One of the priorities of the World Cleanup Day 2025 was to support local cleanups all over the SPAR retail network. The country organisations in Denmark, Northern Ireland and Slovenia emphasized the use of community based projects by the supermarket chains to enhance environmental commitment and brand image.
Supported by retailers action in the community
The seventh year of SPAR Denmark support on Ren Natur, a national organisation in the lead of waste collection tours, was celebrated. During May-July, over 800 volunteers gathered 5.5 tonnes of waste, and 52 of the local SPAR stores offered a hub in the process. Clean-up kits were also lent out to the shoppers in stores this year, making the programme an association-driven initiative change to a community-wide initiative.
In the case of supermarkets, local store networks can be used to achieve quantifiable environmental outcomes, which is illustrated by the model. The involvement also creates the exposure of the independent retailers under SPAR as equal local stakeholders.
Brand investment: youth engagement
In Northern Ireland SPAR paid off students in the Knockevin Special School student council who picked litter every week. Through the help of Q Radio, the initiative connected the local store teams with the younger consumers and solidified the values of the local communities. According to B2B analysts, this youth engagement leads to long term brand goodwill making SPAR an extension of the social fabric in which its outlets are trading.
Environmental positioning is brought out during water cleanups
SPAR Slovenia contributed to a variety of campaigns that dealt with rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Through a collaboration with the YouSea Institute and the Slovenian Diving Association, SPAR assisted in the elimination of over 1,000kg of waste in the marine ecosystems this year. This was followed by work on the lake of Bled and the river of Ljubljanica, and schools and volunteers were mobilised and in association with the work of professional divers.
The cross-market activity demonstrates the alignment of environmental action with the overall strategies of responsible retailing. In the case of SPAR, it increases the transparency of the sustainability debate as well as providing other supermarket chains that want to incorporate CSR and community relationships with replicable examples.
The encouragement of local cleanups along the SPAR retail chain is an indication of a broader pattern in retail community-based sustainability as a part of daily operations in supermarkets. On the side of B2B stakeholders, such efforts bring out the fact that responsible retailing is becoming a brand asset in various markets.
