Fighting climate change and deforestation: Jerónimo Martins consolidates leadership position in the global food retail sector

• Jerónimo Martins is the only food retailer in the world to receive a leadership score in the fight against deforestation (“Forests” theme) and also the only one to receive a score of ‘A-’ in the four commodities associated with deforestation risk (palm oil, timber, cattle and soy)
• Only Portuguese company to be assessed by CDP in all themes: “Climate Change”, “Forests” and “Water Security”
• Assessment encompassed more than 9,600 companies across the globe, which represent half of global market capitalisation

The results of the annual CDP assessment have been released and consolidate the Jerónimo Martins Group’s leadership position in the food retail sector in the fight against climate change and deforestation. The Group continues to be the only global food retailer to receive a leadership level score (A-) in all commodities assessed in the fight against deforestation, the same level it received for its measures to fight climate change. Regarding the management of water as a critical resource, the Group received a management level score (B).

The Jerónimo Martins Group was, once again, the only Portuguese company to respond to all three CDP questionnaires (Climate, Forests and Water).

The CDP assessment ranks the Group as the only global food retailer to receive a leadership level score in the fight against deforestation (“Forest” theme), and also the only one to receive a score of ‘A-‘ in the four commodities associated with the deforestation risk (palm oil, timber, cattle and soy).

Its measures to fight climate change (“Climate Change” theme) have the Group once again ranked in the leadership level (A-), a rank that only a third of the food retail companies in the world received.

As regards “water security”, which assesses the management of water as a critical resource, the Group received a score of ‘B’ (management). The “Water Policies”, “Water Accounting” and “Business Impacts” assessment topics received the highest score: ‘A’.

The Assessment carried out by CDP encompassed more than 9,600 companies across the globe, which represent half of global market capitalisation.

These results reflect the Jerónimo Martins Group companies’ best practices in finding a balance between economic prosperity and environmental preservation, which have been recognised internationally with inclusion in more than 60 sustainability indices, among which the Euronext Vigeo-Eiris Eurozone 120 and Europe 120 indices, and the FTSE4Good Global and Europe Indices.

The performance also reflects the Group’s commitment to conserving biodiversity and fighting forest destruction undertaken as member of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). No other global food retailer received such a transversal assessment, based on the commodities analysed.

Also with regard to its endeavour to fight deforestation, on 9 December the Group joined more than 50 organisations, NGOs and international associations in endorsing the position paper issued by the Tropical Forest Alliance in response to a public consultation launched by the European Commission. Among the measures proposed by the group of organisations – the Jerónimo Martins Group is the only Portuguese organisation – are the establishment of partnerships between the EU and producer countries of the main commodities associated with deforestation (such as palm oil, soy, cattle, paper and timber); the creation of incentives for the sustainable production and sourcing of those commodities; and the creation of investment and financing measures for projects that incorporate criteria to fight deforestation, promoting the sustainability of their activities and their supply chains.