Biodiversity is decreasing: there are currently around one million animal and plant species at risk of extinction. At REWE Group, we are very conscious of the fact that our business activities have an impact on biodiversity. It is therefore within our power to preserve biodiversity. Through the purchase of properly certified goods for example, and in the farming and production of our private-label products in particular. From its Mittelamerikafonds (Central America fund) to PRO PLANET, the REWE Group is involved in a variety of biodiversity preservation and promoting initiatives with farmers, producers, and partners around the world.
Preserving and promoting biodiversity
In Germany, we are aiming to switch to farms that support biodiversity for the production of more, outdoor-grown regional fruit and vegetable produce by 2025.
In Austria, we want to protect a total of 1,000 hectares of endangered ecological land by 2022 through the charitable foundation ‘Nachhaltigkeit verankern, Österreichs Vielfalt leben’ (Anchoring Sustainability: Living Austria’s Diversity).
Preserving biodiversity is an important criterion used to design more sustainable product ranges. Biodiversity criteria can be addressed through systems of standards, such as Bio, Fairtrade, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), the Rainforest Alliance and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). They are also used in the Guidelines the REWE Group has drawn up for raw materials such as palm oil, fish, and cocoa. Impacts on biodiversity are also examined during analyses conducted for the PRO PLANET label. This allows measures to be taken for preserving and promoting biodiversity in certain projects.
