In June 2020, the association Envol Vert published a damning investigation, highlighting evidence of recent deforestation and land grabbing practices linked to the Casino group’s supply chain in Brazil. The investigation was based on samples of meat products sold in several of the group’s supermarkets.

According to recent evidence gathered by the Center for Climate Crimes Analysis, the Casino Group regularly purchased beef from three slaughterhouses that source cattle from 592 suppliers responsible for at least 50,000 hectares of deforestation between 2008 and 2020. This is an area equivalent to five times the size of Paris.

However, the Casino group has no excuse for not ensuring that all meat, even that from indirect farms, sold in its stores is not linked to deforestation practices or other violations. In fact, many existing and available traceability tools make it possible to track the origin of the various products sold by the group.¹

The evidence presented in this case also demonstrates violations of the rights of indigenous peoples. In particular, it was reported that ancestral lands owned and managed by the Uru Eu Wau Wau community in the state of Rondônia, Brazil, were invaded to allow for the grazing of cattle farms that supply beef to Grupo Pão de Açúcar, a Casino subsidiary.

Since 2017, however, Groupe Casino has been subject to the French law on the duty of vigilance of parent companies and principals. which requires it to take appropriate and effective measures to prevent serious violations of human rights, the environment, and the health and safety of people resulting from its activities, those of its subsidiaries, suppliers and subcontractors. While the Casino group explicitly recognizes that the beef supply chain in Brazil and Colombia is exposed to extremely serious risks, its policy in this area is clearly deficient.

The Casino Group is one of the largest supermarket chains in Brazil and Colombia, through its subsidiaries Grupo Pão de Açúcar, Assaï Atacadista, Grupo Éxito and many others. Casino’s activities in South America account for almost half (47%) of the group’s revenues.²

1 https://gtfi.org.br/monitoramento-de-indiretos/#atuacao
2 https://www.groupe-casino.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CASINO_URD_2021.html