Our attitude

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We believe that our society faces unprecedented economic, environmental, social and cultural challenges. But we are also convinced that sustainability is the key to transforming these challenges into opportunities. METRO has a clear vision: "We become sustainable in everything we do." At the same time, we see the responsibility and the opportunity to design our business in such a way that it complies with the social requirements as well as those of our customers, employees, investors and partners.

We act today for tomorrow. Based on our sustainability vision. For us, sustainability is more than just working on ecological and social projects: Sustainability is a question of attitude and working methods. It encompasses every single aspect of our actions and is firmly anchored in our corporate strategy.

When it comes to sustainability, we want to do the right things in an ever-better way. That means generating value added for our customers at the same time as treating resources responsibly and having a positive effect on society.

Heiko Hutmacher

Global action framework

SDG LogoWith the ten principles of the Global Compact and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations provides the global and concrete framework for sustainable economic, social and environmental development. METRO sees itself as part of society. Therefore, we support the SDGs and, with our commitment to sustainability, pay attention to achieving the global agenda. Since 2010, METRO has been a member of the UN Global Compact Initiative. METRO integrates the ten principles into its daily work, strategy and corporate culture. This underscores our actions as a responsible, internationally operating company.

We regularly report on our progress in implementing the UN Global Compact in our CR Report.

Our overarching human rights policy demonstrates our conviction of respect for internationally recognized human rights within our own operations and throughout our entire value chain. We respect these as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Our fields of responsibility

We do not rely solely on the company's own perspective for key areas and areas of emphasis. By participating in the economic and socio-political discourse and working together with external stakeholders, we are able to identify their requirements in terms of our actions at an early stage. Taking the inner and outer view into account, we define the areas and topics relevant to our sustainability commitment. In this way, we create a basis for the derivation of strategic goals and for the development of concrete measures. In 2016, we also conducted a stakeholder survey for the first time, which also helps us to validate the relevance of the identified topics. This stakeholder survey has been an integral part of our 2016 materiality analysis. In 2018, we will update our stakeholder survey and materiality analysis.

METRO has defined the following areas of responsibility and main topics as essential:

  • Commitment for employees
  • Sustainable business operation
  • Sustainable procurement and product range composition
  • Social engagement

Our vision of sustainability at a glance

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Actively managing sustainability

METRO has put clear organisational structures in place to embed sustainability in its core business:

The Sustainability Committee lays out the strategic framework and sets targets.For the operational independence of the sales divisions. And at the same time for the common strategic level. The committee is chaired by two top executives from METRO who rotate regularly. Other members of the committee are:

  • METRO's corporate responsibility officer
  • Representatives of key functions – Purchasing, Communications, and Expansion & Operations
  • Sustainability representatives of Real
  • Sustainability representatives of the METRO Cash & Carry national subsidiaries

Our sales brands are responsible for defining and implementing specific goals and measures. They also monitor success. They report to the Sustainability Committee on their progress.Ad hoc expert groups prepare specific issues and present them to the Sustainability Committee for decision-making. The participants include experts from Real, the METRO Cash & Carry national subsidiaries and the head office.

Key figures and targets

Sustainability Tree

How sustainable is METRO acting and in which areas does it want to further expand its commitment to the environment in the coming years? How large was the company's CO2 footprint in the past fiscal year and how much energy was already generated from renewable energies? Here we provide you with all information on our goals and key figures.