George Weston (Weston Foods & Loblaw)

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

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

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
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw has undertaken a materiality assessment in order to develop a sustainable development strategy. This includes time-bound targets on key issues such as GHG emissions, food waste and sustainable packaging. However, the company’s performance has been impeded because it does not disclose a sustainable development strategy at the parent level.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw discloses that the board-level Risk and Compliance Committee is responsible for the implementation of the corporate social responsibility programme. However, the company’s performance has been impeded because it does not disclose the governance structure for the implementation of a sustainable development strategy at the parent level.

Stakeholder engagement
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw has conducted stakeholder engagement activities and discloses an overview of the issues raised via these activities, however there is not disclosure on stakeholder engagement at the parent level. The company has an opportunity to disclose at the parent level how relevant stakeholders are identified, the channels through which stakeholders are engaged, the issues raised via stakeholder engagement activities and finally how the outcomes of stakeholder engagement are integrated into the sustainable development strategy.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw discloses a target to reduce its corporate carbon footprint by 50% by 2030, against a 2011 baseline. Similarly, the company’s subsidiary Weston Foods discloses a target to reduce intensity-based GHG emissions by 20% by 2025, against a 2015 baseline. However, the company’s performance has been impeded because it does not disclose information on scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions at the parent level.

Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw provides evidence that it is measuring scope 3 emissions by disclosing segments of its scope 3 emissions. The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting reduction targets for scope 3 emissions at the parent level and reporting progress against them.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystems
The company’s subsidiaries Loblaw and Weston Foods have commitments to deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains for cocoa, coffee and palm oil. The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets for achieving DCF supply chains for all of its relevant high-risk commodities at the parent level.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw has a commitment to sustainable fishing and aquaculture, as it preferentially sources MSC, ASC and ISSF-certified seafood. The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting time-bound targets at the parent level and reporting against them.

Food loss and waste
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw discloses a time-bound target to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025, against a 2016 baseline. Similarly, the company’s subsidiary Weston Foods discloses that it is addressing food waste in its own operations through programmes such as turning food waste into animal feed. The company has an opportunity to improve its performance by setting time-bound targets at the parent level and disclosing quantitative data to demonstrate that it is reducing food loss and waste in its own operations and supply chain.

Antibiotics use and growth-promoting substances
The company does not disclose that it is reducing or prohibiting the prophylactic use of antibiotics and growth-promoting substances for aquatic and farm animals relevant to the company. It has an opportunity to disclose a commitment on antibiotics which addresses the topic across its relevant species, geographies and products.

Availability of healthy foods
The company does not provide evidence of improving the nutritional quality of its products and of proportionally increasing the sales of healthy and nutritious foods.

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
Subsidiaries Loblaw and Weston Foods both commit to making nutritional information available for all consumers, but there is no disclosure of this at the parent level. The company has an opportunity to commit at the parent level to making nutritional information more visible to consumers through the adoption of front-of-pack labels.

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

Food safety
The company’s subsidiary Weston Foods discloses that most of its operations are certified to a scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The company has an opportunity to improve its performance by disclosing, at the parent level, the percentages of its own operations that are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety certification.

Child and forced labour
The company’s subsidiary Loblaw discloses that it prohibits child labour and forced labour in its supply chain but does not make the same commitment for its own operations. At the parent level, the company does not disclose a commitment to prohibit child labour and forced labour in its operations and supply chain.

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.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company does not disclose that it specifically recognises the health and safety risks to vulnerable groups, such as migrant and temporary labourers, women and young farmers.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company does not disclose a commitment or examples of activities to support the resilience, productivity and access to markets for farmers, fishers or small-scale producers in its supply chain.

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.

While the company’s subsidiary Loblaw commits to respecting human rights, George Weston does not. Moreover, the company does not disclose a due diligence process for identifying human rights risks in its own operations and supply chain, nor does it provide a grievance mechanism for its employees and external stakeholders to raise human rights issues.

George Weston commits to respecting the health and safety of workers. Although it lacks disclosure on the topics of paying a living wage and regulating working hours, it does disclose the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. Finally, while George Weston has a board with at least 30% women, the company does not disclose the proportion of employees for each employee category by indicators of diversity such as gender, age, race or ethnicity.

George Weston has a privacy statement committing it to protect personal data, but this statement does make it clear who the company shares personal data with. Furthermore, while the company’s subsidiary Loblaw prohibits bribery and corruption, George Weston has not made the same commitment. The company discloses no relevant information on the topics of tax or lobbying and political engagement.