Better Health for All

Ocado Group demonstrates a strong commitment to mental health, achieving Tier 2 status in the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark UK 100 in 2025, an improvement from Tier 3 in 2024.

The company provides comprehensive employee support, including a 24/7 Global Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing Platform, and a network of over 100 Mental Wellbeing Champions globally. Its "Mental Health Matters" bespoke training program has been completed by 30% of employees. Ocado's core technology business expanded into healthcare distribution in November 2023 by providing automated fulfillment technology to McKesson Canada, a major pharmaceutical distributor. In its retail segment, 84% of its Ocado Own Range and M&S products (40% of the ocado.com portfolio) were non-high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS) in 2024, and sales of fruit and vegetables constituted 24.3% of total food sales in 2023. The company continuously improves nutrition labelling and redistributed £10.7 million worth of surplus stock to charity in 2023. However, Ocado faced scrutiny for a "weight management" aisle that included products with potentially unauthorized health claims, leading to an agreement to update its name. The company does not hold healthcare-related patents, conduct clinical trials, or offer products with addiction potential.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Ocado Group PLC is a technology company focused on online grocery fulfillment, not a financial institution. As such, it does not offer lending, deposit, or consumer credit products. Consequently, all KPIs under 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' are not applicable to its core business model. Specifically, there are no APRs or fee structures to evaluate, no revenue from high-cost financial products, and no customer financial data generated or managed. The company is not regulated as a lender and does not directly impact customer credit or savings outcomes. While Ocado engages in charitable donations and community support, such as £3.7 million to charity partners and £12.8 million in surplus stock donations, these are not classified as community finance reinvestment or profit-sharing with underserved communities as defined by the rubric.

Educational programs focus on food and digital literacy, not financial literacy. The company's debt figures relate to corporate debt, not customer debt burden, and its geographic reach pertains to grocery delivery, not financial service access points.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Ocado faces significant challenges in ensuring fair pay for its workforce. In April 2024, a proposed remuneration plan for CEO Tim Steiner, potentially awarding him up to £14.8 million (1,800% of his £824,570 base salary), was criticized as 'egregious' by Glass Lewis.

ShareAction highlighted the disparity between executive pay and worker wages, urging Ocado to commit to paying the real Living Wage of £12 per hour. Earlier reports from August 2021 indicated that delivery drivers for Ocado Zoom, employed through a third-party partner, were earning less than £5 per hour. While Ocado announced plans to transition these specific roles to the London Living Wage, concerns were raised about the effectiveness of this measure. The company has a Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct, mandating annual human rights and modern slavery training, and improved its position in the FTSE4Good Index Series in July 2024, reflecting improvements in responsible sourcing and human rights.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Ocado requires annual SMETA audits for its high-risk suppliers, focusing on labor and safety standards

. The company strives for 100% of its Own Range high-risk Tier 1 suppliers to complete these two-pillar SMETA Audits annually .

Honest & Fair Business

Ocado Group operates a robust 'Speak Up' whistleblowing policy, which is global in scope and available in multiple languages.

This service is operated by an independent third-party, offers 24/7 anonymous reporting (with one exception), and commits to non-retaliation, backed by statutory protections in some jurisdictions. Investigators aim to respond within seven days, with investigations typically lasting one to three months. The company maintains a zero-tolerance Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, updated to reflect the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, alongside Anti Tax Evasion and Anti Money Laundering policies. This is supported by a global Code of Conduct, periodic employee training, annual program reviews, and risk assessments reported to the Board. Third-party compliance is driven by a Supplier Code of Conduct, Procurement Policy, pre-qualification questionnaires, and mandatory onboarding processes.

Kind to Animals

Ocado Retail sources 100% of its Own Range chicken, beef, milk, poultry, and UK-sourced red meat from suppliers adhering to Red Tractor or Bord Bia standards.

In 2024, 15% of its Own Range meat, dairy, and eggs were sourced to 'Best' standards, which include Organic and RSPCA free range certifications. The company partnered with a supplier in 2024 to reduce the stocking density for fresh, standard Own Range chicken to 30kg per square metre. Ocado Retail established a multi-year Farm to Fork partnership with the Soil Association to drive change in the food and farming system, aiming to develop, pilot, and set the standard for top-tier animal welfare. The company reported that 92% of its high-risk Tier 1 suppliers completed a two-pillar SMETA audit in FY 2024/2025. , and it conducted audits to address animal welfare concerns at its supplier Moy Park in 2020. Ocado Retail also partnered with the Soil Association to improve animal welfare and amplify voices advocating for sustainable agriculture, and is a signatory to the UK SOY MANIFESTO, committing to source only conversion and deforestation free soy by 2025.

No War, No Weapons

Ocado Group PLC does not engage in arms manufacturing, military contracts, or conflict facilitation, and has no involvement in such activities.

Its logistics technologies are civilian-focused, enhancing retail efficiency without overlapping or intersecting with military logistics. The company does not engage in peace-building initiatives or conflict resolution advocacy.

Planet-Friendly Business

Ocado Group has set a goal to achieve net zero emissions in its operations by 2035 and across its value chain by 2040.

In November 2023, the company introduced a Net Zero Roadmap, detailing over 40 emissions reduction initiatives. The company also saw a 3% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2023 compared to 2022. Ocado Retail signed an agreement with Climeworks to remove over 1,000 tons of CO₂, offsetting its head office emissions for seven years. The company aims to reduce its Own Range packaging's environmental impact by 50% by 2030 , with 141 tonnes of packaging removed since 2021 , and 93% of packaging already recyclable. Ocado also aims to cut food waste by 20% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 , donating £10.7 million worth of surplus stock to charity in 2023.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles to assess Ocado Group PLC against the defined KPIs for 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. The articles mention general diversity and inclusion initiatives, such as 22% of the team being from multi-ethnic backgrounds

and 22% of the leadership team being minority heritage , and general community funding for local development and community shops . However, these do not provide the quantitative evidence required by the rubric for specific KPIs like formal partnerships, percentage of revenue reinvested in local development, cultural appropriation incidents, or cultural impact assessment protocols.

Safe & Smart Tech

Ocado Group experienced a minor data breach in 2022, subsequently strengthening security protocols and employee training programs.

In 2023, the company invested £15 million in cybersecurity. In September 2024, it introduced a Responsible AI Framework focusing on fairness, transparency, governance, robustness, and impact. Ocado does not store customer payment card data, minimizing exposure risk. A dedicated Information Security team and a Data Protection Officer ensure compliance with privacy regulations. The integration of Google Cloud's Security Command Center Premium resulted in a 99% reduction in security scan times and the identification and removal of hundreds of medium and high vulnerabilities across hundreds of projects.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Ocado achieved an 89% waste diversion rate in 2024, with waste recycled or used for electricity generation.

For its Own Range primary packaging, 94.38% was recyclable in 2024. The company also launched a reusable packaging scheme in August 2024, available to 64% of its customer base, with containers designed for over 60 uses. The average recycled content in Ocado Own Range plastic was 23.68% in 2024, while plastic bags contain 60% recycled material. Circular design principles are applied to innovations, including reusable packaging and mono-material designs, supported by a closed-loop system for carrier bags since 2015. Waste reduction initiatives include eliminating 193 tonnes of packaging and 32 million unnecessary components since 2021, and reducing plastic in bacon packaging by 60% annually. Hazardous waste, such as end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and coffee pods, is managed through recycling agreements. Ocado has set ambitious targets to reduce food waste by 20% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 from a 2022 baseline, and aims for 100% recyclable Own Range packaging by 2025. Own-range suppliers are required to sign up to WRAP’s Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. Customer education efforts include QR codes on over 60 products for recycling tips, low-waste recipes, and educational content with partners like WRAP and Beano.