Since its establishment EUROAPI Hungary Kft. has been paying special attention to the development of pharmaceuticals in a more environmentally sustainable and energy saving way, and is constantly researching new opportunities in this regard.

The KÖVET Association for a Sustainable Economy organized its 28th Conference on Adaptation and Cooperation, on November 14, 2023 in Budapest. At the event best examples from an environmental and social point of view were presented: the prizes for the best applicants of the “Money Thrown in the Window” and the “Green Office, Green Event” program were granted. As with BCSDH, the company also closely cooperates with KÖVET Association in order to actively do for a more climate-neutral and greener operation. EUROAPI is very proud to have received two awards at the event: a shared award in the “Biggest high-hanging fruit” category – investment paying off over 3 years – and “Carbon Savings Special Award” in the Company category, with the most CO2 equivalent savings for accompanying measures.

The award was accepted by the colleagues who participated in the preparation of the application, Annamária Gazdag, Erzsébet Kapuiné Nagy and Viktória Sebesi.

SPAR Hungary is committed to continuing its solar power investments and plans to develop further projects that will contribute to reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

Within the SPAR retail network, four supermarkets in Szeged, Pécs, Dorog and Göd are supported by installed solar power systems. Each of these small power generation units has a capacity of 50 kW and together they generate 230-240 MWh of electricity per year, covering 12-13% of the total consumption of the respective store.

“The first solar power system was installed at our ‘Csillag tér’ store in Szeged in May 2020, followed by the Pécs unit in 2022 and the Dorog unit in 2022, while this year our store in Göd was partially converted to this environmentally-friendly operation. In the case of future investments, we also adhere to the principle of using solar energy, wherever possible, for the operation of our stores, so we are also planning our future developments along these lines,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary. He explained that the use of photovoltaic energy is an important cornerstone of the company’s energy-conscious efforts, also kept in mind for new investments and the renovation of existing store units. “In all our construction and modernisation projects throughout the recent years, we have sought to install state-of-the-art LED lighting, heat-pump cooling and heating systems, and where possible use the so-called waste heat generated during operations, for example to produce hot water,” he stressed.

In the interiors of the modernised SPAR stores, energy-efficient commercial refrigeration systems and door-mounted coolers help to conserve even more electricity, while the building façade insulations also bring further savings in energy consumption. When shops are renovated, windows and doors are also almost always replaced. All these factors together contributed in 2022 to the domestic chain having to purchase less natural gas, district heating and electricity from external sources than in the previous year, 2021, and the overall energy consumption was also significantly lower than in the previous period.

In recent weeks, SPAR Hungary has received prestigious awards and recognitions for its support of Hungarian products and enterprises, health-conscious lifestyles, as well as for its commitment to value and quality.     

“Our company is very proud that both the industry and customers confirm our efforts to put as many high-quality, mostly domestic products as possible on the shelves of our stores, which further expands the range of quality goods and contributes to more sustainable operation and consumption,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

SPAR wins the Customer Choice Award based on customer feedback

SPAR Hungary is committed to supporting the marketing of domestic products and helping family and small enterprises put their high-quality products on the shelves of the retail chain. This effort has been recognised by the customers with the first ever Customer Award for Hungarian Products (Magyar Termékekért Vásárlói Nívódíj) based on customer votes, and by the industry with the Silver Award for the Trade of Hungarian Products.

The company’s commitment to Hungarian products has been recognised with numerous awards in the recent years: SPAR Hungary was awarded first place in the Award for the Trade of Hungarian Products competition in 2021 and 2018, and silver medals in 2023, 2022 and 2019.

SPAR cocoa swirl bun with purpur dough wins the Value and Quality Grand Prize

The new bakery product launched by the Hungarian chain this year, the SPAR cocoa swirl bun with purpur dough has won the Value and Quality Grand Prize for the highest quality of domestic products and services, and is now eligible to bear the trademark certifying this distinction. The use of the Value and Quality Grand Prix Certification Trademark and the award of the distinction is recognition of goods, services and companies that meet a complex set of criteria and demonstrate a commitment to quality in their business activities, and also comply with sustainability requirements.

Two popular SPAR private-label products have been awarded Food Awards

This year, “Nők Lapja Food Awards” has been presented for the second time, and two SPAR own-brand products won the 2023 awards: in the special main category gluten-free subcategory, the 500g “SPAR free from” gluten-free, fine-grain oatmeal, and in the non-carbonated drinks category, the 1l SPAR 100% apple juice. This year’s competition was again open to food products and beverages that are available in Hungarian stores. Shoppers could vote for their favourites on the noklapja.hu website and 7600 votes were cast to choose this year’s winners of the Food Awards 2023 competition.

Acclaims for INTERSPAR hypermarkets

In the StarStore – Retailer of the Year 2023 competition organised by Trade magazine, the INTERSPAR unit located at “Bécsi út” in Budapest won the title “HYPERMARKET OF THE YEAR 2023” and the “STORE OF THE YEAR 2023” award as well, as the absolute winner of the competition based on the combined results of all the candidates.  SPAR Hungary, as a committed supporter of domestic products and sustainability, has also been awarded the title “HYPERMARKET CHAIN OF THE YEAR 2023” in the Hypermarket category, based on the assessment of the professional jury. Also in the “For a more sustainable future” competition launched by Trade magazine, SPAR Hungary was awarded the Sustainability Symbol 2023 in the corporate category, based on the assessment of the professional panel.

Ferenc Horváth, food industrial director of SPAR Hungary appointed MATE Visiting Professor

At the 170th anniversary celebration of the Buda Campus of the Hungarian Agricultural and Life Sciences University (MATE), held in honour of the founder Ferenc Entz, the title of “MATE Visiting Professor” was bestowed upon Ferenc Horváth, the food industrial director of SPAR Hungary, in recognition of his dedicated work in the field of education and research, which has greatly contributed to the practice-oriented educational efforts of the institutes on campus.

Seven SPAR staff members listed among the country’s most outstanding communication and marketing professionals

Head of communications Márk Maczelka and head of marketing Károly Németh have been included in Marketing&Media magazine’s ranking of the top 50 most successful PR and marketing communications decision-makers in the country. In this year’s new ranking of PR professionals, Márk Maczelka was ranked 11th, while head of marketing Károly Németh was ranked 24th in the eighth edition of the marketing top list.

Petra Székely-Németh, deputy head of communications, Katalin Varga, digital marketing communications manager, Krisztina Gulyás, digital manager, Mária Lénárt, loyalty promotions manager and Kinga Pál, POS manager have been voted among the top operational professionals in the sector in the Signature 40 competition.

Following the installation of an electric heating boiler at its Sopron power plant, ALTEO has integrated two new devices into its Regulatory Centre: the boilers at the heating plants in Kazincbarcika and Tiszaújváros will enable the conversion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources into heat, while the hot water produced will be connected to the local district heating system.

The two electric hot water boilers, each with a capacity of 6MW, installed with a total investment of HUF 1.9 billion, will further increase the flexibility of the ALTEO Control Centre with their rapid load switching capability. “The expansion of our flexible portfolio, which can contribute to ensuring system balance, will give us even greater flexibility in renewable energy generation” said ALTEO’s Deputy CEO for Generation Management and Business Development. Péter Luczay added that the investment, which was entirely financed from own resources, made use of the elements of the development previously carried out in Sopron, which are related to the energy IT system for managing and optimising the power plant’s electricity production.

Mazars is an international, integrated and independent organisation providing audit, accounting, tax, financial, legal and business advisory services to its clients. Mazars is present in more than 95 countries worldwide. Mazars has been present in Hungary since 1991 and is one of the leading Hungarian audit and consulting firms. With 190 highly skilled and dedicated professionals, Mazars provides a full range of services to clients in all sectors. Mazars is globally committed to sustainability, and naturally takes sustainability to heart in its domestic office, with goals of commitment and continuous improvement in all three areas of ESG.

To this end, it has taken several steps in recent years. As a service provider, one of their key assets and resources is their employee community, and the S and G areas are also a priority for them. They place great emphasis on regular communication with employees and listening to their views. They have a number of programs on diversity and human values, such as the Work-Private-Life-Mazars program, talent management, comprehensive professional and soft skills training program, reintegration of new mothers, health care programs, etc. Each member company reports annually to the parent company about the implemented programs, as well as the composition of employees, diversity, the position of women, and the average earnings of men and women. The Code of Conduct, which all Mazars employees are obliged to know and comply with, sets out their beliefs on human rights and fundamental human values and diversity.

To achieve net-zero operations as an environmentally responsible company, the Group will introduce carbon footprint and GHG emissions measurement (under the GHG Protocol): this is already in place in more than 80 countries, which together represent 95% of Mazars’ total headcount and emissions.

Mazars has joined the SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiated) initiative and is developing a country-level decarbonisation program. They are consciously reducing business travel, opening up to sustainable and environmentally neutral solutions in procurement, and have established a supplier code of ethics, which will be followed by a sustainability rating of their suppliers. To increase biodiversity and restore the natural environment, they run subsidiary-level programmes involving their employees.

A sustainability report has been prepared at Mazars Group since 2019. In 2024, Mazars Ltd. has committed to produce and publish a sustainability report locally for the financial year 2022/23. The Hungarian office was awarded EcoVadis Silver certification in September 2023.  For a green future, they will continue to make the necessary efforts to operate in a sustainable way.

Mazars has joined BCSDH because it believe it is important to have the sustainability competencies to help its clients achieve conscious and sustainable operations, reporting and future development, and to apply them in their own operations. Mazars’s employees consider it is important to train themselves continuously, learn from others and share the knowledge they have acquired. They aim to be active, valued and useful members of this community.