We consider suppliers and service providers to be business partners that are key elements in building the value proposals of our brands and banners.
We govern our activity based on 5 main pillars:
We seek to ensure the sustainable origin of the commodities present in our products.
We encourage social and environmental criteria to be incorporated into the development of the products we sell.
Whenever possible, we prefer lasting relations with local suppliers.
We defined a sustainable fishing strategy to mitigate our impact on the ecosystems.
We offer the best quality food, while seeking to improve animal suffering welfare.
Our Code of Conduct establishes a set of ethical principles and values which we believe our suppliers should share with us – namely regarding labour and environmental matters – and that may have an impact on the quality and safety of the products made available to our customers.
Within this context, our business partners also undertake to respect the laws on Social Ethics, Labour, and Hygiene, Health and Safety in the Workplace in the countries where they operate.
In addition, within the scope of our participation in The Consumer Goods Forum, we have taken on the commitment to contribute towards eradicating forced labour – as defined by the International Labour Organization – throughout our supply chain and to continue to make sure that it does not exist in our own operations.
Suppliers of Perishables and Private Brand are regularly audited with a view to periodically assessing and monitoring the management and control processes, the quality system implemented and the product formulation, as well as labour and environmental aspects.
For us to guarantee a high-quality, safe product, we give preference to internationally-renowned certifications.
In the case of foreign suppliers who are not covered by our internal audit system, we favour building relations with suppliers who are certified in Food Safety, as recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Our goal is to annually conduct at least 50 environmental audits to Private Brand and Perishable suppliers and at least 40 environmental audits to service providers.
The data referring to new suppliers that were screened using environmental and social criteria, negative social impacts in the supply chain and actions taken, assessment of the health and safety impacts of products, and number of environmental audits on Private Brand and Perishables suppliers and service providers was verified by an external and independent entity in the context of the Group’s 2018 Annual Report.