Carrefour - 2017 Annual Report

C A R R E F O U R — 1 8 Promoting agroecology Through its commitment to agroecological agriculture, Carrefour supports resilient farming practices that will increase productivity and production, while helping to preserve ecosystems and gradually improve land and soil quality. To find out more: www.carrefour.com A t Carrefour, fresh products are everyone’s business and rely on the know-how of the fruit and vegetable professionals, bakers, butchers, fishmongers and cheesemongers, who are all committed to selecting the best products for their customers. To satisfy customer demand for healthy, affordable, flavoursome and natural products, while continuing to guarantee sustainability and quality of supply, Carrefour is developing its product lines, supporting producers and encouraging the development of agroecology. Gaining control of supply through the development of sustainable product lines Since the approach was launched in 1992, Carrefour has been implementing support plans for upstream agri- business. Today, the Group’s ambition is to go further in its efforts to gain control of supply, in partnership with all stakeholders (producers, farmers, processors) in order to meet customer expectations in terms of choice, price and quality of fresh products. In Romania, for example, Carrefour has recently established a farming cooperative involving 4 producers and 80 farming families in the region of Vărăști, 30 kilometres from Bucharest. They will supply 5,000 tonnes of vegetables labelled “Carrefour Vărăști Farming Cooperative” to all stores in the country. Carrefour Quality Lines products, which spearheaded this approach, rely on the expertise of nearly 25,000 partner producers around the world. By 2020 in France, they will account for 20% of supply, compared with 13% in 2017. In France, for example, Carrefour has launched a “Committed Farmers” product line in conjunction with the Fédération nationale bovine ( French National Bovine Federation) . In exchange for fair remuneration based on their production costs, livestock farmers of charolais d’Indre-et-Loire sign up to a charter of best practices and a minimum rearing period. Developing product lines also provides an opportunity to encourage short supply chains. These are welcomed by customers, who want to re-establish a direct link with producers; they reduce the amount of transport required and promote growth in the local economy. In Spain, for example, Carrefour procures 90% of its fresh products from domestic companies. Supporting suppliers and the development of agroecology Everywhere, Carrefour is supporting the food transition by launching more initiatives intended to ensure the sustainability of quality supplies. This transformation hinges in particular on supporting the development of agroecology. Carrefour and its agricultural partners have committed to production methods that are even better for biodiversity and animal welfare, such as antibiotic-free meat product lines (chicken, pork, veal, etc.) and fruit and vegetables free of insecticides, herbicides or pesticides (tomatoes, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, etc.). The Group also encourages responsible consumption and production of seafood in order to end overfishing and destructive fishing practices. It has set itself a target of ensuring that half of fish sold will be sourced from a sustainable supply chain by 2020. BEING COMMIT TED TO FOOD QUALIT Y Becoming the first choice for fresh food