One of our priorities is the steady progress towards best environmental practices.
We are working on rationalising and lowering the consumption of resources, on managing waste and on protecting the environment..
Our environmental commitment is enshrined in El Corte Inglés Group's Sustainability Policy, which sets out the following principles:
- Minimising the consumption of resources in operating processes and using clean energies and eco-friendly materials.
- Helping alleviate the effects of climate change by making good use of, and preserving, natural resources, preventing contamination and striving to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and water footprint.
- Extending circular economy processes in our operations by promoting initiatives that complete the cycle to ensure waste is effectively reduced and to make the best use of resources.
- Preserving biodiversity of the ecosystems, landscapes and surroundings where the Group has operations.
- Encouraging collaboration with institutions, initiatives and systems designed to further this commitment.
The data endorse our commitment
+330 EL CORTE INGLÉS STORES AND PLATFORMS ARE ZERO WASTE CERTIFIED
94,8% OF WASTE RECYCLED AND REUSED WITH THE ZERO WASTE SYSTEM
100% OF THE ELECTRICITY USED IN SPAIN WITH GUARANTEE OF RENEWABLE ORIGIN
Our management
Our environmental management is focused on four are:
- Circular economy
- Climate neutrality
- Sustainable water management
- Environmental certifications
Circular economy models allow us to recover the materials used so they can be reused or used as new raw materials.
Sustainable Packaging Plan
We have designed a Sustainable Packaging Plan given the need to use packaging the minimises the environmental impact of our business:
Ecodesign
Optimising resources
Controlling consumption
Communication and training
Our short-term targets:
Since the plan was launched in 2018, significant progress has been achieved:
- Reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging: currently, 100% of plastic packaging meets at least one of these criteria.
- Use of recycled plastic: in 2023, a target was set to achieve 20% recycled plastic content in packaging. By 2025, this figure had reached 33.5%, exceeding the original target and demonstrating strong progress in this area.
- Annual 5% reduction in plastic footprint across supermarkets through to the end of 2026.
Zero Waste
The management system implemented and certified by AENOR has allowed 94.8% waste recovery and reuse of waste generated, preventing it from being sent to landfill. More than 330 stores and logistics platforms across the company have already achieved this certification.
Our short-term targets:
The project originally set the objective of extending Zero Waste certification to all shopping centres, logistics platforms, Supercor stores and Outlet establishments across the Group in both Spain and Portugal by 2026.
In 2025, El Corte Inglés Group achieved this objective, maintaining Zero Waste certification at sites that had already obtained it and extending certification to additional locations.
Food waste
We recognise that reducing food waste is a shared responsibility and an opportunity to create a positive impact on people, society and the environment. We work to make the most efficient use of resources, promote a more sustainable model and contribute to a more efficient and circular food system. Our efforts are structured around three key areas: prevention, redistribution and recovery, and awareness-raising.
- Maintaining appropriate storage and preservation conditions throughout the supply chain, from food sourcing to stock rotation.
- Donating more than 5.208 million kilograms of food to social organisations and Food Banks.
- Donating more than 890,000 kilograms of food unfit for human consumption to zoos and farms.
- Supporting the production of sustainable beer made using surplus bread from selected bakeries in Spain and Portugal.
- Running awareness-raising initiatives to encourage the reduction of food waste.
El Corte Inglés is facing the great climate challenge by strengthening our commitment to a carbon neutral consumption production model:
- Measuring the carbon footprint: The Viajes El Corte Inglés Group, with the support of South Pole – a developer of climate projects and solutions –, offers a digital solution for its customers to measure the carbon footprint of their trips and reduce their impact thanks to offsetting the CO2 emissions.
- Net Zero Transition project: A Scope 3 measurement of the Group's emissions has been performed, as part of the Net Zero Transition project. That measurement includes all the emissions associated to our value chain, along with those that were previously being measured.
- Renewable energy purchase agreement: Renewable energy purchase agreement:
Our goals:
Achieve climate neutrality by 2050; we are therefore striving to reduce and offset the emissions of our activity.
We have a Sustainable Water Management Policy that includes recommendations for efficient and responsible use of this product.
In the case of the water that we use at our establishments, it comes from the main water supply, which does impact on protected habitats.
As regards wastewater, we have a network of microbial fermentation biological and physical filtering treatment equipment. Furthermore, we also internally harness the reject water, such as water from the sinks of our centres, to be reintroduced into the circuit.
The Group's various companies have environmental management systems in place, which are often certified in accordance with international standards or other certification schemes.
