Sustainability
OUR APPROACH
Download Environmental, Socio-economic and Governance supplementary report 
Download Climate Change report
Our slogan, ‘My SPAR, Our Tomorrow’, states our commitment to the future of our brand and our planet. Our values of entrepreneurship, family values and passion ensure we meet this commitment. We want to contribute to a better world for our stakeholders and therefore consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when doing business. Our sustainability pledge is to create authentic shared value for our stakeholders by contributing to societal change and responsible living, by creating opportunities and through our stewardship of resources.
STRONG ESG PRACTICES
SPAR is proud to confirm that we have satisfied all requirements to become a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series. The FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong ESG practices.
SPAR AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Climate Resilience at SPAR
SPAR is actively working to become a carbon-neutral organisation by 2050. We are reducing our environmental impacts, including our carbon and water footprints. We are also ensuring that our natural resources are responsibly procured and protected.
FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR FOOD WASTE
Our target is to halve food waste in our operations by 2030. We are working to reduce food losses along our production and supply chains, and we support the redistribution of nutritious surplus food to communities in need, while taking food safety into account. This means buying better, communicating more with consumers and engaging with all our stakeholders to achieve zero hunger.
OUR PACKAGING SOLUTION
Convenient, safe and affordable packaging can be achieved without harming the environment. At SPAR we aim to have 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging and make sure all the paper and board we use is 100% sustainable by 2025. We design packaging with a circular economy in mind.
NATURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP
SPAR uses natural resources in all our business activities, including sourcing, packaging, distribution and retail. We are committed to responsible living and take our stewardship role seriously. This means preserving natural resources and working with our suppliers to reduce our impact.
CDP DISCLOSURE INSIGHT ACTION
We benchmark and disclose our environmental performance through public platforms such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). SPAR participated in the CDP since 2009.
Download 2022 CDP waterDownload 2022 CDP climate change
Download 2022 CDP forests
OUR SOCIAL PURPOSETACKLING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
We want to make a real difference to youth unemployment in South Africa. SPAR supports two programmes that connect young South Africans to potential employment in our stores. These programmes raise awareness about retail careers, help develop skills and allow SPAR to build its employer brand.
Read more:
https://www.futureme.org.za/
https://jumpstart.org.za/
TRANSFORMING OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
SPAR’s award-winning rural hub programme is designed around the belief that small-scale rural farmers are the key to new and sustainable supply chains in South Africa. The programme contributes to job creation, income generation, infrastructure development, skills transfer and empowerment while creating a food system that provides affordable and nutritious fresh produce. All participating small-scale farmers receive training covering all aspects of farm management and food safety, provided by an in-house team of qualified agronomists.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
SPAR made a public commitment in 2020 to become practically involved in the fight to end gender-based violence (GBV) in the Southern African communities we serve. We work with partners, employees and other stakeholders to raise awareness, contribute funds and share support information to help women know their rights. Click here.
Black economic empowerment
We support government’s efforts to create economic transformation and enhance the participation of Black people in the South African economy. Our strategic focus on embedding diversity and transformation supports our commitment to ethical business practices.
REPORTS
