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Circularity

Our vision

Promoting circularity is an increasingly visible dimension of our operations, through which we promote the collection and reintegration of materials at the end of their life cycle, for reuse or recycling. In this sense, in 2022, we continued working on significantly transforming our packaging, taking as our starting point the principles of a circular economy and eco-design. The aim is to ensure that by 2025 all our private label or exclusive brand packaging is recyclable, reusable, or compostable.

We have also worked to ensure a more intelligent and assertive waste management process, through the development of several procedures at the supply level that enabled us to reduce stockout. These range from introducing the product expiration date in the store replenishment algorithms to changes in operating procedures and quality control to training and awareness-raising initiatives for our workforce.

These efforts are complemented by mechanisms to accelerate product flow and minimize food waste, as well as food reuse and redistribution initiatives through the food surplus donation programme.

Our performance

Through the continuous implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS), we invested in more efficient use of resources. By the end of 2022, circa 58% of MC's operational area was NP EN ISO14001 certified: 2015, representing a 5 pp growth compared to 2021.

A total of 923,689 m3 of water was withdrawn, representing a 4% increase compared to 2021, associated with business organic growth and returning to normal without the restrictions related to the pandemic.

In 2022, MC managed 73,087 tonnes of waste within the waste management scope, corresponding to a 0.5% increase compared to the previous year. We recorded an increase in the recovery rate of waste produced, reaching 84.8% (+1.2 compared to 2021).

At the end of 2022, our plastic packaging recycling rate was circa 80.0%, per our recycling matrix, representing a 5.3 pp increase compared to 2021. Regarding recycled raw materials incorporated, this figure stood at 14.1% (+2.0 pp compared to 2021).

Also worthy of note is the progress we made in terms of reducing food waste. In 2022, we avoided more than €54 million worth of food waste (€16 million more than in 2021), of which €23 million was by way of accelerating product flow mechanisms and €31 million from our food surplus donation programme.

Our initiatives

"Refill Spot" by Continente Learn more
Too Good To Go seal Learn more
"Cadernão" Learn more

"Refill Spot" by Continente

The "Refill Spot" by Continente is a new self-service, automated refill system section within the Continente Matosinhos and Colombo stores. Customers can reuse packaging when purchasing certain products (detergents, dry foods and cat and dog food) to promote savings and packaging circularity.

This initiative is central to Continente's Sustainability agenda because it will enable the Company to test a complementary approach to single-use packaging in a real environment and at scale. With very significant impacts on the entire value chain, from producers to consumers, this initiative will enable us to properly assess the economic, environmental and operational impacts of this new sales model for some products.

Too Good To Go seal

MC was the first Iberian retailer to add the "Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste" seal to its private label products. This initiative, developed by Too Good To Go, aims to promote food literacy and thus empower consumers to make more sustainable choices, raising awareness regarding the importance of "saving" food with a minimum shelf-life.

Products labelled with "Best Before" or "Best Before the end of" with expired dates are not necessarily food waste. Thus, if the product has been correctly stored, the Too good Too Go seal recommends looking at it to check whether it looks good, smelling it to check it is okay, and, finally, tasting it to check it is fine. If the food passes these 3 tests, its quality is intact and can be consumed.

"Cadernão"

Continente, which leads the way in back-to-school supplies, launched the "Cadernão" (Big Notebook) project, together with the Oxford stationery brand. This initiative aimed to encourage consumers to recycle, while supporting a reforestation initiative in Portugal.

"Cadernão" deposits were made available across all Continente stores, whereby customers could deposit used exercise books, which allowed for a total of 12 tonnes of paper to be collected for recycling. Additionally, for each tonne of paper deposited at these collection points, MC planted 20 trees in the Sonae Forest, totalling 240 trees, corresponding to the total needed to produce the amount of paper collected.