Food waste is in the sights of mass distribution. New proof with E.Leclerc Réunion, which today unveils the result of its partnership, tied since the end of 2022, with the Smartway platform. A triple beneficial partnership for consumers, stores and humanitarian associations.
Every year, 129,000 tonnes of food products are thrown away in Reunion. A waste against which the E.Leclerc Réunion Movement has been fighting for several years. In 2020, the brand was thus a pioneer in the Zero Waste approach, deploying areas reserved for fresh products close to their use-by date and offered at reduced prices. Fin 2022, she was the first to enter into a collaboration with Smartway, whose solutions, based on artificial intelligence, help in-store teams detect products approaching their expiration date and determine the best way to revalue them, either by a reduction, either by a donation to a charity. Between January 2023 and September 2024, E.Leclerc Reunion Island saved 1,023,340 products from the trash, the equivalent of 1,228 tonnes of CO2, and divided by four the time spent on verifying dates.
Technology in the fight against waste
Started in 2022, the partnership with Smartway has profoundly transformed the anti-waste approach of E.Leclerc Réunion by digitalizing all processes. Avant Smartway, the tasks were carried out manually by the teams : detect products close to their expiration date, determine the best way to promote them, apply the correct reduction rate, print labels with discount… Time-consuming operations and prone to errors. From November 2022, the 18 E.Leclerc Réunion stores have integrated Smartdecision, who prescribes, thanks to AI, the best recovery channel for each product, whether by donation or delivery. In April 2024 Smartdetection was added, allowing short dates to be identified and avoiding the presence of expired products on the shelves. This is the first Reunion brand to adopt these solutions. “Smartway solutions are surprisingly easy to use. Not only does this increase our efficiency, but it also motivates our employees, who are aware of making a real difference”, testifies Benjamin Chevassut, general manager of E.Leclerc Réunion.
A model of sustainable practices in distribution
Another essential link in the system : the old spillage areas. Ces corners, where short date products are offered at a reduced price, increase customer purchasing power while reducing waste. In twenty months, 1,354,400 products were stickered in the 18 E.Leclerc Réunion stores. By significantly reducing food waste, the stores also contribute to the construction of an exemplary model in terms of sustainable practices in distribution. The partnership between E.Leclerc Réunion and Smartway optimizes the entire chain. The store reduces its losses in food products and thereby increases its turnover. The collaborators, now guided in the processing of short-term products, see their intervention time divided by four. Consumers benefit more from discounted products. Associations, finally, benefit from finer management of the donations granted to them.
