PRO PLANET
THE REWE GROUP NAVIGATION SYSTEM
FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES
Content
1.
PRO PLANET: Integral to the REWE Group Sustainability Strategy
3
2.
PRO PLANET: Background and Objectives
4
3.
PRO PLANET Process: From Product Selection to Label Awarding
5
3.1. Product Selection
5
3.2. Hot Spot-Analysis
6
6
3.2.1. Hot Spot-Analysis for Single-Ingredient Products
3.2.1.1. Briefing and Commissioning of a Scientific Institution
6
3.2.1.2. Conducting the Hot Spot-Analysis
6
3.2.1.3. Verifying the Hot Spot-Analysis
8
3.2.1.4. Preparing a Hot Spot-Card
8
3.2.1.5. Coordination with the Advisory Board
9
3.2.2. Hot Spot-Analysis for Multi-Ingredient Products
9
3.3. Definition of the Project Partner
9
3.4. List of Proposals
10
3.5. Feasibility Assessment
10
3.6.Documentation
10
3.7. Advisory Board/Advisory Board Meeting
11
3.8. Definition and Implementation of Measures
11
3.9. Label Awarding
11
3.10.Communication
11
3.11.Continuous Improvement
12
4. Regular Inspections
12
2
1.PRO PLANET: INTEGRAL TO THE
REWE GROUP SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Acting responsibly and in line with the interests of the community is an integral part of
the corporate culture of the cooperatively organised REWE Group. REWE Group strongly
believes that it can only continue to grow in the long term if it conserves resources, treats
its employees and partners with fairness and trust, and makes a contribution to society.
Acting responsibly means acting sustainably. In 2008, sustainability was anchored as a
core element in the REWE Group’s mission statement under the principle “We are aware
of our responsibility and act sustainably.“ In January 2011, the company underscored its
involvement in sustainable development by implementing the “Guidelines for Sustainable Business Practices”.
PRO PLANET: Consistent extension of the Green Products segment
The Sustainability Strategy of REWE Group is based upon four pillars:
• Green Products
• Energy, Climate and the Environment
• Employees and
• Social Involvement
REWE Group aims to offer its customers more sustainable consumption and to enhance
their ecological and social awareness. The focus is on the continuous future development
of the integration of sustainability aspects along the entire value chain. More sustainable
products are already of major importance for the REWE Group’s product range policy, for
example through a broad selection of organic products. In order to establish an increasingly
responsible overall product range, REWE Group has developed the PRO PLANET label, a
“Navigation System for more Sustainable Products and Services” which provides reliable
guidance to consumers.
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2.PRO PLANET: BACKGROUND
AND OBJECTIVES
The PRO PLANET label is awarded to products that are both of premium quality, and
ecologically or socially sustainable. A transparent multi-stage process is conducted before
the label is conferred. During this process, internal and external experts comprehensively
analyse the entire life cycle of selected product groups by way of a Hot Spot-Analysis. The
blue PRO PLANET label can only be awarded once the Hot Spots (a product’s adverse
effects on society and the environment) have been eliminated or reduced by specific
actions, thereby improving the sustainability performance of a product group.
Objectives of the PRO PLANET label:
• Labelling more sustainable products.
The PRO PLANET label is awarded to products that have a significantly lower impact
on the environment and society during their manufacturing, processing or usage than
comparable products. The label provides reliable guidance to consumers when purchasing more sustainable products.
• Offering more sustainable products for a broader class of consumers.
The aim of REWE Group is to foster the awareness of consumers with regard to sustainability and to promote a more sustainable consumption by a broader range of consumers.
Therefore, primarily products of high importance in the mass market are selected.
• Reducing problem areas in the value chain.
As part of the PRO PLANET label awarding process, REWE Group aims to analyse and
systematically reduce problems in the value chain. Moreover, it incorporates renowned
standards, such as seals of ISEAL Alliance members, which attest to the elimination
or reduction of relevant ecological or social problems in the product life cycle. However,
this also requires passing the entire PRO PLANET process.
• Continuously increasing sustainability.
Every three years the Hot Spot-Analysis and the implementation of measures are
checked for the product groups. Based on these results, the label is then re-awarded –
or removed from the product.
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3. PRO PLANET PROCESS: FROM PRODUCT
SELECTION TO LABEL AWARDING
Process
Responsibilities
Parties Involved
1
Product Selection
REWE Group
Advisory Board,
External Stakeholders
2
Hot Spot-Analysis
External Institution
External Stakeholders,
REWE Group
3
Definition of the
Project Partner
Project Moderator
Advisory Board
4
List of Proposals
External Institution
Advisory Board, REWE Group
5
Feasibility Assessment
Project Moderator
Supply Chain Partners
6
Documentation
Project Moderator
–
7
Advisory Board Meeting
Advisory Board
CSCP (Host), REWE Group
8
Definition and Implementation of Measures
Project Moderator
Supply Chain Partners
9
Label Awarding
REWE Group
Advisory Board
10
Communication
REWE Group
Advisory Board
11
Continuous Improvement
Project Moderator
Advisory Board
3.1. Product Selection
Employees of REWE Group, members of the PRO PLANET Advisory Board and business
partners put forward proposals for products. An employee of REWE Group, usually from
the department “Quality Assurance”, is assigned as project moderator and responsible for
implementing a PRO PLANET project. He discusses these proposals within the areas of
Quality Assurance, Sustainability, Strategic Procurement and the Strategic Business Units.
In the next step, he presents the project idea to the PRO PLANET Advisory Board. The
PRO PLANET Advisory Board provides the project moderator with a first assessment of
the planned project and puts forward recommendations on which organisation would be
suitable for conducting the Hot Spot-Analysis and the Stakeholder Assessment.
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3.2. Hot Spot-Analysis
3.2.1. Hot Spot-Analysis for Single-Ingredient Products
3.2.1.1. Briefing and Commissioning of a Scientific Institution
The award process starts with a Hot Spot-Analysis to reveal negative ecological and social
impacts in the life cycle of a product. For this purpose, REWE Group commissions an independent institution. The criteria for the selection of the institute include, first and foremost, expertise in the product group. The project moderator summarises the key data for
the product and associated specific problems as a basis for the analysis.
3.2.1.2. Conducting the Hot Spot-Analysis
The fundamental results of the scientific findings and empirical studies for product groups
are combined in the Hot Spot-Analysis. The expert of the commissioned institution conducts
the analysis in line with the methodological requirements of REWE Group and assesses the
problems to be solved according to their relevance.
The product and sustainability assessments are made for four life cycle phases along the
entire value chain:
Agriculture / Raw Material Production
Cultivation and harvest or extraction of raw material
Production / Processing
Production / Processing of products
Logistics / Trade
Transport / Sale of products
Consumption / End of Life
Transport, processing/handling, use and disposal of products by consumers
Value Chain Apples
Agriculture /
Raw Material Production
Production /
Processing
Logistics /
Trade
Consumption /
End of Life
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The consumption phase / end-of-life phase concerns all ecological and social aspects
that are relevant when using or consuming products. For example, energy can be saved
during the consumption phase through purchasing a detergent that cleans thoroughly
even at low temperatures. Consistently providing appropriate information for consumers
is essential here.
The identified ecological and social aspects, relevant to the entire value chain, are classified as follows:
Ecological Aspects
(Raw) Material
e. g. materials, including chemicals, fertilisers, herbicides
Energy
e. g. fuels, electricity
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
e. g. greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2
Water
e. g. volume of water used
Land Use
e. g. soil impairments, water pollution control
Air Emissions
e. g. other greenhouse gases (for example, methane), air pollution
Water/Soil Emissions
e. g. fertilisers, chemicals, also detergents
Waste
e. g. residual waste
Biological Diversity
e. g. protection of species
Social Aspects
Working Conditions
e. g. working time, employment contracts, illegal employment, workers’ accommodation, other working conditions
Social Security
e.g. health insurance and other types of social insurance
Training and
Prof. Development
e. g. qualified on-the-job training, advanced training,
instructions
Occupational Health
e. g. hygiene, contact with harmful substances and toxins,
other health aspects
Human Rights
e. g. child labour, discrimination, forced labour, freedom of
assembly, freedom of association
Income
e. g. living wages
Animal Protection
e. g. animal welfare
Consumer Health
e. g. product safety, product-related information and transparency, harmful substances and contamination
Product Quality
e. g. packaging, product size, usage and dosage information,
optional information, positive additional social value
In addition to the ecological and social aspects, economic aspects also play a key role.
Therefore, the economic aspects are taken into consideration along with the social approach.
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3.2.1.3. Verifying the Hot Spot-Analysis
In order to supplement the scientifically documented contents with practical experience,
independent stakeholders, preferably non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are integrated into the Hot Spot-Analysis. The stakeholders must have both ecological and social
expertise. The external Advisory Board can also reveal gaps in the fact-based analysis
against the background of previous experience. Moreover, employees of REWE Group are
consulted to provide comments on the fact-based analysis. Their comments are aimed at
integrating further Hot Spots identified through operational knowledge of the value chain
into the analysis.
3.2.1.4. Preparing a Hot Spot-Card
A summary of content is prepared for each Hot Spot-Analysis. In the so-called Hot SpotCard the results are shown in a graph.
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5
4
3
2
1
0
Agriculture
Raw Material
Production
Production
Processing
Logistics
Trade
Consumption
End of Life
(Raw) Material
Energy
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
Water
Land Use
Air Emissions
Water / Soil
Emissions
Waste
Biological Diversity
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3.2.1.5. Coordination with the Advisory Board
The completed Hot Spot-Analysis is forwarded to the Advisory Board. The Hot Spot-Analysis
is then presented during the next Advisory Board meeting and discussed with the Advisory
Board. Comments received from the Advisory Board are noted and, if required, incorporated.
Proposals for eliminating or reducing the Hot Spots are integrated into the list of proposals.
3.2.2. Hot Spot-Analysis for Multi-Ingredient Products
Many of the PRO PLANET products have several ingredients. For multi-ingredient products, the Hot Spot-Analysis process is as follows:
Several Hot Spot-Analyses are conducted for the relevant ingredients according to the
aforementioned specifications for the life cycle phase of Agriculture/Raw Material Production
and initial processing. In order to obtain higher safety in the analysis of the life cycle
phase Production/Processing, a supplier questionnaire has been prepared that includes
all ecological and social aspects of a Hot Spot-Analysis. The PRO PLANET suppliers of
multi-ingredient products complete this questionnaire which is then forwarded to the
PRO PLANET Advisory Board for assessment. In addition, the life cycle phase Logistics/
Trade has been scientifically analysed. REWE Group assesses the identified Hot Spots.
This process has been positively valued by the Advisory Board, as it eliminates the need
for repeated analyses of the life cycle phase Logistics/Trade through different institutions.
The life cycle phase Consumption/End of life is checked by an independent consumer
protection organisation, using a supraordinated questionnaire that takes into account the
ecological and social aspects of a Hot Spot-Analysis. The identified Hot Spots are
assessed for each product.
3.3. Definition of the Project Partner
For the implementation of the PRO PLANET project, REWE Group may consult a competent
project partner on a professional or operational level. The project partner can be an NGO,
a governmental organisation, an association or an institution with professional expertise and
knowledge of the respective product/project. The individual roles and tasks of the project
partner are stipulated in contractual agreements entered into with the project partners
and REWE Group.
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3.4. List of Proposals
Suitable actions for reducing or eliminating the identified Hot Spots are recorded in a list
of proposals. Some of these actions are revealed in or can be derived from the Hot SpotAnalysis. The institution conducting the Hot Spot-Analysis summarises all actions which
were identified during research. Any suggestions from the Advisory Board or project partner
are added. The employees of REWE Group complete the list of proposals based upon their
experience. The specified actions relate to the product group which are substantiated and
have been successfully tried and tested where applicable. At this stage, target figures
can already be integrated into the list of proposals.
3.5. Feasibility Assessment
REWE Group carries out a feasibility assessment for those potential actions which seem
appropriate for eliminating or reducing Hot Spots in products. Based upon this, REWE Group
suggests specific actions for eliminating or reducing these Hot Spots in relation to individual
products. These are based on the list of proposals, but may also contain alternative methods.
If Hot Spots cannot be reduced or eliminated, this will be justified in the feasibility assessment. The feasible actions are prioritised and are assigned verifiable targets. REWE Group
also integrates suppliers into this process.
3.6. Documentation
The project moderator keeps a standardised documentation of all process steps. This encompasses the Hot Spot-Analysis, the list of proposals, the feasibility assessment and the
description of the actions to be implemented with verifiable targets. An additional part for
communication is also included.
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3.7. Advisory Board / Advisory Board Meeting
The Advisory Board comprises five permanent members (including one Chairman) with
specific professional competence: COLABORA (Chair), NABU e.V. (Ecology), GLOBAL 2000
(Ecology), Die VERBRAUCHER INITIATIVE e.V. (Customer Organisation) and SÜDWINDInstitute (Social). The Advisory Board is additionally supported by external advisors when
dealing with specific problems. The Chairman moderates the Advisory Board. The Wuppertalbased UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and
Production (CSCP) hosts the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board acts as a strategic advisor
for the development of the entire process and the communication for the navigation system
for more sustainable products and services. The entire PRO PLANET projects – from the
project idea to Hot Spot-Analysis through to product approval – are monitored by the
Advisory Board. The preparation and the presentation of the process steps for the Advisory
Board are conducted by the project moderator.
3.8. Definition and Implementation of Measures
REWE Group, its suppliers and project partners implement and document appropriate
measures for reducing or eliminating product-specific Hot Spots. Suitable indicators and
verifiable control parameters are taken into account to measure the success of the actions
and to adapt the procedure as required. Based on this gradual improvement, products not
only become more sustainable, but possible sustainability requirements for products are
also continuously increased.
3.9. Label Awarding
REWE Group internally decides on the label awarding for projects approved by the Advisory
Board. Only products which have been approved by the Advisory Board in advance are
labelled. REWE Group is obliged to incorporate recommendations of the external Advisory
Board when awarding the label.
3.10. Communication
The label, serving the consumers as a navigation tool for more sustainable products, is
attached directly to the product and additionally at the point of sale where possible. It
includes the ecological and social sustainability aspect relevant for the product and a product code, enabling access to detailed product information at www.proplanet-label.com.
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3.11 Continuous Improvement
Three years after market entry of the labelled products, the entire PRO PLANET process
will be reviewed. On the basis of the revised or if necessary adapted Hot Spot-Analyses
in the product groups, the catalogue of measures will be newly created or evaluated for unchanged Hot Spots and, if required, extended. Should new Hot Spots occur in the life
cycle of the product during this period, the product must be reviewed anew. If it becomes
clear during the course of the project that the significant objectives cannot be achieved
within the set period of time, the label may be removed from the product. The
PRO PLANET Advisory Board must approve continuation of product labelling.
4. REGULAR INSPECTIONS
In order to follow up the implementation of agreed measures, individual spot-checks are conducted. As each PRO PLANET project is different from the others, the checks are conducted
according to the project. First and foremost, audits are conducted by external audit firms or
project partners. Additionally, the Advisory Board has the option to visit the projects.
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Imprint
Publisher: REWE Group I Corporate Communication I 50603 Cologne
Phone: +49 221 149-1050 I Fax: +49 221 149-9000
Email: [email protected]
June 2014