LDC Groupe

No leading practices were identified for this company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

Plastic use and packaging waste

LDC Group provides evidence of efforts to transition to more sustainable forms of packaging, such as eliminating PVC films and moving towards mono-material packaging for easier recycling. In addition, the company has set a 2025 target for 100% recyclable packaging and reports on progress annually.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
LDC Groupe’s sustainability strategy, dubbed Acting Within Our Regions, includes four focus areas that cover topics related to the environment, nutrition and social inclusion dimensions. However, LDC Groupe has an opportunity to disclose its process for identifying and prioritising the sustainability topics on which it has the most impact.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
LDC Groupe demonstrates that the board is ultimately responsible for the sustainability strategy and its implementation. In addition, the company discloses having teams and people tasked with its effective execution. LDC Groupe can further improve by linking remuneration for the board or executives to sustainability performance.

Stakeholder engagement
While LDC Groupe refers to stakeholders in its reporting, it does not disclose stakeholder engagement activities, how it selects stakeholders, nor an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
The company does not disclose quantitative evidence to demonstrate that it is reducing its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions.

Protein diversification
LDC Groupe does not disclose that it is diversifying its protein portfolio, for instance, by increasing the proportion of plant-based proteins and other alternatives such as cell-based meat analogues.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity
LDC Groupe provides evidence of increasing agrobiodiversity, such as through placing beehives and encouraging its poultry producers to better integrate their poultry houses into the landscape through the planting of hedges along the edges of their sites. While the company sets a target to have 100% of sites actively encouraging biodiversity by 2025, the activities the company lists are not all directly related to soil health and agrobiodiversity.

Water use
LDC Groupe has set a 2025 target to optimise water consumption per kilo of product by 1% and reports on reductions in water use annually. The company has an opportunity to demonstrate its reliance on water-stressed areas in its operations and supply chain by disclosing evidence of a water risk assessment.

Animal welfare
LDC Groupe discloses an animal welfare that is applicable across all species and geographies and aligns with five principles set out by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. While the policy addresses key welfare issues for laying hens and broiler chickens, the company has an opportunity to also address key welfare issues for its other species, such as sows and beef cattle.

Antibiotic use and growth-promoting substances
LDC Groupe prohibits the use of growth-promoting substances for all geographies and species. While the company prohibits the prophylactic use of antibiotics and requires audits for farmers in its Nature d’Eleveurs program, it does not demonstrate that all farmers are covered under this program.

Availability of healthy foods
LDC Groupe has set a 2025 target to increase the percentage of products scoring A, B or C in the Nutri-Score programme to 84% and reports on progress annually. However, LDC Groupe has an opportunity to also disclose quantitative evidence of improving the nutritional quality of its products by reporting on reductions in salt, saturated fat and sugar, or other unhealthy properties, in its products.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment and activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Clear and transparent labelling
LDC Groupe demonstrates it provides nutritional information on its products and discloses it is implementing a Clean Label programme, whereby the list of ingredients is simplified and additives are discontinued. The company has set a target to implement the Clean Label programme for 80% of its products by 2025. Moreover, LDC Groupe discloses that several of its brands have committed to the Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutritional labelling system but does not disclose what percentage of its total product portfolio has implemented such a front-of-pack labelling system.

Responsible marketing
The company does not disclose a responsible marketing policy, nor guidelines specific to marketing to children.

Food safety
LDC Groupe discloses compliance with the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene and further indicates that 90% of its operations are certified to a food safety scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative. The company has an opportunity to ensure 100% certification to such a scheme in its operations as well as disclose quantitative information on certifications in its supply chain.

Child and forced labour
In its ethical declaration, LDC Groupe commits to respecting the ILO core labour rights concerning child and forced labour. While the company states it promotes the application of these rights in its supply chain, it does not disclose a statement requiring its suppliers to prohibit child and forced labour.

Living wage
The company does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage or requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
LDC Groupe demonstrates it support the resilience farmers by offering them training as well as price guarantees to help stabilise their income. However, the company has an opportunity to demonstrate it is measuring the impact of its support activities and communicate these externally.

Land rights
The company does not commit to recognising and respecting the legitimate tenure rights related to the ownership and use of land of local communities.

LDC Groupe commits to respecting ILO core labour rights in its operations and provides grievance mechanisms for workers. However, the company does not disclose an overall commitment to respect human rights in its operations nor an expectation towards its suppliers to respect the ILO core labour rights. Moreover, no evidence of a human rights due diligence process or grievance mechanism for third parties was found and the company does not disclose how it engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders.

LDC Groupe commits to respecting the health and safety of its workers. However, it does not publicly expect its supply chain partners to adhere to the same standard and does not provide reporting on, for example, fatalities and the main types of injuries in the workplace. No commitments and disclosure on the other decent work topics – living wage, working hours, collective bargaining, gender equality, and workforce diversity – were found.

LDC Groupe commits to protecting personal data and has a privacy statement on its use. In its Anti-corruption Code of Conduct, LDC Groupe prohibits political contributions as well as corruption and bribery in its operations. However, the company does not further disclose how it prohibits bribery and corruption by business relationships or disclose its approach to lobbying and political engagement. No policies setting out the company’s global tax strategy and approach to lobbying and political engagement were found and LDC Groupe does not report on related expenses.