Under the motto “Every day counts”Grupo Dia presents its new Strategic Sustainability Plan 2024-2025. A declaration of intent, which aims to focus on social sustainability, diversity, proximity and, in particular, food accessibility and the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.
Pilar HermidaDirector of Communication and Sustainability at Grupo Dia, says that for this company sustainability is not an accessory factor: “We take sustainability very seriously and we know that every day counts in responding to these challenges. After a year of intense and exciting work, we have developed a plan that will allow us to advance in four key areas to generate value with our operation: the development of the local economythe impulse of a diverse and inclusive culture, the traction of a sustainable value chain and caring for our environment natural,” he explains.
How do you develop the local economy?
Through three levers: the Eat Better Every Day program, to mitigate food barriers and facilitate the adoption of healthy habits; the stimulation of employment and entrepreneurship through Dia’s network of franchises and suppliers; and social contribution through initiatives with third sector allies such as the Red Cross, Caritas and the Food Bank.
What about diversity?
We promote diversity and inclusion both within and outside our organization. We are implementing measures and programs aimed at the professional and personal development of our team, as well as actions aimed at promoting greater inclusion in our value chain.
All the Awareness-raising, conciliation, training and professional development initiatives looking for create a work environment where every individual feels valued and can reach their full potential without being held back by external factors.
Proximity is one of its strong points…
Dia is proximity. It is its essence. It is also the purpose of the company, a proximity that is made real through its 2,300 local stores in Spain and an online channel that reaches more and more homes. But our proximity is, above all, how we relate to people. From our team, franchisees and suppliers, to our customers. We feel that Dia is another neighbour in the neighbourhoods where we are and we want our operation to mean something more than just supplying food.
How do they make healthy eating accessible with the rising prices of the shopping basket?
Our purpose is to be closer to people every day and we work to fulfil our historic commitment to household savings, offering a complete range of top quality products at affordable prices. Aware that the increase in the cost of living in recent years has put pressure on household budgets, we have stepped up our efforts by investing in offers and promotions, adding more benefits to Club Dia and offering a range of Dia products of the highest quality at the best price.
During 2024, for example, we are making an investment of 150 million euros. that translates into weekly offers on more than 200 references, offering discounts of up to 40% on products from various categories and with a special focus on fresh products. In addition, we believe that the choice of Dia products combined with the Club Dia offers allow to Our customers saver up to 25% off your annual shopping basket.
How do they reduce their carbon footprint?
Caring for the natural environment also means caring for people. We approach the impact generated by Dia’s operations from two perspectives: caring for the natural environment, with a focus on decarbonisation, circularity (with special attention to food waste) and biodiversity; as well as the sustainability of raw materials.
We have made valuable progress since 2021, when we began to implement the first sustainability plan. We have eight logistics centres with the Saica Natur Zero Waste seal, which guarantees that 95% of waste is recycled, reused or recovered. Since 2020, the waste sent to landfill has been reduced by 30%. This has been achieved thanks to more efficient stock management and through additional measures that contribute to prevention, such as discounts on the in-store price when the fresh product is close to its expiry date. In addition, we have alliances with third parties to donate food that is suitable for consumption, but not for sale.
For the 2024-25 period, we want to make progress in our emissions reduction plan and extend the zero-waste management model to all our facilities. We will also make progress in increasing the recyclability of product packaging. We already have 70% of recyclable references and we want to continue expanding the use of recycled materials in their production.
With so much “eco-posturing” and “greenwashing,” does the consumer really value these efforts?
As citizens, we are increasingly aware of the challenges and difficulties that we will face as a society; and we are more critical when we detect that the commitment to sustainability is not real and tangible. It is no longer enough to find quality products on the shelves; special attention is also paid to the impact they have on the planet. However, the perception of price continues to be a barrier when it comes to making certain changes. This is shown, for example, by the report “The sustainable client”prepared by PwC and Uncommon: more than 65% of consumers would increase their consumption of sustainable products if they were “reasonably priced”.
But let’s not forget that sustainability goes beyond environmental impact. For Dia, social contribution is of great importance due to the direct connection we have with the neighborhoods and communities in which we operate. We want to generate value for our clients and to achieve this we have to be a driving force of employment and entrepreneurship for our employees, franchisees and suppliers. It is a virtuous circle that allows us to impact from the essence of Dia, proximity.
How do you measure the impact of your sustainability policies?
Measurement is key to improvement. Each of the work axes of our Sustainability Plan has ambitious objectives assigned to it, with which we monitor achievements and serve as a reference for moving forward. Beyond the reporting standards we follow in non-financial matters, one of the indicators we take as a reference is the satisfaction of our stakeholders. Since 2021, year after year, we have achieved a consistent improvement in the satisfaction of customers, employees, franchisees and suppliers. For us, this is a highly valuable result because we put great effort into ensuring that our work has a positive impact on people.
Commitment to sustainability
With a degree in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid and several international business postgraduate degrees under her belt, Pilar began her career as a journalist in the editorial offices of top-level media such as TVE and the EFE Agency. She then made the leap into the business world, boosting the reputation of leading companies in various sectors such as Air France, L’Oréal, the European University of Madrid and Heineken during her more than twenty-year professional career. In March 2022, she joined Grupo Dia as Chief Communications Officer and member of the Management Committee. In December of that same year, she also took on the role of Corporate Director of Sustainability at the company.