Sustainable Sourcing and Products

Sustainable sourcing is a central component of responsible corporate governance at METRO.

The focus is on protecting the climate and natural resources, complying with social standards and promoting more sustainable products that are manufactured in a socially responsible and environmentally friendly manner. By selecting responsible suppliers and organising our supply chains transparently, we make an active contribution to sustainable development and strengthen the future viability of our company.

Further information on climate protection.

Details on our measures in the area of social responsibility and social standards.

Sustainable sourcing remains a key lever for effectively realising ecological and social goals and operating responsibly in the long term.

METRO's approach to deforestation-free supply chains

One of the drivers of climate change is deforestation - the loss of natural forests and vegetation, for example through conversion to agricultural or other non-forestry land. In addition, deforestation is often linked to other environmental and social problems, such as the loss of biodiversity and the violation of social standards of the local population when the original inhabitants of the forests are forced to leave their homes.

Deforestation is an important issue for the food sector as it is mainly caused by the production of soya, palm oil, beef, coffee, cocoa, paper, wood and rubber. METRO trades in products that are made from or contain these raw materials. As a wholesaler and part of the supply chain of products we source, we are taking action to change the way these raw materials are sourced in order to end deforestation. This also contributes to the sustainability of our customers' businesses as we empower our customers to make more sustainable choices when sourcing from us.

We recognise the global framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Global Compact, and our approach to deforestation-free supply chains builds on collaboration in the spirit of Sustainable Development Goal 17. We committed to more sustainable procurement years ago in specific procurement guidelines for soya, palm oil, paper and wood as well as meat and replaced these at the end of 2025 with an overarching METRO purchasing policy for deforestation-free supply chains, which also implements the requirements of the European Deforestation Regulation.

Due to the complexity and interdependence of the supply chains, we also work together with other players along the supply chains of relevant raw materials as well as with other wholesalers and retailers and representatives of governments and non-governmental organisations. Only joint, co-operative initiatives can lead to sustainable effects and only in this way can we use our leverage equally effectively.

Important elements of our cooperation initiatives are our memberships, campaigns and commitments on the topic of deforestation in the Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition (CGF-FPC), the Roundtable on Responsible Soya (RTRS) and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as well as our declaration of support for the Cerrado Manifesto and the cooperation and demand for certified products in accordance with certification systems for relevant product groups.

There is a need for action at various levels within the respective supply chains: working with farmers, producers, traders, suppliers and manufacturers to enable them to fulfil the requirements are important steps on the way to deforestation-free supply chains, as are certification systems. But we must also always keep in mind the specific landscape areas in which these actors operate, as well as the environmental, social, economic and governmental conditions prevailing there, otherwise the measures will not bring the desired long-term success.

To check whether what we are doing meets market expectations, we disclose our activities, e.g. in the CDP Forest Questionnaire and within the Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition, and we also learn from independent third-party assessments and discussions with NGOs.

In December 2024, METRO was rated B overall in the CDP Forests Index. Read more in the CDP submission Forests 2024.

Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has launched the Forest Positive Coalition of Action (FPC), which is led by 21 companies with a collective market value of around USD 2 trillion.

METRO is a member of the Forest Positive Coalition of Action and is part of three of the coalition's four working groups: Palm, Soy and Beef.

The Forest Positive Coalition was created to promote the collective action of its member companies and to use their collective influence to advance and accelerate efforts to eliminate deforestation, forest conversion and degradation not only in their own commodity supply chains, but throughout their suppliers' supply chains. The Coalition believes that its collective influence will enable members to make progress on four goals: 1. Accelerate efforts to remove commodity-driven deforestation from individual supply chains; 2. Raise expectations for traders to act across their supply base; 3. Drive change in key commodity landscapes; 4. Define measurable outcomes on which all members will report, both individually and collectively.

The Coalition is supported by the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) and Proforest, both of which provide important substantive and logistical support and assistance with implementation. The Coalition is also working with the CGF Human Rights Coalition - Working to End Forced Labor (HRC) to align the Coalition's theory of change, roadmaps (action plans) and strategies with CGF's priority industry principles against forced labor.

For more information on the Forest Positive Coalition of Action and the action plans per working group, please visit The Consumer Goods Forum.

As a member of the Forest Positive Coalition of Action, METRO reports on actions to end deforestation and forest conversion in our soy, palm, beef, paper and timber supply chains. The latest reports can be found below as a downloadable PDF document.

These measures include:

• Regular reporting
  on key KPIs to maintain transparency and accountability.
  
  
• Supplier and distributor engagement
  Supplier engagement is one of our key pillars in working towards a state of zero deforestation and forest conversion in our supply chain for the various raw materials. Our main focus is on our own brand suppliers and understanding our own sourcing base, including footprint, origin and risk of deforestation or forest conversion.
  
  In addition, we also work with A-brand suppliers through various initiatives such as the Forest Positive Coalition and in collaboration with non-governmental organizations.
  
  
• Initiatives for landscape conservation
  To complement our efforts beyond our supply chain and in recognition of the importance of multi-stakeholder work, we are committed to supporting initiatives that promote positive forest development at landscape level. Since 2021, METRO has contributed financially to two landscape projects in key source countries, and these projects have now been completed. The aim of these projects was to combat deforestation and land use in certain regions and to improve the living conditions of small local farmers. The initiatives are:
  
  

  Initiative	Raw material	Partners
  Low carbon regenerative agricultural production systems in the Cerrado biome	Soy and beef	Conservation International
  Stopping deforestation and promoting sustainability in West Kalimantan	Palm oil	Rainforest Alliance

  
  We are currently working on the design of a new participation. Further details on our landscape initiatives can be found in our reporting on palm oil, beef and soy.

METRO's approach to sustainable fish and seafood

Fisheries and aquaculture play an important role in feeding our planet. Never before has responsible and sustainable fishing been so important for the wellbeing of people and the environment. Increasing demand for protein is putting pressure on fish stocks, while aquaculture, if poorly managed, can have a negative impact on the environment.

As one of Europe's leading fish wholesalers, METRO takes responsibility at different stages of the value chain and acts in different ways:

• METRO strives to expand the sustainability of its range of aquaculture and wild-caught fish and seafood by seeking certification of products and building strong partnerships. METRO wants to contribute to further improving the conditions within the fish and seafood value chain and strives for more transparency within its own fish and seafood supply chain. Customers can recognize this by the labels of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the GlobalG.A.P. and/or the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).
• METRO is an active partner of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) and is committed to the Global Benchmark Tool, which is based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), as well as to the development of other initiatives to drive more sustainable seafood.
• METRO is one of the co-founders of the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) and has been an active partner from the beginning. The GTA is an independent group of retailers and supply chain companies committed to ensuring that tuna ultimately meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility.
• METRO is a member of the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST). The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability) was established as a forum for the seafood industry. It is dedicated to developing the first global standard for seafood traceability, which was introduced in March 2020. METRO is one of the initiators and has supported the collaborative approach to seafood traceability from the beginning. The GDST involves the active participation of various seafood industry stakeholders along the entire supply chain.

Fish and seafood procurement policy

With an updated purchasing position in 2025, METRO aims to improve the sustainability of its range of wild-caught fish and seafood as well as aquaculture fish and seafood by supporting the certification of products and entering into partnerships. METRO wants to contribute to a further improvement of the conditions within its fish and seafood value chain and strives for more transparency within its fish and seafood supply chain. In this way, METRO wants to fulfil the expectations of its customers, who expect us to comply with certain standards.

Position on health and nutrition topics

Every day at METRO, we strive to empower our more than 15 million customers to make healthier choices for their own business and their families by constantly expanding our range of reformulated, ultra-fresh and organic products.

By choosing their products carefully, our customers can have a positive impact on both the environment and the health of their own customers. Think, for example, of more regional, fresh and organic food, as well as food with less sugar, salt, fats and additives. We support this by offering a growing range of sustainable, innovative, healthier, fresh, organic and reformulated products, providing clear and easily accessible information about nutrients and ingredients and using digital solutions.

Further details and figures can be found under Organic and sustainable products

Genetically Modified Organisms

In the last years, the topic of genetically modified organisms (GMO) has become increasingly important as the food assortment impacted by GMO has been enlarged tremendously. On a world scale, consumers as well as experts assess the use of modern biotechnology in food items in completely different ways. METRO knows these differences and respects the particular perspectives of the different countries and their consumers. We have defined in our METRO Policy on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), a set of objectives related to GMO that we follow as a company, and on which we will report from 2022 onwards.

METRO is known for its exceptional competence in fresh food ranges and acknowledge the importance of animal health and welfare conditions in our supply chain, as well as the transparency concerning products originating from animals, such as the origin of livestock.

The diversity of species and their habitats is worth preserving, especially as animals and plants provide certain services that are essential for the production of food. For this reason, METRO supports the goals of the International Convention on Biological Diversity and contributes to the protection of biodiversity.

METRO acknowledges the fact, that own operations have an effect on biodiversity. To protect biodiversity at sites where we operate and to see how biodiversity is impacted by business activities, we piloted a project to identify sites in close proximity to World Heritage areas and IUCN Category I-IV protected areas, to then establish a mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, restore & offset) when operating in areas in close proximity to critical biodiversity.

METRO takes a transparent approach to its procurement of products and its usage of resources. We ensure this by maintaining direct relationships with our business partners. We have also developed a cross-industry, international digital traceability solution together with cooperation partners using GS1 Standards. METRO’s traceability solution PROTRACE provides customers and stakeholders with lot-based traceability information and more based on different data sources.

Transparent supply chain for fish and meat first

METRO is dedicated to taking a sustainable approach to sensitive product groups and started with fish and meat. This means, for instance, that customers can call up detailed data on numerous meat products, such as their origins, processing, quality and sustainability or find out where and how the fish they are buying was caught – quickly and easily using a smartphone app. Precondition is that the products are labelled with a unique product identifier and that the right information and data are uploaded by the suppliers regularly. This innovative solution is special because everyone from the producer to the vendor is involved. Feeding the data into the system is flexible depending on the volume and digitalization level of the supply chain partners.

Today PROTRACE provides beyond traceability also interesting insights into the production process and background information about the product itself. This traceability solution follows a generic approach and can be applied to all kind of articles. This means it will be possible to add other product groups and databases in the future. All market players throughout the supply chain can take part, wherever they are in the world. METRO is considered exemplary in the battle against illegal fishing thanks to its use of modern traceability systems PROTRACE.

More about Traceability in METRO Insights - Food Traceability