São Paulo, April 28, 2021.

Grupo Carrefour Brasil held this Wednesday (the 28th) an online event led by its CEO, Noel Prioux, to debate the fight against racism in corporations and the promotion of equity.

 Around 16 thousand of the Group’s suppliers, as well as several CEOs and executives in leadership positions attended the Forum.

At the event, the company announced the inclusion of an anti-racist clause in all supplier contracts and a zero tolerance policy for racism. “We want everyone who works with Carrefour to adopt best practices, support initiatives and encourage behavior change. It is not enough to fight racism, it is necessary to truly be anti-racist”, says Noel Prioux, CEO of Grupo Carrefour Brasil.

In practice, the clause has been applied since January to new contracts, and has now been communicated to the entire base through a letter that also includes the revised group diversity policy and consequences policy, which reinforce zero tolerance to racism.

The clause is part of a series of 72 initiatives gathered in 8 public commitments to combat discrimination and foster inclusion of black men and women, assumed by the company, as a way of contributing to the fight against racism in Brazil since November, after the tragic death of one customer in a store in Porto Alegre/RS.

The company also presented the new guidelines for internal security. With an investment of more than BRL$5 million, the stores’ internal security system underwent changes such as the internalization of inspection agents and the implementation of a new model. Projects to promote entrepreneurship, support initiatives to combat racism and strengthen civil society organizations with an emphasis on the black population in Brazil were also presented.

Among other commitments, Grupo Carrefour Brasil, in recent months, has revised its internal policies for Valuing Diversity and improving codes of conduct. The company also launched a channel for reporting racism and discrimination for all team members, customers, third parties and suppliers. “We are here today to clearly, firmly and transparently assume our commitment. Assuming a leadership role in the sector and sharing with everyone what we are learning as we fight racism”, emphasizes Prioux.

The Group’s initiatives to combat structural racism can be followed through the website https://www.grupocarrefourbrasil.com.br/lets-not-forget/.

SURVEY ON INCLUSION IN THE LABOR MARKET

During the event, Instituto Locomotiva presented a survey commissioned by Carrefour on diversity in Brazilian corporations. The survey, carried out by telephone with 1630 people interviewed in 72 cities across the country in April, points out that there is still no clarity in the population about the structural character of racism: about 64% of those interviewed believe that racism is the result of the action of individuals and not a culture of exclusion, and more than half (59%) believe that white people are also victims of racism.

Data show that around 86% of the population agrees that for companies to sell to everyone, they need to respect racial diversity. Regarding the job market, 76% of Brazilians believe that black people are discriminated against. More than 52% of black workers and 26% of black people (which also includes brown-skinned/mixed race) have already suffered prejudice in the workplace. Also, 57% of Brazilian workers witnessed black people being discriminated against or humiliated in their work environment. Among black workers, 67% have already witnessed this discrimination. In terms of salary, “non-black” workers earn, on average, 76% more than black workers.

The survey also shows that most Brazilians know someone who was a victim of racial prejudice: 61% of Brazilians witnessed a black person being humiliated or discriminated against because of their race/color in stores, malls, restaurants or supermarkets, and this percentage is 71% in the case of black citizens. 

“Racism is structural, and to fight it you need zero tolerance. Brazilians need to see racism in society and the impacts it causes. There is a huge market of people who are discriminated against and not assisted properly, besides that, they are also followed around in supermarkets, suffering police violence and other types of aggression. Promoting diversity in companies is one of the many ways to change this scenario for better,” says Renato Meirelles, president of Instituto Locomotiva.

Sobre o Grupo Carrefour Brasil  

Há mais de 46 anos no país, o Grupo Carrefour Brasil é líder de mercado de distribuição de alimentos. A partir de uma plataforma omnicanal e multiformato, reúne operações de varejo e Cash & Carry, além do Banco Carrefour e de sua divisão imobiliária, o Carrefour Property. Atualmente, conta com os formatos Carrefour (hipermercado), Carrefour Bairro e Carrefour Market (supermercado), Carrefour Express (varejo de proximidade), Carrefour.com (e-commerce), Atacadão (atacado e atacado de autosserviço), além de postos de combustíveis e drogarias. Presente em todos os Estados e Distrito Federal, sua operação já abrange 779 pontos de vendas. Com faturamento de R＄ 81,2 bilhões em 2021 e mais de 100 mil colaboradores no Brasil, a empresa é a segunda maior operação dentre os países nos quais o Grupo Carrefour opera. A companhia se destaca ainda por ser uma das maiores empregadoras privadas do país e uma das 20 maiores empresas listadas na bolsa brasileira (B3). Além disso, tem focado em democratizar cada vez mais o acesso da população à alimentação saudável, promovendo o movimento Act For Food. No mundo, o Grupo Carrefour atua em mais de 30 países e, nos próximos anos, implementa estratégia prevista no plano Carrefour 2022, por meio da qual lidera intenso movimento de omnicanalidade, transformação digital e transição alimentar para que seus clientes consumam ainda melhor em qualquer lugar. Com mais de 320 mil colaboradores e 12 mil lojas espalhadas pela Europa, Ásia e América Latina, está presente na vida de mais de 105 milhões de clientes. Em 2021, a receita global da companhia totalizou € 81,2 bilhões. Clique aqui e conheça mais sobre o Grupo. 

Informações para a imprensa:   

Grupo Carrefour Brasil – (11) 94195-4592 | [email protected]