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Colruyt Group is launching a different version of the Nutri-Score: the Eco-Score is a guide to help customers make conscious, sustainable purchasing decisions. The Eco-Score is already available for 2,500 Boni Selection and other private label products in the SmartWithFood app.
Clear colour coding
“People want simple, relevant information. They want to go beyond the health benefits of a product and its nutritional value. Market research has shown that customers are also asking questions about the impact different products have on the environment. It is up to us as a retailer to help them make decisions, starting with our own-brand products,” says Stefan Goethaert, responsible for the Eco-Score project at Colruyt Group. The retailer follows a French methodology that was recently developed and is also supported by the French government.
It is no coincidence that the Eco-Score is visually very similar to the well-known Nutri-Score that indicates food products’ level of healthiness. Thanks to the five tiers ranging from A (green) to E (red), consumers can, at a glance, see the environmental impact of a product, and can thus compare different products. Both scores fit perfectly into Colruyt Group’s ‘step by step’ programme, with which the retailer committed to helping consumers make more conscious choices.
Improving environmental scores
The Eco-Score is calculated using a robust method from France. The label is based on various factors that influence the environment throughout a product’s life cycle: from raw materials and agriculture to handling and transport, use and waste or recycling. The Eco-Score also takes into account additional pros and cons such as sustainability labels, packaging, origin and impact on biodiversity. Here are some examples. Baby potatoes have an Eco-Score of A, just like low-fat yoghurt and basil. Liquid honey and eggs receive a B. Extra-virgin olive oil is rated C, dark chocolate and chicken breast D and smoked salmon and ground coffee E.
Shoppers can already find the Eco-Scores of around 2,500 Boni Selection and other private label products in the SmartWithFood app. Scan the product’s barcode, and the score will appear. In the future, the Eco-Score will also come to the Xtra, MyColruyt and Collect&Go apps. In the course of this year, Colruyt Group also wants to make the scores of national branded products available and gradually add the labels to the packaging of Boni Selection food products in 2022. This measuring system should also help the retailer in its ambitions to improve the environmental score of its own brands.
