Pick N Pay Stores

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
Pick n Pay Stores discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics. Moreover, the company has set time-bound targets for 2025 across multiple environmental issues, including reducing food loss and waste and plastic use. However, no information was found on targets for other sustainability topics beyond environment, offering an opportunity for the company going forward.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
Pick n Pay Stores discloses that sustainability performance is overseen by the Sustainability Steering Committee and the Social and Ethics Committee, a subcommittee of the board. Therefore, accountability for and oversight of the company’s sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body. However, the company does not link sustainable development performance criteria in its remuneration policy at the highest governance level.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose stakeholder engagement activities, including how it selects the stakeholders, nor an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
Leading up to 2020, Pick n Pay Stores had a time-bound target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Specifically, it aimed to have a ‘25% reduction in its CO2 emissions per square metre, against a 2015 baseline, by 2020. By 2019, it had achieved a 6.4% reduction. However, this target is not aligned with a 1.5-degree scenario, offering an opportunity for the company going forward.

Food loss and waste
Pick n Pay Stores sets a target to reduce food waste sent to landfill by 20% by 2020, against a 2015 baseline. By 2019, the company had achieved a 11.4% reduction. While the company demonstrates that it has a time-bound target to reduce food waste across its own operations, and reports progress against it, it does not sufficiently disclose that it engages with its entire value chain to tackle the issue.

Animal welfare
Pick n Pay Stores does not disclose that it is addressing key animal and aquatic welfare issues for its relevant key species in its sourcing practices. It has an opportunity to disclose a commitment that addresses key issues for animal and aquatic welfare across its relevant species, geographies and products.

Availability of healthy foods
Pick n Pay Stores discloses quantitative evidence that it has reformulated products it sells to customers by reducing their sugar and salt content. For example, between 2018 and 2019, the company reduced salt content by 240 tonnes across its portfolio (calculated as grams reduction per product sold). However, no evidence was found in the public domain of a target for the percentage of healthy food products the company aims to sell, nor is the company transparent about its definition of ‘healthy’.

Clear and transparent labelling
Pick n Pay Stores confirms that it complies with national regulations regarding the labelling of its products. Moreover, the company discloses that its own-brand products utilise the guideline daily amount front-of-pack labelling scheme. However, no evidence was found of the percentage of products for which the company has rolled out labelling commitments (back-of-pack and non-interpretive front-of-pack), offering an opportunity going forward.

Food safety
Pick n Pay Stores is committed to food safety across its operations and discloses the requirements it sets out for its suppliers on food safety. This includes adhering to national food safety laws. However, no information was found on the percentage of its operations or supply chain that is certified to a food safety scheme. Therefore, the company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by disclosing the percentages of its operations that are certified to a food safety scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) or other widely recognised industry certification.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company discloses efforts to support farmers and other small-scale producers through both its foundation and support activities in its business operations. These include facilitating small-business development in the retail sector, which seeks to support marginalised groups such as women business owners. However, Pick n Pay stores has an opportunity to improve by disclosing the specific impact its support has had on these groups.

Living wage
Pick n Pay Stores commits to providing a living wage to staff and expects its business partners to do the same. However, it does not provide a definition of a living wage, nor does it share a time-bound target for paying a living wage across its operations or supply chain, presenting an opportunity to improve in its future reporting.

Forced labour
The company does not disclose a sufficient commitment to prohibit forced labour in its own operations or supply chain.

Although Pick n Pay Stores commits to respecting the human rights of workers, it lacks commitment and disclosure on all other topics related to respect for human rights. This includes a lack of disclosure on the company’s due diligence process, including how it assesses and identifies human rights risk, demonstrating a lack of responsibility towards protecting basic human rights in its operations and supply chain.

The company commits to respecting the health and safety of workers, working hours and gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, it does not disclose a policy or commitment on metrics regarding collective bargaining and workforce diversity. Moreover, there is an opportunity for the company to strengthen its policy requirements on health and safety and for paying a living wage, such as by describing how it works to support the payment of a living wage in its supply chain.

Pick n Pay Stores has commitments regarding anti-bribery and anti-corruption and responsible lobbying and political engagement. However, it does not disclose the process for identifying and addressing bribery and corruption risks and incidents or its lobbying expenditures. Furthermore, little information was found in the public domain on topics regarding personal data protection and responsible tax, presenting a risk for the company going forward.