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METRO GROUP : ANNUAL REPORT 2011 : BUSINESS
→ GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT : 7. SUSTAiNAbiliTy MANAGEMENT
project progress and provide the data needed to track the
Company’s sustainability performance.
Fields of CsR activity
In consideration of global social and environmental challenges
as well as the various expectations of our stakeholders,
we have identified four fields of CsR activity that apply
throughout the entire Group:
→ supply chain and products
→ energy and resource management
→ employees and social affairs
→ social policies and stakeholder dialogue
These fields of activity address issues along the entire value
chain and include the manifold points of MeTRo GRoUp’s
contact with society. They point out where we have the greatest
influence on processes that are relevant to sustain-
ability.
supply chain and products
In addition to brand name products made by well-known
companies, we offer our customers a variety of high-quality
own-brand products. We assume a special responsibility for
them. From the supply chain to the design of the assortment,
we are able to take broad steps to shape the production and
working conditions related to these products. The responsible
approach to procurement and the sustainable use of
resources will help to assure the availability of certain products
in future. We are committed to meeting high production
quality and environmental protection standards as well
as to complying with the fundamental work standards of the
International labour organization (Ilo). By helping suppliers
and manufacturers to fulfil quality, social and environmental
standards, we can also take systematic steps to prevent food
from spoiling and being wasted – an issue that is increasingly
becoming the focus of public discussions.
supplier qualifications programme expanded further
local manufacturers and producers are important partners
to us. The reason for this close relationship is clear: we
obtain a large portion of the food in our stores from them.
With training courses developed in-house and established
qualification programmes that we offer in developing countries
and transitional economies, we help our suppliers to
meet high quality standards. as part of strategic partnerships
with such international development organisations as
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the United nations Industrial Development organisation
(UnIDo) and the German society for International Cooperation
(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit,
GIZ), we train the local producers and suppliers of
fresh foods. The focal points of this training include food
safety and hygiene, storage, transport and processing. The
courses help participants to meet the requirements laid
down by the Global Food safety Initiative (GFsI) and to qualify
for an internationally recognised certificate. The programmes
can help to reduce producers’ post-harvest loss-
es by up to 40 percent, increase the volume of their marketable
goods and improve their incomes.
a pilot project organised as part of the strategic partnership
between MeTRo GRoUp and UnIDo was launched in
egypt in 2010. In mid-2011, we applied the concept, which
focuses on the processing of fish, meat and dairy products,
in Russia as well. Using the train-the-trainer approach, we
and UnIDo provided instruction to three national food
experts. These experts then taught the principles to the
suppliers of the own-brand products at Metro Cash & Carry
and Real Russia. During the reporting year, we provided
qualifications to 17 suppliers. another project was launched
in June 2011 in Bangalore, India. In its first phase, the training
programme for our Indian suppliers is also based on the
requirements of the GFsI Global Markets protocol for the
processing of food. By the end of the year, eight suppliers
had completed the programme.
MeTRo GRoUp and UnIDo intend not only to strengthen their
joint efforts on behalf of sustainable supply chains and improved
food supplies in the area of food safety, but also to add
social, environmental and ethical standards to the subjects
covered by the training. For this purpose, the partners
renewed their cooperation agreement at the beginning of
september 2011. as a result, the training programmes for
producers and suppliers will be expanded and introduced
in such countries as Kazakhstan. In addition, the training
courses already being offered in such countries as egypt,
India and Russia are to be expanded as well.
group-wide purchasing policy for fish
as europe’s largest retailer of fish, MeTRo GRoUp offers a
vast fish assortment to consumers and commercial customers
like hotel and restaurant owners. Demand for fish as a
source of nutrition has never been higher. at the same time,
though, the existence of many fish species is threatened. In
response to this development, our sustainability Board pre-