Strategies and targets for sustainability are integrated into ICA Gruppen’s group strategy “Ambition 2030”, where one of the four overall ambition areas is to make it easier for customers to make sustainable choices. ICA Gruppen's operations shall be industry leaders in their markets, and drive development towards reduced climate impact and a more modern and sustainable food supply. They must also be the best in their respective markets when it comes to helping and inspiring customers to make sustainable choices.

ICA Gruppen also works with several prioritized sustainability issues based on a materiality analysis that is revised every year.

To urge on and follow up the sustainability work, ICA Gruppen sets central targets for the most prioritized areas, which are supplemented by targets within each company and for specific issues. Targets and outcomes for the most important overall sustainability targets are presented below.

Since 2012, ICA Gruppen has published externally reviewed interim and annual reports on sustainability work at group level. More targets and indicators are reported in these, as well as a summary of strategic efforts during the respective quarter or year.

ICA Gruppen’s climate targets

ICA Gruppen commits to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050

ICA Gruppen's ambition is to continue reducing the climate impact in line with 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and net-zero emissions. Gruppen’s climate targets for 2030 and 2050 are approved by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and apply to all greenhouse gas emissions in the value chains (scope 1, 2 and 3).

ICA Gruppen’s science based targets

OVERALL NET-ZERO TARGET
- ICA Gruppen commits to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050.

NEAR-TERM TARGETS
- Energy & industry (”Non-FLAG”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2022 base year. ICA Gruppen also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 42% within the same timeframe.
- FLAG (”Forest, Land and Agriculture”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions 30.3% by 2030 from a 2022 base year*. ICA Gruppen also commits to no deforestation across its primary deforestation-linked commodities**, with a target date of December 2025.

LONG-TERM TARGETS
- Energy & industry (”Non-FLAG”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90% by 2050 from a 2022 base year. ICA Gruppen also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 90% within the same timeframe.
- FLAG (”Forest, Land and Agriculture”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions 72% by 2050 from a 2022 base year.*

* The target includes FLAG emissions and removals
** As defined by the EU Deforestation Regulation

Key Climate Indicators for 2030

To ensure that emissions decrease in line with science based target, ICA Gruppen monitors several key indicators that address the most significant sources of emissions by 2030.

Starting with the annual report for 2024, ICA Gruppen will publish a complete sustainability report with all emissions in scope 1, 2 and 3, in line with the GHG protocol.

ICA Gruppens climate impact from own opertations
The emissions from ICA Gruppen own operations comes from goods transport, stores/pharmacies, offices, warehouses. The largest part of the emissions comes from transports between warehouses and stores, but the emissions also includes refrigerant and energy used in ICA Gruppen's offices, stores/pharmacies and warehouses, as well as business travels.

The greenhouse gas emissions from ICA Group’s own operations amounted to 92,887 tons in 2023, a slight increase compared to the previous year. Reductions in climate impact have mainly occurred in emissions from refrigerants and energy, while emissions from freight transport increased due to a reduced share of renewable fuels.

ICA Gruppen wants to reduce the climate impact of customers' food purchases with 30 percent by 2030
A large part of the global climate impact comes from the production and consumption of food. Therefore, ICA do not only set targets to reduce its own emissions, but also to reduce the climate impact from customers' food purchases with 30 percent by 2030.

To achieve that target, active steps are being taken to reduce the climate impact of the products that are sold. For example, 70 percent of ICA Gruppen’s suppliers are to adopt science-based climate targets by 2025. In addition, there are several collaborations and initiatives to develop an attractive assortment with a smaller climate impact. Comprehensive efforts are also being made to change habits and behaviours by engaging with and inspiring customers to make climate-smart choices.

In 2023, the climate impact of food sold in ICA stores amounted to 1.71 kg CO2e/kg food sold, a decrease of four percent compared to 2022 when it amounted to 1.79 kg CO2e/kg food sold. A particular contribution to the reduction in climate impact came from lower sales of meat, fish and shellfish in 2023, while sales of vegetarian alternatives increased.

ICA Gruppens prioritized sustainability targets in other areas

ICA Gruppen will cut food waste from warehouses and stores by half by 2025

Food accounts for roughly a fourth of the total global carbon footprint. It is therefore of utmost importance to take care of the food that is produced. ICA Gruppen’s target is to cut food waste in half by 2025 compared with 2016. The target applies for both warehouses and stores as well as for the Swedish and Baltic operations. Food waste is measured using an international standard created by the Food Loss & Waste (FLW) Protocol. Preventive work is at the centre of ICA’s work with food waste, including data-driven methods for improving purchasing forecasts. However, clearance sales and processing of surplus food in stores play an important role, as do various types of partnerships to donate food that remains edible to people in need.

Since the base year 2016, ICA Gruppen's food waste in relation to food sold has decreased by 26 percent, which means a significant improvement compared to previous year. ICA Sweden has continued their work on improving data collection and analysis to reduce food waste, and Rimi Baltic has accelerated the rate of reduction in both warehouses and stores through collaborations and data-driven solutions.

More information about ICA Gruppen’s sustainability targets

See below for more information on ICA Gruppen’s sustainability goals, accounting principles for sustainability reporting, and last year’s sustainability report. All reports can be accessed here ›

ICA Gruppen’s Annual sustainability report 2023
Accounting principle 2024