Since 1993, the company has been a wholesaler and retailer of paper, packaging, and hygiene products, and is committed to promoting sustainability and the circular economy. The company is part of the OptiGroup.

At the Group level, they have been publishing their sustainability report as part of their annual report since 2016. Their sustainability strategy and targets to be achieved by 2030 are formulated around five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible consumption and production, Gender equality, Decent work and economic growth, Peace, justice and strong institutions, and Climate Action

To achieve these goals, they have introduced a Code of Conduct to be adopted by all their employees and suppliers. They provide mandatory anti-corruption and competition law training and ensure anonymous reporting of possible abuses through their “whistleblowing” platform. The company operates in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In line with their environmental responsibility, this year they have implemented several initiatives: they have replaced their delivery fleet with EURO6 trucks and introduced electric car delivery on a trial basis. Their office space has been certified Breeam in use excellent. Their product range includes a significant proportion of FSC and PEFC certified products, supporting responsible forest management. They source 99% of their supplies from European manufacturers and are increasingly focusing on their suppliers’ commitment to sustainability. The company has ISO 14001 environmental management certification.

To better achieve their goals, they have joined the BCSDH to learn more good practices, participate in the professional knowledge sharing offered by the Council, and to build relationships with the association’s member companies.

SPAR Hungary has invested more than 18.1 billion HUF in total to establish and improve the Regnum meat processing plants in Bicske and Perbál, as well as the SPAR enjoy. convenience food product plant in Üllő. Recent investments have focused on energy systems, but there have also been important improvements in production technology in all three units.

“SPAR’s operational objectives include not only the opening of new stores and the modernisation of existing ones, but also the continuous improvement of the strategically important food production plants of the company. Twenty years ago, we were the first Hungarian retail chain to launch our own Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske, which was joined by the Perbál plant in 2020. Also, our SPAR enjoy. convenience plant has been supplying convenience products to SPAR stores since 2018. With continuous investments, we have been able to pay special attention to energy-efficiency improvements in addition to the acquisition of various technological equipment,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

The Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske has been launched with the aim of supplying the store network with high-quality pork and beef meat and meat products from reliable sources, processed using state-of-the-art technology. An important milestone in the modernisation of the Bicske plant was the replacement of the steam boiler used for meat product preparation, to ensure continuous improvement of operational safety and production capacity. The new equipment features a modern process control system which allows it to meet production needs with a higher output and lower emissions, while at the same time producing the steam needed for meat products more economically, due to the appropriate control. In the case of the new boiler, for example, the energy recovered from the chimney is used to heat the boiler water. This solution enables saving 40-50% of the steam used for production.

A new Ulma flow-pack packaging machine has also been installed at the Regnum plant in Bicske, which uses 70% less packaging material to package e.g. the popular S-BUDGET pork mince.

During production, the plant uses mains water product recoolers. This equipment helps to handle products with cooled air and water vapour so that they do not dry out later. Four chiller equipment support reducing the amount of water used.

SPAR acquired the production plant in Perbál in 2020, which has since continued to operate under the name Regnum Meat Processing Plant Perbál. The plant has recently undergone significant energy system improvements, with the installation of a carbon dioxide-based transcritical cooling system, the most favoured solution in Europe for reducing emissions.

An important step for the future will be the transition to new wastewater treatment technology at the Perbál meat processing plant by the end of 2024. This will enable staff members to monitor the amount of wastewater generated and the operating conditions. The remote monitoring system will also enable rapid troubleshooting in the future.

The SPAR enjoy. convenience plant was built by SPAR in 2018 as part of a greenfield investment. The company has already used the experience gained at the Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske when designing the energy system and technology of this plant. The company has already implemented several improvements in the plant, which meets the highest food safety requirements. For example, the lighting was recently replaced by LED lamps to save energy.

The study period, which began in 2023 and spans three full years, has its first-year results released by SolServices Ltd., the operator of Lumen Park Szolnok. Ecological experts assessed the area’s wildlife before the construction and after the first year of the solar park’s operation. According to the ecological monitoring results, both plant species diversity and bird species diversity have increased, with positive changes observed in the number of nesting and area-using species.

In the first year of operation, species richness has already increased in the surveyed area according to the latest results of the biodiversity survey

The study period, which began in 2023 and spans three full years, has its first-year results released by SolServices Ltd., the operator of Lumen Park Szolnok. Ecological experts assessed the area’s wildlife before the construction and after the first year of the solar park’s operation. According to the ecological monitoring results, both plant species diversity and bird species diversity have increased, with positive changes observed in the number of nesting and area-using species.

Lumen Park Szolnok is the first nature-friendly solar park not only in Hungary but also globally, implemented using the most modern sustainable methods, focusing on plant and animal-friendly approaches and the revitalization of soil depleted by decades of agricultural utilization. The ecological research, which provides insights over several years, has produced guiding results for environmental and sustainability authorities. The company has opened its professional database for academic research, resulting in the first scientific paper based on this data.

The results show that in 2023, the number of plant species increased significantly compared to the initial state, and the total coverage of regenerating vegetation is also substantial. The coverage of valuable species has increased, and the Shannon diversity index has also improved in the areas. The area, previously used for large-scale agriculture, now features a near-natural habitat, indicating the spontaneous formation of natural plant cover. Rare plants like the Sea Arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimum) and the protected Saltmarsh Buttercup (Ranunculus lateriflorus) have appeared. Despite the presence of higher naturalness species post-construction, to combat the significant coverage of agricultural weeds and invasive species, a special seed mix sown in 2023 promote further natural habitat formation, increasing species richness and diversity while naturally suppressing undesirable and invasive species.

figure1. Comparison of nesting species population data observed during the baseline survey and the 2023 survey (number of nesting pairs)

The bird diversity also increased post-construction compared to the baseline and control area surveys, partly due to the solar park’s function as a feeding ground compared to large-scale agricultural habitats. Certain species like the Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) and Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) have started nesting in fewer numbers, while others like the Eurasian Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) showed no population change. New nesting species such as the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), Crested Lark (Galerida cristata), and others have appeared in the solar park. The total bird population observed in 2023 included 23 species and 697 individuals, with new area-using species like the Bluethroat, Lesser Grey Shrike, and Tree Pipit, Common Linnet. The survey also highlighted that the nesting success of Eastern Imperial Eagle and Saker Falcon was not affected by the solar park’, while the occurrence of the Common Buzzard and Kestrel increased significantly.

Insect community studies show that the solar park significantly did not alter the area’s insect fauna composition, with major taxonomic groups’ dominance structures remaining similar. Polarotactic taxa individuals were evenly distributed inside and outside the solar park, their proportion in the total caught insect material was only 0.15%,  indicating that these insects are not attracted en masse to solar parks. Similar to 2020, the taxa caught in the largest numbers were flies (Diptera, 51.79%), hymenopterans (Hymenoptera, 22.54%), beetles (Coleoptera, 17.29%), and true bugs (Hemiptera, 5.98%). Overall, it can be concluded that the number of insects in the area has increased compared to the baseline condition.

Among renewable energy sources, solar energy is one of our most significant sustainable resources, making it increasingly important in domestic energy production. Additionally, solar parks can effectively protect wildlife and enhance biodiversity. Properly planned and minimally managed solar parks provide undisturbed habitats for plants and animals for two to three decades, promoting biological diversity. These areas are not used for agriculture, plowed, sown, or sprayed with various chemicals. As a result, the flora and fauna flourish and diversify over the years. The creation of nature-friendly, new-generation solar parks must follow well-established principles and practices. SolServices Ltd. has developed a detailed professional guide in collaboration with experts and organizations, enabling other solar park developers to establish nature-friendly solar parks. “It’s important to emphasize that we’ve achieved all this with a highly diverse team of different professional backgrounds and nationalities, always aiming for concrete solutions and actual implementation, staying a step ahead of the market,” added Dr. Gábor Farkas, CEO of SolServices Ltd., when presenting the first-year research results of the ecological survey.