The Carrefour Brasil Group, one of the largest food retailers in the country, has announced the creation of a Forest Committee, as part of its commitment to combating deforestation.
The committee comprises five volunteer members who form a collective of national and international names with experience in the subject.
The group will also invest €10 million (approximately R$56 million) in efforts to preserve Brazilian biomes.
Forest Committee
Representing Carrefour on the committee are Stephane Maquaire, CEO of the group in Brazil, and Carine Kraus, director of engagement at the company in France.
They will join Dr Carlos Nobre, a climate scientist, Dr Eduardo Assad, a Brazilian scientist, researcher, and professor specialising in climate change, and Dr Arnaldo Carneiro Filho, a researcher at the National Institute of Amazonian Research.
The five will be in charge of analysing strategic decisions, suggestions, and evaluations of integrated actions that consolidate the commitments around deforestation entered into by the Carrefour Group, and for interaction, transparency, and strengthening of the group's overall ESG strategy in Brazil.
Stephane Maquaire, CEO of the Carrefour Brasil Group, said, "The protection of forests and biodiversity is a theme that is among our priorities for the coming years in Brazil. The Carrefour Group, which already demonstrates responsible and permanent performance in sustainability, will use its knowledge and reach to drive even greater advances in the conservation of the environment. This is another step in our mission to lead the food transition for everyone, responsibly and conscientiously."
Carrefour Brasil Initiatives
The company now will implement five initiatives, which will be monitored and reported regularly.
Firstly, Carrefour Brasil will establish governance dedicated to the protection of forests, with the creation of a High Level Committee of Forest Specialists, comprising independent experts, including the scientists on the committee.
The group will then reduce the volume of beef supplied from critical areas by 50%, by 2026 and 100% by 2030.
It will create a fund dedicated to combating deforestation and the investment of €10 million to finance innovative and systemic projects to help with reforestation by 2026.
The retailer will organise a local and international collective, bringing together specialists, partners, industrialists, and other leaders of mass distribution to generalise measures to combat deforestation for the entire market.
Lastly, Carrefour Brasil will create a results publishing platform open to all to ensure transparency about advances made and difficulties encountered in the implementation of its plan.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
