In one year, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by a quarter in the countries of the SPAR Austria group

(Photo: SPAR)

The sustainability report of the SPAR Austria group for last year has been prepared, which reveals that the company group has taken a big step in several areas in terms of reducing the emission of harmful substances, recycling and saving energy, and all of this is largely due to the modernization of its stores. New stores require an average of 17 percent less energy than units renovated 10-15 years ago. The emission of greenhouse gases in the food retail business decreased by 25.8 percent overall on an annual basis. The main reason for this is that in Hungary and Slovenia, the purchased electricity was switched to greener sources of electricity or nuclear energy and the resulting lower carbon dioxide emissions. Since 2015, the SPAR Austria group has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5 percent in its entire operating area, including all its subsidiaries, along with the increase in sales area.

Seventy percent recycling rate

One of the cornerstones of the business philosophy of the corporate group, and within that of SPAR Hungary, is environmentally conscious operation. We pay special attention to reducing negative environmental effects to a minimum, one of the pillars of which is the promotion of environmental awareness and the wide application of closely related procedures. The selection of secondary raw materials generated and sold in stores – paper, plastic – is also of prime importance: over the past 30 years, we have achieved a fundamental change in this field, as the initial recycling rate of 46 percent has now increased to more than 70 percent. – said Márk Maczelka, communications manager of SPAR Magyarország Kft. The company’s energy consumption comes primarily from the use of electricity. As a result of the modernization of the lighting and cooling-heating systems, compared to the base year of 2010, it was possible to reduce the consumption resulting from the use of electricity. SPAR’s primary emission source is the electricity connected to the operating locations, the natural gas and district heat used for heating, and the fuel use related to its own fleet.

From smart solutions to the Green Retailer of the Year title

During the modernization of SPAR Hungary’s stores, it strives to integrate energy-saving devices: the most modern refrigeration equipment and refrigeration counters are installed in the renovated stores. In larger stores, an integrated cooling technology system is set up, with the help of which the heat from the refrigerators and cold rooms can be used to heat the building. In the case of smaller business units, technological cooling and the comfort heating-cooling system are managed with a cooling technology system operating on a similar principle, optimizing the use of energy. During the energy efficiency measures, the modernization of lighting technology also plays a prominent role: fluorescent lamps are replaced by energy-efficient LED lamps, which consume significantly less energy than traditional bulbs. In 2020, as a retail store chain, SPAR was awarded the Green Retailer of the Year title due to its environmentally conscious corporate management and the sustainability measures it has implemented.

Background

Since 2013, the SPAR Austria group has been preparing its sustainability report on the group’s sustainability efforts and measures in terms of products, employees, the environment and society. Since 2016, this report has not only included the activities of the Austrian food retail business, but also – among other things – the data of SPAR Hungary.

The SPAR Austria group consistently worked on its sustainability strategy in 2021 as well. The emphasis was once again placed on the sustainable offer, i.e. on the fact that as much of the products offered as possible come from the region, that the food meets the recognized nutritional recommendations, and that the negative impact of production and processing on the environment is reduced. In the field of energy and technology, they are constantly working on modernizing the stores, using the most modern lighting, heating and cooling technology. The SPAR Austria group continuously monitors the impact and success of these climate protection measures, tightened the existing climate protection targets and expanded them for every country. This ensures that the company’s climate protection strategy is in line with the goals of the Paris climate protection conference.