Sustainable entrepreneurship
Our mission is: ‘Together, we create sustainable added value through value-driven craftsmanship in retail’, and that is not an empty slogan. In everything we do, we want to generate an effective positive impact. This is how we make the difference, also for future generations.
What is sustainable entrepreneurship or corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
Sustainable entrepreneurship? That is doing business with respect for people, society and environment. Because that is the only way we can keep doing business. We are convinced that, as a company, our economic drive can also lead to a positive social and ecological spiral. We do this by integrating sustainability in all aspects of our entrepreneurship.
By handling resources with care for example. By setting up smart partnerships or by innovating in renewable energy or sustainable mobility. But also: by making it easier for customers to make more environmentally responsible choices ... And these are just a few examples!
What does ‘people, planet, profit’ mean?
Sustainable entrepreneurship or corporate social responsibility is also sometimes summarised as doing business with respect for the three Ps: people, planet, profit. In everything we do, we start from a genuine concern for people and society and we strive towards a correct balance between economical, ecological and social factors. And we always look to the long term, so that future generations can also enjoy all the beauty our planet has to offer.
We believe in the creative force of people and in all our activities we cherish and stimulate the strong connection and interaction with co-workers, customers, suppliers, partners, and society.
We continuously make our own activities and products more sustainable, with the aim of creating a sustainable positive impact. We are also strongly committed to circularity, with minimum consumption of raw materials and energy.
We are convinced that by doing business sustainably, we help build a world in which we all want to live. We do business with respect for people and the capacity of the planet, and thus contribute to a meaningful economical development.
Frequently asked questions
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Sustainable entrepreneurship means doing business without mortgaging the future. Through a wide variety of small- and large-scale initiatives, we as a company want to make a positive difference so as to ensure that future generations can experience and enjoy the beauty the planet has to offer.
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Caring for the environment is deeply rooted in Colruyt Group's DNA. Traditionally, we have always been committed to seeking out and investing in initiatives that have a beneficial impact on our environment, because we are well aware that, as a retailer, we have an impact on the environment and the climate. That is why we are working towards reducing that impact, step by step.
Our basic principles are to avoid CO2 emissions, reduce our emissions and consistently look for solutions with a minimal climate impact. We are therefore dedicating a lot of effort to projects aimed at making our cooling and heating, our mobility, and our use and production of energy more sustainable.
In addition, we use raw materials sparingly throughout the chain. We seek to minimise our water footprint in every project and consider the impact on biodiversity. Because we too realise that we only have one globe.
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As a retailer, we are an integral part of society and are in close contact with consumers, producers, local residents, investors, organisations and authorities. We want to create added value for every single link in the chain and for society in general.
We are an active partner in partnership projects with organisations that aim at empowering socially vulnerable people. In Belgium, through sheltered workshops or the Food Banks. But our support reaches far beyond our national borders. Just think of the chain projects with family-owned agricultural businesses in developing countries, or our Collibri Foundation's training projects for young people.
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Thanks to animals, we can enjoy milk, eggs, honey, meat, wool and so much more. It is therefore only natural that we treat them with respect. That is why we impose certain requirements in terms of animal welfare.
Together with our cattle farmers and suppliers, we set up many initiatives to improve the living conditions of animals in our production chains. Furthermore, by informing our customers in a transparent manner, we want to offer them tools to consume more consciously and hope to create broad public support for animal welfare.
Sustainability is a recurrent theme throughout our activities. Every day, we endeavour to make a meaningful difference together, for people and the planet.
Our sustainability initiatives actively contribute to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Our sustainability policy focuses on 12 themes. For each one, we believe we can make a concrete impact, along the entire value chain.
