Wm Morrison Supermarkets

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

Plastic use and packaging waste
Morrisons has set five time-bound targets related to plastic use and sustainable packaging and reports progress against these on an annual basis. This is in addition to an overarching target to reduce own-brand plastic packaging by 50% by 2025, against a 2017 baseline. However, the company reports that it has yet to achieve 100% sustainable packaging, presenting an opportunity for the company going forward.

Animal welfare
Morrisons discloses an animal welfare policy and publishes an Animal Welfare Progress Report. In the report, the company discloses key animal welfare indicators and targets for each of its key species, reporting progress against each. The company also outlines in detail the monitoring and verification processes that occur, stating that 100% of its own-brand meat, fresh milk and shell egg products are assured to an approved standard of farm animal welfare. Going forward, the company can extend this policy.

Antibiotics use and growth-promoting substances
Morrisons discloses an antibiotics policy that explicitly bans both growth-promoting substances and the prophylactic use of antibiotics. Moreover, the company discloses that it is actively seeking to reduce critically important antibiotics in its products. Morrisons also outlines its auditing and verification process for implementing this policy, through its Farm Animal Assurance Standards policy. Nonetheless, the policy only covers Morrisons’ own-brand products, presenting an opportunity for the company to extend this policy.

Availability of healthy foods
Morrisons discloses a commitment to increase the availability of healthy foods and provides quantitative evidence to support this. The company discloses product reformulation activities, stating that in 2020 it had removed 8.6 billion calories, 832 tonnes of sugar and 44.4 tonnes of salt from own-brand products. The company also discloses a time-bound target for 65% of its own-brand products to be classified as non-HFSS (high fat sugar salt) by 2025, according to a 2004 nutrient profiling model, reporting progress between 2019-2020. It has further targets for calorie, salt and sugar reductions. The company bases its definition of ‘healthy’ on the 2004-2005 UK government’s nutrient profiling system.

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

Sustainable development strategy
Morrisons’ sustainability strategy is organised around three thematic focus areas: our purpose, our planet and our people. The company discloses key performance indicators and commitments across these areas and reports progress against them on an annual basis. This includes outlining the process for how it identified and prioritised its focus areas and the targets set for each one. However, the targets are predominantly focused on Morrisons’ own operations, rather than across its entire value chain, offering an opportunity for the company going forward.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
Morrisons discloses that it has a team, the Sustain Group, which is responsible for the implementation of the sustainability strategy with support from relevant business leads and support groups across the company. This group reports to the Sustain Subcommittee of the Executive Committee, which comprises of the Chief Operating Officer and other senior leaders from across the business. The subcommittee is responsible for reviewing the progress of sustainability topics and integrating the recommendations proposed by Group. However, it is not clear though the company’s reporting that overall responsibility for the implementation of the sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body, presenting an opportunity for the company in future reporting.

Stakeholder engagement
Morrisons discloses an overview of its stakeholder engagement activities, including an overview of the issues raised via these activities. Moreover, the company discloses the process for identifying and prioritising these stakeholders, including how it has engaged with each stakeholder group. Going forward, the company has an opportunity to provide greater disclosure on how the outcomes of its stakeholder engagement are integrated into its sustainability strategy.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
Morrisons has set time-bound targets to reduce operational emissions on an absolute basis (against a 2017 baseline) by 33% by 2025, 53% by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. The company reports progress against these targets. However, this target is not currently aligned with a 1.5-degree scenario, presenting an opportunity for the company going forward.

Water use
The company does not disclose that it is reducing water withdrawals across its operations and supply chain, nor that it has a target to reduce water usage in the future, presenting an opportunity for the company for future reporting.

Protein diversification
While Morrisons reports that it is diversifying its protein portfolio, by disclosing that it has expanded its V Taste range by 50%, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to increase the production or consumption of alternative proteins in its reporting.

Clear and transparent labelling
Morrisons discloses that it adheres to national laws regarding labelling and provides nutritional information on key relevant nutrients. Moreover, the company supports front-of-pack nutrition labelling and commits to including calorie labelling on alcohol. However, the company does not disclose the proportion of products for which this system has been rolled out, presenting an opportunity to do so in the future.

Responsible marketing
While Morrisons provides examples of responsible marketing practices, such as by removing cartoon characters from high fat and sugar products, including cereals, it does not disclose and overall policy or commitment which aligns with national or international responsible marketing guidelines related to marketing to children.

Food safety
The company states that all of its own-brand manufacturing sites must meet its food manufacturing standard and maintain certification against the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety. However, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by disclosing the percentages of its own operations that are certified to a food safety certification programme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), or other widely recognised certifications.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
Through its Morrisons Farming programme, the company discloses examples of supporting farmers on topics such as animal welfare, biodiversity and carbon emissions. However, Morrisons does not provide sufficient evidence of the specific impact it has had through its program, on the farmers it has engaged, presenting an opportunity for the company in future reporting.

Living wage
While the company announced its commitment to paying a living wage in its operations, it is not clear if this applies to all workers within the business, nor if this applies across its supply chain. Going forward, the company should look to increase its reporting on this topic and set targets for paying a living wage across its supply chain.

Forced labour
While Morrisons has addressed forced labour as a topic and recognises it as an issue, the company does not disclose an explicit commitment to prohibit forced labour in its operations and supply chain.

Morrisons discloses a commitment to respect the rights of its workers while also providing a grievance mechanism that is accessible to both workers and external stakeholders. Moreover, while the company provides some disclosure on how it identifies human rights risks and impacts, it can improve its score by disclosing the process(es) for identifying its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. However, insufficient disclosure was found on other key issues concerning the company’s approach to respecting human rights, including a commitment to respect universal human rights through a policy document, or by providing examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities.

In its ethical trading code, Morrisons discloses strong commitments to regulating the working hours of its employees. Moreover, while the company provides reporting on health and safety fundamentals and how it addresses workforce diversity and gender equality, it can improve its score by disclosing key metrics and performance indicators for these issues. Limited to no disclosure was found regarding commitments to living wages or collective bargaining fundamentals.

Morrisons discloses information on most indicators related to acting ethically as a business, including a data protection policy and the mechanisms available to users to understand the information the company has collected about them. Furthermore, Morrisons discloses its approach to tax and bribery and corruption issues, though it can improve further by reporting on key metrics in these areas. Little to no disclosure was found on the company’s approach to responsible lobbying and political engagement practices.