At MC, sustainability has long ceased to be a parallel dimension of the business and has become a fundamental component of our strategy and management approach. It is neither a standalone chapter nor a communication exercise; it is a criterion that guides how we grow, make decisions, and engage with our people, partners, and communities. This conviction has deep roots. We were the first company in Portugal’s retail and distribution sector to introduce an Environmental Policy, in 1998, and since then we have sought to approach sustainability with the same rigor that we apply to every other area of the business.
That rigor is reflected in ambitious commitments, supported by a clear strategy built on four pillars: climate action, circularity, sustainable production, and responsible offerings. This strategy is implemented through concrete action roadmaps, not statements of intent. Yet it is precisely when we honestly examine the numbers that we encounter the real challenge.
The most significant share of a company’s footprint, particularly one like ours, does not lie in its direct operations, but within its value chain, in the production of the goods that ultimately reach our stores. Therefore, no matter how much we accomplish internally, the transformation with the greatest impact takes place alongside those who grow, raise, and produce. And that transformation cannot be mandated; it must be built collectively, through time, knowledge, and trust. This is where both the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity reside.
Because of our position between producers and consumers, and because of the scale we represent, we can act as accelerators of change. We can help align practices, share technical knowledge, and create the conditions necessary for innovation to reach producers. This is the purpose of the Continente Producers Club, which brings together more than 360 Portuguese producers, and its academy, where we provide training in areas such as biodiversity, circularity, and regenerative agriculture. It is also the rationale behind our ongoing certification efforts, ranging from animal welfare to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture certifications, which strengthen transparency and resilience throughout the entire value chain.
Regenerative agriculture deserves special attention in this context because it holds transformative potential that extends far beyond emissions reduction. We are talking about a set of practices that work with nature rather than against it: practices that restore organic matter and life to the soil, improve water retention, protect biodiversity, and make farms more resilient to droughts, floods, and the growing unpredictability of climate conditions. In a country particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, regenerating soils is not an environmental luxury; it is a strategy for resilience and food security.
Ultimately, soil regeneration is an investment in the very foundation of the food system. Living soil produces more effectively, for longer periods, and with less dependence on external inputs. It protects ecosystems rather than depleting them. And it helps ensure that we will continue to have products on store shelves one, two, and three generations from now. It is because we believe in this potential that we have been supporting producers in the development and testing of regenerative practices, with the goal of learning through real-world implementation and scaling what makes sense within the Portuguese agricultural context.
It would, however, be dishonest to describe this journey as simple. The regenerative transition requires patience and involves a learning curve that is far from linear. Every soil, crop, and region progresses at its own pace, and results are measured in years rather than quarters. It requires working closely with producers, sharing knowledge, and building, step by step, the trust necessary to experiment and evolve. Our role is to stand alongside producers throughout that journey, and this is only possible through long-term relationships, proximity, and transparency.
I emphasize this last point because the credibility of this agenda depends on it. It is not enough to say that we are sustainable. We must explain the measures we are implementing, the results we are achieving, the goals we are pursuing, and also the challenges that remain unresolved. It is this combination of ambition, execution, and accountability that distinguishes a solid strategy from a convenient narrative. It also requires us to acknowledge, with humility, that no company, regardless of its size, can transform the food system alone. What we can and must do is take responsibility for our role and use our scale to help drive that transformation.
That is why we value spaces where these conversations take place openly and rigorously. Lisbon Sustainability Week 2026, taking place from June 30 to July 2 at Católica-Lisbon SBE under the theme Building Sustainability Together, is one such space. I would particularly like to invite readers to the day dedicated to the theme Nature Positive: From Thinking to Acting, on July 1. It will be a day focused on moving from reflection to action, bringing together those who are transforming the relationship between the economy and nature. It is through combining perspectives, sharing knowledge, and building trust that we accelerate change. Ultimately, that is the only way to make it real.
Mariana Pereira da Silva, Head of Sustainability at MC Sonae