In this sustainability report, we look back on a financial year that was shaped by global upheaval. Disruption and uncertainties have created challenging environment, which we have encountered with a great deal of agility, energy and resilience in our business day by day. At the same time, we are looking today into a future that calls for a change of thinking.
People flocked back to the gastronomy, life returned to the streets: The last financial year began with a normalization of our everyday life and gradually also of global supply chains. The Russian war against Ukraine then abruptly put this return to global practices to the test again. The world order has been knocked off balance – and with it the network of relationships that hold our worlds together. At the same time, the consequences of global warming are also becoming more noticeable in our lives. The multiplicity of crisis creates risks, also for our business, which ultimately relies on robust supply chains. At the same time, these challenges also bring the opportunity to rethink structures and systems. In this way we can develop new answers together. And we take responsibility for this.
This way, we can preserve the life we love in all its diversity and with its communities. For the life that we love – this is what our customers stand for. For the ingredients – that’s what METRO stands for. In this sustainability report, we show how we are rethinking our business in line with our sCore corporate strategy in order to remain fit for the future. Focused, ambitious and oriented towards the challenges where we as a wholesaler can make a significant difference. This is what our ESG strategy, build on sCore, and its three sustainability priorities we define therein stand for.
As part of our sustainability priority Climate and Carbon, we want to continuously reduce our CO2 emissions and contribute to a low-emission food system: in our own business operations, in our logistics and in our assortment. Trading in resources is our core business – and how good we are at it is being reflected in how well we avoid wasting resources along the supply chain, from the natural raw materials to the finished food and its packaging. Resource efficiency strengthens our business, supports our customers and makes a decisive contribution to preserving our livelihoods.
Within our sustainability priority Ethics and Trust, we secure the most important asset for our business: reliability as a partner for our customers. The basis for this: Clear commitments to socially responsible and transparent procurement. Reliable conditions create robust supply chains that can be managed more efficiently. Because frequency of failures is being reduced if you know your partners, if you can trace products back to their origin and if you can ensure as much as possible that social and environmental standards are being complied with. In this way, we can consistently keep our promise of reliability to our customers.
Togetherness, dialogue, diversity – at our customers, the focus is on people and their needs. As a partner of our customers, we stand by their side and do everything we can to respond to their requirements in the best possible way. How well we perform at this is determined by the commitment and strength of our employees. For truly implementing our business goals, it is essential to invest into the needs of our employees. Therefore, equity, inclusion and well-being constitute our third sustainability priority. Because employees who feel valued, involved and – at the right moment – thoroughly supported create strong performances and build sustainable relationships with our customers.
For the life we love – this is what our customers stand for. Making sure that the diversity, the enjoyment and the hustle and bustle they bring into our societies persists, requires assumption of responsibilities along the entire value chain. As a wholesaler, we are a central link in this chain and take our responsibility in both directions: On the one hand, together with our suppliers, we set standards for the responsible use of natural resources. On the other hand, we provide our customers with pragmatic and proven solutions to make their operations more sustainable and efficient.
With our three sustainability priorities, we have a clear roadmap to save resources in a targeted manner, design responsible supply chains and ensure the well-being of every single METRO employee. This is how we score for our business, create strong relationships with our customers and build strong teams that are passionate about driving true change in our business.