Carrefour announces non-financial results for 2020, confirming the commitment made to local communities

The Carrefour Group announces in 2020 a non-financial performance of 115%, an increase procentage compared to 2019 (114%), which indicates an exceeding of the initial target with 15%. In line with the strategic objectives at group level and adapted to the local context, Carrefour Romania obtained, through CSR campaigns, increasing scores compared to 2019 on the main pillars targeted – supporting local producers, caring for the environment, reducing food waste and creating a strong platform for the transition to a healthy diet. Thus, the company keeps its promise to contribute to the well-being of the society through unique projects in the retail market such as #NothingSuspicious, We Grow BIO Romania, We Open Romanian Wine or We Rely on Plastic.

,,A few years ago we made a commitment to provide consumers better food – healthier, safer, locally produced and selled at an affordable price. A promise that responded to the growing concerns among consumers about the quality of the food they put on the table, which we translated into concrete business actions and programs with a lasting impact on local communities. The results of social responsibility policies reflect Carrefour’s strategic focus on healthy and quality food, environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources, as well as its contribution to the development of sustainable agriculture in which organic crops and small producers play a significant role. Taking into consideration the 2020 results, we believe that we have achieved our goals. Furthermore, we remain a reliable partner for consumers, producers, communities and society as a whole”, said Alina Gamauf, Member of the Carrefour Romania Executive Committee for HR, Corporate Affairs & CSR.

Globally, the company introduced in 2018 a complex CSR reporting framework, through the CSR & Food Transition Index, which measures the non-financial impact of the company in relation to the set CSR objectives, focused on 4 areas: sustainable products (bio / organic, quality chains, fish from certified sources, FSC certified products, packaging quantity reduction), impact of stores and logistics (CO2 emissions, food waste), employees (training, gender equality, health and safety at work, inclusion of people with disabilities) and consumer perception of the food transition (Act For Food). The average of the scores obtained for each indicator forms the overall score of the index for that year.

Following the directions set globally, in 2020, Carrefour Romania has achieved a significant part of its proposed objectives on reducing food waste, encouraging local production, developing organic farming, supporting small producers. Another important direction is to facilitate the transition to a healthy and quality diet, at an affordable price, through the global Act For Food program.

Act for Food – #NothingSuspicious is a Carrefour initiative through which the company has banned 100 additives from all its own branded products.

Fewer additives mean more safety, quality and taste for millions of customers every day. The elimination of food additives is a global process for more than 30 years, and in 2020 100 additives have been banned from all local branded products, including the Love for Romania range. This action is part of the Act For Food philosophy and reconciles industrialized production with the requirements of food safety, nutritional quality and taste.

Reducing food waste in stores – From 2016 to 2020, food waste in Carrefour stores was reduced by 8%.

These results are based on dedicated collaborations with NGOs, donations of short-term products and the accelerated sale of products in stores, which is approaching the expiration date.

Support for local producers – Over 7,425 tonnes of vegetables and greens in 2020 were locally produced.

Carrefour Romania has developed close relations with small and medium local suppliers and continued to be a strong partner for the Cooperative from Vărăști, which in 2020 produced over 7,425 tons of vegetables and greens. Thus, Carrefour brought the consumer closer to farmers through The box with greens, the first of a series of products with vegetables and greens grown locally. The project came to support small producers, who were facing difficulties due to the state of emergency installed at national level, amplified by an early production. Carrefour donated the equivalent of 25% of the value of each box sold to the Foundation for Agricultural Development, to support the development of sustainable programs in the field.

Carrefour programs have had a strong impact on the community

WE GROW BIO ROMANIA – Carrefour continued to invest in the development of clean local agriculture and in the next generation of Romanian farmers with ecological certification.

The second edition of We Grow BIO Romania program was launched in 2020 – the first national program for conversion to organic farming initiated by a retailer, addressed to local farmers who want to make the transition to an organic farming business model. More than 400 farmers were interested in the conversion to organic farming and, in parallel, the label “In conversion to organic farming” was launched, which marks on the shelf the products in the process of conversion. In total, Carrefour currently offers over 1,000 BIO products, representing the largest offer on the Romanian retail market.

WE RELY ON PLASTICS – In 2020, more than 100,000 PETs were collected in 6 cities in the country.

Concrete actions in the We Rely On Plastics program: Come with your casserole from home has given customers the opportunity to use reusable pans for cooked food and bulk food, thus reducing the over 5 million plastic pans consumed annually in stores, the introduction of biodegradable and compostable bags has reduced consumption by almost 6 million plastic bags per month, and the offer of biodegradable products on the shelf, developed in partnership with Biodeck, has offered customers the opportunity to reduce the use of disposable plastic products.

The PET Payment campaign took place between October 30 and November 24, 2020 in 6 cities: Brașov, Baia Mare, Constanța, Târgu Jiu, Iași and Bucharest Băneasa and resulted in: over 5,000 people brought to the Carrefour collection points approximately 100,000 PETs, receiving in exchange over 28 tons of Romanian fruits and vegetables; 17 NGOs from local communities, in turn, collected PETs, in exchange for which Carrefour offered over 2 tons of Romanian fruits and vegetables. Carrefour has also developed a program for collecting used cooking oil, through which the consumer receives 1 liter of fresh oil for 3 liters of used oil. In 2020, over 40,000 people participated in the initiative, collecting 160,000 liters of cooking oil, in exchange for over 55,000 liters of fresh oil.

WE OPEN ROMANIAN WINE – 36 of the most beloved wines in the program are now available nationally.

In 2020, Carrefour continued to expand the Open Romanian Wine program, offering to the producers access to the shelf and encouraging the consumption of quality Romanian products at affordable prices. Thus, through the Wine from Your Region project, 36 of the most beloved wines, out of a total of 75 available based on the proximity criteria, have been expanded nationwide in the entire Carrefour hypermarket network and in a selection of supermarkets, and the number of small and medium-sized wineries enterprises increased from 14 to 26 in 2020. At the same time, the Carrefour Exclusive project aimed at concluding partnerships with reputed Romanian wineries that would develop wines exclusively for Carrefour. At the end of 2020, 15 wines were created within the program, by 5 wineries: Aurelia Vișinescu, Domeniul Bogdan, Via Viticola, Crama Davino and The Iconic Estate. At the same time, through the Premium project, over 140 wines were listed under this pillar of the program, until the end of 2020.

The original Carrefour programs had a strong impact in 2020 and can be consulted alongside the non-financial results in this Group report – https://www.carrefour.com/en/csr

COMMUNITY SUPPORT – The Box of Joy and the Food Bank are two of Carrefour’s projects to support vulnerable communities.

The year 2020 represented involvement and partnership above business, by supporting the local communities and the medical found at a standstill, along with the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, Carrefour has developed an action and intervention plan, meant to support doctors from line one, by providing food for hospitals in Romania, donating 200,000 euros for medical equipment, donating 20,000 masks and providing hot meals for doctors, through the #fromcare project. Carrefour has supported vulnerable communities through the Box of Joy, a kit that provides necessary food for at least two weeks for a family of three. In 2020, Carrefour donated over 4,100 such boxes, through partnerships with 25 NGOs. In total, over 7,000 people benefited from the the Boxes of Joy.

Moreover, Carrefour provided support for the continuation of the activity for the partners from the NGO environment: together with the Romanian Red Cross, the retailer relaunched the “Food Bank” campaign under the concept of “Bank for Someone Else”, in which over 19,300 kg of food were collected, offered to over 4,800 beneficiaries, with the help of over 460 volunteers involved in the program. A defining aspect for the company was the assurance of a secure store environment for employees, but also for its customers. Through all the extreme safety and hygiene measures in stores, the exceptional sanitary equipments and protocols, Carrefour Romania has received the International Certificate of Conformity – SAFE Asset Group which certifies the rigor and correctness of anti-Coronavirus measures.

INTERNAL PROJECTS – Carrefour made available to employees 300 psychotherapists, as emotional support throughout the pandemic period.

Carrefour pays more attention to its employees through the benefits offered at work. Among them, the company had in 2020, on average, 6 and a half hours of training dedicated for each employee, increasing by an average of 3.3 hours per employee compared to 2019. In addition, the company offered additional health insurance for 18,000 of employees during the past year. The #ForSoul 2020 campaign came in support of 9,020 employees with a dedicated Carrefour line, served 24 hours a day by 300 psychotherapists during 9,826 hours, as emotional support throughout the pandemic. The diversity and social inclusion are another important component of Carrefour Romania’s CSR policy. In this direction, 1.4% of Carrefour Romania employees are people with disabilities.

DMCA

PROTECTED