SOURCING THAT RESPECTS BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

It’s about civic duty, but it’s also about ensuring the sustainability of Group operations: Carrefour strives to minimise the impact of its operations on the natural environment by opting for sustainable resources and helping suppliers to control their sourcing.

Contributing to the fight against deforestation

Since 1997, Carrefour has been involved in initiatives to control the sourcing of wood, and has also been working with the WWF since 1998 to promote FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood guaranteeing sustainable forestry management. Thus, the assortment of outdoor furniture from the Group’s European Purchasing department is made exclusively from FSC-certified products (Amburana FSC and Eucalyptus FSC) as well as acacia, a tree not on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) endangered list that is currently undergoing certification with the VFTN (Vietnam Forest and Trade Network).

For its commercial publication, the Group focuses its paper policy on reduced grammage, and has set a target for the end of 2012 of using only paper made from recycled wood fibre and/or forests under certified management for all of its catalogues and consumer magazines in Europe. Carrefour also contributes to combat the illegal wood trade by working with the European Commission to implement FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement on Governance and Trade) regulations.

In 2010, to strengthen its sustainable sourcing approach, the group has set a new objective: “Zero deforestation” by 2020. (see focus)
 

FOCUS: Zero deforestation by 2020

In 2010, Carrefour decided to strengthen its commitment, within the framework of the Consumer Goods Forum, with a new large-scale project: Zero deforestation by 2020. This policy of sustainable forestry management is unique in its scope, because it includes all products derived from forests managed in sustainable way.

Indeed, it concerns:

• Goods made from wood, paper or wood fibres; 
• Some products containing agricultural materials whose exploitation may have an impact on the forest (especially palm oil); 
• Non-market goods such as paper for commercial publications and receipts in stores.

High standards of environmental protection will be integrated in the specifications for the main lines in order to go beyond legal compliance. For example, wood and paper may not be sourced from primary forests or peatland conversion.
 

Sustainable networks for palm oil and soy

Palm oil and soy crop-extension is often accomplished to the detriment of primary forests, the climate, certain species and under conditions unfavourable for local populations. For these reasons, Carrefour is participating in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS). The goal of these initiatives is to support the creation of sustainable production standards to help suppliers control their sourcing.

In 2008, Carrefour France began using sunflower oil instead of palm oil in its own-brand crisps, by doing this it reduced the total volume of palm oil used by a third.

In 2009, the first RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified palm oil went on the market. The Carrefour Group is committed to requiring its suppliers to use only palm oil that is certified sustainable in the composition of own-brand products. Carrefour’s objective is to use palm oil sourced only from certified sustainable for company brand products by 2015.

Carrefour now asks company brand suppliers to substitute palm oil where this is technically possible and insofar as there is a nutritional benefit in doing so. Begun in 2008, most substitutions should be implemented in Europe by the end of 2013. However, palm oil is an essential ingredient in certain Asian and Latin American countries, where it is produced locally and used daily, especially as a cooking oil. Where substitution is impossible, the Group has undertaken to use only certified-sustainable palm oil by 2015.

Visit the RSPO website: http://www.rspo.org

Regarding soy, Carrefour has carried out an inventory of the ingredients used in company brand products and is lending support to the drafting of a sustainable soy certification standard within the framework of the RTRS (Roundtable on Responsible Soy). In 2010, the Group worked on an appendix regarding non-GMO farming practices to be incorporated in the RTRS paper defining the principles and criteria for sustainable soy production, which is now completed: the “Principles”, adopted in June 2010 by the RTRS, have included this appendix since November.
 
Objective 100% certified sustainable palm oil for Carrefour-brand products by 2015.
 

A firm stance on GMOs

Carrefour, in 1996, was the first French retailer to apply the precautionary principle to GMOs.

For the past 10 years, Carrefour has been offering GMO-free own-brand products, thus giving customers the opportunity of making purchases in line with their convictions.
In Europe, all own-brand products, regional brands (Reflets de France, for example) and discount brands (such as Carrefour Discount and N°1) are GMO-free. The Group has even gone beyond this approach since 2000 by excluding GMOs from animal feed, which affects products such as meat and eggs.
 

FOCUS: the “Reared without GMOs” label, launched in October 2010

In October 2010, in order to increase the visibility of its GMO-free commitment, the Carrefour Group launched a “Reared without GMOs” label (99.1% guaranteed) that is identifiable by a sticker found on more than 350 food items in all stores in France. Some of the families of the Carrefour-brand include: pork, veal, poultry, eggs and also farm-raised fish.

With this commitment, which received support from WWF France, Carrefour guarantees the freedom of choice to French consumers and meets their expectations in terms of information transparency.

Greenpeace also supports this initiative. In the Non-GMO shopper's guide published by Greenpeace, Carrefour-brand products are found on their list of green products, i.e., GMO-free products. According to Greenpeace, the Group’s decision will considerably increase the visibility of its GMO-free offerings.
 

A sustainable fishing policy

 

80% of fish stocks are overfished, or are on their way to being overfished, while the global catch has held steady at about 85 million tonnes for the past 20 years.

Carrefour has instituted a sustainable fishing policy in pursuit of four objectives:

• Greater sustainability for seafood products;
• Ensuring that new products come from sustainable sources;
• Combatting illegal fishing;
• Increasing awareness and training Carrefour employees and consumers.

The Group bases its efforts in France on four core objectives:

1. Guarantee the reproduction of wild species
Since 2000, strict controls on fish size have been implemented in order to protect young fish and facilitate their reproduction.

2. Improve the sourcing of wild species

• Beginning in 2006, following warnings from scientists, Carrefour began phasing out the sale of Mediterranean bluefin tuna in all European stores, and the sale completely ended by the end of 2008.
• Carrefour also stopped the sale of certain deep-sea fish (orange roughy and blue ling) in order to allow for stock replenishment.
• Since 2007, the Group has also been working with the WWF to identify the best possible supply sources. Group buyers use the Seafood Choice Alliance (an NGO working with marine professionals) guide to identify threatened stocks and make adaptations to sourcing.

3. Developing a responsible-fishing product offering

• In 2005, Carrefour was the first retailer to develop a responsible-fishing range of frozen products.
• With 27 listings, Carrefour offers the widest range of MSC (Marine Stewardship Council)-certified own-brand products in France.
• In order to reduce pressure on the fish used as feed, Carrefour has developed a range of farmed omnivorous and herbivorous fish (pangasius, claresse and tilapia).
• Since 1995, Carrefour has been offering Carrefour Quality Line farmed products that are developed with respect for the environment, GMO-free and based on specifications that contain animal well-being requirements.

4. Informing employees and customers, and raising awareness
Since 2007, Carrefour has stopped promoting threatened species in its publications and has run awareness campaigns for customers in its stores and catalogues. The Carrefour Group also promotes responsible fishing practices in collaboration with French and European governmental authorities and organisations and such NGOs as the WWF.

 

Fair-trade supporter for over 10 years

In 1998, Carrefour was the first large distributor in France to launch a fair-trade product: Malongo coffee from small-scale producers.

Since then there have been many more products offered and, in 2007, Carrefour-brand fair-trade products were launched. In 2007, the Group developed a line of FLO-cert certified Carrefour-brand fair-trade products This line includes nearly 20 Max Havelaar certified products, including food products (coffee, cocoa powder, chocolate bars, tea, honey, sugar, bananas) and roses. The Group also works with about 50 small-scale food producers (80% in South America, 8% in Africa and 12% in Asia).

More than 480 products with the Max Havelaar label were sold in the stores in 2010 under the following brands: Alter Eco, Carrefour, Lobodis, Ethiquable, Malongo.

With over 40.8 million euros in sales in 2010, Carrefour is a leading retailer of fair-trade products in France.
 Visit the RSPO website: http://www.rspo.org