Global challenges
The global challenges which our society is facing also have a direct impact on METRO GROUP and its sales lines. After all, our core business is providing high-quality products and services to customers the world over. The basis for this is an intact environment and the availability of resources.
Growing global population
Global population growth is one of the biggest challenges as it impacts resource consumption, the climate and the food situation. According to forecasts by the United Nations, approximately 9.7 billion people will live on earth by 2050. To ensure that they have enough food, the production of edible plants would need to be doubled during the same period. Because with increasing prosperity, eating habits change as well. There will be an increase in the need for meat, for example, the production of which is particularly resource-intensive.
in 2050
in millions
Increase in the global population by 2050
Required increase in harvest yields by 2050
Growing consumption of resources
We already consume considerably more resources per annum than our planet can provide sustainably. If this consumption rate continues unabated, by 2050 we will need three planets like the earth to meet the demand for resources. The pressure on the earth’s sustainability is mounting.
In the long run, METRO GROUP can only safeguard the foundations of its business if it manages to separate growth from the resource requirements. Therefore, for us sustainable action means:
- Creating awareness of this correlation
- Optimising our own processes and our product range in such a way that natural resources are used efficiently and responsibly
In this manner, we generate added value for our customers and contribute to mastering global challenges.
METRO GROUP offers the framework for this with its corporate strategy and its sustainability approach. The sales lines implement their specific approaches at the operational level.