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METRO GROUP : ANNUAL REPORT 2011 : BUSINESS
→ GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT : 7. SUSTAiNAbiliTy MANAGEMENT
ing agent and energy consumption is due, among other things,
to changes in data collection.
MeTRo GRoUp’s carbon footprint 2011 will be audited by
KpMG for the first time. among other things, this independent
audit will enhance the credibility of our published infor-
mation.
Energy Management Award 2011
Where it makes sense, MeTRo GRoUp itself becomes an
energy producer. examples of this effort include the solar
units in use at various stores, the vertical wind turbine at the
fish logistics centre in the southern German town of Groß-
Gerau and the geothermal unit in Munich-pasing. as an
alternative to geothermal energy, we are using solar-power
absorption refrigeration systems in such places as Rome
and antalya. During the reporting year, the successful combination
of state-of-the-art technology and resource conservation
used at the Metro Cash & Carry store in schwelm,
Germany, received particularly high praise: the eHI Retail
Institute presented the eHI energy Management award 2011
to the micro-gas turbine designed especially for this wholesale
store. The turbine supplies the store with environmentally
conscious, cost-efficient electricity and heat. By means
of an absorption refrigerator, the wholesale store uses the
heat for low-freezing goods. It uses the electricity for deepfreezing
and store operations.
Employees and social affairs
a company that places the customer at the centre of its focus
needs motivated and qualified people who can turn this goal
into a reality every day. For this reason, a commitment to the
Company’s employees is one of the focal points of our sustainability
management. as a result of demographic change,
the number of employable people will decline further in many
countries. It thus becomes that much more important for us
to secure the long-term availability of employees, particularly
skilled workers and managers, by applying far-sighted,
innovative human resources concepts. It is our aim to attract
motivated and qualified employees in an internationally competitive
environment, to support them and to gain their longterm
commitment to the Company. after all, our employees
serve as public representatives of MeTRo GRoUp’s messages
and values. In their direct dealings with our customers,
partners and suppliers each day, they gain valuable
insights that we use to further optimise our range of products
and services.
→ p. 129
The human resources policies of MeTRo GRoUp are discussed
in chapter 5 employees of the Group management
report on pages 114 to 121.
social policies and stakeholder dialogue
Trust, credibility and transparency are the critical factors of
trading and retailing. our customers expect us to provide
safe products, supply chain traceability and compliance with
social and environmental standards. To succeed in business,
MeTRo GRoUp must be convincing not only in the marketplace
of products, but also in the marketplace of opinion. This
means that we must precisely know what relevant stakeholder
groups expect from us. We conduct regular dialogue
to get to know the diverse needs a these people and to be able
to better fulfil them. This discussion is the basis for stable
and trusting relationships and, as a result, is a critical factor
in our Company’s success.
Dialogue and strategy formats in Berlin
The Group’s representative office that we opened in Berlin in
2010 conducts a continuous, open and transparent discussion
with the German government, parliament, trade associ -
ations, relevant interest groups and non-governmental organisations
in Germany. In this work, we apply new approaches
to cooperative political work. The central dialogue format is
the “Mittwochsgesellschaft des Handels” (Wednesday society
of Retail) in Berlin. This gathering was held four times
in 2011 and has gained a fixed place on the political calendar
of events in the German capital. In a candid discussion
that representatives of MeTRo aG and the sales divisions of
MeTRo GRoUp conduct with members of the political, academic
and social affairs communities in Berlin, we explore
current issues like green growth and food quality, safety and
labelling. In the process, we develop new ideas. The series of
discussions has a website that contains interactive elements
and its own channel on the Internet video platform Youtube.
The use of social media facilitates continuous dialogue.
We invite leading election campaign experts and the heads of
the strategy departments of the political parties serving in
the German parliament to the political workshop “MeTRopolis”,
which we organised for the first time in 2010. Representatives
of our Group representative office in Berlin discuss
economic policy issues for several hours with these guests
and then draw up recommended actions. The focus of the
meeting held in December 2011 was the euro and the outlook
for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Germany.