Aliging Profit with Purpose - Global Goals Yearbook 2019

VALUE CREATION THROUGH
SUSTAINABILITY
How do you know you are on the right track? You prove it with convincing figures. Would you
consider €26.7 billion euros per year as a figure that underscores the business case for a
strategic decision? We do. €26.7 billion positive net effect is the result of our first sustainability
accounting at METRO Wholesale. In other words: for every euro of negative impact on the
environment and society, we create €3 value on the social, ecological, and economic levels.
That is how we show value creation through sustainability.
By Anne Linnenbrügger and Nina von Radowitz, METRO
At METRO, we have been working intensively
in the field of sustainability for
more than two decades. The challenges
are becoming increasingly complex, and
we asked ourselves: Are we still on the
right track? Do we just take or do we
also give back? As a wholesale and food
specialist, our core business is trading
with resources. We consider it our obligation,
but also a great opportunity, to
treat these resources responsibly as well
as the people who work with and for us
along our supply chains. After all, we
are a people’s business. Therefore, in
2018, we conducted our first objective
sustainability accounting for financial
year 2016/2017. The results in a nutshell:
• METRO Wholesale generates a positive
net effect of €26.7 billion per annum
along the entire value chain.
• For every euro of negative impact on
the environment and society, we create
€3 value on the social, ecological, and
economic levels.
• Nearly 89 percent of the negative impacts
are located in upstream and downstream
processes, that is, in the creation, processing,
and consumption of resources.
• Because we deal with resources, the impact
of our actions on the environment
is significantly greater than on society.
Facts and figures are the fuel of our time.
With the results in hand, we can now
quantify the economic, ecological,
and social impacts of
our business activities in
monetary terms and
directly compare
the significance
of the effects –
positive and
negative –
and demonstrate
interactions.
Do
not get us
wrong: We
do not offset
negative
with positive
effects, but
instead take
action to mitigate
negative and
strengthen positive
impacts. Hence, the current
data demonstrates that
our actions at METRO not only
14
15
11
17
10
16
13
serve our purpose, but together, we
empower people, secure the planet, and
unfold prosperity. In short, it substantiates
our sustainability strategy.
People
1
Partnership
2
Purpose
METRO ENABLES
9
Planet
Prosperity
METRO CONTRIBUTES
3
12
7
8
4
6
5
138
Global Goals Yearbook 2019