Since last year, the Migros stores built only sustainable bananas. Different Labels guarantee according to the wholesale distributor, the environmental and social friendly production. Eye-stinging bananas carry the famous WWF Logo. In vain one looks for bananas, however, the past widespread Chiquita.
Actually, the Migros in 2016, has ended the cooperation with Chiquita in favor of a cooperation with the WWF , and the fruit group Dole. Migros priced in the WWF-banana as “the perfect banana”, will produced environmental and social as other sustainable products.
The consumer to honor the promise: the sale of The WWF-bananas continues to rise and represents a little over 50 percent of the banana sales of Migros. Have more accurate Figures for the big distribution is not known.
“Our partnerships with companies such as Migros are based on constructive dialogue, but also to the enterprise challenge.”Corina Gyssler, WWF spokeswoman.
Less than thrilled with the experts of the center for corporate responsibility and sustainability (CCRS) at the University of Zurich. “There is no evidence that the cooperation with the WWF would have led to a substantial improvement of the sustainability,” writes CCRS-Director Philipp Aerni in his recently published book, “Global Business in Local Culture”. The Migros, was the first wholesale distributor that purchases a WWF Label to be able to particularly sustainable apart from the competition.
flows in such collaborations, each of a lot of money, shows the example of the German food retail giant Edeka, who also leads the WWF-banana in the assortment. According to Aerni pays Edeka in the context of its commercial partnership the equivalent of seven million francs per year to the WWF. At Migros, there are according to the wholesale distributor annually up to three million Swiss francs. “The WWF is likely to have trouble justifying such payments in order that they lead to more sustainability,” says Aerni. In addition, the WWF to sell the Logo, in order to strengthen the Power of the major distributors over the sovereignty of interpretation in the sustainability.
Migros has the evaluation Aernis back
The WWF disagrees: “Our partnerships with companies such as Migros are based on constructive dialogue, but also to the enterprise challenge,” says spokeswoman Corina Gyssler. In addition, it was not of the company depends on The income of the WWF Switzerland from all its commercial partnerships accounted for 10 percent of its total revenue.
The Migros rejects the evaluation Aernis that there had been no improvement in sustainability. “The scope and intensity of the WWF project in the banana-growing unique,” says spokeswoman Alexandra Kunz. So you’ve reduced the use of plant protection products to 42 percent, a separation system for waste, as well as protection zones for biodiversity introduced and the working conditions for the employees, thanks to medical care and regular training improved significantly.
Label-for-Marketing
Isabelle Schluep, the head of the CCRS in the area of sustainable impact, however Aerni no substantial improvement compared to the sustainability program that was established in the Migros previously with the Rainforest Alliance and Chiquita. “The WWF-Label is used primarily for marketing purposes: The Consumer has the feeling to do something Good, if he buys a banana with the Panda Motif,” says Schluep.
the criticism of the researchers in Zurich are that your centre has in the last few years, studies on the sustainability strategy of Chiquita and, therefore, a special closeness to this company? Schluep in the negative: “We have investigated, in the framework of the Federal government and the companies concerned co-financed research project is the embedding of companies like Nestlé, Syngenta and Chiquita in developing countries. The result of independent scientific studies.” They had not been detained by Chiquita, and also uncover vulnerabilities and to write about it.
The researchers at the University of Zurich have made a picture of the WWF model projects. As Schluep inquired after the Start of the project at Migros, if you could visit a plantation in Colombia, she received a negative response. “We can’t remember this statement,” today at Migros. Independent auditors would assess the project progress, however, on a regular basis. Who are these checkers are exactly and what conclusions you don’t want to say the big distributors, however. The reports are internal and not for Public consumption.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 24.02.2019, 19:44 PM
