The starting points for our sustainability work are the three key words transparency, credibility and traceability. Transparency means giving the outside world full insight into ICA Gruppen’s sustainability work. To achieve this ICA works continuously to communicate what has been done and what remains to be done in this area. Credibility is based on an awareness of ICA’s responsibilities and opportunities for influence, and of our strengths and weaknesses in this area. An emphasis on traceability makes it clear where our products come from, how they have been transported and stored, what they contain and how the suppliers run their businesses.

To contribute to and work towards global responsibility within sustainability, ICA Gruppen signed up to the UN Global Compact in 2004 and has committed to its ten principles covering human rights, labour conditions, the environment and anti-corruption. In recent years ICA Gruppen’s sustainability work has been developed according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with the focus primarily on goals 3, 5, 8, 12 and 13. This, combined with ICA Gruppen’s policies, forms the basis of the Group’s sustainability work. Each year ICA Gruppen performs a materiality analysis, which together with dialogue with stakeholders also helps to define the issues on which sustainability work will focus.

In recent years many initiatives have been launched to reduce environmental impact, increase diversity and inspire customers to make sustainable and healthy choices. For structured communication of ICA Gruppen’s sustainability work, the concept For a good tomorrow (“För en god morgondag”) is used, which will help provide a clearer picture of the work being carried out and the most pressing issues. This is broken down into five defined areas: local, environment, health, diversity and quality.