Our ambitions are to source safe and responsible products, and to reduce the environmental footprint of our supply chain.
We want to make sure that our suppliers meet our sustainability requirements. Increasing the sustainability of our products means that we aim for them to be grown or produced with consideration for – and responsibility towards – the people, animals and environment involved in their production.
Product safety (the safety of both food and non-food products) is essential; we therefore require our suppliers to meet specific safety criteria. We also recognize the importance of our suppliers’ compliance to international labor conventions and environmental standards. We ask all our suppliers to sign our Standards of Engagement.
Our sustainability efforts focus on the last stage of production of our own-brand products. For “critical commodities” – tea, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy and seafood – that are used in many of the products we sell, we take into account all stages of the supply chain. In 2011, we plan to continue the process of mapping our suppliers at the last stage of production. In some cases, such as fruit and vegetables, this may mean going back to farm level. In others, such as processed food, we look at the final manufacturer.
We have set four targets in our strategy to 2015 for sustainable trade:
1. Ensure that 80 percent of own-brand food suppliers are Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certified by 20121
2. Source 100 percent of the six critical commodities for own-brand products in accordance with accepted industry certification standards for sustainable production by 2015
3. Ensure that 100 percent of own-brand suppliers in high-risk countries are audited on social compliance by 2012
4. Map the environmental footprint of 50 percent of own-brand suppliers and their supply chains by 2015
In order to meet our targets over the next five years, we have:
- Put a program in place to manage certification and auditing programs for product safety and social compliance
- Committed to further develop and implement sourcing strategies for critical commodities
- Started to co-develop a tool with The Sustainability Consortium to map the footprint of our products’ supply chain
For more information, see our 2010 CR Report.
Sustainable trade policies
Product safety:
- Nanotechnology
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) / Biotechnology
- Supply chain standards
Sustainably sourced products:
- Standards of Engagement
- Social compliance
- Environmental impact
- Critical commodities
- Animal welfare
Download our policies below.
CR Policies.pdf (283kb)
