ESG at Grocery

Our Grocery segment comprises: Grocery Group, Twinings Ovaltine, George Weston Foods and ACH.

Each division within this segment manages its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies and initiatives independently, tailoring their efforts to address their specific needs and priorities. This allows each division to effectively manage environmental and social imapcts, risks, opportunities across their operations and supply chains.

ESG Governance

Grocery Group

Businesses within the Grocery Group division have established their own medium to long-term ESG actions, reflecting their most material issues and demonstrating their commitment to create more socially responsible supply chains and reduce their environmental impacts. These focus on working conditions, livelihoods, plastic, carbon, water and waste reduction, and are guided by collaborations with organisations such as WRAP, the Sustainable Spice Initiative and the Sustainable Rice Platform.

The Finance Director of Grocery Group is accountable for the overall ESG agenda for the division, while the individual businesses are responsible for implementing ESG programmes and policies at business level. There is also a divisional Corporate Responsibility team at the Grocery Group level whose function is to provide guidance and oversight on ESG topics.

Each business within the Grocery Group has dedicated policies for Responsible Sourcing, Environment and Escalation and Remediation, alongside roadmaps to meet the expectations set out by their policies.

Twinings Ovaltine

Within the Twinings Ovaltine business, the Social Impact and Sustainability team is responsible for driving the ESG agenda. This team is based in the UK and in all key tea sourcing regions, including Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, China and Argentina. Its role is to identify, oversee, monitor and address risks within the supply chain.

For Twinings, ESG risks and impacts related to its tea and herb supply chain are managed through Sourced with Care, part of Twinings Ovaltine’s responsible sourcing programme. Sourced with Care aims to drive positive change through empowering women, supporting incomes, improving living standards and looking at ways to minimise its packaging and reduce its carbon footprint. Twinings also collaborates with others in the tea sector, including the Ethical Tea Partnership, to develop a more sustainable tea industry.

George Weston Foods

George Weston Foods is focused on ensuring that its products are safe and on promoting good health, while reducing its impact on the environment, as well as providing a safe, healthy and inclusive workplace. ESG initiatives at George Weston Foods are framed centrally within its Sustainability Framework, which is built around three core pillars: People, Products, and Planet.

George Weston Foods operates in a decentralised model with distinct business units, employing a range of governance measures both at the individual business unit level and consolidated George Weston Foods divisional level. A cross-business Sustainability Taskforce comprising senior representatives from each business ensures individual business sustainability-related plans and priorities are reflected in George Weston Foods’  priorities.

ACH

At ACH ultimate responsibility and accountability for risk management, including that related to ESG risks, sits with the Chief Executive of the business.