MONTREAL, December 19, 2024 - Today, METRO publishes its Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report, covering its food and pharmacy activities for the 2024 fiscal year. Responsible procurement and the fight against climate change remain at the heart of its priorities.

METRO notably disclosed for the first time its results against its five near-term science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set in 2023. The company also continued its partnership with Sphera, formerly SupplyShift, to assess the practices of its suppliers and thus improve transparency within its supply chain. In terms of community investment, METRO continued to roll out its strategy and increased its corporate donations compared with 2023. Finally, the company maintained its efforts to promote a diverse and inclusive organizational culture, making progress towards its equity, diversity and inclusion objectives.

"As we are halfway through implementing our Corporate Responsibility Plan for 2022–2026, our rigorous approach in this regard, anchored in our business practices, continues to create long-term value for the company and our stakeholders. Once again this year, the work of our teams enabled us to make progress on our priorities, and we are on track to achieve most of our objectives within the next two years, " said Eric La Flèche, President and CEO of METRO.

2024 Highlights

Responsible procurement

• Continuing partnership with Sphera, formerly SupplyShift, to assess the performance of its suppliers against the principles of its Supplier Code of Conduct for responsible procurement:
  • 19% of its active suppliers assessed, representing 60% of its purchases, i.e. twice as many as in 2023;
  • 91% of these purchases made from suppliers who meet METRO's expectations.
• Publication of its first Report Under the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, which sets out the measures taken by METRO to prevent and mitigate the risk of forced labour or child labour in its operations.

Environment

• First disclosure of its results against its five near-term science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set in 2023;
• Significant improvement in waste diversion rate compared to 2023:
  • Stores: 72%, an increase of 6%
  • Distribution centres: 82%, an increase of 11%.

Reduction of single-use plastic

• Transition of all Metro Go ready-to-eat meals in Quebec to aluminum containers: 91 tonnes of plastic replaced by aluminum;
• Participation in a groundbreaking pilot project for sharing reusable containers in Ontario.

Socioeconomic contribution

• Increase in our financial contribution compared to the previous year, reaching a total of $8 million in 2024, an 8% increase compared to 2023;
• Over 8.5 million kilograms of food recovered in its distribution centres and stores participating in its One More Bite program, the equivalent of more than 17 million meals redistributed in its communities;
• Creation of the METRO Shared Kitchens community network: investment of $2 million for the first edition.

For more details, consult the 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report or visit metro.ca/responsibility.

About METRO Inc.

With annual sales of more than $21 billion, METRO Inc. is a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario, providing employment to more than 97,000 people. Its purpose is to Nourish the health and well-being of our communities. As a retailer, franchisor, distributor, manufacturer, and provider of eCommerce services, the company operates or services a network of 995 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis and Première Moisson, and some 640 pharmacies primarily under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. For more details, visit corpo.metro.ca and follow the latest news on LinkedIn.

Source et further information:

METRO inc.
Media Relations
514 643-1009 or 1 800 463-2190
media@metro.ca