Wm Morrison Supermarkets

Stakeholder engagement
The company discloses an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities and the channels it uses to engage with its stakeholder groups. Furthermore, it discloses specific outcomes from these engagement activities.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company has set a timeline for achieving its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets and regularly reports on its progress. These targets are aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory. Additionally, the company has established a time-bound target to lower its scope 3 GHG emissions.

Animal welfare
The company discloses evidence of animal welfare third-party certifications or audits including Red Tractor, RSPCA, and Global GAP. It also discloses a target that addresses chicken welfare issues in its supply chain and reports progress against it. Finally, it discloses a policy statement that addresses all key animal welfare issues for each species.

Antibiotic use and growth promoting substances
The company discloses evidence of third-party certifications or third-party audits that limit the use of antibiotics. It also discloses targets to phase out the prophylactic use of antibiotics across all species, geographies and products, and reports progress against them.

Food loss and waste
Between 2021 and 2022, the company experienced a decrease in the amount of food loss and waste (FLW) it generated. The company not only discloses its FLW reduction targets but also reports on its progress towards achieving them. These targets are in line with SDG 12.3, which aims to reduce FLW by 50% by 2030. Moreover, the company collaborates with its suppliers to extend the shelf life of products, thereby preventing the generation of FLW.

Plastic use and packaging waste
The company demonstrates commitment and partakes in activities related to plastic use reduction and transitioning towards sustainable packaging. Additionally, it discloses quantitative data with regards to plastic use reduction and use of sustainable packaging.

Availability of nutritious foods
The company discloses that in 2022, it has successfully reduced the calorie content by 10.79 billion, removed 255 tonnes of sugar, and eliminated 117 tonnes of salt through recipe modifications and enhancements across its own-brand product lines. Additionally, the company discloses that it employs the Nutrient Profiling Funnel Model (NPFM) as a guidance tool for reformulating its own-brand products. The NPFM is derived from a combination of external nutrient profiling models, namely the UK 2004/05 NP, Nutri-Score, and Health Star Rating Systems.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company discloses that it combines Multiple Traffic Lights system and reference intakes.

Food safety
The company provides evidence that 100% of its own operations are certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-recognised food safety scheme.

Responsible marketing
The company discloses that it has introduced a Healthier Living icon to highlight its own-brand products that meet its Nutrient Profiling Funnel Model standards.

Child labour
The company is committed to engaging with suppliers in any case where child labor is found. In addition, the company discloses that it collaborates with suitable organizations to develop solutions that prevent harm and support the long-term interests of the affected children. Furthermore, The Centre for Child Rights and Business is the company’sexternal support provider in addressing the issue of child labor.

Farmer and fisher livelihoods
The company states that it obtains all of its fresh meat, milk, and eggs from farmers and growers in the UK, ensuring that 100% of its sourcing of these products is local. Furthermore, the company actively supports these farmers by equipping them with tools, resources, and guidance on responsible labor sourcing. In addition, the company offers a unique product line called ‘For Farmers,’ where a portion of the retail price goes directly back to the farmers.

Forced labour
The company prohibits the payment of any recruitment fees or related costs to secure a job, and it does not retain workers’ personal documents or restrict workers’ freedom of movement in its supply chain.

Living wage
The company collaborates with the IDH to increase its understanding of the living wage and living income risks in its supply chains. Further, it discloses that in 2021, the IDH Salary Matrix was completed by all its growers in its banana supply chains in Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Act ethically
The company discloses its global tax strategy and specifies that an executive-level individual responsible for its implementation. Additionally, the company provides details about its income tax payments across all its tax jurisdictions.

Furthermore, the company enforces a policy that prohibits bribery and corruption. This stance is solidified through the inclusion of anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses within contracts with direct business relationships. Moreover, it has established a grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise concerns and complaints regarding bribery and corruption.

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 extends the same expectations to its business relationships.

Furthermore, the company outlines its efforts in supporting the payment of a living wage by its business relationships. It also publicly expresses an expectation that its business relationships adheres to limits on work hours of 48 hours in a regular work week or 60 hours including overtime.

Moreover, the company publicly commits to gender equality and women’s empowerment. It reveals details, such as the proportion of women in its workforce for each employee category and the representation of women on the highest governance body, at 30%. A target has been set to achieve and sustain a 33% increase in women’s representation on the board by 2022.

Respect human rights
The company fully supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, underscoring its commitment to respecting human rights. It also publicly commits to respecting the ILO core labour rights, and extends this expectation to its business relationships.

Furthermore, the company elaborates on its procedure for identifying human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities that encompass its operations and its supply chain. It further delineates its approach for assessing its human rights risks and divulges what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. Moreover, the company unveils a global system to take action to prevent, mitigate or remediate salient human rights issues, and this includes a description of how its global system applies to its supply chain. Additionally, the company indicates the presence of a human rights grievance mechanism accessible to all workers and external stakeholders who may be adversely impacted by the company.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company has an opportunity to link performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover environmental and social issues. Furthermore, it could disclose whether its highest governance body has 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
The company has an opportunity to disclose its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics and impacts. While the company discloses some sustainability objectives/targets including climate, ecosystem conversion and nutrition, it has an opportunity to establish group-wide targets for the most material parts of its value chain. Moreover, it reports against some targets including climate, plastic and food waste but could report consistently against all its targets.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company’s has the opportunity to reduce its scope 3 GHG emissions and align all its GHG targets with the 1.5-degree trajectory while regularly reporting progress against all its targets.

Animal welfare
While the company has a timebound target that addresses the welfare issues of chicken in its supply chain, it has an opportunity to make it applicable to all species, geographies and products.

Protein diversification
While the company sets a target to increase alternative proteins across its portfolio, it has an opportunity to set a sale-based target, as well as report progress against this target.

Water withdrawal
The company has an opportunity to enhance its disclosures relating to water use and withdrawal.

Availability of nutritious foods
The company has set a target to classify 65% of our own-brand pre-packed products as non-HFSS (as per the Public Health England reformulation targets). However, to enhance transparency, it is encouraged to report progress regarding this target. Additionally, there is an opportunity for the company to expand its goal beyond its own-brand 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 has an opportunity to disclose the percentage of food suppliers 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.

Child labour
The company has an opportunity to disclose examples of remediation programmes when a case of child labour is found in its operations and to indicate progress in relation to eliminating child labour from its supply chain. While the company prohibits its suppliers from using child labour, it could require them to have an age-verification system in place.

Farmer and fisher livelihoods
The company states that it collaborates with the IDH to increase its understanding of the living wage and living income. However, it has an opportunity to disclose if it has identified living income benchmarks and assessed living income gaps for some regions or commodities.

Forced labour
The company has an opportunity to disclose a prohibition to pay recruitment fees or related costs to secure a job, to retain workers’ personal documents or restrict workers’ freedom of movement. Further, it could indicate how it is building the capacity of its suppliers to prevent forced labour impacts.

Living wage
The company has an opportunity to set a target for paying a living wage across its direct suppliers and disclose the percentage of workers across its own operations or direct suppliers that are already paid a living wage.

Act ethically
The company has the opportunity to outline its process for identifying its bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. Furthermore, it can unveil a policy detailing its approach to lobbying and political engagement. Moreover, it could explicitly state its non-engagement in political contributions, and provide information about its expenditures related to lobbying activities.

Provide and promote decent work
The company reveals that it monitors supplier compliance with the Ethical Trading Policy and Code. However, it has an opportunity to disclose how it oversees the health and safety performance of its business relationships.

Furthermore, while the company discloses its intention to collaborate with suppliers and external stakeholders to identify living wage benchmarks where they do not exist. Yet there is an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or mention the achievement of this goal. Additionally, it could also provide insight into its methodology for determining a living wage for the regions where it operates.

Moreover, the company could enhance transparency by report information such as the ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men.