How Metro Centralized Complex, Multi-sector ESG Reporting

The METRO Story - Key Takeaways

• Customer Details: METRO Inc., a leader in the Canadian food and pharmacy retail sectors with over 99,000 employees.
• Challenge: Managing over 600 unique data points with a decentralized system of spreadsheets and emails, creating challenges for internal review and assurance processes.
• Solution: Centralizing ESG data with Novisto to create a single source of truth, implementing mandatory source-file uploads, and establishing formal manager review cycles.
• Outcome: A compressed four-week reporting cycle, reduced error rates, and the first-time achievement of limited assurance on Scope 1 and 2 climate data.

A Pillar of Canadian Retail

As a pillar of the Canadian retail landscape, METRO operates a network of over 1,640 grocery stores and pharmacies, including the prominent Metro, Super C, Food Basics, and Jean Coutu banners. For over 75 years, METRO has led the food and pharmacy sectors in Eastern Canada, driven by a purpose to nourish the health and well-being of its communities.

This mission is backed by a rigorous 2022–2026 Corporate Responsibility Plan, which includes close to 50 public targets across eight priorities. By formalizing these targets, METRO ensured they were backed by robust data, clear accountability, and strong governance processes.

Navigating a Maze of Data

The transition to the 2022–2026 Corporate Responsibility Plan introduced a new level of complexity. Orchestrating an annual reporting sprint of this magnitude required the coordination of more than 100 colleagues managing over 600 unique data points. With sustainability data living in decentralized spreadsheets, documents, and email chains, it made forming a cohesive picture of sustainability performance challenging.

This decentralized approach also created challenges for internal review and assurance processes. Verifying calculations, validating supporting documentation, and tracing source data often required considerable manual effort, highlighting the need for a more structured and efficient reporting system.

"We quickly realized we had too much data for a decentralized system," explained Alexandra Leclerc, Director of Corporate Responsibility.

"With approximately 600 data points to audit across multiple formats, the workload was becoming too demanding for our teams. It was clear that to maintain our level of transparency, we needed to move beyond manual workflows and find a more structured way to manage our information."

A Centralized Platform for Corporate Responsibility Reporting

In 2023, METRO partnered with Novisto to establish a single source of truth for its ESG data. Rather than adopting a general sector-specific approach, METRO used the platform to curate a sophisticated metric library specifically aligned with its public objectives and in reference to global standards like GRI and SASB.

The solution focused on three pillars of operational excellence:

1. Enforced Accountability: The team utilized Novisto’s Data Request engine to establish a standardized, system-driven workflow for data collection. METRO now requires a source file for every metric; contributors cannot submit their data unless the underlying evidence is attached, effectively eliminating the manual hunt for files during audit.
2. Structured Review Cycles: METRO implemented a formal reviewer step within the platform to increase manager accountability. Data is input by subject-matter experts, verified by managers, and validated by Internal Audit before being consolidated by the Corporate Responsibility team, a process that has significantly improved data quality and reduced errors.
3. Synchronized Data Tables: By establishing a direct, real-time link between the audited Metrics Library and ready-to-use output tables, METRO greatly reduced the risk of copy-paste errors. This automated generation of year-end ESG scorecards and report indices ensures maximum data integrity across all public objectives.

Getting to Audit-Ready Data and Strategic Clarity

The implementation of Novisto turned a manual process into a streamlined, repeatable system. METRO successfully published its 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report on time, featuring for the first time limited assurance on Scope 1 and 2 climate data.

The impact on the business has been felt across multiple dimensions:

• Faster Time-to-Report: Successfully compressed the final data collection and revision cycle into a four-week period following the fiscal year-end, meeting board-level review timelines.
• Reduced Error Rates: Since introducing greater rigour around data collection, including mandatory evidence attachment and review cycles, METRO has improved significantly the quality of its data.
• Centralized Coordination: Orchestrated a massive reporting effort involving over 100 colleagues and 50+ data contributors, working across hundreds of data points, through a single system.

"Requiring source files and utilizing the Novisto reviewer step has significantly increased accountability across our teams," said Leclerc. "Managers now provide a critical layer of insight and verification, which has directly improved our data quality. The easy access to historical data allows us to systematically compare and validate our performance year-over-year, turning what used to be a hunt for lost files into a standard, best-practice workflow."

Want to experience this level of success? Reach out to our team today to schedule a demo.