CDP - Disclosure Insight Action has just released its annual assessment and has positioned the Jerónimo Martins Group as the food retailer with the best score worldwide, assigning it an 'A’ under both 'climate change’ and ‘water security’. As regards deforestation, and for the third consecutive year, the Group is the only food retailer in the world to score an 'A-’ (leadership level) in the commodities linked to deforestation – palm oil, cattle and soy (it received a ‘B’ for timber).
In Portugal, the Jerónimo Martins Group continues to be the only company assessed by the CDP in all three categories and the only one to receive an ‘A’ for its fight against climate change and its use and stewardship of water resources.
Compared to last year’s assessment, the Group received a higher score under 'climate change’ (having received an ‘A-’ in 2020) and ‘water security’ (having previously received a ‘B'), and has been included in the CDP ‘A List’ for both categories.
Pedro Soares dos Santos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Jerónimo Martins Group points out that “the assessment disclosed today attests to the consistency and assertiveness of our strategy to incorporate sustainability concerns into the way we do business and to our conscientious and transparent communication, in particular with those who monitor our activities. A true commitment to sustainability means understanding the inevitability and advantages of working for the long term, something that Jerónimo Martins, which will be celebrating its 230th anniversary in 2022, understands very well”.
Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, congratulated the companies who made this year’s ‘A List’: "Taking the lead on environmental transparency and action is one of the most important steps businesses can make, even more so in the year of COP26 and the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. The scale of the risk to businesses from climate change, water insecurity and deforestation can no longer be ignored, and we know the opportunities of action far outweigh the risks of inaction. Leadership from the private sector is essential for securing global ambitions for a net-zero, nature positive and equitable world. Our ‘A List’ celebrates those companies who are preparing themselves to excel in the economy of the future by taking action today.”
These results reflect the Jerónimo Martins Group's best practices in finding a balance between economic prosperity and environmental preservation, which have been recognised internationally with inclusion in more than 90 sustainability indices, among which the Euronext Vigeo-Eiris Eurozone 120 and Europe 120 indices, and the FTSE4Good Global and Europe Indices.
CDP is a non-profit organisation that encourages companies and cities to measure and manage environmental and climate change opportunities and risks. Each year, the CDP collects information through its ‘climate change’, ‘deforestation’ and ‘water security’ questionnaires. In 2021, more than 590 investors with approximately €100 trillion in assets requested businesses to disclose information on their environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP. A record 13,000 companies responded.