Carrefour : debates low carbon economy at forum of the state secretariat for the environment

With the support of Instituto Carrefour, the 'Forum of Dialogue on Climate Change' discusses solutions for current challenges posed by the climate

São Paulo, June 2015 - The Instituto Carrefour is the supporter of the first edition of the Forum of Dialogue on Climate Change - Challenges and Opportunities for a Low Carbon Future which will be held this Thursday (18th) by the State Secretariat for the Environment in partnership with the Instituto Ethos. During the event, which will take place in the city of São Paulo (SP), the impacts of climate change and public and private initiatives for a low-carbon economy will be discussed.

Charles Desmartis, CEO of Grupo Carrefour Brasil, will participate in the official opening of the forum together with Patrícia Iglecias, Environment Secretary of the Government of the State of São Paulo. Also during the programming, Paulo Pianez, Director of Sustainability of Carrefour Brasil, will debate the alternatives and solutions for the fight against climate change on a panel comprised of Patrícia Iglecias, Fábio Feldmann (Feldmann Consultores), Caio Magri (Instituto Ethos) and Linda Murasawa (Santander) with Dal Marcondes (Envolverde) as mediator.

The forum aims to involve civil society, public authorities and companies in the commitment to develop initiatives intended to prioritise the use of clean energy and the adoption of more responsible attitudes, collaborating in reducing the impact on climate change. In addition, the main objective of the initiative is to hold a dialogue on corporate and government management practices that are an inspiration in light of the challenges of the low carbon economy. "We believe in our capacity for engagement and liaison with the other sectors of the economy, civil society and the public sphere", said Paulo Pianez, Director of Sustainability of Carrefour Brasil.

This year, Grupo Carrefour is supporting COP21, the biggest international conference on climate change. The company is one of the founders and a supporter of Solutions COP 21, a parallel initiative to the conference which presents viable solutions for climatic challenges. "Throughout our history, we have sought to play a leading role in the construction of a more sustainable, fairer and less wasteful operating model in all the areas in which we operate", emphasised Charles Desmartis, CEO of Grupo Carrefour Brasil.

Part of the good practices developed by Grupo Carrefour and other companies are shared by means of the digital platform The Climate Solutions Hub. "During COP21, we will contribute actively for a global agreement to be signed by the countries which participate in the conference, with a view to effective actions for the fight against global warming", Desmartis concluded.

In Brazil, the company is promoting a series of actions in this respect, always having as its guideline one of the three pillars of the sustainability platform of Grupo Carrefour: to combat all forms of waste, protect biodiversity and give support to the partners of Grupo Carrefour so that they implement actions for reducing environmental impact and generating social benefits.

Among the initiatives, for example, 80% of the energy used in the Carrefour stores comes from alternative sources such as wind energy, biomass and small hydroelectric plants, which are considered low carbon energy sources. Furthermore, simple measures are also being adopted which guarantee good results, such as, for example, LED lighting and closed refrigerated display counters. "We are also perfecting our delivery system, reducing the number of logistical journeys and avoiding the emission of approximately 300 tonnes of CO2 annually", Pianez stressed.

One of the many global commitments of Grupo Carrefour is the goal of achieving zero deforestation in its chain by 2020, considering the raw materials used in its operation and products. Grupo Carrefour also abides by the guidelines of the Soybean Moratorium and is committed to using only certified palm oil by the end of 2015 in all its operations, thereby reducing the pressure on forests. In addition to these commitments, Carrefour Brazil was a pioneer in obtaining the certification of the meat it markets with the Rainforest Alliance seal.