routes optimization and load maximization
by collecti ng empty pallets as well as products from
suppliers on return trips from stores in b oth Portugal
and Poland In addition to financial gains in the last 6
years 382 million kilometers in trips and the emission
of 354 thousand tons of CO2 were avoided
Concerning actions to prevent food waste one on the
most relevant concerns the use of ugly fruit and
vegetables to prepare fresh meals Many of these
products are not collected from fields because they do
not respect aesthetic criteria (eg size shape etc) JM
uses them to prepare pre-cut ready-to-eat meals like
salads or soups So far 13000 tons have been
processed and saved from disposal In addition JM
committed to the Consumer Goods Forum Food
Waste Resolution The aim is to halve food losses and
waste by 2025 with baseline 2016 through the
promotion of food waste prevention practic es and
development of synergies among suppliers In
addition JM sends organic waste to composting
solutions In 2016 over 75000 tons were sent for
composting between Portugal and Poland
Refrigerants were not included among the REAP
commitments due to difficulties in alignment with the
programmersquos timeline (eg its scope goes beyond
2020) but actions in this regard have been already
initiated by JM as it has also committed to the
Consumer Goods Forum Refrigeration Resolution
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The focus of JM will remain on the variety of topics
already covered It will further enhance its packaging
eco-design project This initiative which counts on the
collaboration with JMrsquos suppliers aims at improving
Private Brandrsquos packaging eco-efficiency in order to
reduce its environmental impacts and optimize costs of
production transport and management of packaging
waste JM will also continue its work to achieve its Zero
Net Deforestation by 2020 goal as defined by the
Consumer Goods Forum as well as its sustainably
seafood strategy and the promotion of more
sustainable agricultural practices in the supply chain
Concerning landfilling efforts to reduce waste sent to
land fill will continue
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
26 REAP REPORT 2017
KAUFLAND
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Kauflandrsquos 8 commitments address the Production the
Distribution logistics retail place and the End-of-life
life cycle phases The commitment of banning toxic
chemical groups from the production of Kauflandacutes
private label textiles and own textile imports in the
framework of the Greenpeace Detox campaign is
currently in progress as of December 2016 following
the Detox commitment flame retardants and PFCs
were banned and other chemicals will be banned
gradually The target to have only certified sustainable
palm oil in all German private label products -
according to the guidelines of the German Forum for
Sustainable Palm Oil - has been achieved Kaufland is
currently working on the replacement of the internally
used copy paper with recycled one from Kauflandrsquos
paper and cardboard waste 100 of Kauflandrsquos
private label pork products are marked on the shelf
with the label of the German Animal Welfare Initiative
At the end of 2016 250 stores were entirely provided
with LED technology and 165 stores were equipped
with a combined coolingheating system
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Kaufland provides its employees in the stores with
workwear that is made of Fairtrade and GOTS certified
cotton Old clothes are collected and will be recycled
partly into blankets that will be donated to NGOs
In order to reduce its internal transport emissions
Kaufland offers a car-pooling service app provides
electric carsrsquo charging stations in the headquarters and
electric cars to be used by the employees for short
rides between the headquarters
In 2016 Kaufland was awarded with the ldquoLean and
Green Starrdquo for its reduction of CO2 emissions in
logistics and in 2017 the EIA (Environmental
Investigation Agency) awarded Kaufland as Green
Cooling Leader for its commitment to use HFC-free
refrigeration (CO2 as natural refrigerant already in 50
stores)
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production ndash
Sustainable sourcing
Labelling of all applicable products
with the Label of the German
Animal Welfare Initiative
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Increase the number of stores with
an efficient and economical
lighting concept
Increase the number of stores
equipped with a combined
coolingheating system
Other interesting
initiatives
Improve animal farming and
welfare offering meat from a
higher animal welfare system
Expand the range of
environmentally friendly textiles
Increase the density of the car
charging stations for customers
thus promoting new
technologies
Cooling and freezing cabinets
with glass doors
Strategies to prevent food waste
in stores
FSC Blauer Engel Sustainable
Cleaning products
Sustainable carrier bags
Return system for pallets and
food boxes
Waste separation for customers
and store operations
Solar panels
More sustainable logistic system
Banning of micro-plastics in
private brand products
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all REAP commitments could be shown in the
store because they refer to aspects which are simply not
visible in the store (recycling copy paper in headquarters and
administration from Kauflandrsquos own waste Greenpeace Detox
campaign only certified palm oil in private brand products)
Beyond the commitments many other initiatives from
Kaufland could be seen and were discussed during the shop
visit More interesting activities are already in planning The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by Kaufland were accurately explained Kauflandrsquos
initiatives cover a broad range of different sustainability
aspects such as animal welfare the reduction of their
environmental impact and facilitating their customers to
choose more sustainable products and to act in greener way
apart from their consumption habits
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 27
Within the European School Fruit Vegetables and Milk
Scheme Kaufland donates fruit and vegetables to
schools every week More than 4000 children in
Germany and 12000 in Croatia are currently
benefitting from this project
As regards plastics since 2016 Kaufland has
committed to avoiding the use solid micro-plastic
particles in cosmetics and personal care products as
well as in its own-brand detergents and cleaners
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Kaufland commits to continuously enhancing its
activities on sustainability Furthermore as a retailer it
will continue focussing on influencing consumer
behaviour sustainable productssourcing food waste
and on the reduction of CO2 emissions
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
28 REAP REPORT 2017
7 KF - The Swedish Cooperative Union is a federation of 31 consumer
cooperative societies in Sweden As of 2007 Coop Sverige operates as a
subsidiary of KF and manages the retail grocery operations 8
KFCoop first reported its commitments for 2016 in September 2017
Therefore only the actual environmentalsustainability strategy has been
considered
KFCOOP SVE RIGE7
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS8
KFCoop has already set numerous sustainable
activities and is working continuously on specific topics
In summary all four life cycle phases (production
distribution logistics and retail place consumption
end-of-life) have been addressed The activities tackle
a variety of topics including sustainable and local
sourced products packaging transport energy
efficiency consumer behaviour food waste and waste
recycling In addition Cooprsquos activities address 4 of the
5 Circular Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food
Waste Critical raw materials Construction and
demolition Biomass and bio-based products) tackling
in particular the Food waste and Plastics one
Furthermore Coops activities with regard to biomass
and bio-based products are being implemented in the
field of renewable fuels and sustainable packaging
Nevertheless it could be taken into consideration to
set out further initiatives regarding the other topics
ldquoWaterrdquo and ldquoReuse and recycling of wasterdquo
Coop is focusing on sustainable consumption and
sustainable production Particularly meat and meat
alternatives are considered by different activities like a
strong communication strategy or offering an
increasing number of vegetarian products In addition
Coop is constantly working to increase the packagings
sustainability profile which is focused on recyclability
renewability and reduction Besides that Coop set
environmental requirements for all transport and
logistics providers such as the environmental
classification of vehicles the share of renewable fuel
and environmentally adapted tires In addition Coop
works continuously to shorten the routes and optimize
the fill rate Concerning energy Coop is constantly
working to reduce and streamline energy use The
majority of Coops stores use electricity from renewable
sources Reducing food waste in the store is a priority
issue for Coop and work has resulted in several
activities (eg improved ordering system price
reduction Cooprsquos Smartbox)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Coop has an ambitions strategy for the sustainable
assortment for 2020-2030 In addition Coop is
participating in several NGO and stakeholder
discussions for a continuous improvement and is
participating in the network ldquoSustainable Supply Chain
for the food sector 2030rdquo in Sweden which is co-
ordinated by WWF with the purpose to set ambitions
goals within the area of sustainable products and food
waste
E-commerce generally contributes to lower emission
levels when the goods are interconnected instead of
being transported individually by the customer Cooprsquos
ambition is to make most of its home deliveries in e-
commerce purchases with biogas-driven trucks In
addition Coop offers customers charging station for e-
cars at a couple of stores
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The ldquoDear Meat-campaignrdquo which addresses the
problems of high meat consumption will be continued
and communication to consumers will be enforced In
addition Coop will continue to increase organic foods
and to promote vegetarian lifestyle and products
Further the cooperation with charities should be
strengthened in order to ensure a more coordinated
concept of food donation for the largest cities Efforts
on the topic ldquoBiomass and biobased productsrdquo will be
continued
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 29
LIDL
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Lidl set out 6 commitments during year 2016 which
tackle the Production the Distribution logistics and
retail place and the Consumption life cycle phases
All of the commitments have been already achieved
In its German stores Lidl committed to extend the
range and the absolute number of sustainable
products certified according to ecological standards
(FSC MSC Blauer Engel and European Flower labelled
products From 2015 to 2016 the number of
sustainable sourced products increased from 129 to
150 and the amount of recycled or FSC certified
packaging increased to more than 75 from a
percentage of 60 in 2015
The commitment of Lidl on the improvement of the
energy efficiency of its buildings as regards
heatingcooling systems lighting etc begun in 2009 is
constantly in progress From 2009 to 2015 232 stores
were equipped with the new store concept which
saved 3712 MWh energy and 12760 tonnes of CO2
and from year 2015 to end of 2016 and the number of
efficient stores further increased to 249
Great effort is being put in enhancing the number of
buildings certified according to the standard ISO
50001 equal to about 5000 in 2015 In 2016 8200
stores 90 Distribution Centres 8 Central Offices and
the Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany) achieved
the certification
As regards the topic waste during year 2016 relevant
staff in 154 Distribution Centres in more than 20
countries has been trained on how to properly sort
waste The training has the aim of helping to reduce
the residual waste and simultaneously increase the
amount of recycled waste
The implementation of a stronger communication via
website and own print promotions in Germany for
raising customers awareness of food and packaging
waste examples has been successfully carried out a
number of articles and information on food and
packaging waste were in fact published on the Lidlrsquos
webpage during year 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Lidl has been working on sustainability issues which are
relevant for many Lidl countries and is implementing
different measures and initiatives throughout the four
life cycle phases
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Lidl aims to constantly increase the number of building
certified according to the international standard ISO
50001 In 2017 it aims to reach the certification for
9000 stores 145 Distribution Centres 18 Central
Offices and 30 Head Offices in Neckarsulm (Germany)
At the moment Lidl is internally discussing future
developments in different areas which cannot be
published yet due to the still ongoing approval
process
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
30 REAP REPORT 2017
Community volunteering at MampSlsquos
Green wall at MampSlsquos store
MARKS AND SPENCER
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Marks amp Spencerrsquos 7 commitments address the
Production the Distribution logistics retail place and
the End-of-life life cycle phases Despite the target
year set at 2020 for all the commitments one
commitment has already been achieved and good
progresses have been registered for all of them For
201617 49 of all the cotton MampS sold was from
more sustainable sources (BCI Fairtrade Organic or
Recycled) and 79 of all MampS products had a least
one lsquospecialrsquo Plan A quality The energy efficiency in
MampS operated UK and ROI stores was improved by
39 against 200607 and for the first time 100 of
MampS electricity usage was certified as renewable As
regards food waste it was reduced by 4 per square
foot against 201314 and the re-distribution to
charities was increased to 757 tonnes (up from 60
tonnes) providing around 107 million meals All food
waste not donated to charities was processed by BSI
PAS 110 certified anaerobic digestion facilities 100 of
all wastes were recycled in some form and total waste
was reduced by 28 against the200809 baseline
Eventually MampSrsquos customers helped it recycling a
further 34 million garments (278 million in total)
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
MampS is working together with the local authority to
classify as recyclable the plastic trays used for prepared
meals which are currently thrown away with the mixed
waste due to policy reasons but that are actually
already technically recyclable
MampS has rolled out a Food sustainability factory
programme which aims to progressively increase the
sustainability performances of the suppliers Currently
every factory that supplies MampS food is on a
BronzeSilverGold sustainability ladder and over 50
of the food sold comes from a silver sustainability
factory
MampS is actively working on various topics of the
Circular Economy It supports the Ellen MacArthur
Foundationrsquos work to build a New Plastics Economy
globally and is part of the Consumer Goods Forum
(CGF) through which it tackles deforestation low
carbon refrigeration and food waste Moreover it is
continuing its ldquoShwoppingrdquo initiative (encouraging
customers to donate clothing theyrsquove finished with to
Oxfam) and improving it to make it more circular In
addition it will be developing Circular Economy
Standards to ensure its clothing and home products
are all made to last and can be reused and recycled
MampS is currently focusing on replacing grid supplied
gas for heating purposes with bio-methane injected
into the UK grid on its behalf For 201617 MampS
replaced 27 of its annual gas heating usage with bio-
methane reducing its GHG emissions by 11700 tonnes
CO2e
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The path for future developments is already laid out by
the new ldquoPlan A 2025 commitmentsrdquo major focus
being sustainable sourcing and operating waste
reduction emissions reduction and influencing
consumers behaviour
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 31
MERCADONA
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Mercadonarsquos 13 REAP commitments address mainly
the End-of-life life cycle phase (5 commitments) but
tackles also the consumption phase the distribution
logistics and retail place phase and the production
phase Mercadona has reported good progress on its
commitments The new sustainability protocol
specifically directed to fishing vessels in coastal waters
has been established and 100 of suppliers signed it
The new two-dozen egg packaging allowed avoiding
1500 truck runs in 2016 Moreover the special bi-
annual Environmental Report specifically focused on
communicating to the general public Mercadonarsquos
actions with environmental relevance has been
published this year The commitment of changing the
dielectric fluid in stores transformers from silicon to
vegetable oil-derived reducing hazardous waste is in
progress at the end of year 2016 the change has
been made in 65 stores As regards food waste in
2016 4000 tons of not-apt-for-direct-sale fruit have
been used to produce juices sauces and soups by
dedicated supplier Dafsa instead of being wasted
Moreover Mercadona started selling in 2016 special
pet food made from salmon by-products from one of
its dedicated suppliers Eventually the number of soup
kitchen receiving daily food donations from
Mercadona increased from 100 in 2015 to 120 in 2016
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Through its ongoing project CASPOPDONA
Mercadona works on the sustainability of its entire
supply chain The activities carried out in this projectrsquos
framework aim in
particular at strengthening the collaboration between
suppliers and manufacturers which leads to an
optimisation of the use of natural resources
As regards the use of refrigerant gases Mercadona is
changing its refrigeration systems with subcritical CO2
systems which allow for considerable savings in energy
consumption and reduce atmospheric emissions
Currently 100 stores have been provided with the new
system the substitution will proceed with an
approximate speed of 60 stores a year
Store visit summary Theme Commitments for verification
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
A change in the two-dozen egg
packaging from supplier Huevos
Guilleacuten allows better stacking and
saves unnecessary truck runs
End-of-life - food
waste
Pet food made from salmon by-
products from one of our
dedicated suppliers Pilot phase in
2015 going full scale in 2016
End-of-life - food
waste
Mercadona has focused on
different strategies to prevent food
waste in stores New tools are now
available for stores to order
according to sales We aim to
reduce food waste in our process
25 in the next 3 years
Other interesting
initiatives
New efficient store model
Plastic bags for fruit in two
different sizes
PA OLI and GEL project
(preparation of bread at the
logistic centres frozen and then
transported to the stores)
ISSF label on tuna products from
Mercadonaacutes own brand
Hacentado and FSC packaging
Concentrated own brand
products Bosque Verde
Paper products with WWF label
Special wine bottles stacking
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified
although not all commitments could completely be shown
(ie main strategies for food waste prevention) The store visit
was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives carried
out by Mercadona were accurately explained Besides the
many initiatives in order to increase the sustainability of the
own brand products Mercadona is currently focused on
reducing its environmental impacts by working on the
sustainability of its supply chain in particular promoting
beneficial collaboration between suppliers
Material from house cleaning items such as buckets and mops which Mercadona
dedicated supplier SPmiddotBerner is now able to recycle and to turn them into recycled plastic
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
32 REAP REPORT 2017
As regards plastics Mercadona has eliminated all the
plastic which is commonly present in the flushable
toilet tissues its own brands tissues are 100 cellulose
Moreover Mercadonarsquos own brand body scrubs are
made with natural abrasive materials unlike other
products which usually contain plastic
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Mercadona has a strong commitment on the plastic
topic One of its targets is to be able to reuse the film
which is produced in high amounts in the stores and
entirely sent to recycling plants
Some possible voluntary future initiatives have also
been identified in order to support the reduction of the
environmental impacts in the consumption phase
namely
adjusting the portions offered to the customers to
better meet the different needs
offer bulk products
provide labels on the products with conservation
instructions (eg ldquothis item do not need to be
stored in a refrigeratorrdquo etc)
Green roof in one of Mercadona stores in Madrid (at General Martiacutenez-Campos Street)
Natural gas-powered truck used for deliveries to three stores in Madrid
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 33
METRO AG with sales lines Metro Cash amp Carry and Real and CECONOMY with sales lines Saturn and Mediamarkt
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
METRO AG and CECONOMY commitments address
the life cycle phases Production Consumption and
End-of-life with particular focus on the topics ldquoIncrease
reuse and recyclability through designrdquo and
ldquoInfluencing consumer behaviourrdquo
The two commitments with target year 2016 and 2017
regarding the availability of free plastic bags in Saturn
Mediamarkt and Real stores have been successfully
achieved and the sale of single use plastic bags has
been abolished
The initiative on the optimisation of own brand
packaging is also on the right track with 2440 SKUs
reviewed until September 2016 (36 of the target) In
the context of this project by September 2016 652
of the Tetra Pak and SIG brick beverage cartons were
FSC certified and the number of SKUs with PVC
packaging was reduced from 1004 SKUs to 311 SKUs
METRO Cash amp Carry France is supporting the
Gourmet Bag initiative of the food authority DRAAF
Auvergne-Rhocircne-Alpes and has developed a
comprehensive package for newcomers to the
programme which contains information and
recommendations on how to avoid food waste
Gourmet Bag door stickers and reusable doggy bags
The implementation of the guidance system for
sustainability recommended products in Saturn and
Mediamarkt storesonline is ongoing the in-store
testing phase is carried out at the Saturn Freiburg store
as well as in the Saturn online shop (wwwsaturnde)
The vertical farm project whose first pilot project with
INFARM as partner was launched in Berlin in 2016 has
given great results the in-store production of herbs
and salad with excellent quality and taste uses 70 less
fertiliser 90 less water and zero pesticides
In 2016 1230 tonnes of used edible fats were collected
from 9961 customers by METRO Cash ampCarry France
against the 570 tonnes collected from 5512 customers
in 2015
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
34 REAP REPORT 2017
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
METRO AG joined the Electric Vehicle 100 (EV100)
Initiative which aims to promote electro-mobility
through contributions from companies METRO for
example already operates 128 electric charging points
in nine countries (Belgium China Germany Spain
France Italy Netherlands Austria and Ukraine) and by
the end of the year it plans to install another eight
charging points for at its headquarters
The ldquoMETRO Water Initiativerdquo aims at improving the
supply chains of all participating partners in favour of a
sustainable handling of water In 2017 20 countries
participated in the initiative and METROrsquos brand
perception among customers employees suppliers
and investors was improved
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Water management and a company-wide water
strategy have been identified as a future priority A
major focus will be on awareness about water
contamination and water use Furthermore dairy
products shall be a focus in animal welfare activities at
Real while Cash amp Carry is developing a meat policy
focusing on local and regional products quality and
animal welfare METRO AG is promoting scientific
research and start-ups in biomass production and
alternative protein sources (insects plants) as an
innovative initiative in the field of sustainable food
production
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 35
REWE GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
REWE GROUPrsquos REAP commitments address the
Production Distribution logistics retail place and the
Consumption life cycle phases with particular focus on
sustainable palm oil One out of three commitments
with target year 2016 has been fulfilled to 97 while
the other two have been already fully achieved
together with a commitment with target year 2017
(achieved already in 2016) one with target year 2020
and one ldquoongoingrdquo Currently REWE Group buys 97
pure refined and non-refined certified segregated
palm oil and 100 pure refined and non-refined
certified segregated palm kernel oil Moreover the
share of palm oil derivatives and fractions certified by
at least mass balance is now equal to 100 As of year
2016 a reduction of 387 of specific GHG emissions
per square meter of sales area has been realized
thanks to improved energy efficiency (with regard for
example to lighting refrigeration and heating) the use
of certified green electricity tests with environmentally
more friendly refrigerants and employees energy
awareness campaigns The commitment to organise a
Stakeholder Dialogue per year was achieved and in
2016 fora and workshops were organised in
Duumlsseldorf with the participation of about 200 peoples
from NGOs politics economy science and civil society
The discussed topic were marine litter packaging the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) food waste
and supply chain risk assessment
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In July 2016 REWE Group - as the first large food
retailer - established a ban of plastic bags in its
German REWE markets Instead REWE promotes bags
and boxes made of recycling-PET cotton jute or
cardboard which can be used multiple times This
leads to an annual reduction of around 140 million
plastic bags and 1400 tons of plastic REWE Grouprsquos
German discount stores ldquoPennyrdquo introduced the ban in
January 2017 resulting in an annual reduction of 63
million plastic bags REWE Group is also determined to
ban unnecessary packaging from its shelves For
example REWE Group is testing natural branding for
marking organic avocados and sweet potatoes Laser
technology is used to apply information to a productrsquos
skin As a result no packaging is needed to identify
organic fruits and vegetables Since April 2016 PENNY
Germany sells organic fruits and vegetables that have
defects in their skin color or shape as ldquoOrganic
Heroesrdquo within its private brandrsquos product range This
way products that do not meet the standard of beauty
but have the same quality taste and durability as their
ldquoprettyrdquo counterparts are supplied to customers in a
regular way It increases the consumption of already
grown products and lowers the mere utilization of
laboriously produced groceries That way organic
farmers can sell their produce at appropriate prices to
secure their economic position instead of selling it for
a lower value to food processing Efficiency gains are
made across the production at farming level due to
reduced sorting needs In 2009 REWE Group and the
German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
developed a concept for more sustainable stores
combining modern architecture with energy-efficient
technologies and the use of renewable energy Today
already 100 REWE Green Buildings were built The
REWE Group also plays an active role in sector
initiatives such as Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa The Animal
Welfare Initiative Textile Alliance Fruit Juice Platform
or Initiative Biodiversity in Good Company - often as a
launching partner
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Together with the University of Leipzig REWE Group
developed ldquoSELEGGTrdquo - an endocrinological procedure
for gender determination in a hatching-egg In the
current series of experiments the accuracy of the
determination is already very high and reaches at least
the 95 required in practice The procedure thus has
the potential to overcome the practice of killing male
hens in the next few years
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
36 REAP REPORT 2017
S-GROUP
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
S-Grouprsquos reported commitments address two of the
four life cycle phases (production distribution logistics
and retail place consumption end-of-life) with
particular focus on the Distribution logistics retail
place which is addressed by 3 commitments tackling
the topics renewable energy emission reduction and
energy consumption while the Production phase
counts only one commitment on sustainable sourcing
1 of S-Grouprsquos commitments address the Circular
Economy Priority Areas (Plastics Food Waste Critical
raw materials Construction and demolition Biomass
and bio-based products) with regard to Biomass and
bio-based products and Food waste (biofuels
produced from raw materials derived from waste and
food waste) Nevertheless the sustainability work of S-
Group covers all four life-cycle phases and the majority
of main topics No commitments have so far been
reported with regard to increase reuse and recycling of
waste energy consuming and water saving products
S Groups fuel supplier to the ABC service stations is
North European Oil Trade Oy (NEOT) which is partly
owned by S-Group (51) In 2017 NEOT sold 600
million litres of bioethanol about 348 million litres
(58) of it was produced from raw materials derived
from waste and food waste as well as generated
outside the food supply chain
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production -
Sustainable sourcing
90 of NEOTs biofuels produced
from raw materials derived from
waste and food waste such as
organic waste in food production
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduction of energy consumption
To raise wind power usage to 50
by the end of 2016
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
arising from the activities of the S
Group
Other interesting
initiatives
Certified products product
labels increase the number of
available products with
environmental and sustainability
certificates
Plastic bags options for carry-
home-bags
Food waste customerrsquos
information
Conclusions
Only the commitment regarding energy reduction could be
verified during the store visit Regarding the other reported
REAP-commitments current information on the target
achievement was provided by S-Group Additionally S-Group
has a very large range of sustainability acts which were
discussed during the visit Some of them could also be
observed at the store The visit was well organized and all
sustainable initiatives carried out by S-Group were accurately
explained
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 37
In addition S-Group is investing heavily in wind power
and by the end of the
year 2016 the wind power capacity had been
extended so far that the goal of wind power
accounting for 50 of the electricity used by the
Group could be met The target to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions arising from the activities of the S
Group by 35 refers to the emissions from real estates
(emission caused by heating and production of
electricity) which had decreased by the of 2016 by 41
since 2010 As regards energy the specific relative
energy consumption of S-Group has decreased by
30 by the end of the year 2016 but extend store
hours have increased now energy consumption which
represents a new challenge in terms of meeting the
target
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
The sustainability program of S-Group includes acts
and objectives related to the production of meat S-
Group is for example currently conducting a survey on
the use of soy and soy fodder in products sold by S
Group in order to investigate the climate impact Based
on the study a procedure for action will be drawn up
As regards the transportation of good from retail to
households S-Group tries to support the use of electric
vehicles by means of offering a wide network of
charging points as possible Besides that S-Group is
committed to facilitate the recycling efforts of its
customers by means of offering sorting instructions
and extensive recycling opportunities
Furthermore S-Group has a goal zero-waste to
landfills by 2016
This goal was quite not reached but only 1 of S-
Groups waste was taken to landfills Concerning food
waste in S-Groups grocery stores food loss is
managed through systematic management of orders
deliveries transports and inventories as well as proper
packaging design S-Groups grocery stores already
have more than 400 charity partners to whom
foodstuffs are donated regularly Further S-Group has
set a goal to reduce relative food loss (food loss in
relation to sales) by 15 by the end of 2020
compared to the baseline year 2014
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
S-Group is currently developing new methods for the
calculation of greenhouse gas emissions caused by S-
Groups operations so that the calculation covers the
entire value chain Based on the new calculations S-
Group plans to set new ldquoscience-based climate
targetsrdquo
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
38 REAP REPORT 2017
SONAE
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Sonaersquos commitments address all the four life cycle
phases with particular focus on the consumption
phase (which counts 7 commitments) followed by the
distribution logistics retail place and the production
phases (with 5 commitments each) Nevertheless
SONAE already implemented several actions in the
past years SONAE commitments address sustainable
fishing packaging refrigerant gases and sustainable
and healthy lifestyle
Concerning sustainable fishing SONAE addressed its
suppliers with code of conducts for sustainable fishery
to protect biodiversity labelling and information for
consumers and traceability of products in the stores It
also asks its fishers to indicate if they comply with
particular sustainability labels the specification of these
labels and if the feed (for aquaculture) is GMO or not
Concerning packaging the main target is the overall
reduction of packaging SONAE already improved
frozen pizza cartons and coffee capsules In some
other cases the so-called ldquosecondary packagingrdquo was
eliminated for instance with rice packaging With
regard to storesacute cooling systems SONAE is phasing
out of all refrigerant gases with a high GWP using
natural refrigerants in new stores and deep
refurbishment of old stores together with retrofitting in
other old refrigerating appliances with new gages with
lower GWP
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
Other initiatives also exist which were not presented in
the commitments but have been part of the portfolio
of sustainable measures for years
In agriculture for more than 10 years SONAE is
applying its own producer classification process which
includes audits and a checklist with more than 100
questions including environment human rights etc
Last year SONAE began introducing the international
Global GAP methodology aiming at replace its own
producer classification process and support its
suppliers to move towards an international
methodology giving them a new tool for their own
internationalization SONAE also offers an education
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
Production - increase
reuse and
recyclability through
design
Reduction of the materials used
concerning primary packaging and
shipping boxes of controlled and
own brand products
Distribution logistics
retail place -
emissions and
(alternative) energy
Reduce or even eradicate the use of
gases with a high GWP (Global
Warming Potential) for instance the
R404
Consumption -
influencing
customers behaviour
Raising customer awareness of
fishing sustainability issues
Provide the necessary information
about our products so that
consumers can make an informed
and appropriate choice according to
their lifestyle
Continue to promote a healthy
lifestyle providing more and better
information and working together
with the community
Other interesting
initiatives
Established collection points for
old smart phones
Sonaersquos electronics shop chain
WORTEN featuring natural light or
LED technology
Conclusions
All commitments under consideration have been verified The
store visit was well organised and all the sustainable initiatives
carried out by SONAE were accurately explained Beside the
presented commitments SONAE has many initiatives in order
to increase the sustainability at all life cycle phases which are
already successfully running for years
training to workers for sustainable production and a
kind a ldquoreward systemrdquo for producers Concerning
energy smart installations of led lights as well as
special windows on the roof capable of conveying sun
light inside the stores were already installed in food
stores and electronics stores (part of the SONAE
group) already some years ago Photovoltaic panels
are also installed on the roof top of supermarket (up to
650 Kwh) For its transport SONAE tries to improve the
logistic Trucks are leased for max 4 years so they can
be easier substituted with more efficient vehicles The
routes are planned to optimize the efficiency and to
send around just fully loaded trucks Concerning waste
production SONAE has a ldquoLoss preventionrdquo
department to prevent food waste production The
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 39
recently implemented ldquoTransformarterdquo project is a new
tool aiming at giving new life to products that most
probably will end as waste depreciating products
which are approaching their expiration date
promoting repackaging when any parts of a unit are
not commercially attractive or lowering the price of
cooked products at the end of the day to boost their
disposal are examples of simple actions that contribute
to the reduction of waste When SONAE donates
products to social institutions or make them available
in its social areas it are promoting their use avoiding
to become waste When SONAE extends the life of the
products transforming them internally or externally it
is following the logic of the circular economy In
addition an internal zero-waste policy to achieve zero
waste to landfill was established and a prototype plan
for anaerobic digestion to treat organic waste from a
hypermarket was built
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Even if meat is outside of the scope at the moment
and wonacutet be taken into account in upcoming
commitments SONAE will try to address it especially if
the consumers will require that
Concerning products footprint SONAE might consider
in the future a ldquotraffic light systemrdquo which displays at a
glance the sustainability of products
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
40 REAP REPORT 2017
VAKCENTRUM
ANALYSIS OF COMMITMENTS
Vakcentrum has developed in collaboration with the
Dutch research organisation TNO a specific quality
mark for supermarket entrepreneurs who are
committed to responsible business practices and
therefore distinguish themselves from other
supermarkets called SSK (Super Supermarkt Keurmerk
Super Supermarket Quality Mark) The quality mark
acknowledges local entrepreneurs who are committed
and active in many areas of corporate social
responsibility To date about 210 supermarkets in the
Netherlands (only SMEs) have achieved the
certification SSK is administered by the Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk
Vakcentrum has set out two commitments with target
year 2016 which address the End-of-life life cycle
phase Both targets regarding the implementation of
communication activities aimed at raising the
awareness of the customers on the reduction of food
waste and on waste recycling have been achieved
The campaign ldquoLandelijke Opschoondagrdquo organised
every year at a national level to fight against street
littering was supported by the SSK quality mark and
saw the participation of many of the SSKrsquos
entrepreneurs The SSK supermarkets also support the
national campaign ldquoGlas in lsquot Bakkierdquo which aims to
improve the separation of glass in the Netherlands by
promoting the collection of glass Vakcentrum
launched in 2016 a cooking channel which gives
specific tips and ideas for using the leftovers and
encourages customers to reduce food waste The
cooking channel directly involves the local supermarket
entrepreneurs and can be watched in the supermarket
as well as online on the SSKrsquos website and pages on
the main social media
OTHER INTERESTING INITIATIVES
In the SSK supermarkets the products approaching the
best before date are provided with stickers with the
words (in Dutch language) ldquoTogether against food
waste matter of doingrdquo
Store visit summary
Theme Commitments for verification
End-of-life - reuse
and recycling of
waste
Raise awareness and stimulate
waste separation through activities
for its members
End-of-life - food
waste
Raise awareness on food waste
reduction by means of the SSK
cooking channel
Other interesting
initiatives
Stickers against food waste
Stickers with storage advice of
commonly used fresh products
Distribution of written
information on how to reuse
leftovers
National campaign lsquoEetmaatjersquo
Promotion of local products
Promotion of waste separation
including small WEEE and other
special waste
PLUS Bendersrsquo green roof
Jumbo Roel Heerschaprsquos
charging station for electric bikes
and cardboard press
Conclusions
The selected commitments reported to REAP in year 2016
have been verified via written information and during the
opening meeting The programme of the day was well
prepared many people have been involved in order to
provide a complete overview of the measures and activities
implemented by Vakcentrum and its associates on
sustainability
Besides the specific commitments reported to REAP the SSK
certification developed by Vakcentrum is itself a unique
example of commitment to sustainability which promotes and
supports sustainability practices among the SMEs guiding
them towards a greener retailing using the tool of healthy
competition to push them forward
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 41
Stickers with simple graphic indication on which
products should be stored in the refrigerator and
which not are distributed at SSK stores with the aim of
educating the customers and reducing the risk of food
waste
A small measuring cup (lsquoEetmaatjersquo) for determining
the correct amount of pasta rice and couscous per
person is distributed for free to the customers with the
aim of reducing the risk of food waste
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Vakcentrum is currently working together with TNO on
a sustainability guidance with information about new
innovations and an indication of the investment
energy saving and the payback period of these
innovation This will guide the entrepreneurs in the
choice of the most suitable and beneficial measures to
improve sustainability In addition Vakcentrum and
TNO are also working on personnel (awareness)
training with the aim of training the personnel on how
to communicate and spread the SSK values in the most
effective way
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
42 REAP REPORT 2017
9 Only related to Large Enterprises (LE)
10 Provided by Eurostat and the calculated market-shares of LEs and SMEs
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE COMMITMENTS IF APPLIED BY THE WHOLE SECTOR The definition of common objectives and the joint work of retailers own a great power and can
lead to a considerable environmental impact Therefore in order to highlight the significance of
the commitments reported by the REAP signatories in 2016 the total environmental impact of
some commitments was simulated by presuming their extension to the whole retail sector and
determining the related magnitude of the benefit The commitments were selected on the basis of
the relevance of the environmental topics addressed the public availability of data and the
possibility to carry out an uncomplicated extrapolation for the whole sector by a screening
The purpose of this exemplary assessment is to provide
an impression of the magnitude of the potential
savings and benefits which is supported also by a
comparison with easily understandable facts and
figures It should be therefore noted that the following
results can be seen only as indicative and not as final
absolute values
The extension of the set targets of the retailers
mentioned above to the corresponding whole sector9
is performed by using turnover data10
A relation
between turnover and waste reductionrecycling
(resource efficiency) is assumed by the presumption
that retailers of a certain sector which are similar in
store sizetypes and turnover have an equal
environmental behaviour and have already
implemented comparable measures
Table 1 Commitments selected for assessment
Sector Retailer Target description (detailed) Topic
food Mercadona
4000 tonnes of fruit will be
used for juices sauces and
soups instead of being
wasted in 2016 (Baseline
2015)
waste
reduction
food
Metro
Group
(MCC ndash
France)
In 2015 MCC - France
collected 570 tonnes used
edible fats from customers
to ensure appropriate
disposal and producing
biogas (Baseline 2014)
waste
recycling
textile Marks amp
Spencer
Recycling a total of 50
million garments of clothes
by 2020 (Baseline 2008)
resource
efficiency
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
REAP REPORT 2017 43
REDUCTION OF FRUIT WASTE - FOOD SECTOR
If Mercadonalsquos commitment were applied by the whole
food sector (LEs) a total amount of 170000 tonnes of
fruits would be saved in total whereof 90 kt arise from
REAP-retailers and 80 kt from NON-REAP-retailers
Comparing the amount of potential fruit waste savings
with the number of treatment plants which are
normally needed for waste disposal 07 incineration
plants (capacity 250 ktyr) or 17 fermentation plants
(capacity 10 ktyr) or 48 composting plants (capacity
35 ktyr) would not be required anymore
RECYCLING OF USED EDIBLE FATSOIL ndash FOOD SECTOR
If Metro Group MCC - Francelsquos commitment were
applied by the whole food sector (LEs) 116000 tonnes
of edible fatsoils could be collected and recycled in
total Comparing these amounts with the amount of
produced biogas in million Nm3 a total amount of 102
million Nm3 biogas would be produced in total
whereof 53 million Nm3 arise from REAP-retailers and
48 million Nm3 from NON-REAP-retailers
RECYCLING OF CLOTHES ndash TEXTILE SECTOR
If Marks amp Spencerlsquos commitment were applied by the
whole textile sector (LEs) the new production of 26
million garments per year would not be necessary and
the disposal of this quantity of textiles can be saved
Comparing this amount with the number of treatment
plants which are normally needed for waste disposal
the illustration shows that 06 incineration plants
(capacity 250 ktyr) would not be required anymore
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers
44 REAP REPORT 2017
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The commitmentsrsquo analysis and the individual
exchanges with the REAP signatories highlighted a
strong focus on the Production life cycle phase as well
as in the Distribution Logistics and Retail Place one
Retailerrsquos activities on the production phase target
mainly the packaging topic and partially productrsquos eco-
design Measures regarding efficient use of resources
in production processes sustainable sourcing and the
cooperation across the value chain are already well
implemented Even if only a few commitments are
currently addressing the meat and agricultural based
products identified as main hotspots for the
production phase initiatives are already in place in
order to address these topics A full alignment between
the measures suggested by CE Action Plan and the
ones addressed by the commitments is achieved for
the distribution logistics and retail place phase mainly
concerning the transport of goods the use of
refrigerants the electricity consumption and the
production of energy
As regards the Circular Economy Priority Areas REAP
members are particularly active on Plastics and Food
Waste Actions are implemented in order to increase
the recycling rate of plastic to phase out hazardous
chemical additives to increase food donations and to
develop new packaging solutions in order to improve
sustainability and to prolong the shelf life of products
The estimation of the potential impact of selected
commitments if they were applied by the whole sector
showed that the definition of common objectives and
the joint work can lead to results with a considerable
environmental impact
Eventually a topic which is becoming increasingly
important for the REAP signatories are the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals Many retailers
already include the SDGs in their
environmentalsustainability reporting connecting their
activities with the SDGs they are contributing to
Some recommendations can be made in order to
focus the efforts and maximise the results of retailersrsquo
actions towards a more circular economy
Continue efforts on the Production and
Distribution logistics retail place by increasing
the initiatives aimed at making products more
durable or easier to repair improve cooperation
with suppliersproducers and reduce the
environmental impact of transport
Maximize the use of ldquochoice editingrdquo especially for
energy and water consuming products
Further increase commitment on Plastics phasing
out hazardous chemical additives developing
internal policies on more sustainable packaging
raise awareness among consumers
Focus initiatives on Food waste to the use of by-
products from the food chain as a resource in
animal feed improve the use of date marking and
understanding by consumers
Improve the collection and recycling of Critical
Raw Materials by increasing recycling of electronic
devices through return- and take-back systems
Promote the use of bio-based materials in
products and intensify the use of biofuels
Increase collection separation and recycling of
construction and demolition waste
Strongly increase the active involvement of
customers