Consumption

Although demand for such products is already high, Migros is continuously expanding its range and aims to interest further categories of consumers in sustainably produced products. With the Cumulus-Green service, launched in 2014, those taking part in Migros' Cumulus bonus programme can regularly check what proportion of products in their shopping basket carry a sustainable label. In 2016, the Cumulus-Green share was 19.9%, up 1.6% on the previous year.

In 2016, the total sales of all products that carry a sustainable or health label or originate from regional production rose by 6.4% to CHF 3.9 billion. They make up about 28% of the total sales of Cooperative Retailing (excluding Tegut).

More organic products for Switzerland

In 2016, more than 3'500 products carrying an organic label accounted for sales of CHF 808 million. This represents an increase of 18.7% over the previous year. The strong growth was due to rising demand for organic products and to the further expansion of the organic range, in particular with products from the Migros Bio label and the Alnatura brand.

Migros opened the seventh Alnatura branch in the reporting year. As part of a pilot project that will run until spring 2017, the Migros Cooperative Zurich is testing the demand and the potential for expansion of the Demeter range, with a focus on fresh products to complement the existing range of organic food. The range of organic food in Cooperative Retailing includes more than 3'500 products.

The Migros Group companies LeShop.ch and Tegut also sell a wide range of organic products. At the end of 2016, LeShop offered 1'052 organic food products and Tegut approx. 3'350.

In 2016, sales of textiles carrying the label Migros Bio Cotton rose by 7.5% to CHF 58 million (2015: CHF 54 million). The label protects the environment – from cultivation of the cotton through to the finished product – and ensures traceability along the entire value chain. This is verified by independent inspections.

Sales of products carrying the Migros Bio Garden label amounted to CHF 4.2 million in the reporting year, representing an increase of 9.1% (2015: CHF 3.8 million). Migros is aiming to double the proportion of sales of organic fertilisers, soil and pesticides between 2013 and 2020.

TerraSuisse

The Migros label TerraSuisse denotes products that originate from sustainable Swiss agriculture. The farmers make an active commitment to near-natural and animal-friendly Swiss agriculture. In 2016, sales amounted to CHF 708 million, representing a slight decrease of 0.8% on the previous year.

MSC & ASC

With the labels MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), Migros procures products from sustainable fishing and responsible aquaculture.

Sales in 2016 amounted to CHF 162 million (2015: CHF 136 million). This corresponds to an increase of 19.3% on the previous year, due to expansion of the range of fish and seafood from MSC and ASC-certified sources. At the end of 2016, all fish and seafood sold originated from sustainable sources. This means that the products carried the MSC, ASC or Migros Bio label, or were classified as "recommended" or "acceptable" by WWF. Migros thus fulfilled its promise – to switch the entire fish range to fish from sustainable sources by 2020 – ahead of schedule.

FSC

The label FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) denotes products from responsible forestry. In 2016, sales of FSC products in Cooperative Retailing amounted to CHF 246 million, representing an increase of 1.1% on the previous year (2015: CHF 243 million).

Migros is also aiming to increase the proportion of wood products from sustainable resources (FSC or recycling). Among the retailers, a share of 37% was achieved in 2016. Developments in the Interio range were particularly pleasing: the proportion of sales from FSC-certified wood products was almost 23% (2015: 13%). 87.6% of the packaging material used by industrial companies that contains paper or cardboard originated from sustainable sources (FSC or recycled).

Fairtrade Max Havelaar

With Fairtrade Max Havelaar products, Migros makes a commitment to fair trade and supports small-scale farmers and workers in developing and emerging countries. Migros achieved sales of CHF 125 million in the Fairtrade Max Havelaar range in 2016. This represents an increase of 9.6% on the previous year (2015: CHF 114 million).

UTZ

For coffee, tea, cocoa and hazelnuts, Migros applies the UTZ Certified label. The UTZ programme enables farmers to improve their harvests and boost their income while protecting the environment.

The entire basic range of Migros own-brand coffee, all chocolate under the Frey brand, the rooibos, green and black tea sold under the Tea Time brand and the Ice Tea range are UTZ-certified. In 2016, various biscuits, milk products and ground hazelnuts were switched to UTZ. Sales of UTZ-certified products amounted to CHF 530 million, representing an increase of 4.0% on the previous year (2015: CHF 509 million).

Eco label

With the Eco label, Migros developed its own sophisticated standard for textiles in 1996, based on a holistic approach to product and production ecology, which must be environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and traceable.

Sales of all textile products carrying the Eco label in Cooperative Retailing amounted to CHF 193 million in 2016. This represents a decrease of 1.5%. However, the proportion of total sales from organic textile products increased to 63.4% (2015: 59.2%).

Topten

The Topten label helps consumers find electrical products that use less electricity. Sales were down by 25.7% in 2016 compared with the previous year and amounted to CHF 21 million.

IP Suisse

In the reporting year, Denner entered into a strategic partnership with IP-Suisse and now offers 30 IP-Suisse food products in its range, including meat and charcuterie products, dairy products, bread, fruit and vegetables. The range will be expanded further this year.

By the end of the reporting year, the range of Cooperative Retailing included 158 food and cosmetics products carrying the aha! label. Migros thus met its promise to expand its range for allergy sufferers by 30.0% between 2013 and the end of 2016.

The V-Label denotes products that are suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet. For products under the Alnatura brand, purely plant-based food carries the Vegan Flower (vegan trademark) of the UK's Vegan Society. At the end of 2016, a total of 590 processed products carried the V-Label or the Vegan Flower. This represents an increase of 57% on 2015.

Following the successful pilot tests, Migros will start offering its expanded vegetarian range in all Migros restaurants and take-aways this year. In 2016, managers, chefs at Migros restaurants and staff of Migros take-aways were trained in vegetarianism and vegetarian cuisine. An e-learning course is also available for the restaurants and take-aways of the regional Cooperatives.

Advice and information

The nutrition department provides advice on dietary issues relating to Migros products. Most of the enquiries received by the department concern food allergies and intolerances, followed by questions about animal ingredients, vegetarianism, hygiene and shelf life. Dialogue with customers is important to Migros. The feedback and concerns are used as the basis for planning new products and services.

With My Food Skills, the Engagement Migros development fund supported an ongoing initiative to offer knowledge, practical tips and activities on sustainable food consumption. The project bundles practical knowledge on sustainable nutrition, teaches food skills in a motivating and enjoyable way, and brings participants together. 

Sustainable mobility

Migros promotes electric and human-powered transport. This not only benefits the environment, but exercise in the fresh air is also good for general fitness. Migros is therefore looking to exploit new potential and establish models for shared mobility.

The Mobility Academy launched the Swiss cargo bike initiative Carvelo in 2015 with the Engagement Migros development fund. It promotes the use of cargo bikes and offers a way to share them. At the end of 2016, carvelo2go, the sharing platform that forms part of the initiative, managed a fleet of more than 60 electric cargo bikes in four Swiss cities and had 2'400 registered users.

In the form of VillageOffice and REGIOmove, Engagement Migros launched two new projects in the reporting year, with the aim of making our mobility behaviour more sustainable and expediting the spread of pioneering mobility solutions.

m-way remains the market leader in the electric bicycle market. The Migros company is raising the popularity of e-bikes and e-motorcycles in Switzerland and had more than 28 locations at the end of 2016. Since 2011, m-way has been working with the organisation Velafrica, which makes bicycles roadworthy again and provides them to people in Africa.

In the car-sharing market, Migros is represented by sharoo. The platform allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles to people who do not have a car. At the end of 2016, 3'972 users and 1'222 vehicles were registered with sharoo.