Carrefour : 1st edition of the Carrefour SME Awards

On Monday 24 November, for the very first time, Carrefour presented its "SME Awards" to 13 French companies - exclusively food and non-food SMEs - for which innovation and sustainable development are central to their growth strategy. The winners get increased visibility within the retailer or are listed at Carrefour stores.

2014 awards - spotlight on SMEs' innovation

The Carrefour SME Awards pay tribute to the retailer's most committed suppliers. This year - the first year the Awards have been held - they honoured the most innovative companies or companies which have made significant commitments in terms of social and environmental responsibility. The winners will have their products highlighted in a personalised way on the store's shelves, as well as in its catalogues, or they will have their products listed nationally or locally for a 6-month period.

Winners of the SME Innovation Awards

Innovation is the cornerstone of the company's growth policy. In order to speed up the listing of innovative products in its stores, Carrefour held an SME Fair on 18 September in Rungis that was attended by more than 300 companies. The employees who were there - buyers and store directors - voted for their favourite innovation. 116 products were shortlisted and then the 8 winning products were selected by an internal vote.

Winners of the CSR Innovation Awards

Many of Carrefour's suppliers have committed to a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) approach, but still do not have the internal resources they need to assess the impact of their business or formalise their CSR policy. For 10 years now, Carrefour has provided its suppliers with a web-based tool that was developed with help from the ADEME and the WWF: The "Sustainable Development Self-Assessment tool" which companies can use to self-assess themselves against 35 CSR criteria (governance, carbon footprint, commitment to preserving natural resources, working conditions in manufacturing, fair practices, etc.). A panel made up of prominent people both from within Carrefour and outside the company (WWF, Greenflex, students, customers, etc.) chose the most committed companies based on results obtained using the self-assessment tool and on-site audits conducted by an independent firm. Carrefour honoured 5 SMEs at these Awards. The aim is to encourage suppliers to implement new initiatives, showcasing the most successful ones.

See the whole list of winners of the Carrefour SME Awards (in French)