As a responsible domestic company, SPAR Hungary is striving to minimise its impact on the environment in both its commercial operations and manufacturing processes, to protect employees and customers, to offer products from an increasing number of small and family-owned Hungarian companies and to pay attention to disadvantaged groups in the spirit of social responsibility. The company spent more than 200 million HUF on charitable causes in 2023.

School supplies donation campaign supports school start for pupils in need

Customers of INTERSPAR hypermarkets contributed to the start of the school year of around 1600 needy students with more than 62 000 pieces of school supplies and nearly 2.2 million HUF worth of donation cards during the third “Joy to Give!” (Adni Öröm!) school supplies collection campaign organised in 2023, in cooperation with the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta. The retail chain donated a further one million forints on top of the amount raised.

Joy to Give! – shoppers make Christmas happier 

For the 27th time, the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta and SPAR Hungary launched the joint Christmas campaign called “Joy to Give!” (Adni Öröm!) under the motto “Your donation is worth treasures” to raise awareness that even donating a single product can do a lot for our fellow people in need during the festive season. From 1 December, those who wanted to help could support the campaign with donation cards, and from 14 to 19 December, volunteers in the designated stores received the donations of food and sweets for the children. The success of the campaign is clearly demonstrated by the amount of more than 200 tonnes of food products collected, enabling 25 000 gift packages to be made for families in need. Before Christmas, more than 6.3 million HUF was donated through donation cards purchased in the SPAR online shop and in stores, and another 5 million HUF was donated through the adomanyozz.hu website, which was also used to send food gift packages.

Equal Opportunities Run and donation campaign at the SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival

Runners have entered the races from 816 municipalities in Hungary and 93 countries at the SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival, this year also underlined by the fact that the city of Budapest was celebrating its 150th birthday in 2023. The company also celebrated an anniversary last year, as the festival has been the SPAR name for 15 years, expressing the company’s commitment to promoting a health-conscious lifestyle and active sports. The event also served charitable purposes this year, with race entries also supporting charity organisations that joined the fundraising activities of the festival. The 11th FODISZ Equal Opportunities Run was one of the most prestigious events of the two-day festival, where disabled runners and those with limited mobility ran together with young people in solidarity with them, over a symbolic 500-metre distance.

Any saved food matters

SPAR joined the Munch food rescue platform in 2022, which allows shoppers to rescue food that would otherwise be thrown out. After a six-month pilot period, from the summer of 2023, all SPAR and INTERSPAR stores offer customers the opportunity to use the app to get cheaper access to food products with an upcoming expiry date. Even the products not sold in this way will not be lost, as the good quality items are donated to disadvantaged families, the elderly, the sick and the homeless under cooperation with the Charity Service of the Hungarian Order of Malta.

Donations to the Heim Pál Children Hospital

Healthcare is another important area of the company’s charitable initiatives. SPAR Hungary, in cooperation with Intersnack, the manufacturer of Chio and Pom-Bär products, donated 4.6 million HUF to the Heim Pál National Paediatric Institute. The grant was used to improve the hospital’s ear, nose and throat department, with the purchase of surgical equipment that will enable more tonsillectomies to be performed in parallel, so that children will not have to wait long for surgery.

Helping four-legged companions

Every year, SPAR Hungary supports animals in shelters, in partnership with Országos Állatvédőrség Alapítvány (National Animal Rights Foundation), by organising animal food collection campaigns in INTERSPAR stores. In 2023, 174 collection events were made by NGOs in the company’s 33 stores throughout the country. At the events, a total of more than 17 000 cans of dog food, 27 814 bags of cat food, 27 344 kg of dry dog food and 4 645 kg of dry cat food were collected for the pets living in shelters.

In addition to the above, in the fourth edition of the “Paw in Trouble!” (Mancs a Bajban!) campaign, during which more than thirty activists from animal welfare organisations received donations from customers at thirty-five collection points in 2 days. More than 9 000 kg of dry food and 4 500 cans of dog food, as well as more than 1 000 kilograms of dry food, nearly 2 500 cans of canned food, 5 000 cat food packets and 1 355 kg of cat litter were collected for cats.

Planting native fruit trees to reduce carbon footprint

For many years now, SPAR Hungary has consciously strived to operate in an environmentally-conscious way. At this year’s Budapest Wine Festival, SPAR organised its event for business partners in such a way as to minimise carbon footprint: it voluntarily compensated for the emissions generated by the organisation, energy consumption, travel and meals by planting native fruit trees. SPAR has also sought to reduce its environmental footprint by sourcing ingredients for the food served at the event from local producers, and by preparing the meals on site, eliminating the need to package and transport the food separately. Waste was collected selectively, untouched food was distributed to those in need with the help of the Hungarian Food Bank Association, and the remaining waste was transported and processed by Biofilter. The 8.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the event, calculated by the GreenDependent Institute, were voluntarily offset by the Hungarian retail chain by planting native fruit trees, thus also contributing to biodiversity and species conservation: 392 saplings were planted in the gardens of educational and welfare institutions.

Local products, growing small enterprises, satisfied customers

With organising the Hungaricool competition, SPAR Hungary has been committed to helping small businesses get their products on the shelves: 179 enterprises entered 301 products for the 2023 competition. The production and INTERSPAR sales of the nine new winning brands and their 37 new products gives jobs to more than a hundred employees including suppliers, and enhances the will to enterprise for others.

The Regional Treasures (Régiók Kincsei) programme, launched in 2021, also improves market access for small domestic producers. As a first step, the company has set up regional centres in six cities – Nyíregyháza, Pécs, Győr, Székesfehérvár, Zalaegerszeg and Hódmezővásárhely – and from this year, the programme has also made high-quality Hungarian products available of small Hungarian businesses, producers and artisanal companies in Budapest.

The initiatives of SPAR Hungary in 2023 have been recognised with several professional awards. In addition to the company’s exemplary Regional Treasures (Régiók Kincsei) programme to support small-scale producers, several other efforts that focus on product quality and food safety also received professional recognition.

“For SPAR Hungary, a major actor in the retail trade sector, feedback from our customers is very important, as are the acclaims we receive in various professional competitions. I am delighted to announce that the company’s initiatives have been recognised with several professional awards in the past year and several of our products and two stores have also been awarded,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

Effie Awards Hungary 2023: the Regional Treasures programme for small producers receives award

The Effie, also known as the Oscars of marketing since 1968, is a unique professional recognition that awards all forms of successful and effective marketing communication. Winning any level of the Effie has become a global symbol of achievement. Today, the competition is held in more than 50 countries around the world, with Hungary joining the in 2002.

SPAR Hungary won an award at Effie Awards Hungary 2023. The “Supporting regional small producers: Regional Treasures” campaign was awarded a Bronze Effie in the category Social Campaigns – CSR – Brands, Companies / Doing Good. The SPAR Regional Treasures programme offers local producers in the Hungarian agricultural sector the opportunity to put their products on the shelves of the retail chain, providing customers with access to high-quality Hungarian food produced in their regions.

The Regional Treasures programme creates value

The fourth instance of the DoingGood – CSR Award was announced to companies with initiatives to promote corporate social responsibility. The SPAR Regional Treasures programme received the “special mention” acclaim.

Delicious and tasty SPAR fresh chicken breast fillet

The Maradok a pénzemnél (Stay on My Money) blog put one of the most popular meat products, the nationally available fresh chicken breast in trays, in protective packaging and available over the counter, to the test. These products were cooked without salt or seasoning, cooked in natural style and then tested for texture, taste, aroma and other criteria. Out of 17 products, the SPAR Master Good chicken breast fillets came second. In addition to this, the SPAR Hungerit chicken breast fillet and SPAR chicken breast fillet from the counter were also ranked favourably.

Exemplary management of frozen food items in two INTERSPAR hypermarkets

The INTERSPAR hypermarkets in Nyíregyháza (László út) and Nagykanizsa achieved excellent ratings in the “Szupermenta retail unit – frozen food department” test of the National Food Chain Safety Office. This confirms SPAR’s commitment to food safety and quality control. Also, these two stores are now entitled to use the Szupermenta mark of the authority. In the rigorous test, authority inspectors examined the freezer equipment and the packaging of products in 30 different retail outlets. They also checked shelf life dates and the way frozen food is stored.

FoxPost Zrt., with more than 200 employees, has been providing small parcel logistics services to its customers since its foundation in 2014.

Sustainability is an approach to the company that is part of their strategy and natural way of operating. It is of paramount importance to them that, in addition to providing a service that offers convenience and flexibility to their users, they also build modern and environmentally conscious logistics. Their corporate responsibility extends to all those whom they help with their logistics solutions, and their corporate operations have been designed and are designed in such a way that social, economic, and environmental responsibility is integrated into their everyday lives. Since 2020, they have produced GRI Sustainability Reports in English and Hungarian.

In 2022, they made significant changes to their emissions measurement system: they follow the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard, but now use a much more detailed and comprehensive measurement system. They aim to measure emissions from processes and facilities related to their activities, in addition to their core activities, and to reduce their emissions by an average of 5% per year.

Although most of their environmental impact comes from their emissions from the transport of goods, they also believe that the circular economy is important. They do a lot to minimise the amount of waste they generate; for example, they use special crates to transport parcels, which they improve to increase their lifespan; and they use EcoFoil film, which requires 60% less foil than conventional film.

They have also taken number of effective steps to rationalise energy consumption in their workplace in recent years, such as introducing lighting zones in their warehouses and installing louvers on their gates.

Their responsible approach is reflected in several ways: they encourage their customers to provide regular feedback in the form of questionnaires after transactions, which they use as a basis for improving their processes.  In relation to their employees, they place great emphasis on non-discriminatory recruitment, training and continuous measurement of satisfaction with the company. Feedback is provided anonymously to everyone, and a whistleblowing protection system is in place.

As a Hungarian company and a responsible corporate, they consider it important to stand up for social causes from time to time, especially where they can do the most professionally: providing a modern and simple logistical solution for civil initiatives, e.g. in education, helping families affected by illness, or even supporting local communities.

Since its inception, FoxPost has made it its mission to operate sustainably. They have made significant results in the sustainability of the small parcel logistics segment, which they intend to continue joining the sustainability ecosystem in Hungary through BCSDH.

Founded in 2000, Sharity Zrt. was established as a start-up with the aim of finding solutions for the difficulties and obstacles in the area of giving (use of donations received is not transparent enough, therefore, people have not enough trust in the charity organisations or there is too much risk for the companies in donation; there are many people who would like to donate but have no money; there are many organisations that serve good causes and do not have access to the resources of larger companies) and supporting charitable causes in Hungary. Their purpose-driven business model serves sustainability goals at multiple levels and in measurable ways, with a focus on social and environmental issues.

Their unique solution through an app acts as a commission-free donation broker, where users (who download the app) surf among the good causes and the charity organisations, then support the ones selected, with just a couple of clicks.

Transparency is key to their activities: the charity organisations collecting via the Sharity platform are required to meet the so-called Sharity Transparency Standard (STS), under which they have to account with the donations received. This is supported by a risk monitoring and analysing software developed by a ’Big4’ consulting firm.

The selected good causes can be supported not only with money, but also – creating a platform for advertisers and people who want to do something to come together – without money, by „giving time” to the good cause selected by watching a short video. The advertiser – whose video is watched – undertakes to give donations to the good cause based on the number of views.

Their activities also serve an educational purpose, in order to raise social, environmental and sustainability expectations to the level of social, consumer demands in the long term, which are then incorporated into the operation of businesses.

By joining BCSDH, they would like to belong to an organisation where companies operate along similar values. They see the expected benefits of membership in the sharing of knowledge and good practice, alongside the building and strengthening of valuable business relationships.

• The technology behind loopamid enables recycling of polyamide 6 discarded textiles into new, virgin-quality synthetic fibers and materials
• Zara launches today a jacket made only from loopamid®, based on 100% textile waste from garments, after collaborating with leading manufacturing companies to incorporate loopamid into all the different elements of the product

BASF has developed loopamid, a 100% textile-to-textile recycled polyamide 6. Inditex has turned the material into a capsule jacket.

Ludwigshafen, Germany / Arteixo, Spain – 23 January, 2023 – Today, BASF and Inditex jointly announce a breakthrough in their efforts for boosting recyclability in the textile industry. With the launch of loopamid ®, a polyamide 6 (PA6, also known as nylon 6) made from 100 percent textile waste, BASF is providing the first circular solution for nylon apparel made entirely from textile waste. Zara has turned the material into a jacket made from 100 percent loopamid, available worldwide as of today. Following a “design for recycling” approach, all parts, including fabrics, buttons, filling, hook and loop and zipper are made from loopamid. With loopamid, BASF has developed an innovative solution to improve circularity in the fashion industry and recycle polyamide 6 textile waste. Due to its capability to tolerate all fabric mixtures like PA6 and elastane, the cutting-edge technology behind loopamid allows textile-to-textile recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste. The fibers and materials can be recycled over multiple cycles. At the same time, the material characteristics are identical to those of conventional virgin polyamide. “BASF has reached an important milestone towards circularity in the fashion industry and pioneered an approach to close the loop for nylon textiles,” said Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President of BASF’s Monomers division. “Our loopamid has the potential to revolutionize the PA6 market for the better. We are in the process of scaling up our technology to serve our customers with commercial quantities. The capsule jacket together with Inditex is the proof that circularity is possible, and we are eager to further drive the sustainable transformation of the textile industry.”

Inditex has partnered with other leading groups in the clothing manufacturing industry to seamlessly integrate loopamid into various garment components, including fabrics, zippers, buttons, fillings, hook and loop fasteners, and sewing threads. ModaRe, a take-back program operated by the charity organization Caritas, classified, sorted and provided discarded textiles as feedstock. The Italian company RadiciGroup has been working in the process of transforming loopamid polymer into various types of yarn with different characteristics. The multinational Japanese fastening products company YKK and multinational Velcro companies have also played crucial roles in utilizing loopamid polymer to create plastic components for zippers and snap buttons, and hook and loop fasteners. Uniter from Spain, Tessitura Vignetta from Italy and Freudenberg and Gütermann from Germany have also participated in this project to develop other garment components such as inner labels, filling materials and sewing threads using loopamid.

Javier Losada, Inditex’s Chief Sustainability Officer, added, “Driving innovation is key to advancing towards a more responsible industry. This collaboration is a great example of how, by collaborating all together, we can use the new technology to transform textile waste into a new resource. This project is also a first step to move towards a circular solution, as the industry still needs to boost new collecting and recycling capacities in order to close the loop and scale recycling for post-consumer waste.”

The collaboration of BASF and Inditex is based on a joint journey – both companies are following ambitious sustainability goals. By the year 2030, BASF aims to double its sales generated with solutions for the circular economy to €17 billion. To achieve this, the company is concentrating on three action areas: circular feedstocks, new material cycles and new business models.

Inditex aims to have 100% of its textile products to be made exclusively from materials with a smaller environmental footprint by 2030. As part of this commitment, the Group expects to have 25% of the textile fibers made from next-generation materials that do not yet exist at an industrial scale, 40% of conventional recycled materials and 25% of organic and regenerative fibres. Polyamide 6, commonly known as nylon 6, is a type of synthetic polymer that is widely used in various applications due to its excellent mechanical properties and versatility. BASF is one of the leading manufacturers of polyamide 6 and its precursors, with production sites in Europe, Asia and North America.