one: REWE Group has launched a special "EarlyPayment" programme with ESG incentives for suppliers. What exactly is the "EarlyPayment Programme"?

Heike Nine: In phases of economic uncertainty - such as inflation, rising costs or volatile markets - many suppliers need liquidity more quickly.they invoice REWE Group for goods and usually receive their money after the agreed payment term has expired. The EarlyPayment programme offers them the opportunity to request invoices for payment earlier.a financing margin is charged for this early payment - a transparent fee that is significantly more favourable than traditional forms of financing, meaning that EarlyPayment is a flexible and cost-efficient way for suppliers to finance their receivables early.

one: Then ESG incentivisation comes into play: What exactly is it all about?

Heike Nine: ESG stands forEnvironmental, Social, Governance- in other words, environmental, social and responsible corporate governance Sustainable contract suppliers benefit from better conditions in the EarlyPayment programme, as they receive a discount (ESG bonus) on the financing margin. The more sustainable a supplier is, the higher the bonus and the more favourable the payment term can be pre-financed.in this way, REWE Group rewards sustainable behaviour and strengthens its ESG performance at the same time.

one: How are sustainability services specifically taken into account in the EarlyPayment programme?

Heike Nine: Based on the sustainability requirements of the purchasing department, we use the EcoVadis rating, the world's leading standard for sustainability assessments, to determine the ESG bonus. Suppliers with a valid rating, which they share with us via the EcoVadis platform, benefit from more favourable EarlyPayment conditions. The amount of the bonus depends on the ESG score, and an additional bonus is granted if the supplier has joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

one: What impact has the programme had so far?

Heike Nine: Since the sustainable realignment, the programme has developed very positively. More and more suppliers are using EarlyPayment and the volume of invoices paid early is increasing. This shows that EarlyPayment meets the needs of our suppliers and the ESG incentives create tangible incentives for sustainable behaviour.in a challenging, highly competitive purchasing environment, strong, reliable suppliers are a key success factor.the programme gives our contract suppliers quick access to liquidity - simply, fairly and cheaply. This enables us to strengthen our supplier relationships in the long term and contribute to resilient supply chains. At the same time, we promote sustainable business practices through ESG incentivisation and actively support REWE Group's transformation and climate goals.the EarlyPayment programme therefore creates a real win-win situation.

The combination of supply chain financing and ESG incentives is rare in the industry - REWE Group is clearly taking on a pioneering role here.our EarlyPayment programme has already won three prestigious awards in the financial world, most recently in February at theTMI - Treasury Management InternationalAwards for Innovation and Excellence.the awards show that we are on the right track - our success proves us legal.

I would also like to take this opportunity to emphasise our team performance.we are proud to have developed and implemented such an innovative early payment programme as a team. We had a vision and implemented it with expertise, creativity, perseverance and agility.

The introduction of the programme was successful, not least thanks to the cross-departmental collaboration in the project, even though it was a long and sometimes challenging journey. But we always firmly believed that the programme would succeed.