As the case brought against Casino moves to the merits phase before the Paris Judicial Tribunal after years of procedural delays, a major study published by the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV) could be a key element of the procedure. The report estimates that the surface of natural ecosystems destroyed in connection with beef products sold by the group in Brazil from 2018 to 2023 is more than 500 000 hectares, or the equivalent of 50 times the city of Paris.
In March 2021, a coalition of 11 NGOs and indigenous organisations from Brazil and Colombia filed a lawsuit against French supermarket Casino in France (1). The coalition claimed that Casino had failed to take necessary measures to exclude from its supply chains in Brazil and Colombia beef linked to deforestation and land grabbing, and that the 2017 French duty of vigilance law was therefore not respected.
After the activities of the group in Brazil and Colombia ceased (2) and the first decisions on the 2017 legislation were issued by the Paris Court of Appeal last June (3), Casino ultimately withdrew its admissibility objections that had blocked the procedure. The parties will finally be able to address the merits of the case.
Today, the coalition requests damages for the harm caused by Casino’s activities before their termination in Brazil and Colombia.
Yet the study published by the ICV is the first to show the extent of Casino’s implication in deforestation in Brazil. It focuses on natural ecosystem conversion linked to the sale of beef products by the Brazilian subsidiary of the Casino group between 2018 and 2023— a period during which the group was held to uphold its duty of vigilance in the region.
Our effort in this work was to overcome the lack of traceability data but still be able to provide a robust estimate of deforestation in a retailer's supply chain. We hope this contributes to increased responsibility of the private sector operating high risk deforestation supply chains.
According to this study, conducted by a well-established Brazilian organisation, the systemic loss of natural ecosystems linked to the quantity of beef sold by the group is estimated between 99 212 and 526 459 hectares over the period, that is, far more than the first estimations done by members of the coalition. The higher number corresponds to more than 50 times the surface of the city of Paris.
This report should constitute a key element in the lawsuit currently underway. It could be essential for the evaluation of damages linked to the supply chain of Casino in Brazil and to allow access to adequate remedies for the numerous indigenous peoples impacted.
More generally, in the context of the regulatory unravelling happening in France and Europe, the report underlines once again the immediate necessity of accountability for economic actors who contribute, through their supply chains, to environmental and human rights violations.
Press Release from:
Sherpa, CPT, Envol Vert, Instituto Centro de Vida, France Nature Environnement, Mighty Earth, Notre Affaire à Tous.
For more information: presse@asso-sherpa.org
