Interim report 1 Jan. -30 September 2024: A turn for the better in building and technical trade
The ‘Global 100’ list revealed – Kesko ranked again the most sustainable grocery trade company in the world
Kesko has been ranked as the most sustainable grocery trade company in the world for the seventh year. The ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’ list presents the world’s top 1% of sustainable companies based on a comprehensive sustainability assessment.
Kesko is the only Finnish company to have been on the Global 100 list every year since it was first established in 2005. This year, Kesko is the best company in the ‘Grocery and Diversified Stores’ category and thus ranks as the most sustainable grocery trade company in the world for the seventh consecutive year.
“Sustainability and combatting climate change are key strategic focus areas for Kesko. Ranking once again among the most sustainable companies in the world validates our corporate responsibility efforts. We expect success in sustainability assessments to become an increasingly important competitive factor for companies going forward, also affecting customers’ purchase decisions,” says Mikko Helander, Kesko’s President and CEO.
Kesko also received recognition for its sustainability efforts in 2020 when it made the best
‘A’ list in CDP’s international climate change questionnaire, and was once again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index the DJSI World.
Assessment focused on climate action and emission reductions
The top 1% of the world’s most sustainable companies were included on the Global 100 list based on a sustainability assessment carried out on 8,080 companies. The companies were assessed on 24 indicators related to environmental and social responsibility and good corporate governance.
In addition to Kesko, Finnish companies on the Global 100 list include Metso Outotec, Neste, Nordea and UPM-Kymmene.
One key aspect assessed were each company’s actions to mitigate climate change and reduce emissions.
“Climate action and related investments and sustainable selections were especially significant in the assessment of grocery trade companies. The assessment focused, for example, on how much the companies are investing in renewable energy and how large a percentage of store selections are plant-based products,” explains Matti Kalervo, Kesko’s Vice President of Corporate Responsibility.
K Group updated its emissions objectives in spring 2020, targeting carbon neutrality by 2025, with net zero own emissions by 2030. Primary means to achieve this include increased use of electricity and heat produced with renewable energy and switching to biofuels in transports in Finland.
One of our main climate actions in 2020 was to install our new energy recycling system in 18 K Group grocery stores. The innovative system, which has received international recognition, can reduce a property’s heat consumption by as much as 95%, making a store almost carbon neutral in terms of energy.
K Group is also encouraging its customers to make climate-friendly choices. In 2020, we introduced new grocery products made from food waste as well as more vegetarian convenience foods and plant protein products. Our data-based K-Ostokset service enables customers to track their purchases of Finnish products, their carbon footprint, and now also the nutritional values of their grocery purchases, including their consumption of salt, sugar, red meat, fish and vegetables.
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