Sustainable Corporate Governance
Our sustainability strategy
The principle “We are aware of our responsibility and act sustainably” has been part of our corporate mission statement since 2008. It sets out our commitment and steers our guideline on sustainable business practices and the key priorities defined therein. It defines key areas of focus – including responsibility for our employees, respect for human rights in the supply chain, fair business practices, the further development of sustainability-related product ranges, measures relating to environmental and climate protection, and social involvement. Our sustainability management is guided by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (see Sustainable Development Goals).
Our strategy is based on four pillars and their areas of action:
- Green Products:
People, animals, environment, and nutrition - Energy, Climate and Environment: Energy efficiency, climate-relevant emissions and conservation of resources
- Employees: Values and culture, training and development, health and safety, career and life stages, diversity, and equal opportunities
- Social Involvement: Conscious nutrition and exercise, opportunities for children and young people, conscious approach to food, biodiversity, and environmental protection
In this report, we present our commitment1 in cross-pillar focus topics.
We integrate sustainability into all business processes
Since 2023, overall responsibility for sustainability, as well as responsibility for the strategic development and implementation of the sustainability agenda, has rested with the HR & Sustainability Management Board department, which is headed by our Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Dr Daniela Büchel. Cross-sales-line working groups ensure that the four pillars of the sustainability strategy are systematically integrated into all relevant business processes. REWE and PENNY in Germany, the REWE Group in Austria2, Lekkerland, toom Baumarkt DIY store and the DERTOUR Group set strategic priorities depending on the business model.
We exchange ideas with our stakeholders
When implementing our sustainability strategy, we engage in dialogue with our stakeholders, such as suppliers, consumers, business partners, politicians, authorities, scientists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), employees, the works council, executives and independent retailers.
We advocate for our perspective at the local, national and European level through our Public Affairs department.
Our Sustainability Advisory Board
The Sustainability Advisory Board is a key body for stakeholder dialogue. It consists of five independent experts and representatives of non-governmental organisations and is involved in the development, evaluation, and implementation of the sustainability strategy at REWE and PENNY in Germany. The Advisory Board reviews measures, provides input and assists with the further development of the strategy
Highlights of our stakeholder communication 2025
- BAUM Annual Conference – On 11–12 November, sustainability stakeholders gathered at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK in Dortmund for the annual conference of the non-profit business network “Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für umweltbewusstes Management (B.A.U.M.) e. V.” (German Environmental Management Association). The theme for the conference was “What kind of economy do we want?”. In her keynote address, our Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Dr Daniela Büchel, emphasised that, despite global challenges and adverse trends, we remain firmly committed to our climate targets. We then shared our perspectives, including on sustainable food innovations, in two interactive sessions. The conference provided a concise platform to discuss and produce potential solutions.
- Grüne Woche (Green Week) – At Green Week in Berlin in January 2025, the guiding theme of the REWE Group’s stand at the ErlebnisBauernhof education farm was “The Value Chain: REWE Group × Agriculture”. At the stand the REWE Group presented the Agrar-Akademie, a practical programme run by the Competence Centre for Agriculture that brings together employees from stores, administration, senior management and independent retailers to agricultural operations in order to strengthen dialogue with producers.
We keep an eye on opportunities and risks
By investing in transformation and innovation, we can help to promote greater sustainability while reducing cost risks. Sustainable practices can open up opportunities and mitigate risks.
As an international trade and tourism company, we are furthermore exposed to a wide range of risks:
- physical risks, such as severe weather, droughts or floods, which affect raw materials (and thus prices), locations and travel and tourism destinations;
- transitory risks, such as the requirements of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the German Climate Protection Act (Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetz).
Using a structured risk management approach, we identify, assess and manage material risks, while also taking potential opportunities into account. For more information, see the Group Management Report for the 2025 business year.
Our Sustainability-Linked Bond Framework connects our financing strategy with our sustainability strategy. In 2023, we became the first German food retailer3 to issue a sustainability-linked bond of 900 million euros on the capital market, the terms of which are linked to the achievement of our climate targets. The focus is on reducing environmentally harmful greenhouse gas emissions at REWE and PENNY in Germany. In 2025, we published our second Progress Report.
We take responsibility
Clear rules and transparent decision-making processes guide our business as an international trade and tourism company. Binding compliance standards provide guidance and reliability, particularly in a competitive environment, in supplier relationships and in the event of conflicts of interest. They therefore form a key foundation for long-term economic success.
We have anchored integrity and fairness in our business transactions and in our treatment with one another as fundamental values in the REWE Group Mission Statement. In our Code of Conduct, we have defined mandatory standards of behaviour for all employees working on behalf of the REWE Group.
More information on the risks in the supply chain and legal compliance with the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG) can be found in the chapter Supply Chain.
Our compliance management system (CMS) prevents violations of legal and internal company regulations. We have also created a compliance programme that includes preventative measures, such as risk assessments, whistleblower management systems, business partner audits and training on compliance, antitrust law, ethics, and other topics. In 2025, we trained 32,230 employees (2024: 37,844).
We take your reports seriously
We have various processes and communication channels for critical requests, concerns, grievances, reports, or alerts. We have special grievance mechanisms for the relevant supply chains, in particular for focus raw materials and production sites in analysed risk countries (see also the Supply Chain chapter and the Human Rights focus topic).
- Violations of legal requirements or internal regulations (e.g. acts of corruption) can be reported (anonymously) via our group-wide whistleblower system Hintbox as well as to an external ombudsperson.
- Internally, employees can contact decentralised Compliance Officers (DCOs) and Compliance Delegates with compliance matters.
- For information on topics, such as respectful behaviour, equal treatment or diversity and equal opportunities, our employees can contact their managers or ombudspersons and the HR department, the Compliance department, the works council, the representatives for people with disabilities and the company’s internal LGBTIQ network “di.to”. There are also special contact persons in all sales lines for cases of discrimination.
Auditing, Market Auditing, external lawyers or the internal compliance organisation investigate any suspected compliance violations, and the results and measures are communicated to the Governance & Compliance department and implemented by the operating units. Whistleblowers are informed once the investigation has been concluded.
