September 2026

Obligation, Opportunity or Value? What Does ESG Deliver Beyond Reporting?

The true value of ESG does not necessarily lie in the report itself. A well-designed measurement and data collection framework can provide a more accurate picture of a company’s operations, highlight areas for improvement, and support business decision-making. At the BCSDH ESG Working Group meeting on 17 September 2026, we explored through corporate examples what ESG can deliver beyond compliance.

Participants were first welcomed by our host, Krisztina Vass, Managing Director of iData Kft., who presented iData’s approach to ESG and its sustainability efforts. Through fuel savings, route optimisation and measurable KPIs, the company’s telematics solutions also help its clients improve their environmental performance. In its own operations, iData also places a strong emphasis on equal opportunities and diversity.

János Handó, Founder and Owner of Katica Tanya Experience Centre, opened with a deliberately provocative question: is ESG an obligation or an opportunity? For him, it is clearly the latter, as companies go through a learning process that helps them move forward, set objectives and identify areas for development. He also pointed out that traditional financial indicators alone do not reveal the environmental, social and governance “cost” of a company’s performance. One important role of ESG is therefore to make medium- and long-term impacts visible and measurable alongside short-term financial results.

Bettina Baksa, Head of Sustainability at UBM Group, presented the business benefits the company has gained from voluntarily embarking on ESG reporting. One tangible outcome of the process is its internally developed BI–ESG dashboard, which brings ESG data that was previously managed across disparate sources into a single, integrated system. The resulting greater transparency, traceability and comparability also support the integration of ESG data into business decision-making.

Zsófia Galambosné Dudás, Professional Project Manager at BCSDH, provided an overview of the latest European and Hungarian regulatory developments. The main direction of the ESRS review is significant simplification and a stronger focus on materiality, while the voluntary reporting framework is also placing greater emphasis on proportionality and limiting data requests across the value chain.

The meeting continued with a professional discussion, during which participants shared their current challenges and experiences with one another.

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23.09.2026

SPAR to provide nearly 500 billboard spaces to civil society organisations

Member News

In the second half of September 2026, SPAR Magyarország is offering nearly 500 outdoor billboard spaces to 12 civil society organisations. The company’s aim is to use its available communication platforms to give nationwide visibility not to products or commercial offers this time, but to important social and environmental causes. The posters will start appearing on 17 September and will be visible across the country for approximately two weeks.

An outdoor billboard can attract the attention of thousands of people every day. SPAR Magyarország is now passing on this visibility to civil society organisations with which it has maintained partnerships for a long time, and whose work supports children, patients, people in need, communities or the protection of the natural environment.

The central idea of the campaign is simple: the value of an advertising space does not lie solely in its ability to draw attention to a product or an offer. It can also be used to make an important cause more visible. This is also reflected in the shared message appearing on the posters: “Let our billboards belong to civil society organisations. The space was provided by SPAR. Because this is the right decision.”

“SPAR has been working with civil society organisations for many years, organisations that take on important and often challenging social responsibilities every single day. At the same time, these organisations typically have far fewer opportunities to showcase their work through a nationwide campaign. That is why we decided to make the nearly 500 billboard spaces available in the second half of September available to them. SPAR Magyarország is providing the advertising space, but they are the ones taking centre stage: we want as many people as possible to encounter the causes they work for,” said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Magyarország.

Twelve organisations, twelve important causes

Each organisation participating in the campaign will appear with its own message, while the posters will be brought together by a consistent visual and communication framework. This means that different social causes will come into view of pedestrians and motorists in different parts of the country.

Budapest Bike Maffia helps people in need wherever support is most needed. The “One Heart for Children” Foundation helps make medical treatment abroad accessible to children with serious illnesses, while the Children’s Catering Foundation works to ensure that no child goes hungry. The Hintalovon Child Rights Foundation supports the protection and promotion of the rights of children living in Hungary, while the Hősök Tere Foundation works towards a more

active and compassionate society. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta supports people in difficult circumstances, while the Mosoly Foundation helps hospitalised children in their recovery through therapeutic activities. The Superar Music Foundation supports happy childhoods through the joy of making music together. The Public Benefit Foundation for Children and Patients with Leukaemia stands alongside patients living with leukaemia and their families, while the From Streets to Home Association helps homeless people and those living in housing poverty to achieve independent housing. The Világszép Foundation supports children in state care through long-term personal relationships and small-group programmes, while WWF Magyarország is using this campaign to draw attention to the importance of natural water retention.

SPAR will distribute the nearly 500 billboard spaces as evenly as possible across the country, allowing the messages of the civil society organisations to reach a wide audience. The primary aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and increase visibility by showcasing organisations and causes that have an impact on the lives of many people

17.09.2026

A new school year, a new routine: Nestlé and SPAR campaign encourages healthier everyday habits

Member News

After the summer break, getting back into the familiar rhythm of everyday life is not always easy for children or adults. Holidays often disrupt our usual routines, and we tend to be more relaxed about what and when we eat. September, however, offers an opportunity to establish a new “timetable” even for those who are no longer heading back to school: the start of a new school year is a good opportunity for families to rethink their daily routines and reintroduce or incorporate regular exercise and more conscious eating habits.

According to a representative survey1 conducted jointly by Nestlé and SPAR, 57 percent of Hungarians exercise regularly. For many, regular physical activity is simply part of their everyday wellbeing, mental refreshment or maintaining good health. Summer holidays and hot weather can easily disrupt the routines established during the rest of the year, however, and regular exercise can consequently take a back seat. Fortunately, there are forms of exercise that are easier to incorporate back into our daily routines. Running is one example: 65 percent of respondents find it appealing precisely because it is easy to fit into everyday life.

The more relaxed days of summer can also disrupt our eating habits, even though the survey shows that there is still plenty of room for greater awareness when it comes to nutrition. According to the research, just 5 percent of 18-65-year-olds follow a genuinely conscious diet; 10 percent do not eat any vegetables on an average day, while 14 percent do not eat fruit either. Although most people have vegetables or fruit on their plate once or twice a day, snacking, sugary and fatty foods, as well as irregular eating habits, remain common pitfalls.

When it comes to making a fresh start in September, wherever we begin, we are heading in the right direction. Physical activity and conscious nutrition are closely linked, so taking the first steps in one area can also provide momentum in the other. It is worth getting started even if we do not feel entirely confident about how best to make changes – we are not alone. The research shows that people who exercise regularly are more likely to believe that the two go hand in hand, yet even among this group, one in three feel they still have more to learn about healthy eating. Based on the responses, only half of Hungarians feel well informed about how to support exercise with appropriate nutrition, while 37 percent feel specifically uncertain.

Running can be a simple way to make a fresh start

The data also show that for many people, an important consideration is whether their chosen form of exercise can easily be incorporated into everyday life. It is therefore no surprise that, alongside walking, cycling and home workouts, running is also one of the most popular sports, particularly among

18-39-year-olds. Running is especially popular among those who exercise at least three times a week: almost one third of them run, and a similar proportion have taken part in at least one running event during their lifetime.

If someone wants to reintroduce exercise into their daily routine after the summer, there is no need to set a major goal straight away when taking up running or jogging. Gradually increasing the level of exertion can provide a good foundation for a longer distance later on, while a well-structured training plan can help them progress step by step. What is more, there is no need to set aside hours every day: even shorter periods of exercise incorporated into the routine on a regular basis can be a good starting point. According to the WHO recommendation, adults should aim for 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, building up to this level gradually. Exercising together can also help turn those first steps into a genuine habit over time: according to the research, 39 percent of respondents consider friends and community to be one of the most important motivating forces behind taking part in sport.

Once exercise is back in the routine, healthy eating can follow more easily

If regular exercise can be reintroduced into everyday life after the summer, this can also provide momentum for rethinking eating habits. The new routine could include planning meals in advance, cooking together, or making more conscious choices about foods that support physical activity. We can also draw on expert advice, covering everything from a balanced diet and adequate fluid intake to nutrition that supports recovery.

“When returning to regular exercise after the summer, it is worth building up physical activity step by step, while also making sure that nutrition keeps pace with increased activity levels. An adequate intake of nutrients is important for sports performance and recovery, as well as for making a new lifestyle sustainable in the long term. The start of the school year can be a good opportunity for families to gradually reorganise their daily routines: with a few conscious decisions – such as making exercise a regular part of the week, planning meals or cooking together – they can do a great deal to create healthier everyday habits,” said Lili Fülöp, dietitian at Nestlé. She added that, just as in sport, the goal with nutrition is not perfection, but developing simple habits that can realistically be maintained in everyday life and support a more active lifestyle over the long term.

Once the decision has been made, it is time to return to regular exercise – and Nestlé and SPAR’s “Let’s Run Together!” programme provides practical support for doing so. The campaign publication offers suitable goals for both beginners and more experienced runners:5 km and 10 km training plans, conditioning workouts, warm-up and stretching advice, as well as expert tips on balanced nutrition and hydration, all designed to support preparation. The campaign also offers a sense of community: participants can collect kilometres in a Strava club until the day of the 41st SPAR Budapest Marathon® Festival. The aim is to collectively “run around” Hungary. Until the October marathon start, the organisers hope participants will complete the almost 2,246-kilometre distance as many times as possible.

The joint Nestlé and SPAR publication and the STRAVA club are available at the following links: https://www.nestle.hu/fussunknekiegyutt https://www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/fussunknekiegyutt

07.09.2026

2000 thousand children to receive back-to-school support through the Joy to Give! campaign

Member News

This year’s Joy to Give! school supplies collection campaign, organised jointly by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and SPAR Magyarország, has successfully concluded. Through their personal donations, customers contributed a total of nearly 110 000 school supplies and educational items, while also purchasing donation cards worth more than 2 million forints. Thanks to the donations collected, children living in difficult circumstances will be able to start the 2026/2027 school year with the proper equipment. SPAR Magyarország also contributed a further donation of 2 million forints to support the success of the campaign.

“It is a great pleasure for us that so many people supported the initiative again this year. Every notebook, pen, school bag donated, or donation card purchased, sends the message that we believe it is important that no child should start school at a disadvantage. This collective effort has once again shown how much we can achieve together,” said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Magyarország.

Tamás Romhányi, Head of Communications at the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, emphasised: “Thanks to the donations, we were able to help the families of thousands of children during the financially demanding back-to-school period. The support not only provides practical assistance but also means that these children can begin the school year with greater confidence and more equal opportunities. We are grateful to every donor who took part in this collective effort.”

During this year’s collection:

· a total of 110 000 school supplies were donated in person,

· donation cards generated more than 2 million HUF in contributions,

· as a result, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta will be able to support the start of the school year for 2000 children across the country.

During the in-store collection, customers were able to donate school supplies purchased in INTERSPAR stores. In addition, until 31 August 2026, they could also support the initiative by purchasing donation cards. The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta will distribute the donated school supplies, together with new school supplies purchased from the proceeds of the donation cards, in carefully assembled packages.

The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and SPAR Magyarország would like to thank all customers, volunteers and employees whose support helped make the start of the new school year a happier experience for as many children as possible this year. The results of the donation campaign are available at www.adniorom.hu.

02.09.2026