Taking steps towards better care for one another
As a company that puts people first, we are committed to building a caring, warm, and inclusive society. We want to ensure that no one is left behind: our customers, employees, people in vulnerable situations, Belgian farmers, producers in high-risk areas, future generations, and animals.
How is Colruyt Group working towards a more positive society?
We are improving conditions for Belgian farmers and livestock producers
We strongly believe in the capabilities of our Belgian arable farmers and livestock farmers. But they are facing major challenges such as population growth, climate change, urbanisation, soil depletion, and animal welfare. As a Belgian retailer, we support them in the areas of sustainability and innovation so they can meet these challenges. In this way, Belgian agriculture can continue to thrive.
We prioritise Belgian agricultural products as much as possible, through traditional procurement channels, our Belgian supply chain projects, and our own farmland. We aim to support our Belgian farmers both socially and economically, while also focusing on local products with low food miles.
In addition, we are committed to transparent supply chains by working directly with Belgian farmers and other links in the agri-food chain. We are open about exchanging information with our supply chain partners; we share knowledge and leverage existing expertise. We establish agreements regarding pricing, quality, and volume. We collaborate on sustainability goals, such as reducing CO₂ emissions and restoring soil health, and are willing to experiment with new techniques (e.g. carbon farming).
Finally, together with our livestock farmers, we are committed to animal welfare, as demonstrated by the Belgian beef and the broiler chickens in our product range.
We are improving the social impact of our products
As a Belgian retailer, we source as many products as possible locally. For some products and raw materials—including rice, nuts, cocoa, coffee, and palm oil—we have no choice but to source them from further afield. As a player in the international market, we take our responsibility seriously. Creating sustainable added value also means that our producers and suppliers benefit economically, socially, and environmentally.
We prevent human rights violations in connection with high-risk products. For example, we require our suppliers of own-brand products to sign the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct. This code sets forth universal human rights principles, including fair wages and a ban on child labour. We verify compliance with this code of conduct through certificates, social initiatives, and social audits, and support our partners in their improvement processes.
- Decent and viable work is a minimum requirement at every link in the chain. We are committed to ensuring fair working conditions among the producers and suppliers with whom we collaborate. Through our international supply chain projects, we also aim to provide primary agricultural producers in developing regions with the tools to improve their living conditions. To this end, we work with partner organisations that have a deep understanding of these farmers’ circumstances.
Finally, we also consider animal welfare to be part of our social impact efforts. Together with our suppliers, we take targeted actions to improve the welfare of animals raised for consumption.
We are improving employee engagement and satisfaction
We promote work that is manageable and meaningful, ensure that our employees are heard and are committed to diversity within our workforce.
To offer our own employees dignified, manageable, and meaningful work, we provide a healthy work-life balance, sustainable careers with sufficient growth opportunities, training and development opportunities, fair remuneration (more than just a salary), and a safe and healthy work environment—physically, mentally, and socially.
We engage our employees in various ways. Within our organisation, every employee, at every level, is given the opportunity to contribute ideas that make us more sustainable or efficient. We actively share new initiatives and projects through internal communications. This way, we involve as many employees as possible, inspire colleagues to serve as ambassadors, and together put our values into practice. And we also literally take care of one another through the Solidarity Fund. Colleagues make voluntarily financial contributions and can draw on the fund in the event of major life changes.
We embrace diversity in all its forms: cultural background, gender, native language, age … We take an objective and professional approach to selecting candidates. Anyone who possesses the necessary skills, talents, and ambitions can advance in their career.
We are improving opportunities in society for people in vulnerable situations
We are committed to helping people in vulnerable situations who, for various reasons, have limited or reduced access to our stores, products, services, or other activities.
Featured initiatives
Frequently asked questions
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We align ourselves with international initiatives, agreements, and codes of conduct that monitor the social impact of retail activities. For example, we are working on our due diligence reporting through the Sustainability Initiative for Fruit and Vegetables (SIFAV); we are committed to ensuring a living income for cocoa farmers through the sector agreement Beyond Chocolate; and we have endorsed the European Union’s Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices.
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Caring for each another is not something we do alone. We exchange knowledge and experiences with committed and like-minded partners. For example, we’ve launched reporting projects with &Wider and we partner with CIFAL Flanders and The Shift—both organisations that place a high priority on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.