Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary
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World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) National Partner
On September 20 the Race to Zero Working Group also focused on biodiversity conservation and restoration and the implementation of climate neutrality, with a number of good corporate practices and novelties.
This time, Szentkirályi Magyarország provided both a venue and an exciting topic for the meeting. In his welcome speech, Dániel Buzási, Managing Director, emphasized the strong commitment to sustainability at the ownership level, and one of the priority areas is the implementation of a circular economy and approach, in which the company wants to become a role model by 2025.
He was followed by Nikolett van der Wildt, Sustainability and PR Manager, who talked about the biodiversity project in the area of the factory in kékkút, emphasising that they had been inspired and partnered in a previous working group meeting. Among the many elements of the long-term programme are an artificial pond, a swallow wall and an insect hotel. The water resources of the Káli basin will be protected by monitoring wells and groundwater regulation.
Afterwards, Dávid Kovács, Marketing Director of Zwack Unicum, spoke about the sustainability goals and areas, and we learned, among other things, that between 2016 and 2020, the company achieved a CO2 reduction of more than 200 elephants (about 1200 tons) at the company level. He also gave a detailed presentation of the geothermal conversion of their plant in Dunaharaszti, the process and challenges involved. The half a billion forint investment could not have been realised without the long-term commitment of the owners, and the development, which was handed over this year, is already showing good figures: gas consumption has been reduced by 20% in 6 months.
Half a year ago, Daniella Huszár, HuGBC’s sustainability coordinator, spoke about the Advancing Net Zero initiative in the framework of the working group, and now she talked about the results and programmes of the period since then. It is very important to underline that the built environment has a huge role to play in reaching the 1.5 degrees target and halving carbon emissions by 2030. To help decarbonise buildings, a Zero Carbon Recommendation has been published under the programme.
Finally, Andrea Nagy, BCSDH’s project manager, closed the working group with the presentation of two new publications. ” Nature-Based Solutions and Voluntary Carbon Markets – Corporate Buyer’s Guide “, edited by the Central Bank of Hungary, was prepared together with WWF and other member companies as a result of the joint work of the Nature-based Climate Solutions Working Group. This publication is the first public, tangible product of the Working Group and is intended to help companies and anyone interested in the topic to find their way around the market in a clear and accessible way.
A “CEO Guide” has also been produced, which contains the main findings of the long publication, with an active link to the original document. This will also help managers to get a quick overview of the topic, and they can read the details in the Corporate Buyer’s Guide.
Thanks to the sponsors of the Race to Zero program in 2023:
Several new collaboration opportunities were identified at the latest meeting of the Net Zero Advisory Board on September 20th, aiming to harness synergies for the swift achievement of a climate-neutral economy. The event was moderated by Irén Márta, Director of BCSDH, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Advisory Board.
In his opening speech, Paul Fox, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Hungary, emphasized the importance of collaboration, as a lot of effort needs to be done to achieve climate goals. As part of the Green Deal, the EU Net Zero Industrial Partnership initiative can contribute to accelerating this, and he requested the support of the participants for this endeavor.
On the platform that brings together various stakeholders, Dr. Csaba Kandrács, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary and the host of the event representing the regulatory side, highlighted that since the launch of the Green Program in 2019, their primary goal has been to promote environmental sustainability. As a novelty this year, they have extended their efforts beyond the financial system to address the entire corporate sector.
He emphasized the need for professional collaborations, such as the Nature-Based Climate Solutions working group initiated by the Central Bank of Hungary, which has prepared a specific outcome: the publication titled ‘Nature-based solutions and voluntary carbon markets – Corporate Buyer’s Guide’. This professional material, presented to the Advisory Board, was created with the professional support of BCSDH and WWF Hungary, and with the involvement of member companies. Additionally, BCSDH has prepared a CEO Guide for this occasion, which signifies that this collaboration and work will continue.
István Salgó, Honorary President of BCSDH, emphasized the importance of action, which is also the primary goal of the Business Council. It is crucial that alongside climate efforts, due attention is given to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity because these two business risks are closely interconnected.
In connection with this, Anikó Juhász, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, reported on the Hungarian situation and possibilities of regenerative agriculture. She emphasized the importance of education and the presentation of best practices, as well as the creation of an environment where farmers can learn from each other in order to implement soil renewal solutions. Collaboration is also necessary here to take a step forward.
Gábor Szarvas, the new President of the Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC), participated in the event for the first time and introduced their Advancing Net Zero initiative, which can significantly promote the transition to climate-neutral operations in the built environment. As part of this, they have also prepared a Zero Carbon Recommendation this year.
The series of presentations was concluded by Andrea Nagy, the project manager of BCSDH, who outlined BCSDH’s annual activities in the field of biodiversity and provided a preliminary presentation of the professional recommendations proposed for the business sector.
At the event, Kárpáti András, the new President of the Future Mobility Alliance, introduced himself.
Participants agreed that the current collaboration can be further strengthened, with numerous related areas and synergies to explore. The next board meeting will focus on logistics as one of its key topics.
Participants of the Board Meeting:
- Zsombor Barta – Parlamentary Senior Counselor – Referee for International Relations, National Council for Sustainable Development
- Paul Fox – Ambassador of the UK to Hungary, British Embassy
- Anikó Juhász – Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture
- Dr. Csaba Kandrács – Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Hungary
- András Kárpáti – President, Future Mobility Association
- Kriszti Kocsis – Senior Policy Officer /Attache, Climate & Energy, Emerging Technologies, British Embassy
- Marcell Kovács – Managing Director (Masped) representing MLBKT – Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management
- Irén Márta – Managing Director, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- Andrea Nagy – Project Leader, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- István Salgó – Honorary President, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- Gábor Szarvas – President, Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC)
Please click here to see the photos.
The Net Zero Advisory Board, a comprehensive body representing multiple stakeholders across sectors, consists of representatives from the Hungarian industry and business leaders, government and associations. The Advisory Board was established in January 2021 as an initiative of the British Embassy and BCSDH.
The Joy to Give! (Adni Öröm!) joint donation campaign organised by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta and SPAR Hungary has been successfully implemented for the third time this year. Shoppers have contributed to the school season of around 1600 underprivileged schoolchildren with more than 62,000 pieces of stationery and school supplies and by purchasing almost 2.2 million HUF worth of donation cards. The retail chain has provided an additional donation of 1 million HUF.
The costs that come with the beginning of the school year are a burden for a lot of Hungarian families with many among them finding it almost impossible to buy everything that is necessary. The Joy to Give! joint donation campaign organised first in 2021 by the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta and SPAR Hungary could alleviate this situation at the start of this season. Shoppers could buy donation cards and school supplies to support the school start for children in need at the stores. The income from the donation cards was used by the charity service to purchase additional stationary items.
“We organised the charity campaign to make sure that no children are treated unfavourably in school due to hardships at home, and the donations of customers of SPAR Hungary helped us support 1600 families in this. Exercise books, stationary, pencil cases, PE bags, and other useful supplies were donated by shoppers and our volunteers filled ready-to-use school bags with the donated items. They also packed gift bags for different age groups which have been forwarded to families requiring the assistance of the charity service throughout the country. We thank everyone for their support by buying the donation cards or personally donating school supplies to the charity service purchased at INTERSPAR hypermarkets ,” said Tamás Romhányi, head of communications of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta.
“In just one month after the end of the previous school year, our company has announced the Joy to Give! school supply donation campaign, already enabling the purchases of donation cards at INTERSPAR hypermarkets and the SPAR online shop from 20 July 2023. We owe our customers a big thank you, who supported the initiative wholeheartedly again this year, taking care of children whose parents cannot fully provide for them. By purchasing donations cards, INTERSPAR hypermarket and SPAR online shop customers pledged more than 2 million HUF, and also bought more than 62,000 pieces of school supplies from 23 to 26 August 2023 which were donated to volunteers of the charity service. Our company donated a further 1 million forints to top this up as part of our equality and social responsibility agenda, to help even more need children. The Joy to Give! school supply donation campaign turns 3 this year so it is safe to declare that it has become a tradition. Seeing the success, we are committed to continuing the initiative in the future as well,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications of SPAR Hungary.
Please find the results of the donation campaign on the www.adniorom.hu website.
Can net-zero targets be met without employee attitude formation and commitment? How do we reach different groups of workers? These were the main topics of our communication working group meeting on June 13, 2023, with a large number of participants hosted by Sió-Eckes.
Emese Szász-Bognár, Communications and Media Manager, presented Sió’s sustainability activities, highlighting the 6 pillars on which the actions are based. It was interesting to see their programme to protect bees and promote beekeepers, which is also about raising public awareness. Along the lines of the net zero targets set, important actions are being taken in the areas of water and energy saving, circular economy and recyclable packaging solutions.
The company plays an important role in raising public awareness. A Sustainability Education Day for employees offers an awareness-raising joint programme for physical and mental workers.
It was here that it became clear that reaching different groups of workers is not an equal challenge. Different tools for awareness-raising need to be used with these groups. Successful employee awareness raising is the key to getting all parts of the company on track to achieve net zero targets.
Csilla Dudás, Senior Communications Manager of Unicredit Bank, presented the bank’s overall sustainability strategy, highlighting their awareness raising programmes, which include many new tools.
Because of the multiplier effect of banks here, employee awareness raising can have a much wider impact on processes. An important finding was that companies can expect their partners and value chain to take steps that they have already taken themselves, so they can only be credible.
A thought-provoking and inspiring discussion followed the presentations.
Founded in 2018, Proworx Digital Ltd. provides support to its customers with its proprietary software products for a wide range of marketing communication activities, but also offers a market leader software for communication asset management.
Their latest development, Kingfisher, focuses on the area of sustainability: it is a software platform that supports companies’ sustainability assessment and supplier sustainability due diligence/assessment.
As a company dealing with digitization, it is also focused on creating a framework for sustainable operations in its own operations. In 2024, they plan to compile their carbon catalog, calculate their carbon footprint and create a carbon neutrality action plan. In terms of their own emissions, last year they switched from gas heating to electricity.
They joined BCSDH because their activities directly support sustainability, so they are keen to build further relationships where there is scope for digitisation in relation to sustainability, and they are also keen to learn about sustainability best practice.
Creating a tradition, SPAR Hungary and Országos Állatvédőrség Alapítvány (National Animal Protection Foundation) launched their “Paw in trouble! (Mancs a bajban!) large-scale, two-day pet food collection campaign for the third time. On 13-14 May 2023, more than 9,000 kilograms of dry dog food and more than 1,000 kilograms of dry cat food were collected at the thirty-five INTERSPAR stores across the country thanks to the generosity and care of the customers. SPAR also contributed 1 million HUF to support the work of the National Animal Protection Foundation.
“Orphaned animals often owe their survival only to civil society organisations, which is why it is important to support them year after year. Our company has joined the ‘Paw in trouble!’ programme for the third time this year, in which we try to involve as many animal welfare organisations as possible and direct our shoppers’ donations to where they are most needed”, said Mark Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.
“It is a great help for animal welfare organisations that SPAR has been providing them with the opportunity to collect animal food from any part of the country for 10 years now. Thank you for supporting our work and for three years of uninterrupted nationwide action to help more people hear the voice of Hungarian animal protection,” expressed Katalin Schreiter, member of the board of the National Animal Protection Foundation.
The Hungarian retail chain has been donating to animal shelters, animal parks and wildlife parks in Hungary for more than ten years, primarily by donating products that have been taken out of commercial circulation but can still be used as animal fodder. During the two-day intensive pet food collection campaign, SPAR Hungary and its professional partner, the National Animal Protection Foundation were able to raise awareness not only about responsible pet ownership, but also the importance of supporting shelters.
In the course of the “Paw in trouble!” animal food collection campaign, the staff of the organisations collected more than 9,000 kilograms of dry food and 4,500 cans of canned food for dogs, while for cats they collected more than 1,000 kilograms of dry food, nearly 2,500 cans of canned food, 5,000 packets of food in pouches and 1,355 kilograms of cat litter.
News about the detailed results of the donation campaign are available at www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/mancsabajban and this website also provides information about the animal rights organisations involved in the programme.
SPAR Hungary’s most outstanding brands, its sustainability and waste reduction efforts, as well as the health-conscious products have recently been recognised with prestigious awards. The company has also been awarded the Reliable Workplace acclaim.
Superbrands awards for the SPAR, INTERSPAR and Regnum brands
In 2023, the company received Superbrands awards in three categories: the SPAR brand won the prestigious Superbrands award for the 15th time this year, INTERSPAR for the 8th time and Regnum for the 3rd time. After multi-stage screening, the award is given based on the evaluation of an independent panel of 40 marketing experts and corporate executive professionals. This year, for the 19th time, they selected brands that can set an example for others to follow in successful brand-building.
“This recognition by Superbrands is special for us in two ways. On the one hand, it is professionally established feedback for which there is no application or application process, a panel of respected professionals in the industry decides and certifies the success and credibility of the brands. On the other hand, the fact that SPAR, INTERSPAR and Regnum have consistently and repeatedly won this prestigious award year after year is proof of our company’s unwavering commitment to quality and the trust our customers place in us,” explained Mark Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.
Reliable employer acclaim
This year, for the first time, SPAR has been awarded the title “Reliable Employer 2023/24”. The award is presented by the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK) to companies that provide exemplary and reliable working and living conditions for their employees. The certificates were presented with Dr. Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office. The companies recognised with the reliable workplace award have transparent remuneration policies, active and up-to-date communication, and the evaluation also took into account the company’s salary and social benefits systems, measures to support the integration of employees, attention to the creation of healthy working conditions for employees, accident prevention, trainings, rewards for extra performance and talent management.
Recognition of environmental sustainability efforts
SPAR’s environmentally-conscious operation and commitment to sustainability was recognised again this year. The company was awarded the Greengage – Green Commitment Award for Environmentally-Responsible Business in the competition announced by the Professional Publishing Hungary publishing house. The aim of the competition is to seek and showcase successful companies in Hungary today that use environmentally-friendly methods to produce innovative products, sell services or support the market with their developments and processes.
Awards to private label innovations
Trade magazine’s “Inno d’Or – Innovation of the Year 2023” award is given to products that respond to changing consumer needs with a novel solution and innovation. Both “SPAR quick-frozen, ready-roasted, breaded chicken leg fillets” and “SPAR Zé salads” were awarded the “Inno d’Or – Innovation of the Year 2023” acclaim in the Food category, judged by a panel of 21 experts.
Trade magazine also announced the “Most Successful Promotion of the Year 2023” competition, one of the winners of which was the “SPAR and Street Kitchen present: Zé Fördős: Holidays from A to Z book”. Thanks to the collaboration between the company and Zé Fördős, the recipe book which offers simple but substantial and healthy dishes, was published last year before Christmas, enabling home-cooking enthusiasts to prepare their Christmas or New Year’s menus efficiently.
This year, Store Insider magazine has again announced its “Private Label Product of the Year” competition to recognise the best quality, innovative, flavourful and well-packaged own-brand products in food and non-food categories. The category winner of the “Private-Label Product of the Year 2023” competition was SPAR’s 400 g “HAZAI.SZERETEM veal liver pate with onions in way”, and the SPAR 230 g “Peeled Frankfurter sausage with cheddar cheese” was awarded the flagship product prize.
Premium Quality Food trademark
The Premium Quality Food mark is awarded to products that stand out from those on offer in the market. The awarding of the prize is preceded by a complex evaluation in several stages, during which experts carry out various measurements and packaging tests. Then the judges perform a quality evaluation of the products based on the criteria of flavour, smell, and texture. SPAR is proud that several of its products have been awarded the Premium Quality Food Mark this year, which can now be applied to numerous members of the SPAR HAZAI.SZERETEM range of products, including the mild salami (100g), the spicy salami (100g), the paprika salami (100g) and the mild and spicy salami mix (100g).
SPAR food industry manager honoured
Outstanding achievements in agriculture and the food industry were honoured at this year’s 15 March 1848 ceremony at the Hungarian Agricultural Museum. At the event, Ferenc Horváth, SPAR Hungary’s food industry manager, was presented with the Imre Ujhelyi Award by Dr. István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture, who stressed that in difficult times, we need people who set an example by trying to make the best of themselves and the assets entrusted to them. Up to six people a year can be awarded this prize in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the fields of agriculture, food and agricultural education, for exemplary practices, modern methods and their dissemination in the sector, and for outstanding achievements in the field of technical development, modern production processes, development and introduction of new products in the food industry.
Ujhelyi Imre Díj átadása: a fotón balról Horváth Ferenc, a SPAR élelmiszeripari cégvezetője, jobbról Dr. Nagy István Agrárminiszter látható.
The fourth season of SPAR and K&H’s joint Hungaricool product competition has come to an end. The makers of the winning products are supported by the masterminds behind the initiative. SPAR Hungary joined by K&H this year, will provide the businesses with unique financial opportunities and advisory support. The goal of the competition is to strengthen Hungarian businesses by providing customers with new, quality products that are made in Hungary, which will be stocked on the shelves of the retail chain.
SPAR Hungary has been committed to boosting the Hungarian economy, helping local businesses and producers, and has been expanding their circle of local small-scale suppliers. The company launched the Hungaricool product competition back in 2019, which aims to find those Hungarian small-scale producers who are keen to enter the market with high quality products that are made in Hungary. These products could either be new innovations or if they exist already, they are not yet widely available in smaller retail chains. As part of the programme, the SPAR Supplier Academy and the best small business experts of the country provide continuous mentoring to the winners across sourcing, sales, quality management, marketing, logistics, and finances.
Thanks to the Hungaricool product competition, new Hungarian products have been added to the shelves of INTERSPAR hypermarkets yet again this year.
“Hungaricool is a success story. The recently completed fourth season saw 179 businesses enter the competition offering a total of 301 products. As a result of the previous success of the programme and the widespread marketing communications support which the company continuously provides, the product competition has become well-known among Hungarian businesses over the last four years. There are more and more dedicated and well-prepared applicants entering the competition. This is necessary indeed as SPAR has strict expectations for the products they will accept to place on their shelves. The winning products must achieve continuous success on the market and adjust to customer expectations. Applicants must be aware of marketability and small-scale trends as well as sustainability standards. Hungaricool is important for us as it is a tool to help Hungarian businesses advance. The winners get the chance to open a new distribution channel by partnering with SPAR Hungary, a stable and value-based company. At the same time customers will benefit too as they will be able to choose from quality products and can support local producers,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.
K&H joined the Hungaricool competition in its fourth season as a financial advisor and took on the role to support the winners with custom financial advice, continuous mentoring, and financial aid in order to fulfil their pledge to SPAR and achieve long lasting success with their businesses, as well as become stable players in the market.
“Entering the programme is a big opportunity for businesses since they become known nationwide and will have the chance to significantly improve their sales if customers like their products. To have all this planned out, the financial education of these businesses who enter is vital. Business owners must understand their product sales numbers, the margins they can make on these, what costs and when they will have to incur compared to their profit. Based on these factors they will be able to predict if they will need external financial support to secure their ongoing liquidity and if they have the production capacity they need, or will need to invest in development,” emphasised Zoltán Rammacher, head of SME marketing and sales support at K&H.
Winners attended K&H’s two-day financial planning workshop and made themselves familiar with the details of business and financial planning and the bases of taxation and financing. They also had the opportunity to learn the details of external financial resources and bank funding at the SPAR Supplier Academy’s Marketing Bootcamp event. The knowledge they get might be essential for their products to become part of SPAR’s range, or to secure their daily financial liquidity. The financial resources provided by K&H were accessible to several businesses during the season which helped them to fulfil their commitments to SPAR and to manage to level up their businesses.
The production and INTERSPAR sales of the nine new brands and their 37 new products gives jobs to hundreds of employees including suppliers and enhances the will to enterprise for others. With this partnership SPAR and K&H sets a great practical example to encourage further innovations in Hungary. As part of the programme the long-term relationship with the store chain and the bank helps the dynamic advancement of these businesses as well as their ability to finding new markets.
The winners and the products available in INTERSPAR’s range are as follows:
- Art Water Kft. – Fizz Water flavoured sparkling water in four different flavours
- Disiteler Company Kft. – Wolf & Lamb herbal liqueur
- Fragola Fagylaltozó Kft. – “Un Momento con Fragola” ice-creams in six flavours with three vegan options
- Naturi Kft. – raw vegan, gluten, soy, sugar, milk, egg and lactose free crisps, biscuits and “living breads”
- Trufo Hungary Kft.- mushroom antipasti, pesto products, and truffle olive oil
- Vegán Mókus Kft. – Tunki-Tunki vegan dips in four flavours
- Win One Kft. – Chocorich premium dark chocolate balls filled with pálinka fruit brandy in four flavours
- Zimek Pálinka Manufaktúra – Mediterrán Gin, Carly’s Gin&Tonic in two flavours
- Zucker Kft. cheesy snack baked with sesame, caraway seed and cheese
For more information on the winning products, you can visit the Hungaricool website: https://hungaricool.hu/gyoztesek
A győztes termékekről a Hungaricool honlapján lehet részletesebben tájékozódni: https://hungaricool.hu/gyoztesek