The Eco-score makes eco-friendly choices easier

Yes, that’s possible. For example by making the product more sustainable and by focusing on the possible bonus points or other factors, but it is a long-term process.

At Colruyt Group, we actively want to further reduce the environmental impact of our private label products. Together with our suppliers, we want to take the right actions that will have the greatest impact on the environment.

The method consists of various parameters such as the life cycle analysis and additional pluses and minuses.

• The life cycle analysis was elaborated by several partners from France and works on the basis of average product scores (out of 100). We retrieve those data from the Agribalyse database. 
• The possible additional pluses and minuses allow us to make interesting nuances at product level. We can refine that system, taking into account the reality and specificity of the Belgian market. We are looking to adjust the algorithms and are consulting with the French collective in this respect.

We thus adapt the calculation method to the Belgian reality, but at the same time, the life cycle analyses database is also periodically completed and adapted:

• including progressing insight in calculating environmental impact
• adjusting values for the many data points needed
• deleting specific product categories and adding new ones

Such an adjustment was carried out in October 2022, which means that the Eco-score is being recalculated. Most products keep the same letter (Eco-score A to E), others are awarded another letter due to the change in the Agribalyse database. Most score better (e.g. from C to B) while a few are given a lower Eco-score (e.g. from B to C).

The life cycle analyses (LCA) of many product categories are available in the French Agribalyse database. At present, there is no database available with specific data for Belgium.

Read more about the results of life cycle analyses here.

A life cycle analysis of a product takes into account the entire journey a product completes before it reaches you. At each stage – from raw materials and agriculture to sales and consumption – 16 different factors or 'impact categories' are evaluated. Climate change, water use, land use, particulate matter and acidification, etc.

The Eco-score bonus-malus system includes some other aspects that are not considered by the generic life cycle analyses from the Agribalyse database. It assigns additional plus or minus points to the assessment of the environmental impact of a food product, and thus takes into account five additional criteria:

• How is the product produced?
• What is the origin of the ingredients in the product?
• What is the environmental policy of the producing country?
• What type of packaging does the product use? Is it recyclable?
• What impact does the product have on biodiversity?

Here you can read all about the bonus-malus criteria and how these are assessed.

Transport plays a role in the life cycle analysis, but it is also considered for the bonus-malus system, where bonus points can be awarded for the origin of each ingredient in the food product.

Depending on the product type, transport has an effect of 5 to 30% on the final score. Agriculture, animal husbandry and processing usually have a greater impact. A product which comes from far away does not necessarily get a worse Eco-score than the local variant.

That is unlikely. The Eco-score and the Nutri-Score can easily be distinguished because of their different visual appearance. Due to the accessible design of both scores, the interpretation of both the nutritional values and the environmental impact of food products is quite straightforward. Effortlessly discover whether your products are healthy and ecologically sound, without having to decipher complicated texts and labels.

The Eco-score indicates the environmental impact of a food product. OEF stands for Organisation Environmental Footprint and is therefore about the ecological footprint of an organisation or company.

Colruyt Group has years of experience in calculating the ecological footprint of both its products and its organisation. For example, in cooperation with the European Commission, we actively monitored the development of the PEF standard (Product Environmental Footprint) and co-signed the OEF guidelines. We were one of the first to do this comprehensive exercise for our group. We calculated the environmental impact of our business activities in order to develop reduction strategies based on a baseline measurement.

Because the food sector has a significant impact on the environment. Before your food reaches your plate, it has to be produced, processed, packaged, transported, refrigerated, etc. This requires a lot of energy and raw materials. In total, about one third of all climate impact is caused by producing and eating food. It ranges from climate change and biodiversity loss to disruption of the nitrogen cycle. By choosing sustainable food, we increase the ecological carrying capacity of the earth and deplete the available raw materials less quickly.

Calculating and rolling out the Eco-score takes time. That is why we chose to determine them first for some 2,500 food products of our private labels Boni Selection (including Boni Bio), Spar, Graindor and Everyday. Meanwhile, you can now consult the Eco-score of national brand products on the websites of Colruyt, Bio-Planet and Collect&Go and in the Xtra-app. You can find the Nutri-Score on the packaging of Boni Selection products. We are gradually adding the scores of an increasing number of products.

No, not necessarily. Meat often has a greater CO₂ impact than vegetable food because of the feed used in livestock farming, the agricultural area used, the excrement of ruminants, the use of pesticides, etc. But there are several criteria by which the Eco-score of meat products can be significantly improved. The type of meat or the production location, for example. Poultry has a lower impact than beef. And locally produced meat will usually score better than meat from far away regions. After all, local production earns extra bonus points. Of course, the life cycle analysis remains the decisive factor.