Jerónimo Martins is the only Portuguese company among the first signatories to the European Union Code of Conduct for Responsible Business and Marketing Practices, launched this Monday by the European Commission. A total of 65 companies and associations united to support this initiative since the first moment.
This Code of Conduct is one of the first deliverables of the Farm to Fork Strategy and an integral part of its action plan. It sets out the actions that the actors ‘between the farm and the fork’, such as food processors, food service operators and retailers, can voluntarily commit to undertake to tangibly improve and communicate their sustainability performance, within their own operations or by encouraging collaboration with industry peers and other food system stakeholders, such as farmers and consumers.
Pedro Soares dos Santos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jerónimo Martins, underlines the importance of this Code of Conduct: “We are aware that Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal and we acknowledge all the inherent challenges to a sustainable food system. Recognizing the existing interdependence between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet, we are deeply committed to positively contribute to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda, and, therefore we are happy to join the first group of signatories of the EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Business and Marketing Practices, also driven by our conviction in the power of collective action that is embedded in this initiative”.
By joining the first group of signatories of the EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Business and Marketing Practices, the Group submitted four strategic commitment, specific for its Companies with operations in Europe:
1. Promoting Good Health through Food
• In Portugal and Poland, ensure that, by 2023, at least 90% of Private Brand products do not contain, in their direct ingredients, artificial colorants / dyes;
• In Portugal and Poland, ensure that, by 2023, at least 90% of Private Brand products do not contain, in their direct ingredients, artificial flavor enhancers
2. Fighting plastic pollution
• Ensure that, by 2025, 100% of Private Brand plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable;
• By 2025, incorporate at least 25% of recycled content in Private Brand plastic packaging;
• By 2025, reduce in 10% the ratio of plastic consumption per million euros of sales, comparing to 2018.
3. Fighting Food Waste
• By 2030, reduce by half, comparing to 2016, the food waste generated by our Companies’ activities in line with target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals on Responsible Consumption and Production.
4. Promoting Animal Welfare
• By 2025, eliminate the sale of fresh eggs caged hens sold under our Companies’ Private Brands.
All these targets are already in place and formally published at the Group’s website and Annual Report.
The Jerónimo Martins Group actively engages with ESG analysts such as CDP – through the Climate, Water and Forests Programmes (being the only global food retailer to achieve a leadership level score, A-, in all commodities associated with deforestation risk) -, MSCI, Sustainalytics, FTSE Russell or Vigeo. As a consequence of its sustainability strategy, its activities and its reporting policies, the Group has been included in over 90 sustainability indices such as FTSE4GOOD Global Index, Ethibel Sustainability Index Excellence Europe, MSCI Global Sustainability Indexes, STOXX Global ESG Leaders and the Euronext Vigeo Index: Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and Eurozone ESG Large 80.