ICA Gruppen works in a structured way with certifications, standards and audits to follow up and ensure that our operations and the products we sell live up to both external and internal requirements. The ISO 14001 environmental standard is used for certification of operations. At the store level, ICA Sweden’s own environmental support tool Miljösmart Butik is primarily used. The ISO 9001, ISO 22000 and BRC S&D quality standards are used for certification of operations, and at the store level, the Swedish standard for food handling in stores is used.
ICA Real Estate's goal is for all buildings in the property portfolio to be environmentally certified by 2030. The standards for environmental certification that ICA Real Estate uses for both new construction and existing buildings are Miljöbyggnad, Miljöbyggnad iDrift, BREEAM, BREEAM In-Use and NollCO2 as additional certification in projects where possible. For information on the number of certified properties in accordance with the respective standards, see ICA Gruppen's Annual Report.
All suppliers of ICA Gruppen's own products in high-risk countries must be inspected and approved by ICA Gruppen or by a third party. This applies to all ICA Gruppen's direct suppliers for the entire assortment. In the case of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers, the direct supplier is often a wholesaler in Europe, which is why social certificates are also required for their suppliers. If ICA Gruppen discovers irregularities at a production facility used by the Group , a concrete action plan is drawn up and followed up in a new audit. The first time a supplier violates the contractual requirements, they are usually given a chance to rectify the problems. If the deviation is addressed satisfactorily, cooperation with the supplier may continue. If the deviation is repeated, cooperation with the supplier is terminated.