Auchan Retail has made the fight against food waste a core focus of its business plan, with a target of zero products wasted by 2032. The widespread rolllout of anti-waste aisles in its stores are a part of this drive. The retailer will gradually deploy Smartway’s tools in all countries in which it operates. Launched initially in Romania, and in France, this digitised, AI-based food waste management technology has already saved 70 million products (i.e. 33,500 tonnes) per year in the these countries, while avoiding the emission of 82,700 tonnes of CO2. The innovative system is about to be expanded to eight more countries.
Using AI to step up the fight against food waste
Identify products with upcoming expiry dates; make the right choice between discounted sales or donations; apply the proper discount rate; print labels, etc. These daily in-store operations take time and can be a source of errors. To make them quicker and more efficient, Auchan is implementing Smartway’s innovative system: a technological platform based on unique AI that is involved in every stage of the food waste process. The tool allows teams to increase the volumes classified either for sale as products for quick consumption, or as donations, with neither choice being detrimental to the other. It also reduces store employees’ service time by a factor of four.
Towards zero food waste by 2032
The fight against food waste is one of Auchan Retail’s flagship initiatives. Each country has set reduction targets for 2024 and 2032, with an international target of zero food waste by 2032. Smartway’s tool will contribute to hitting this target. Following significant results in France and Romania, Auchan Retail is stepping up its fight against food waste. The system will be expanded to Luxembourg and Hungary from the fourth quarter. Spain, Portugal and Poland will follow suit, then Ukraine, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire before summer 2024.
‘As a family business, Auchan wants to be a responsible and committed brand. Our mission is therefore to propose and facilitate positive consumption, i.e. consumption that takes into account the short- and long-term interests of local populations.
The fight against food waste is one of the pillars of this commitment. No longer throwing away food helps to reduce our carbon footprint. Making the most of short-dated products also enables us to give a helping hand to our customers and the beneficiaries of our partner associations. By using AI to professionalize our actions, we are making significant progress towards achieving our target of zero food waste by 2032 and accelerating our strategic plan.’
Olivier Jaubert, Group Strategy and Explorator director Auchan Retail
‘In 2022, Auchan France entrusted us with installing our system in all 349 of its stores, in record time. Today, we face a new challenge: supporting eight more countries in their fight against food waste. This is a prime example of our ability to swiftly deploy our system under all conditions, while at the same time getting all the business teams involved on an unprecedented scale. ’
Christophe Menez, CRO and Co-founder, Smartway
Press contacts
Smartway : Presse & Cie – Laetitia Munoz – 06 20 49 90 39 – lmunoz@presse-cie.com
About Auchan in France
Present in 13 countries, Auchan Retail encompasses all food trade formats (hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, click-and-collect and e-commerce) with 2,100 points of sale. Auchan Retail places its customers at the heart of its strategy by offering them a “phygital” shopping experience combining physical stores with the digital ecosystem, as well as exclusive, high-quality products at the best possible prices. Auchan Retail’s 160,400 employees are committed to good, healthy and local products. Its people-centred, responsible approach is the cornerstone of a business that enables all customers, farmers, suppliers and employees to live better.
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About Smartway
Food stores throw away as much as they earn! We can no longer tolerate such waste as more and more consumers are needy. But food stores can now tackle this issue while improving their profitability. Smartway is has been a responsible firm since 2012 and was behind ‘zero waste’ shelves. The firm created the first-ever food waste management system to optimise the path of food products at the end of their lifespan. Smartway solutions use a unique form of artificial intelligence to help in-store teams detect soon-to-expire products and decide on the best way to preserve them: labelling them with a suitable discount or donating them to charities in a simplified way.
‘Let’s build a waste-free future together’
smartway.ai