Most food waste in Hungary is generated by households, amounting to 65 kg food on average per household that ends in the bin every year.[1] Not conscious consumer decisions make not only saving difficult, but also contribute to GHG emissions that drive climate change. Plan smart! by Nestlé Hungary and SPAR supports the development of environmentally aware consumer habits by niche information and budget-friendly practical ideas.

In total, around 1.8 million tonnes of food waste is generated in Hungary every year, and a family of four throws away around HUF 50,000 worth of excess food in that time.[2] This wasteful attitude makes it harder to fight hunger and increases greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent,[3] although it could easily be avoided with a little care.

A joint publication by Nestlé Hungary and SPAR Hungary helps to promote sustainable diets and prevent food waste. The Plan smart! guide provides specific, useful tips on how to store food correctly, how to increase shelf life, how to buy in an environmentally friendly way and on selective waste collection. The booklet will help readers find current fruits and vegetables in season, the meaning of the labels on the packaging, how long products can be consumed after the best-before date, and what types of plastic can be recycled. This way consumers can make more informed choices, finding out how to save money and energy by protecting the environment, and support smallholders in the domestic agricultural sector.

Joining forces for more sustainable customer decisions

This is not the first time Nestlé has released an awareness-raising publication. In 2019, Nestlé published its first guide on selective waste collection, followed in 2020 by a joint effort with SPAR to produce a summary entitled How to be an environmentally conscious consumer? with tips on sustainable living. This year’s guide is a continuation of this joint work as the focus is expanded to include food waste.

“It is rare to find an industry partnership nowadays that creates value like the one between Nestlé and SPAR. Our aim is to show that we are stronger together and we can make a real positive difference by pooling our resources,” said Noémi Csóka, Corporate Communication & CSV Manager at Nestlé. – The latest publication will be available not only online and as a supplement of certain magazines, but also in SPAR stores, giving consumers wider access than ever before.”

Building on the booklet, the two companies announced a nationwide school challenge in 2021, in which children could learn the basics of green living and selective waste collection. “The popularity of our initiative has confirmed our belief that there is a need for education on environmentally conscious lifestyles, and that we can also show the way for the future generation,” said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary. “That is why we teamed with Nestlé to launch our fun challenge for schoolchildren again this year, where participating classes receive useful tools to help them learn an environmentally conscious attitude,” – he added.

A cross-platform initiative

The school campaign for valuable prizes is just the beginning: the companies aim to spread the message of environmental awareness widely, as a more sustainable future requires reaching out to all social groups and all ages. To this end, the content of Plan Smart! will be disseminated in magazines and online channels.

Sustainability is also a strategic objective for SPAR Hungary in its commercial activities, food production, waste management and energy use. The company expands its sustainability initiatives every year: reducing the use of environment impacting substances, using energy-saving solutions in its store network, supporting local businesses and suppliers, and backing social causes. In all its endeavours, it reinforces its commitment to protecting the environment and, not least to positively affect the mindset of its employees and customers.

The Plan Smarter! guide is available at www.nestle.hu/tervezzokosan and www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/tervezzokosan, and will also be available in print in selected SPAR and INTERSPAR stores.

[1] Source: https://maradeknelkul.hu/

[2] Source: https://maradeknelkul.hu/

[3] Source: https://www.elelmiszerbank.hu/hu/hirek/hireink/4_millio_kilo_elelmiszert_mentettunk_2022_elso_feleben.html

In Hungary, most food waste is generated by households. This means an average of 65 kilograms of waste food per year.[1] Consumer decisions that are not conscious of this not only make it harder to save money, but also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions which essentially fuel climate change. Nestlé Hungária and SPAR’s jointly released handbook ‘Tervezz okosan!’ (Plan smarter!) supports the formation of environmentally conscious consumer habits by providing gap-filling information and budget-friendly tips.

Every year about 1.8 tonnes of food waste is generated in Hungary and a family of four puts approximately 50 thousand forints worth of unnecessarily purchased food into the bin.[2]  This wasteful attitude makes it harder to fight starvation and increases greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent,[3] which could be avoided with a little bit of effort.

Nestlé Hungária and SPAR Hungary’s jointly released handbook offers guidance on how to maintain a sustainable diet and reduce food waste. The ‘Tervezz okosan!’ (Plan smarter!) handbook provides useful tips on how to store food properly, delay expiration, learn environmentally-conscious shopping habits, and sorted (selective) waste collection. Thanks to this handbook customers can learn about the fruit and vegetables currently in season, what the different tags and signs on products mean, how long some of them can be stored for past their expiry date, and what types of plastics are recyclable. This way shoppers can make more conscious consumer decisions, learn how to save money and energy by being environmentally-friendly, and support the small producers of the Hungarian agriculture scene.

Together for more sustainable customer choices

This isn’t the first time Nestlé has released a book to raise awareness. In 2019 they published their first handbook on selective waste collection followed by a joint summary with SPAR called ‘Hogyan legyek környezettudatos vásárló?’ (How to become an environmentally-conscious customer?) which provided advice on maintaining a sustainable lifestyle. This year’s handbook is the next step in this cooperation, with an expanded list of topics and food waste featured as one of the focus areas.

“Nowadays it is a rarity to find a professional partnership that creates value as Nestlé’s and SPAR’s cooperation does. Our aim is to show that we are stronger together and if we combine our resources, we can create real and positive changes,” said Noémi Csóka, corporate communications manager at Nestlé. “Our latest handbook is available not only online or as an appendix in other magazines, but also in SPAR stores so it can reach a wider audience of shoppers than ever before.”

Using the booklet as a source, the two companies launched a school challenge in 2021 to enable students to learn more about the basics of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and selective waste collection. “The popularity of our initiative has proved that there is a need for education on environmentally conscious lifestyles, and it provides a tool to show the way to future generations as well,” summarised Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary. “Therefore, we launched the school challenge again this year in partnership with Nestlé and we provide applicants with useful tools to learn environmentally friendly attitudes,” he added.

Multi-platform initiative

The school campaign with valuable prizes is just the beginning. The companies aim to spread the environmentally-conscious views to a wider audience, as a pre-condition of a sustainable future is that all sections of society and age groups are invested in. To achieve this, the contents of the ‘Tervezz okosan!’ (Plan smarter!) handbooks will be distributed in different magazines and via online platforms as well.

The Tervezz okosan! (Plan smarter!) handbook is available on the www.nestle.hu/tervezzokosan and www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/tervezzokosan websites and will also be accessible in printed format in selected SPAR and INTERSPAR stores at a later stage. 

[1] Source: https://maradeknelkul.hu/

[2] Source: https://maradeknelkul.hu/

[3] Source:  https://www.elelmiszerbank.hu/hu/hirek/hireink/4_millio_kilo_elelmiszert_mentettunk_2022_elso_feleben.html

Díjbeszedő Holding Zrt. performs invoicing, meter reading, fee collection and customer service activities on behalf of about 20 service providers. The number of their customers is more than 750,000, for their part, approx. 16 million invoices and payment notices are produced. The value of the fees invoiced and collected by them exceeds HUF 75 billion per year.

The company’s impact on the environment and society is significant, so the management raised the company’s affiliation to the group of companies that think responsibly, make meaningful decisions for a sustainable future, and develop concrete solutions based on this to a strategic level. Their first sustainability report was published in 2022 for the company group. In line with its strategic objectives, the company is constantly reducing its ecological footprint. In 2022, 30% of their desktop printers were liquidated, their paper consumption decreased by 13.93 tons, and their energy consumption decreased by more than 30%. Part of the Group’s future vision is the gradual development of carbon-neutral operations and the achievement of complete carbon neutrality in the long term. To this end, they put a special emphasis on examining their energy consumption, waste production and the carbon footprint associated with their core activities. Scope 1, 2 and 3 according to the CHG protocol are measured, and the measurement methodology of the protocol is used both during the setting of goals and during control. The company has a Code of Ethics and Conduct, and operates a complaint officer and an Ethics Committee. In order to increase social welfare, it carries out many activities.

Their primary goal with the BCSDH membership is to learn about the reporting and sustainability expectations for companies and the best practices, trends, and actions to fulfill them, with which they can contribute to sustainability in the most effective way and which create value for their company.

This year, for the third time, PPH Media announced its CSR Doing Good Award competition with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of corporate social responsibility.

KPMG’s entry “Ticket to Pride” won the Special Mention Award. Organised by the KPMG Global Services Hungary team, it showcases KPMG’s diversity, inclusive and team-centred work community.

IMAGE: Zsuzsa Illés, Gabriella Liptay and Gabriel Mérő-Santucci receiving the Special Mention Award at PPH Média’s CSR Doing Good Awards

Our Impact Plan, which sets out KPMG’s global ESG objectives and also serves as a guideline for KPMG in Hungary, is built on four pillars: Planet, People, Prosperity and Governance.

A key element of the People pillar is to foster the development of an inclusive and diverse corporate culture built on trust, where everyone feels safe and can thrive and be successful. In line with these goals, the Ticket to Pride programme series, linked to Pride Month 2022, raised awareness among colleagues about the importance of LMBTQ+ acceptance and an open corporate culture, through various activities.

One of the highlights was the “Come as You Are” art exhibition at KPMG’s head office in Budapest, which was not only open to employees, but, from time to time, to the public too. The programmes concluded with taking part in the Budapest Pride procession. The management’s ongoing support demonstrated real commitment towards the topic, and has been an example to colleagues.

In addition to the CSR Doing Good Awards, the programme running under the umbrella name of Ticket to Pride, with the “Come as You are” contemporary art exhibition at its focus, won several awards, such as the Art is Business Award, and the Marketing Diamond Awards.