SPAR Hungary creates new value on the domestic labour market by which their social sustainability programmes provide real support more and more widely for those, who need it. The cooperation between the company and Janka Tanya is a guideline model for that how our fellow humans with changed work capacity can be integrated into the world of work.

It is important for SPAR Hungary to integrate the employees with changed work capacity and to solve their long-term employment. Therefore, it applies an equal opportunity rapporteur, organizes awareness-raising trainings for the employees, furthermore, it provides for more than ten years sales points to Szerencsejáték Zrt.: lottery tickets can be bought in almost a hundred super- and hypermarkets from people with changed work capacity. Currently, 119 employees with changed work capacity work at the company and it employs ten young people with disabilities, autism. From 2010, SPAR Hungary has won four times the Disability-Friendly Workplace Recognition, moreover, it has also received Accepting Workplace special prize which was given as a recognition for its realized programme with Janka Tanya.

It is a challenge for the economic operators to involve in a wider range our autistic or mentally disabled fellow humans into day-time and alternative employment. The cooperation of Janka Tanya in Tótvázsony and SPAR Hungary is sustainable and sets an example for us to follow. The purpose of the community, besides day care, is to provide development and rehabilitating employment for adults with changed work capacity, by which it facilitates and supports their integration into society. The effort, work and results of founders and workers of Janka Tanya were presented in November 2020 by the article published by Napi.hu with the title „They no longer look at us strangely that our team is „different” – an exemplary initiative for people living with disabilities”, which is available at the following link: https://www.napi.hu/magyar_vallalatok/mar-nem-neznek-rank-furcsan-hogy-a-mi-csapatunk-mas—peldamutato-kezdemenyezes-a-hatrannyal-elokert.716514.html

SPAR, being dedicated to equal opportunity, works together with Janka Tanya in Tótvázsony from 2017: two or three times a week, the INTERSPAR employees in Veszprém welcome the youngsters who carry out self-stacker and storage tasks there, moreover, ornaments and commodities made by them can be purchased at the annually organized Christmas and Easter markets in the centre of the company. The company has also made a report movie with the title „Hosszú út” (Long road) about the everyday lives of disabled youngsters living in the community in Veszprém county and about working together. The emotional movie, which presents that with the help of experts in Janka Tanya and with appropriate educational work our fellow humans with autism can also live a full life, is broadcasted on Saturday, 20^th February 2021 at 10:25 by ATV television channel.

The movie was broadcasted by RTL Klub earlier and it is available on the website of the company: https://rtl.hu/rtlklub/fokusz/betekintes-a-janka-tanya-autista-fiatalok-mindennapjaiba-hosszu-ut-dokumentumfilm-spar

and you can watch the movie in full length on SPAR Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoU7mPijwIw&list=PL7ShKg970sBCEgyPkqs_7ruCHSusg1oLo&index=2

Our newest member is Auchan Hungary which opened its first store in our country in 1998. The company is managed by Dominique Ducoux, and had a net sales revenue of 333 million HUF in 2019 with 7140 employees. The core business of the company includes the retail sale in non-specialised stores with food.

Auchan believes the food industry and retail chains play a big role in achieving sustainable food security. So far, the company has paid a lot of attention to environmental protection, and through their environmentally friendly solutions, they seek to play a prominent role in shaping consumer behavior. They are constantly working on minimizing the proportion of disposable plastics also considering their suppliers, partners and stores. This way, they reduce

their plastic production by 14,2 tonnes each year. Reducing the carbon footprint is also vital for the company: they modernized their refrigeration equipment, changed the light systems of the stores and parking zones and optimized their transport routes, etc. Auchan is taking an active role in food rescue, as they collaborate with the Hungarian Food Bank Association since 2015, thus every day the remaining food is delivered to those in need.

Their Charter of Ethics provides standards covering human rights and fundamental values, violations of which are monitored among their employees, partners and suppliers through their so-called Whistle-B system. The company rejects any discrimination. In addition, their parent company has been publishing its sustainability report for years, and its domestic adaptation is among their plans.

The purpose of joining BCSDH is to get first-hand information on sustainable development issues affecting the corporate sector, learn from success stories from member companies, moreover getting professional support and joining BCSDH events also contributed to their decision.

The protection of good quality Hungarian products, the importance of supporting the domestic producers has increased particularly because of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. SPAR Hungary has been dedicated long ago for the domestic products and its producers, therefore the company joined to autumn period of the campaign Buy the domestic! Protect the domestic!.

„The pandemic has created a new situation in the domestic food market, in the retail trade. The epidemic endangers countless companies, the work and the living of many people. However, community partnership and the support of domestic products help the industry players to successfully go through this challenging period. SPAR Hungary, who is dedicated long ago to the Hungarian products, joins again to the campaign Buy the domestic! Protect the domestic! and participates actively in popularizing the products produced in Hungary” – said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communication at SPAR in connection with the initiative of Magyar Termék Nonprofit Kft. (Hungarian Product Nonprofit Ltd.).

„The Hungarian Product Nonprofit Ltd. has launched a campaign to call the attention to how important is to help each other now, to buy domestic products. The success of the campaign is proved by the thousands of private persons and the almost one hundred companies producing domestic products who joined until now” – explained the reason of the initiative Eszter Benedek, CEO of the company which runs the Hungarian Product trademark system. According to her, everyone has the opportunity to help each other also in this difficult situation, because with all of our shopping decision, we can contribute to that the members of our community can keep their jobs.

The customers entering into the SPAR stores become acquainted with the message of the initiative, which helps the conscious consumer decision supporting the domestic products and its producers. Besides SPAR Hungary, more of its suppliers has joined to the campaign as well, who are also entitled to use the logo #veddahazait (#buythedomestic).