Swedish retailer Axfood has said that as of last year, sustainability-labelled products accounted for 26.6% of its sales, as it looks ahead to a target of 30% by 2030.
The share of sustainability-labelled products was down slightly on the previous year, it noted in its Annual and Sustainability Report 2025, partly due to an increased focus on price among consumers.
Tackling food waste
Elsewhere, the group, which operates chains such as Willys, Hemköp, City Gross and Snabbgross, said that it is aiming to limit food waste in its own operations to no more than 0.7% of retail sales by 2030 – as of last year, food waste accounted for 0.9% of sales.
It noted that it reduced food waste in its own operations by 50% between 2015 and 2024, thanks to ‘focused efforts and a significant commitment throughout the group’, adding that ‘investments to further reduce food waste are continuing’.
In terms of its carbon footprint, meanwhile, Axfood has set a target of reducing its footprint per kilo of food sold by 10% by 2030, compared with a 2024 base year.
As of 2025, the carbon footprint per kilo of food sold was 1.95kg CO2eq, compared to 2.01kg the previous year. This decrease was largely driven by a lower share of minced beef sales, partly due to a supply shortage, the group noted.
Axfood said in its Annual and Sustainability Report 2025 that it is aiming to be the ‘leading driving force for sustainable food in Sweden’, and is maintaining its targets in areas such as climate, biodiversity, sustainable assortment, diversity and working social conditions throughout the supply chain.
At the end of last year, Axfood applied to have its climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative in line with the Paris Agreement.
Retail trade
In its 2025 trading year, Axfood said that Willys, Hemköp and Snabbgross strengthened their positions within their respective retail markets, while competitiveness also improved at City Gross, which operates in the hypermarket channel.
“By leveraging the strength of our business model, we continue to challenge and summarise another year of above-market growth and stronger market positions,” commented Simone Margulies, Axfood president and CEO (pictured). “We are preparing for the future and continuing to invest in strategically important areas in order to become even more efficient and competitive. We are maintaining a high rate of development, and I am convinced that we are well positioned to continue to challenge and grow.” Read more here.
