REWE Group issues “Guidelines for Environmentally Sustainable Business”

Cologne, 24.01.11

Set of fundamental values and recommendation for action for contract partners

The release of the “Guidelines for Environmentally and Sustainable Business” intensifies the activities of REWE Group in the field of environmental sustainability. The 27-page publication released today documents the values the company stands for and describes how the REWE Group business relationships should be characterised with respect to environment and society. The objective is to work with the contract suppliers to expand the REWE Group corporate principle of “We are aware of our responsibility and orient our activities to sustaining the environment” to cover the entire length of the supply chain. The Guidelines, which will also be made available on the Internet, are addressed to employees, customers, political institutions and the interested public as well as the contract partners of REWE Group.

“Our Guidelines reiterate the long-term commitment of REWE Group to environment, society and responsible consumption. They lay the foundation of values and recommendations for action which apply across the board to all of our business units,” stated Alain Caparros, CEO of REWE Group, in announcing the publication. The Guidelines serve as an orientation aid to the contract partners during the development and realisation of their own sustainability guidelines and management systems. “This is our basis for the joint dialogue regarding social and ecological business with our partners in the future,” continued Caparros.

“In its position as trading and travel and tourism company, REWE Group has a broad impact. If management and staff pull together, if business partners and customers become convinced step by step, product by product, of the added value of sustainability, the sum of the positive changes can be enormous,” writes Joschka Fischer in his foreword to the Guidelines.

“At this time, we as a retail company have only limited opportunities for influencing the complex global flow of goods and resources along the supply chain. But it is our declared goal to work with our contract partners in formulating sustainability guidelines and binding standards in the supply chain. We have already taken important first steps in this direction with our sustainability label ProPlanet and various projects for contractual cultivation. We will use our Guidelines as a basis for continued progress,” declared Manfred Esser, who, as member of the Management Board in charge of Strategic Purchasing, is also responsible for environmental sustainability.

The Guidelines are divided into three main sections: “Acting in Awareness of Responsibility”, “Labour and Social Standards” and “Environmental and Animal Protection”. Sixteen chapters concretise various topics such as the general prohibition of corruption, fairness in competition, prohibition of forced and child labour, prohibition of discrimination or health protection on the job, protection of climate, resources and animals, a commitment to protection of species and biodiversity and responsibility for consumer interests.

With sales of more than 50 billion euros and 330,000 employees, REWE Group is one of the leading trading and travel and tourism groups in Germany and Europe. The company, that was established more than 80 years ago, is present in 16 countries with more than 15,000 stores. The sales lines include supermarkets and hypermarkets, such as REWE, toom and BILLA, the discounter PENNY, the toom DIY stores and the consumer electronics branch ProMarkt. The travel and tourism division comprises the tour operators ITS, JAHN REISEN and TJAEREBORG as well as DERTOUR, MEIER’S WELTREISEN and ADAC REISEN, as well as about 2,500 travel agencies.  

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REWE GROUP-Corporate Communications
Tel.: 0221 - 149-1050
E-Mail: presse(at)rewe-group.com

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