Carrefour has been cooperating with Caritas in Poland for many years. There are several projects implemented together, e.g. fight against children malnutrition in "Dożywianie z Carrefour" project or "Skrzydła" national scholarship program for youth, fighting againts their social exclusion. Carrefour also supports the charity fundraisers of the "Uratuję Cię" program and the purchase of respirators and personal protection equipment for medical staff of Polish hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic as part of the #WdzięczniMedykom campaign. Moreover, the chain's hyper- and supermarkets regularly join Caritas' Christmas collections under the slogan "Tak, Pomagam!" and collection of school supplies as part of the "Tornister pełen uśmiechów" campaign.
In March 2020, Carrefour also decided to expand its cooperation with Caritas Polska in the field of counteracting food waste. Responding to the requirements of the new act in this regard, the organizations signed an appropriate nationwide agreement deciding to continue and expand their cooperation. The signed contract concerns cooperation and food collection in hyper- and supermarkets throughout the country.
Carrefour's involvement in the implementation of the "Skrzydła" program was recognized with the Ubi Caritas award in the donor of the year category.
We have been working with the Federation of Polish Food Banks since the very beginning of our activities, providing support in local and national food donations. Carrefour has also been supporting Food Banks in donating excess food products from its stores, as well as tog together with Carrefour Foundation, financed the donation of dozens of refrigerated trucks that help to pick up fresh products from stores and to transport and deliver them safely to people in need across the whole country.
Carrefour Poland has been awarded the Benefactor of the Year award for their cooperation with Food Banks.
We are involved in national food donations coordinated by both Caritas Polska and the Polish Federation of Food Banks. We also work with several local organizations in our stores across Poland.
Until now, a few hundreds of our stores managed to collect several dozens of tons of groceries, mostly products with extended expiration date (sugar, sweets, oil, canned food and preserves). The food was sent to local organizations which prepare meals for people in need.
As part of its CSR strategy, Carrefour Poland actively supports NGOs in their activities, for among others: reducing poverty, providing equal opportunities, preventing waste and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Both the headquarters and stores all around Poland are involved in charity activities.
Carrefour also cares about good neighborhood relationships and the development of local communities. Carrefour stores all around Poland support a number of campaigns for helping those in need, promoting ecology, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. It is worth mentioning that Carrefour also supports hospices, children’s homes, kindergartens, schools and hospitals, located nearby our stores across Poland.
Cooperation with NGOs is not only about financial support. Carrefour Poland is actively involved in campaigns organized by institutions like: the Polish Organization of Trade and Distribution, the Polish Franchise Organization, the Responsible Business Forum, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Centre Club, which contribute to the implementation of good practices in the field of sustainable development.
Carrefour Poland also carries out valuable initiatives, among others with the UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Centre, the Association of people with disabilities for the Environment EKON, The national association “ROPSAN- Parents against alcohol sales to underage buyers”, and the Foundation “Help for the Employees from the Transportation Industry”.
Cooperation between business and science is important for economic development and innovation of companies. Carrefour Polska, as a socially responsible company, places great emphasis on developing initiatives implemented jointly with the academic community. We not only support selected educational and scientific projects materially, but we also actively participate in their implementation, which is best evidenced by the results of the "BIO for mother and child" and "ABC of Healthy Nutrition" programs.
Over the past few years, we have implemented valuable initiatives with both the academic and student communities. In 2019, together with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), we initiated the "BIO for Mother and Child" program, which aims to educate mothers, pregnant women and the staff of institutions associated with this group about organic food. The program involves conducting workshops in birth schools, kindergartens and nurseries in 8 Polish cities. Over 1,000 participants will take part in them.
We also collaborated with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences as part of several editions of the "ABC Healthy Nutrition" program and during the implementation of the Simplified Food Labeling System SENS in Poland.
As part of projects with scientific communities, we also carried out with the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Warsaw ethnographic researches on consumer attitudes, preferences and strategies. We were a partner of the ‘Economic Bridges’, one of the most interesting and popular student initiatives of the Warsaw School of Economics. We were invited by the scientific student law club Ex Ante of the Kozminski University in Warsaw, to talk about entrepreneurship and franchise development. We also supported TEDx Warsaw University of Technology, a popular event organized by the International Scientific Club for Sustainable Business.
Carrefour actively supports and promotes local suppliers, as well as acts for the development of the Polish economy. We are eager to cooperate with local farmers, helping them to sell their products and to promote their farms among customers according to the Carrefour Ethical Charter. We conduct for many years for suppliers regular trainings, which are a good opportunity to share knowledge, exchange experiences, and discuss trends and sustainable development.
Currently Carrefour cooperates with more than 100 local suppliers, and as a result, can offer its customers fresh regional goods, including dairy products, bread, meat, vegetables and fruits. The project "Prosto z pola" organized together with the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, project "Prosto z pola do 50km" and the assortment of “Jakość z Natury Carrefour” are good examples of putting this idea into practice. This product line has been created in collaboration with Polish farmers, breeders and producers and is only made of top quality products, from ecologically clean areas, and produced with respect for the environment and animal welfare. Their production process is monitored ‘from the field to the plate’.
The aim of the ‘Self-diagnostic’ campaign is to promote sustainable development among Carrefour own-label product’s suppliers and to enable them to assess their own actions.
This campaign is carried out at Carrefour Poland since 2010 and consists of 4 stages. In the first stage, every organization assesses its CSR activities using a questionnaire in compliance with ISO 26000 standards and which includes 35 self-assessment criteria.
In the second stage, the company presents one of its good practices. For the suppliers who scored the highest results, this stage is followed by a one-day CSR audit. In the final stage, the jury nominates the best projects.
In the last few editions of the campaign, suppliers had to submit initiatives related to environmental protection and anti food waste.