Rimi Baltic is making progress on its sustainability journey and reflecting on the company's 2024 sustainability report. The latest achievements highlight progress in reducing food waste, ensuring gender equality in leadership, and fostering strong employee engagement across the Baltics. Rimi Baltic was among the first food retail groups in the Baltic countries to have approved science-based net zero climate targets (SBTi), highlighting its dedication to climate leadership and long-term sustainability.
Tackling food waste
In 2024, Rimi Baltic took further steps to strengthen its commitment to responsible retail by redirecting more than 3.14 million kilograms of surplus food to charities through food bank partnerships. This ensured that products reached people in need rather than going to waste. Thanks to initiatives focused on customers, such as orange-sticker discounts on items nearing expiration, food waste in stores fell to an all-time low of 1.39% from kg of food sold, marking significant progress toward the company's long-term goal of halving food waste by 2025 compared to 2016 levels.
Renewable energy and climate action
In 2024, Rimi Baltic showed its continued commitment to renewable energy and climate action by opening one of the largest solar panel installations in the Baltics at its Riga logistics center. This installation has a capacity of 2 mwah and total investments of about 1.6 million EUR. The broader ambition of the company to reduce energy consumption per square meter by 24% by 2030 compared to 2021 is reflected by this milestone, and Rimi Baltic's dedication to building a more efficient, climate-conscious retail sector is underscored.
Gender balance in leadership
Rimi Baltic has achieved gender balance across its management positions, with women representing 71% of all leadership roles and holding 53% of critical business positions. It underscores the company’s strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, a dedication that has been recognized by organizations such as Apeirons and the Society Integration Foundation in Latvia.
Employee engagement and development
In 2024, an average of 10,968 people were employed by Rimi Baltic across the Baltics, and personal development program, MAP, achieved a 72% implementation rate, supporting continuous growth and career development across the region.
“Reducing food waste, achieving gender balance, and engaging our employees are not separate goals – they are interconnected pillars of a sustainable business. By empowering our people, investing in renewable energy, and working closely with communities, we are building a retail sector that is both responsible and resilient,” says Zanda Šadre, Corporate Responsibility Director.
Read full Rimi Baltic report 2024 here.
