SPAR Hungary focuses on sustainability and environmental-friendliness when building their new stores and renewing existing ones. They reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 49 percent in 2021 when compared with 2017.

“Our company puts a special focus on minimising the negative environmental impacts of our operations. One of the main pillars of this agenda is the promotion of environmental-friendliness and the wide use of technologies and procedures which are closely linked to one another. SPAR Hungary’s main source of energy comes from electricity supply. As a result of the renovations of our lighting and heating/cooling systems, we are constantly reducing our electricity consumption. Thanks to the store renovations and energy-saving measures put in place, the greenhouse gas emission across our network has decreased by 49 percent since 2017, and we also reduced the emissions that are directly linked to the electricity supply we purchase by four percent in the last decade. Our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The company received the ‘Green Retailer of the Year’ award in 2020 as an acknowledgement of our environmentally-conscious corporate governance and the measurements we put in place,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

Higher energy demand, lower consumption

Some of the supermarkets have been equipped with new functions during the renovation that need a greater electricity supply. But, thanks to the new technologies implemented their electricity consumption doesn’t increase and, in some cases, it is actually reduced by 10-15 percent. The explanation behind this is the technological and energy-saving measures put in place.

During the renovation of a store, all the lights in the building are replaced with LED lighting. This is also done during any partial renovation which only extends to the electricity system of the building. After the stores close, all lights are switched off including the lighting of the shop floor and only the safety lighting is left on. During the late night and early morning hours the lighting of the parking lots and advertising boards in less busy locations are turned off as well.

Heat recovery from the cooling systems

In 2018 SPAR Hungary opted to switch to the use of the ‘transcritical’ CO2 cooling technology, which is more environmentally-friendly, efficient and economical to operate in the long term. The first transcritical CO2 cooling system debuted this year which is based on the ejector expansion technology. The store chain is hoping for a further ten percent reduction in the use of electricity by the cooling systems.

Heat recovery results in significant savings as well. The integrated transcritical CO2 cooling system uses the heat from standard and walk-in refrigerators to produce hot water and in some stores to heat the building as well. When it gets really cold, the system turns on the heat pump to heat up the building, and the same technology is applied for cooling it down in summer. Since it uses water for heating and cooling, there are several other ways to utilise it such as fan-coil heating and cooling, floor heating and cooling, the use of the air-handling unit to preheat or cool down the air and to generate running hot water as well.

With some stores the company uses a VRV (variable refrigerant volume) based cooling technology system which applies intelligence to operate the technology and comfort heating and cooling systems. Thanks to the integrated cooling technology system, as well as the improved feeling of comfort indoors, it also uses less energy. The VRV system uses the same waste heat, or if needed the heat pump for heating, but without the necessity to build a water circuit.

Thermal insulation and upgrades

The thermal insulation of the building and the fitting of new doors and windows is important as well. SPAR Hungary replaces outdated store portal fittings with new, good quality ones and if it is necessary, they install roof thermal insulation with waterproofing as well as the insulation of facade walls.

Solar panels and electric car charging stations

With every investment project, whether it is a new store or a renovation, the company examines the possibility of the use of solar panels by looking at the individual features of the location and the building to see if they could be used to supply that unit with electricity.

The company is constantly adding new electric car charging stations for the stores that have parking lots. So far, they have set up 168 spots all over the country. More information about SPAR’s electronic charging stations is available using the following link: https://www.sparafenntarthatojovoert.hu/e-autotolto

In the countries of the SPAR Austria group (Hungary, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia), significant achievements have been made under the auspices of the Group’s environmental sustainability strategy: over the last one years greenhouse gas emissions have been decreased by a quarter, considering the aggregate data of the member countries. One of the Group’s key ambitions is to achieve high standards of customer service through sustainable, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient operations.

The SPAR Austria Group Sustainability Report for the last year has been issued and it shows that the Group has made great strides in cutting emissions of pollutants, in recycling and saving energy in a number of areas, largely thanks to the modernisation of the stores. On average, the new stores use 17% less energy than the units last renovated 10-15 years ago. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the food retail division has reduced its over all emissions by 25.8% on year-on-year basis. The main reason for this is the switch of purchased electricity in Hungary and Slovenia to greener sources of electricity or nuclear power and the resulting lower carbon dioxide emissions. Since 2015 the SPAR Austria group has reduced greenhouse gas emissions across its operations, including all its subsidiaries, by 45.5 percent in relation to the raising sales area.

Seventy percent recycling rate

“One of the cornerstones of the business philosophy of the company group, including SPAR Hungary, is to operate in an environmentally-conscious manner. We highlight minimising negative environmental impacts, including focusing on the promotion of environmental awareness and the widespread use of the relevant processes. The separation of marketable secondary raw materials – paper and plastic – generated in stores is also a priority: over the past 30 years we have achieved a fundamental change in this area, as the initial recycling rate of 46 percent has now increased to more than 70 percent,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications of SPAR Magyarország Kft.

The company’s energy consumption comes mainly from the use of electricity. As a result of the modernisation of the lighting and cooling/heating systems, it was possible to reduce the consumption of electricity compared to the base year of 2010. SPAR’s primary sources of emissions are electricity related to its operating sites, natural gas and district heating for heating, and fuel use related to its own fleet of vehicles.

From smart solutions to Green Retailer of the Year acclaim

SPAR Hungary is modernising its stores to integrate energy-saving equipment, and the latest cooling equipment and refrigerated counters are being installed in the renovated stores. In larger stores, integrated refrigeration systems are installed, allowing heat from refrigeration units and coolers to be used for heating the building. In smaller stores, cooling engineering systems of a similar principle will be used to manage technological cooling and the comfort heating/cooling system, optimising energy use. Energy-efficiency measures also focus on the modernisation of lighting technology: fluorescent lamps are replaced by energy-efficient LED lamps which use significantly less energy than conventional light bulbs.

In 2020, SPAR as a retail chain was awarded the Green Retailer of the Year acclaim for its environmentally-conscious corporate governance and the sustainability measures it has implemented.

Background

The SPAR Austria group has been publishing sustainability reports on the Group’s sustainability efforts and measures since 2013, with regard to products, employees, the environment and society. Since 2016, this report not only includes the activities of the food retail business in Austria, but also data from SPAR Hungary, among others.

The SPAR Austria group has continued to work consistently on its sustainability strategy in 2021. A sustainable of offerings has been in focus, to ensure that as many of the products offered are sourced from the region as possible, that food products comply with recognised nutritional recommendations and that the negative impact of production and processing on the environment is reduced. In the spheres of energy and technology, work is continuously ongoing to modernise stores, using the latest lighting, heating and cooling technology.

SPAR Austria constantly monitors the impact and success of these climate protection measures, has increased existing climate protection targets and extended them to all countries of the corporate group. This will ensure that the company’s climate protection strategy is in line with the Paris Climate Change Conference targets.

The National Mobile Payment Plc. (NM Plc. or the Company) aims to offer its customers convenient and secure innovative payment solutions in many areas of everyday life, significantly reducing the environmental impact, cash and paper usage – whether it is parking, e-vignette or ticket purchase, taking full advantage of digital ecosystems or making optimal use of public transport.

The Company is a key player in the cash-saving digitalisation process in Hungary, and its role in the introduction and education of modern financial solutions is undeniable, as it provides services via a nationwide, interoperable payment platform. The Company is continuously exploring areas where there is potential for the introduction of cashless payment services that can serve the convenience and security of the population and all aspects (social, economic and environmental) of domestic sustainability.

It has made great strides and achieved great results, both in terms of the number of transactions processed and the exponential growth in the number of customers using the system, but this would not be enough without social awareness and responsibility. The Company has therefore compiled its Sustainability Report for 2021, which summarises its activities from an operational, rather than a financial, perspective, and provides a comprehensive picture of its operations and initiates a dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders.

It is also important that both public/user and professional dialogue are a high priority in the life of the Company, and it is important to provide up-to-date information, reporting and insight on a number of innovative issues: the recently established NM Innovation, as the NM Plc. Innovation Workshop, in line with the Hungarian digitalisation and innovation efforts, has launched its website and its professional, yet accessible blog, which is constantly updated and can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.nminnovacio.hu/

From August, only biodegradable bags will be available in the fruit and vegetable sections of SPAR and INTERSPAR stores  throughout the country, with the traditional single-use plastic bags phased out of the shops for good.

In nine SPAR stores and one INTERSPAR store in Tatabánya, the new biodegradable bags, which are primarily used for packaging fruit and vegetables, have been tested for four weeks from 4 April 2022. Customers were also offered the opportunity to buy fruit and vegetables using their own bags or even without packaging.

“The successful four-week trial run in Tatabánya proved that our customers also support the Group’s green philosophy and join our sustainability initiatives, for example by using environmentally-friendly packaging materials or buying fruit and vegetables without packaging. Thus, from 1 August 2022, we will switch to biodegradable, reusable bags, which can be purchased for a symbolic amount of 15 HUF in all our fruit and vegetable departments at all SPAR stores nationwide. When paying at the self-checkout, customers will be able to select whether they are using a bag bought in-store or brought from home,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications. He added: it is worth noting that customers used an average of 250 million pieces of the previous standard 7-micron rollbags in SPAR stores every year, which together weighed 450 tonnes, so the change will reduce the amount of plastic used by that much.

The new material is more flexible, making it more resistant to heavier loads. Unlike the traditional version, the new product is biodegradable and can even be composted at home, so it can be disposed of in a compost or in municipal waste bins after use. The new bags are more absorbent than the conventional ones and are not recommended for home storage of bakery products, as they dry out food more quickly.

In the bakery sections, paper-based packaging has already replaced the former plastic bags. Not only does this reduce the amount of plastic used in food packaging, but the reusable containers offered in the stores of the retail chain also help us to be more environmentally conscious.

In addition to the above, from 1 July 2021, SPAR has no longer sold disposable plastic products such as single-use plastic plates, cups, cutlery and straws. These have been replaced by reusable, dishwasher-safe or paper items.

Images attached to the press release are available in SPAR Médiatár, at the address http://mediatar.spar.hu/. The interface also enables downloading additional public images from SPAR. When using the images, please credit the photos to “spar.hu”.

For more information please contact:

Márk Maczelka, head of communications

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. ∙ 2060, Bicske, SPAR út

Mobile: +36 20 823 7891 ∙ E-mail: maczelka.mark@spar.hu

SPAR Hungary is reducing its plastic use by 84 tonnes per year with new packaging materials used in its logistics department. The company is also continually increasing the number of their biodegradable and compostable products, as well as products made of recyclable plastic.

“One of the most important pillars of SPAR Hungary’s sustainability program is the protection of the environment. Our ambition includes environmentally-conscious corporate governance, a reduction in the emission of pollutants, and the use of modern packaging technologies. Therefore we are reducing the amount of plastic we use during the production and logistics phases in several stages. We have used 13.5 fewer tonnes of plastic in the packaging of Regnum meat tray products in 2022.  Now we have made changes in our logistics department, with the introduction of a new, thinner material used for wrapping leading to a reduction in plastic by 84 tonnes,” shared Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

The company’s warehouses started using a new type of wrapping foil last year, which resulted in an 84 tonne reduction in foil usage last year. As part of SPAR Hungary’s sustainability strategy they continue to extend their product range of goods that support sustainability. More and more of their products are made of recycled, biodegradable, or organic materials such as cane, wood, or paper. The number of recyclable plastic products have increased as well including cups, utensils, plates, and silicon lids. At the end of May the company stopped using the 100% plastic bags in their bakery sections and swapped to bags made almost entirely of paper.