Assessing the sustainability performance of large food retail companies: a generic framework and pilot application to the environmental dimension in Germany

Abstract

Food systems are central to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, "Responsible Consumption and Production", and large food retailers occupy a strategic position between producers and consumers. However, comparative scientific assessments of retailer sustainability performance remain scarce, and retailer-specific conceptual frameworks are limited. We therefore developed a generic four-step framework covering (1) objectives and scope, (2) evaluation methodology, (3) data collection, and (4) evaluation. We applied the framework in a pilot assessment of the environmental sustainability performance of the eight largest food retailers in Germany, using 2020 as the reference year. The pilot operationalised 22 fields of action, 43 indicators, and 112 sub-indicators across supply chains, own sites, and consumption. Results indicated that companies used only part of their available scope for action. Performance was stronger in strategy and communication than in implementation, while fields in which all companies performed poorly suggested constraints that cannot be addressed by individual firms alone. The generic framework provides a transparent structure for comparative company-level sustainability assessment, and the pilot demonstrates its practical applicability. The pilot results are specific to the German market, the 2020 reference period, and the environmental dimension; application to other countries or sustainability dimensions requires context-specific adaptation of indicators, benchmarks, and data sources.