RCL Foods

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 inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
RCL Foods discloses its sustainable business ambitions to address broad themes covering “Nourishing people’’, ‘’Enriching communities’’ and ‘’Sustaining resources.” The company also provides some disclosure on identifying and prioritising these ambitions. However, the company has only publicly disclosed its targets in environmental footprint and no specific disclosures in nutrition or social impact targets were found in the public domain, presenting an opportunity for the company for future reporting.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
RCL Foods disclose that its Risk Committee and the Social & Ethics Committee assist in monitoring all aspects of our sustainability initiatives, including the health and safety, economic, environmental and social impacts of its business. The company confirms that the board of RCL Foods has overall responsibility for RCL Foods’ sustainable development, and a director is responsible for championing our Sustainable Business Drive within the organisation. However, no information on linking the company’s remuneration policy to sustainability targets was found in the public domain.

Stakeholder engagement
RCL Foods 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
RCL Foods does not have a time-bound target to reduce its emissions, but regularly discloses its emissions. Compared to its baseline year, 2015, in 2019, the company reduced 84,731 ton CO2 in its scope 1 and 2 emission. There remains room for the company to improve through setting a target on reducing its GHG emissions, and reporting progress against the target annually.

Water use
While the company provides information on quantitative reductions in its water use, such as 50% water reduction in Chicken Processing by 2025″, 30% improvement in water use efficiency for sugar production by 2023, and 60% water reduction in logistics warehousing by 2025″, it is yet to set a target to reduce its water consumption across its own operations across the group.

Food loss and waste
While RCL Foods is addressing food loss and waste in its own operations through participation in the 10x20x30 initiative, it has an opportunity to disclose a commitment by setting targets to reduce food loss and waste across its own operations and supply chain and reporting against these targets, or also disclosing quantitative data to demonstrate that it is reducing food loss and waste in its own operations and supply chain.

Availability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment or activities to increase the availability of healthy and nutritious foods.

Clear and transparent labelling
While the company discloses a commitment of compliance with national regulations regarding labelling and commits to providing nutritional information on key relevant nutrients through back-of-pack labels, it has an opportunity to make nutritional information more visible to consumers through the adoption of front-of-pack labels, or any other consumer-facing nutrition label.

Food safety
RCL Foods commits to compliance to national regulations and standards and monitoring by internal and external parties. However, no further details on certification of food safety was found in the public domain. There remains an opportunity for the company to improve by providing evidence that 100% of its own operations are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme or other widely recognised (industry-specific) certification.

Child labour
RCL Foods does not disclose a commitment to prohibit child labour in its operations or supply chain.

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

Living wage
RCL Foods 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.

RCL Foods lacks sufficient disclosure in the public domain on policies or commitments related to respect for human rights. As such, RCL Foods demonstrates a lack of responsibility in protecting basic human rights in its operations and supply chains.

RCL Foods is committed to safeguarding workers’ health and safety and discloses the percentage of workers covered by the collective bargaining process. But there remains an opportunity for these to be strengthened as well as for increased disclosure. In addition, no related information were found in public domain regarding paying a living wage and respecting working hours, which presents an opportunity for company to increase the score by improving its disclosure in these topics.

No relevant policies and disclosure on key ethical business topics as tax, bribery and corruption, lobbying and political engagement, and data protection were found in the public domain. The company needs to demonstrate its responsibility and commitments in this area.