Ahold Delhaize

Lobbying and advocacy
The company discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member.

Stakeholder engagement
The company discloses an overview of the issues raised during its regular stakeholder engagement activities as well as the engagement channels and frequencies, for each stakeholder group.

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. Furthermore, it reports consistently against all its targets.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company discloses time-bound targets to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 29% by 2025  and Scope 3 while reporting its progress towards these targets. Additionally, the company is working towards reducing its scope 3 GHG emissions. The company shows leadership by aligning all its GHG reduction targets with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Ecosystem conversion
Among its approaches to achieving zero deforestation and conversion by 2025, the company discloses specific policies which take the High Conservation Value approach and the No Deforestation, No Peat, and No Exploitation principle into account on soy, palm oil and wood fibre.

Food loss and waste
Between 2021 and 2022, the company experienced a decrease in the amount of food loss and waste (FLW) it generated. This reduction is in line with the company’s FLW reduction targets, which are aligned with SDG 12.3 goal of reducing FLW by 50% by 2030. To achieve this goal, the company actively collaborates with its value chain partners to prevent the generation of FLW.

Plastic use and packaging waste
The company is committed to reducing plastic use and transitioning to sustainable packaging, which is evident through its participation in related activities. In addition, it discloses quantitative data regarding its progress in reducing plastic use and implementing sustainable packaging solutions.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
The company demonstrates its dedication to sustainable fishing and aquaculture through qualitative evidence, specifically by adhering to environmental sourcing criteria.

Accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods
The company discloses that it increases affordability of nutritious foods through its Super Plus loyalty program (Delhaize brand) by offering extra discounts on Nutri-Score A and B products and doubles CHOICE Points on Guiding Stars-rated items (Giant brand).

Availability of nutritious foods
The company uses nutrient profiling systems, such as Guiding Stars in the U.S. and Nutri-Score in Europe, to identify healthier products and measure performance in healthy food sales. Its goal is to attain 55.6% healthy own-brand food sales, as a proportion of total own-brand food sales, by 2025. Progress towards this target is regularly reported.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company discloses it has adopted Guiding Stars in the U.S. and Nutri-Score in Europe.

Responsible marketing
The company discloses that it has implemented the 2+1 end cap program within its Food Lion brand, featuring an end-of-the-aisle display consisting of two regular items along with a private label Guiding Stars rated tie-in item, as well as piloted health initiatives by its Stop and Shop brand, such as a better-for-you beverage display program and Guiding Stars bargain aisles.

Farmer and fisher livelihoods
The company discloses that it uses Tony’s Living Income Model to pay cocoa farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast a fair price, based on benchmarks by the Living Income Community of Practice. It discloses that Albert Heijn establishes long-term agreements through joint consultation with the farmers and growers, and through its Open Chain collaboration with Tony’s Chocolonely, it pays cocoa farmers in West Africa a higher price for a longer period of time to help them increase their productivity and enable them to earn a living income.

Forced labour
The company is a signatory of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Forced Labor Resolution, which encompasses the three Priority Industry Principles for responsible recruitment. As such, it strictly prohibits the payment of any recruitment fees or associated costs in order to obtain a job. Additionally, it does not retain workers’ personal documents or impose limitations on their freedom of movement during its operations.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company acknowledges that women in the supply chain have distinct requirements in terms of sanitation and protections during pregnancy and nursing. It also recognizes that women in the supply chain are susceptible to health and safety risks in their work.

Act ethically
The company has a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption, and includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. Also, it has a grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise concerns and complaints regarding bribery and corruption. Moreover, the company discloses its lobbying expenditures.

Provide and promote decent work
The company has a publicly available policy statement in which it commits to respecting the health and safety of workers, and expects its business relationships to commit to this as well. The company publicly states that workers shall not be required to work more than 48 hours in a regular work week or 60 hours including overtime. Additionally, it discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements, and describes how it works to support the practices of its business relationships in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Furthermore, the company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce for each employee category by age, gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, it publicly commits to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and discloses time-bound targets related to this commitment.

Respect human rights
The company has a publicly available policy statement committing it to respect human rights. It explains how it identifies its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations and supply chain, and discloses how it assesses such risks and determines which ones it considers to be its salient human rights issues. Moreover, the company provides a case study describing how it has acted on a salient human rights risk issue.

Furthermore, the company indicates it has a human rights grievance mechanism accessible to all workers, as well as to all external stakeholders who may be adversely impacted by the company.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company discloses a remuneration policy related to ESG performance but can further link this policy to enhancements in nature-related objectives and social issues. Furthermore, there is an opportunity for the company to disclose whether its highest governance body has specific expertise with respect to the company’s most material sustainability topics.

Lobbying and advocacy
The company has an opportunity to disclose a list of trade associations of which it is a member. Furthermore, it could provide a clear and detailed framework for assessing the alignment of these trade associations with its sustainability targets and report any (potential) misalignments between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and its sustainability targets.

Sustainable development strategy
While the company discloses some sustainability objectives/targets including climate, nutrition and ecosystem conversion, it has an opportunity to establish group-wide targets for the most material parts of its value chain.

Ecosystem conversion
While the company has a target to achieve conversion-free supply chains, it has an opportunity to cover all high-risk commodities.

Fertiliser and pesticide use
The company has an opportunity to disclose targets to optimise the use of fertilizers and minimise the use of pesticides in its production and/or sourcing practices, and report progress against the targets.

Food loss and waste
At present, the company has set an intensity-based target and also reports progress against it. However, it has an opportunity to set an absolute or percentage-based target.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity
The company has an opportunity to disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices and report progress against it.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
The company demonstrates a commitment to sustainable fishing and aquaculture, however, there is room for improvement in providing more quantitative evidence to showcase an increase in these practices. In addition, although Ahold Delhaize has disclosed a target for fishing and aquaculture and reports on its progress towards this target, it could further enhance transparency by setting a specific time-bound target.

Water withdrawal
The company has disclosed its water consumption for FY 2022. However, it demonstrates an increase compared to the previous year. In order to address this issue, the company has the opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for reducing water withdrawal in its own operations and to regularly report on its progress towards achieving this target. Additionally, it could provide information on how much water is withdrawn for its operations in water-stressed areas. Lastly, the company can engage with its suppliers to work together in reducing water withdrawal.

Accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods
The company has the chance to enhance the accessibility of nutritious foods, particularly for vulnerable groups, by implementing commercial activities. Furthermore, it can set targets to improve the accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods through its commercial activities, especially for vulnerable groups, through its commercial activities.

Availability of nutritious foods
The company has an opportunity to share data about how it is reducing sugar, salt, and fat, as well as increasing fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains in its entire product portfolio. Additionally, the company can expand its healthy sales target beyond own-brand products and include branded products.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company has an opportunity to disclose the percentage of products for which its front-of-pack labelling schemes have been rolled out.

Food safety
The company currently discloses that 98% of its own operations are certified to a GFSI-recognized food safety scheme. However, there is an opportunity for the company to further extend these certifications to cover 100% of its own operations. Additionally, the company can disclose the percentage of its food suppliers that are certified to a GFSI-recognized food safety scheme.

Responsible marketing
The company has an opportunity to disclose a responsible marketing policy specifically tailored to children that is aligned with international codes and guidelines and applicable across all media channels.

Workforce nutrition
While the company offers a nutrition education program for external stakeholders, there is an opportunity to engage its employees as participants. Furthermore, it could disclose evidence of other workforce nutrition programmes, such as workplace breastfeeding support and healthy food offerings.

Child labour
The company has an opportunity to disclose examples of remediation programmes when a case of child labour is found in its operations. The company prohibits suppliers from using child labour and expects them to establish age-verification mechanisms. However, it has an opportunity to translate its expectations on the use of an age verification system into policy commitments. Furthermore, the company discloses Albert Heijn’s collaboration with Tony’s Open Chain Initiative but could indicate how it is building the capacity of its suppliers to prevent child labour impacts.

Farmer and fisher livelihoods
The company discloses that Albert Heijn, Delhaize Belgium, and their common supplier Bakker Barendrecht are participants in the SIFAV. SIFAV’s private sector partners have committed to analyzing living wage and living income gaps in one of their supply chains against an IDH-recognized benchmark and aim to reduce these gaps by 2025. However, the company could also take the opportunity to describe how it assesses living income gaps.

Forced labour
The company has an opportunity to prohibit its suppliers from using recruitment fees or related costs for job acquisition, as well as from retaining workers’ personal documents or limiting their freedom of movement. In addition, it collaborates with the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative and has shown commitment to the Global Tuna Alliance’s 2025 Pledge towards Sustainable Tuna, both of which focus on addressing the issue of forced labour. However, the company should also emphasize how it is actively working to enhance its suppliers’ capacity to prevent forced labour.

Land rights
The company could disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGT’s or the IFC Performance Standards. The company expects its suppliers to respect community land rights and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of local communities. However, it could require them to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders when acquiring, leasing or making other arrangements to use land and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation.

Living wage
The company has an opportunity to set a target for paying a living wage across its direct suppliers and describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it sources. Also, it could disclose the percentage of workers across its own operations or suppliers that are paid a living wage.

Act ethically
The company has the opportunity to outline its process for identifying bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities across its own operations. Additionally, the company could establish a policy that clearly defines its approach to lobbying and political engagement, and add a requirement for third-party lobbyists to adhere to that policy. Also, it could publicly disclose a policy statement stating that it refrains from making political contributions.

Provide and promote decent work
The company has an opportunity to disclose how it monitors the health and safety performance of its suppliers. Additionally, the company has an opportunity to set and disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage, and to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers. Furthermore, the company could disclose the ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men in its total direct operations workforce, categorized by significant locations of operation.

Respect human rights
The company has an opportunity to issue a policy statement that commits to respecting all the fundamental rights at work as declared by the ILO. Additionally, the company can also issue a policy statement that expects its suppliers to uphold these rights.