Sustainability is integrated into ICA Gruppen's Ambition 2030 Group strategy, where one of four overarching ambition areas is to make it easier for customers to make sustainable choices. ICA Gruppen's operations will be industry leaders in their markets, driving development towards reduced climate impact and a more modern and sustainable food supply. They should also be the best in their respective markets when it comes to helping and inspiring customers to make sustainable choices.

ICA Gruppens sustainability work is based on impacts, risks and opportunities identified in the double materiality analysis.

In order to drive and follow up on its sustainability work, ICA Gruppen sets key targets for the most prioritised areas, which are supplemented by targets within each company and for specific issues. Targets and outcomes for the most important overall sustainability goals 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 will have a net zero climate impact throughout the value chain by 2050

ICA Gruppen's ambition is to continue to reduce its climate footprint in line with what is required to achieve the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree target and net zero emissions. ICA Gruppen's climate targets for 2030 and 2050 are approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and cover all emissions in the value chain (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.

In the annual report, a complete report of all emissions in scope 1, 2 and 3 is published, in accordance with the GHG Protocol.

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

Greenhouse gas emissions from ICA Gruppen's own operations continue to decrease, and amounted to 82,441 tonnes in 2024.

The largest emission reductions during the year came from the transition to more fossil-free goods transports, especially in Sweden, as well as a continued good pace in the transition to refrigerants with less climate impact in Sweden and the Baltic countries.

Since 2020, ICA Gruppen has offset the climate emissions from its own operations. Read more here.


Climate footprint from customers' purchases of food
A large part of the global climate impact comes from the production and consumption of food, and ICA Gruppen aims to reduce the climate impact of customers' purchases of food by 30 per cent 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 influence habits and behaviours by engaging with and inspiring customers to make climate-smart choices.

In 2024, the climate impact of the food sold in ICA stores amounted to 1.71 kg CO2e/kg food sold, an increase of two per cent compared with the base year 2022 when the climate impact was 1.83 kg CO2e/kg food sold. Reducing the climate impact of the assortment is a long-term effort, which requires both collaboration throughout the value chain, improved data quality and a societal transition towards more sustainable food consumption. These are therefore strategically prioritised areas in ICA Gruppen's climate transition plan.

ICA Gruppens prioritized sustainability targets in other areas

ICA Gruppen's food waste from warehouses and stores to be halved by 2025

Food accounts for about a quarter of the total climate impact of humans, so it is of the utmost importance to take care of the food that has been produced. ICA Gruppen's goal is to halve food waste by 2025 compared with 2016. The target applies to both warehouses and stores, and to the Swedish and Baltic operations. Food waste is calculated according to an international standard developed by the FLW Protocol (Food Loss and Waste Protocol). Preventive work is at the heart of ICA's food waste work, with data-driven methods to improve purchasing forecasts, for example, but sales and in-store processing also play an important role, as do various types of collaborations to donate food that is still edible to those in need.

Since the base year of 2016, ICA Gruppen's food waste in relation to food sold has decreased by 30 per cent. For more detailed information about food waste in each part of the business, see ICA Gruppen's Annual Report.

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 2024
Accounting principle 2025