Responsible
sourcing

Coles’ Palm Oil Policy outlines our commitment to support the production of sustainable palm oil through the use of certified sustainable palm oil and palm derivatives.

We are a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and have embraced its principles and criteria for sustainable palm oil production. All Coles Own Brand food and drink products now contain or support sustainable palm oil through the physical supply chain options of Identity Preserved, Segregated and Mass Balance.

Coles is also working on the introduction of sustainable palm oil and palm derivatives in Coles Own Brand homecare, health, beauty and baby products. While these changes are being made, palm oil in Coles Own Brand non-food products is offset through PalmTrace certificates which support sustainable palm oil farmers and processes.

Coles utilises independent certification programs when sourcing cocoa, coffee and tea. They provide confidence that these commodities have been sourced ethically and sustainably, and also help to grow the market for independently certified products such as Fairtrade and UTZ/ Rainforest Alliance.

All Coles Own Brand loose tea and tea bags are from certified sources, and we are committed to using certified coffee and cocoa in all Coles Own Brand coffee, cocoa and solid chocolate products by 2020.

Coles Sustainable Timber and Paper Products Policy sets out our expectations regarding the use and supply of timber and timber pulp-based paper products for Coles Own Brand products. Customer receipts at all Coles supermarkets, Coles Express and liquor outlets are certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standard. We have committed to working towards using only timber or paper sourced from sustainable forestry operations independently certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), FSC or recycled fibre by 2020.

Launched in 2014, the Coles Farm Program provides a mechanism for us to work with suppliers to support continuous improvement. Under the Program, which had more than 630 participants at the end of FY18, species and product specific steering committees have been established.

Farmers involved in the Program complete an annual self-assessment to identify challenges and opportunities such as on-farm energy management, animal welfare measures and integrated pest management. This helps Coles understand where growers might need support or information. As well as providing a platform for our suppliers to gather and share information on farming practices, it also supports product traceability.

The Program also helps growers and farmers gather data on ways they are supporting the environment and responding to issues such as biodiversity. For example, information provided in the self-assessment revealed that 269 Graze beef suppliers have planted more than two million trees since the Program began in 2014.

We work with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Approved Farming Scheme to offer customers a range of humanely farmed Coles Own Brand products including fresh chicken, free range pork and turkey.

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme establishes higher welfare standards (beyond legislative requirements) and commercially achievable production standards for pigs, chicken and turkeys. All RSPCA Approved farms are audited on a minimum yearly basis for acceptance into the program.

Animals in the RSCPA Approved Farming Scheme are housed in an environment that meets their physical and behavioural needs. For example, our RSPCA Approved free range pork is sourced from RSPCA Approved farms where pigs are provided with shelter and bedding, as well as having permanent access to outdoor areas where they can roam and forage.

We were the first national supermarket to launch RSPCA Approved Coles Own Brand chicken in 2014, following with other products including turkey.

In September 2018, we launched Coles Own Brand Free Range RSPCA Approved Chicken in Victoria and New South Wales.

All Coles Free Range RSPCA Approved chickens have access to enriched environments where they can forage and explore the outdoors for a minimum of eight hours a day. They are provided with a barn for shelter and protection at night and are given the freedom to express their natural, innate behaviours with adequate space to move, perch and dustbathe. RSPCA Assessors perform regular on-farm assessments to ensure the RSPCA’s detailed animal welfare standards are met.

All Coles Own Brand eggs have been cage-free since 2013. They are either barn-laid or free-range.

Our Coles Own Brand Free Range and Barn Laid Standard aligns with the five freedoms and requires that hens are free to display their natural behaviours by having access to nest boxes, perches and litter for dust bathing.

In addition, the Coles Own Brand Free Range Standard requires that during the day hens have easy access to an outdoor range, shade from the sun and space to roam.

We are working with our proprietary egg suppliers to increase production of cage free eggs in Australia. We are now expanding our commitment to only sell cage free shell eggs in our supermarkets by 2023. This initiative will also include a commitment to only source cage free eggs as ingredients in our Coles Own Brand products. 

Following extensive work with our pork suppliers, all Coles Brand fresh pork is sow stall free and free from artificial growth promotants. This was a first for an Australian major supermarket.

It means that all Coles Brand fresh pork, ham and bacon are sourced from farms that only use gestation stalls for a maximum of 24 hours, as opposed to the industry standard of 10 days. This major animal welfare initiative means that approximately 34,000 mother pigs are no longer kept in small, single-pig stalls for long periods.

All pigs raised by suppliers of Coles Brand pork are free to move about in pens and socialise with other mother pigs.

Coles sow stall free pork undergoes rigorous auditing. In addition to being assessed against the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance Program (APIQ), it is also assessed to more stringent requirements developed by APIQ and Coles on areas such as bedding, enrichment, husbandry practices stocking densities, antibiotics, growth promotants and hormone use. This Standard extends above the current industry standard.

Coles Own Brand free-range pork is the only RSPCA Approved fresh pork stocked nationally by a major Australian supermarket.

All Coles Own Brand beef in the meat departments has been 100 per cent Australian sourced with no added hormones since 2011. By not adding hormones the cattle can grow more naturally.

Graze, our beef speciality range, is sourced from Australian farmers in partnership with Coles. Cattle raised under the Graze program are 100% Australian grown, grass-fed, free to roam and free from added hormones.

We understand the responsible use of antibiotics in agriculture is an important issue for animal and human health. In 2014, Coles was the first major Australian supermarket to implement a policy to remove the use of antibiotics for the purposes of promoting growth in livestock. We only allow suppliers to use antibiotics for animal health purposes under veterinary supervision.

Since 2014, we have also been working on producer programs that incorporate herd health plans and alternatives such as prebiotics and vaccinations to prevent the need for antibiotics.

Coles is continuing to work with producers and industry stakeholders to ensure best practice in the responsible use of antibiotics in the agricultural supply chain.

In July 2018, we began rolling out an antibiotics assessment module via the Coles Farm Program that allows us to capture information around antibiotic uses, including prophylactic use.

The RSPCA standards for chicken and turkey require that any use of antibiotics is included as part of the farm’s veterinary health plan and the RSPCA is notified of any prophylactic treatment. For RSPCA Approved Free Range Pigs, any use of antibiotics must be detailed in their veterinary health plan, which must be reviewed each year in consultation with the attending veterinarian.

Recognised as one of the world’s leading certification programs for sustainable wild-caught seafood, MSC is an independent, non-governmental organisation committed to maintaining sustainable oceans. 

Farmed seafood (aquaculture) allows us to provide year-round high-quality Own Brand seafood which compliments wild-caught seafood availability.

The Coles Responsibly Sourced Seafood Program for farmed (aquaculture) seafood requires suppliers to be either certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, GLOBALG.A.P. or Best Aquaculture Practice, or to have undertaken an independent assessment against an approved methodology.

This means that aspects of the farming production system including broodstock, seedling, feed, harvesting and processing and any potential environmental impacts (such as water quality) have been assessed and meet Coles’ standards.

While our preference is to source either MSC or certified aquaculture seafood, we also understand that obtaining certification can be a rigorous and intensive process. For those Coles Own Brand suppliers yet to obtain certification we have implemented the Coles’ Responsibly Sourced Seafood Program which applies to both wild and farmed seafood.

The program for wild caught seafood was developed in conjunction with WWF Australia and MRAG Asia Pacific (an independent sustainable seafood specialist). Independent auditors assess suppliers against the following criteria:

Our Coles Brand canned Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna are responsibly sourced which means the following conditions are met:

• Fish stocks: The fish stock where Coles Brand Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna are caught have been independently assessed as part of our Coles Responsibly Sourced Seafood Program.
• Reduced by-catch: Coles Brand Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna are caught without the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs), which are essentially rafts that attract fish. This results in less by-catch.
• Traceability: Coles Brand Skipjack and Yellowfin canned tuna can be traced back to the approved fishing boat that caught the tuna as well as the boat that transported it to the cannery.
• Independent observers: Boats that catch Coles Brand Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna have independent observers on board to ensure robust data is available to help manage the fishery and monitor compliance with conservation measures specified by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.