Action Sustainability

Our growth comes with a responsibility that we accept and embrace. We believe that it is possible to continue to offer our surprising assortment at the lowest price, while improving the quality and sustainability of our products. We make sure Action customers feel good about their visit to our stores – small prices, big smiles. Being cost-conscious makes us, by nature, very aware of conserving resources and limiting waste. Even so we have an ambitious sustainability agenda and have made a lot of progress in recent years.

We understand that even when we make small changes, our size amplifies the impact of our actions, and ultimately, we can make a big difference. That’s why we have committed ourselves to ambitious, concrete, and measurable targets through the implementation of the Action Sustainability Programme (ASP).

The Action Sustainability Programme is inspired by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We also derive inspiration and strategic guidance from the European Green deal. Action contributes to certain SDGs, building its ASP strategy upon four pillars.

At Action, sustainability works on four different, yet connected levels:

1. People

Our people are key to our success, now and in the future.
We aim to ensure that every employee has access to relevant training and development opportunities enabling them to excel at and grow. Talent development is a priority as we strive to stimulate internal mobility and promotions, which helps preserve the Action DNA during our continued growth. We foster an inclusive culture where people can continue to grow and develop themselves, and are appreciated. The fun, teamwork and respect makes our working atmosphere pleasant, and our people proud and engaged.

2. Product

We strive to offer products which go beyond compliance
with quality and safety standards. This means we aim to source our products responsibly, taking societal and environmental considerations into account in our supply chain processes. While continuously delivering products that are affordable, and therefore accessible for everyone. We seek to improve product circularity and aim to mitigate the negative impact caused by pollution from packaging by increasing the use of renewable materials.

3. Planet

We are aware that our activities as a retailer contribute to climate change through CO2 emissions and the consumption of natural resources. We are committed to reducing the absolute emissions from our own operations and decreasing the impact we have on the environment, people, and future generations.

4. Partnership

We consider ourselves a part and partner of society. Therefore, we ensure that our business activities and tax compliance meet ethical, societal, and sustainable development related expectations. We support the liveability and resilience of communities, especially in times of need, with a focus on children to help them grow up in a safe and healthy environment.

Sustainability News

14 November 2024

Action's nine-month net sales grow to €9.6 billion (+20.9%), like-for-like sales growth 9.8%

Today, non-food discounter Action announced its trading update for the first nine months of 2024. During this period, Action’s net sales increased to €9.6 billion (+20.9% compared to the same period in 2023). Like-for-like sales (excluding new stores) increased by 9.8%. After 4,000 price reductions in 2023 and 2024, Action’s sales growth is driven by a higher number of customers.

21 March 2024

Action results 2023: continued growth and development

In 2023, Action's net sales increased by 27.8% to €11.3 billion, largely as a result of like-for-like sales growth of 16.7%. Action added 303 new stores and operated a total of 2,566 stores in 11 countries. Operating EBITDA increased by 34% to €1,615 million. Action created 8,988 jobs and employed 69,040 people of 155 different nationalities.

21 March 2024

Action Update 2023

16 January 2024

All Action Cotton is Responsibly Sourced

Action has achieved a milestone by only using responsibly sourced cotton. This reflects our commitment to environmentally responsible and socially conscious practices. 99% of our cotton is sourced as Better Cotton, and 1% is sourced as organic cotton.

13 May 2023

All of Action’s own cocoa products Fairtrade-sourced

All of Action’s own brand cocoa products are made from sustainably grown and Fairtrade-sourced cocoa beans. This applies to all our fixed and seasonal assortment of chocolate. We are very proud of this achievement and we believe that we have the scale and opportunity to provide our customers with good quality, sustainable products at the lowest price possible.