01 ––
From West Africa to Buchs – the sustainable journey of cocoa beans to Chocolat Frey
▶ Play video
02 ––
100% UTZ-certified cocoa at Chocolat Frey – just one example of how Migros leads the way
▶ Play video
03 ––
Riseria Taverne and Risoletto's rice – careful selection of suppliers and meticulous production
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04 ––
Risoletto comes from
the chocolate heart of
Migros Industry
▶ Play video
05 ––
Quality assurance for
food and consumer
goods – Migros' Swiss Quality Testing Services
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06 ––
94 276 employees from
152 countries – dedicated
to Risoletto and much more
▶ Play video
07 ––
Risoletto passes through many female fingers –
the backbone of Migros
▶ Play video
08 ––
Taking the bitter with
the sweet – one of
3500 trainees at Migros
▶ Play video
09 ––
Just like magic – why Risoletto never runs out
in more than 700 Migros stores and branches
▶ Play video
10 ––
Blind tasting session
with insiders – Risoletto
at the FMC's Assembly
of Delegates
▶ Play video
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Less packaging, easier to recycle

Migros operates the largest recycling platform in Switzerland and is now the first retailer to take back all types of plastic bottles from the household sector. It prepared its return system for this purpose in 2013.

In order to conserve raw materials and energy, Migros avoids waste and closes material cycles. It has developed a recycling system for the generated waste. More than 74% of the approximately 236'000 tonnes of operating waste is recycled every year, of which 14'000 tonnes are customer returns. Migros' system for customer returns is the most elaborate in Switzerland. PET drinks bottles make up the majority of items, with customers returning 9375 tonnes in 2013.

Charts on quantity of operational waste


Cooperative Retailing and Industry



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1 Income from Migros Cooperative Retailing and Industry (Migros Cooperatives excl. tegut..., FMC, industrial and logistics companies)


 

 

All plastic bottles welcome

Migros is the first Swiss retailer to systematically recover and properly recycle all types of household plastic bottles. Migros also takes back CDs and DVDs separately. Used plastic bottles are given a fresh lease of life (e.g. as cable conduits). The recycled material from the storage media is used in motorcycle helmets, among other things.

In 2013 Migros adapted all recycling collection points in almost 600 branches. Alongside a new design in the style of the Generation M campaign and structural changes to the collection facilities, the disposal processes were also adapted. Customers were made aware of the new recycling service through competitions and in-branch games, as well as through informational texts in Migros' own publications.

Voluntary commitment to cycles

With its elaborate return system, Migros is making a contribution towards the green economy. However, it rejects the unilateral obligation for retailers to take back packaging, which is being discussed by the Federal Government. Instead, it focuses on voluntary measures and regularly proves that it takes appropriate action. For example, various Migros take-aways use returnable containers for hot drinks. In some Migros Aare take-aways, customers could also have their lunch served in robust returnable dishes. The company also took part in the first national Clean-Up Day in 2013. In all take-aways and restaurants of the Migros Cooperative Aare, customers who brought their returnable cup with them on that day received a free hot drink.

Food waste

Each year, Migros collects detailed data about its food waste. The figures show that 98.6% of the food offered is actually used for its intended purpose, i.e. it is sold, or offered to staff at a reduced price before its sell-by date. Furthermore, Migros has been working together with aid organisation such as Tischlein deck dich, Schweizer Tafel and Partage for many years now in order to supply impoverished people with food that is still fresh.



The foodbridge project, launched in 2013, aims to ensure that even more food finds its way to people in need in future. Members of the Swiss retail stakeholder group IG DHS, including Migros, have pledged to provide Tischlein deck dich and Schweizer Tafel with CHF 680'000 annually over the next three years. In 2013 the company also looked into extending the sell-by dates printed on the packaging. The first corrections have already been made in the cheese range.

Comprehensive packaging strategy

For several years, Migros has been working on optimising its packaging in an ecological sense. In 2013 it recorded the packaging data of its own industry in detail for the first time and used this as a basis for developing a new standardised strategy for more environmentally friendly packaging. Migros' own packaging, followed by the packaging of key suppliers, is being optimised gradually.

For example, in the reporting year it introduced a more environmentally friendly packaging for uncooked organic cold meats, which uses 60% less plastic. Laminated FSC cardboard is now used in place of the previous plastic dish. In addition, the production company Bina managed to reduce the packaging of ready-made salads by replacing the plastic cover with a foil. Depending on the size of the packaging, this can reduce the required material by up to 38%. Migros now attaches a button to ecologically optimised packaging to show the improvement.

More on the topic: Waste and Recycling

Less cardboard boxes

Migros reduces additional packaging by using reusable plastic containers in place of cardboard boxes. This applies to most dairy and meat products, for example. Using returnable containers saves more than 90'000 tonnes of cardboard each year.

» Less cardboard boxes

United Against Waste

The «United Against Waste» association is a new initiative by Swiss companies, which aims to reduce food waste by half in the food service industry by 2020. The Migros industrial company Saviva, which operates in the area of catering wholesale, is a founding member.

» United Against Waste