Arhiva Social Responsibility

Fortenova Group and Podravka sign sale-purchase agreement for Agriculture Division Fortenova group

26.07.2024.

Fortenova Group publishes 2023 Financial Statements and Sustainability Report Fortenova group

16.07.2024.

With the publication of its audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Sustainability Report for 2023, Fortenova Group has rounded off a very intensive first half of the year. In particular, after last week’s announcement of a very successful implementation of its ownership transformation and the fact that it no longer has any sanctioned shareholders in its ownership structure, as well as of the decision on having selected Podravka as its partner to continue the process of divesting the agriculture business, in the Financial Statements and the Sustainability Report the Group has now presented its last year’s business operations to the public in detail.

The audited Consolidated Financial Statements disclose the key financial indicators, while the Sustainability Report features a comprehensive overview of the Group’s and its operating companies’ operations in 2023, focusing on the activities in seven key sustainability topics.

When it comes to the financial indicators for 2023, according to the audited consolidated results the Group generated total consolidated revenues of more than EUR 5.8 billion. Adjusted consolidated operating profits were lower than in the year before and amounted to EUR 251 million. The net debt at the end of 2023 was EUR 970 million, while the net debt to adjusted operating profits ratio was 3.86 times. In a year-on-year comparison, all of the Group’s business divisions recorded higher total revenues, while having generated lower operating profits.

“Reflecting on last year’s financial results, it is important to note that, regardless of the specific circumstances that we found ourselves in, which we extensively addressed in the previous days, the Group has accomplished the most important goals planned, particularly having in mind the impact that global economic developments have had on our operations. As expected, the reduced operating profits as compared to the previous year were primarily due to the high increase in costs, particularly of energy and raw materials, and the increase in employee benefits. Nevertheless, despite the growth of our financing costs, the total net debt to adjusted profits ratio is on a satisfactory level” – said Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, commenting on the 2023 financial indicators.

When it comes to the third consecutive Sustainability Report, it contains information about the businesses of 39 operating companies and Fortenova grupa d.d. and indicates key strides made in the area of sustainability in 2023, as confirmed by two awards received by the Group in the previous period. The first one is the Gold Award and the “Regional ESG Leader” acknowledgement for overall ESG achievements, awarded in the competition of large companies from the territory of Central and Southeast Europe by the International Economic Forum “Perspektive” and the company “Promo global”, while the Group received the “Hrvoje Požar” annual award in the category of a realized rational energy management project for the implementation of a comprehensive energy efficiency project. The achievement of energy efficiency is one of the priorities that the Group has intensively been working towards since 2022, when it started to establish the processes of determining all emission sources in its own operating process and the entire supply chain. Following an integral calculation of the carbon footprint from all established sources, studies were prepared in collaboration with the Hrvoje Požar Institute for each of the Group’s 40 companies engaged in different business activities, aimed at reducing their carbon footprint, as well as the pertaining documentation for the implementation of measures for its reduction in the period between 2025 and 2030. At the same time, the plans on reducing the carbon footprint at Group level started to be implemented already over the course of 2023 by initiating projects intended to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the overall consumption, define summer and winter store temperatures, reduce lighting outside the working hours to a security minimum, install LED lighting and close the refrigerated display cabinets in the stores, install higher capacity compressors and economizers on the boilers in specific companies and modernize the vehicles. Thereby, savings of 5 percent were made at Group level in the overall energy consumption.

Another important step was the increase in employee investments, which is particularly important given the total number of workers employed by the Group across the region and the risk arising from labour shortages. Since 2019 the labour costs have thus increased at Group level by almost EUR 200 million, with the Group continuing to invest in the growth of total employee benefits (salaries, performance-related remuneration and various bonuses/rewards), where it has been recognized in the broader environment for actively advocating the search for new and the relaxation of existing models of substituting the insufficient number of the working population in the countries of the region.

Another thing the Group companies have in common is the initiative related to the reduction of food waste, where Konzum HR has for the sixth consecutive year been recognized as the largest food donor in Croatia, while at the same time four Group companies – Fortenova grupa d.d., Konzum HR, Zvijezda HR and PIK Vrbovec HR – have, upon initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, acceded to the Voluntary Agreement on the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste, “Together against food waste”.

Furthermore, given that it has defined the diversity of representation at all levels, along with achieving gender equality, as one of its ESG goals, over the course of 2023 the Group adopted the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, with action plans prepared for the implementation of the Policy in 2024.

“The package of information where we have presented in detail everything that we did in 2023 is yet another proof of our dedication to responsible business operations, and in that light our strides regarding sustainability topics should be viewed as well. This, of course, also applies to a number of activities that we have undertaken over the course of last year, related to securing the stability and safety of our operations, particularly when it comes to the financial aspect, but also with regard to different external challenges and abrupt changes to the conditions in which our business operations took place”, Peruško concluded, commenting on the key elements of the Group’s Sustainability Report.

The 2023 Sustainability Report is available at the following link: https://fortenova.hr/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fortenova-Group-Sustainability-report-2023.pdf

Fortenova Group Wins the “Hrvoje Požar” Award for Rational Energy Use Fortenova group

05.07.2024.

Fortenova Group is the winner of the annual “Hrvoje Požar” award in the category of “realised rational-energy-use project”, which has been awarded for the 29^th time by the “Hrvoje Požar” Foundation of the Croatian Energy Society.

Achieving energy efficiency is one of the priorities of Fortenova Group: something we have been working on intensively since 2022, when we started establishing the process of determining all sources of emissions in both our own business process and its entire supply chain.

After a thorough calculation of the carbon footprint from all established sources – in cooperation with the Hrvoje Požar Institute – studies were made on carbon-footprint reduction for 40 of our companies, across five markets, engaged in various activities including retail and wholesale, food and beverage production, agriculture and IT services. The base year for the studies was 2022. A study was performed for each company, providing the basis for the assignment of measures to reduce their carbon footprints. The implementation of all the measures is planned for the period from 2025 to 2030. During that time, we will monitor the progress of the implementation; additional measures will be proposed if necessary.

A number of projects with the aim of increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total consumption had already been launched by 2023, e.g. defining summer and winter temperatures in stores, reducing lighting outside working hours to a safety minimum, installing LED lighting and closing refrigerated display cases in stores, installing larger capacity compressors and economisers on boilers in individual companies, as well as the modernisation of vehicles. These projects marked the beginning of the implementation of the above-mentioned plans on reducing our carbon footprint at the group level. They also enabled savings of 5% in total energy consumption.

The prestigious recognition from experts and scientists in the energy industry was accepted on behalf of Fortenova Group by Fabris Peruško, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors:

“I am extremely glad that the industry has recognised the work that Fortenova Group puts into achieving energy efficiency and contributing to reducing the carbon footprint of our own production process in Croatia and in the region.

I accept this award with a sense of pride for the achievements of Fortenova Group in this important area of business, and especially for the dedicated work of colleagues from our operative companies, whose commitment is the reason I am here today.

Energy savings are becoming essential for business sustainability, increasing efficiency and protecting the environment. Since we are highly conscious of our own role in supporting the green transition in Southeast Europe, we are going to continue to systematically implement strategies aimed at reducing energy consumption in all business areas of Fortenova Group,” said Peruško.

Application by Faculty of Graphic Arts students wins competition of developing Fortenova Group’s inclusive retail adjustment projects Fortenova group

04.04.2024.

A group of students from the Faculty of Graphic Arts that developed and presented the project of a navigation app for persons with disabilities to be used at Konzum’s brick-and-mortar stores are the winners of the project introduced by Fortenova Group and Poslovni dnevnik, as part of which students of three higher education institutions had the assignment to elaborate their vision of adjusting retail stores to be easier accessible for persons with disabilities. The presentations were the result of elaborating the tasks that Fortenova Group has tied to one of its key ESG areas – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, while Poslovni dnevnik ran the ‘Students’ Creative Workshop’ as part of its project Croatian Brains for Croatia.
The Zagreb School of Business also designed an application intended to help people with motoric, sensory and intellectual challenges while shopping, which they have called “Saša, your shopping friend”, while the team of the University North came up with a wider range of recommendations to adjust the points of sale, as well as guidelines for an application solution supported by smart watches.
In choosing the best it all came down to details, and the jury consisting of Konzum and Fortenova Group representatives (Ines Barbir – Director of the Business Applications Department, Denis Validžić – Director of the region Zagreb 1 (Retail), Sandra Đolo, Head of Corporate Communication Services, Lea Kufek Kupres – Sustainability Manager and Lea Ridjan – Market Research and Marketing Support Manager), as well as representatives of the Croatian Federation of Associations for Young People and Students with disabilities – SUMSI, had no easy task.
Finally the jury decided that the proposal which was elaborated in detail in all aspects and which would be the fastest to implement has won. However, most importantly, all three teams have shed light on a number of adjustment elements the adoption of which would largely facilitate movement and shopping for persons with disabilities, whether in brick and mortar stores or when shopping online. The message at the core of all the presentations was that persons with disabilities are part of our lives and that we should provide them with equal opportunities.
It is even more important that in their solutions the students have demonstrated an exceptional level of creativity, inclusion as well as potential to assume responsibility in the business world that awaits them after graduation. With that in mind, as Vladimir Nišević, Editor-in-Chief of Poslovni dnevnik said, “they are all winners of this creative workshop”.
The winning team received a check of EUR 1,500 from Fortenova Group, while the other two teams got 11 Konzum gift cards.

Fortenova Group – regional ESG leader Social Responsibility

07.03.2024.

In the competition of large companies from Central and Southeast Europe, the International Economic Forum ‘Perspectives’ and the company ‘Promo Global’ awarded Fortenova grupa d.d. with the Golden Award and the ‘Regional ESG Leader’ acknowledgement for the year 2023 in the Overall ESG Achievements category.
The awards in four categories – Environmental Protection, Positive Impact on the Society, Ethical Management and Overall ESG Achievements in 2023 – were presented to the best entrepreneurs and companies as part of the three-day 9^th Regional Entrepreneurs’ Summit – Top 300, held in Zagreb on the occasion of the World Entrepreneurs’ Day on 5^th March.
On behalf of Fortenova Group, the award was accepted by Marina Burazer, Group Director of Marketing and ESG, who said on this occasion: “I am grateful that Fortenova Group’s efforts in the area of sustainability have been recognized, given all our ongoing activities and projects. Over the last two years we have, at Group level, strategically focused on considering the ESG aspect in order to improve our own operations and clearly define common goals in the areas of reducing emissions, efficient waste management, affecting the quality of life through the quality of food, reducing impact on soil and water, achieving gender equality and positively contributing to the communities in which we operate. Our thank you goes to all Group employees, who actively participate in achieving Fortenova Group’s sustainability goals and implementing all initiatives with a positive impact on the society.”
Deciding on the winners among candidates from 8 countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Northern Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia), there was an independent International Expert Council, and about their decision the Chairwoman of the Council, Prof. Majda Tafra Vlahović, PhD, university professor and certified professional sustainability expert of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), among other things said: “Your commitment to integrating ESG principles into your company’s operational structure has not only set an outstanding corporate responsibility standard, but also demonstrated significant advantages of such practices. While paying you tribute with this Award, we believe that we will witness your company’s pioneering strategies initiate a wave of positive transformation in the corporate landscape, proving that the commitment to ESG values is not only useful, but necessary in order to drive a sustainable and equitable future for all.”

Together against food waste Social Responsibility

22.03.2023.

Fortenova Group, Konzum, Zvijezda and PIK Vrbovec are among 33 signatories that have today signed the voluntary agreement on preventing and reducing food waste “Together Against Food Waste” with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Agreement is intended to drive the food sector’s social responsibility, as well as collaboration, exchange of experience and defining of common goals and activities of the stakeholders involved, with the ultimate goal of preventing and reducing the generation of food waste in Croatia by 30 percent by the year 2028.

The Agreement is part of the Food Waste Prevention and Reduction Plan in the Republic of Croatia for the period between 2023 and 2028, as well as the reform measure “Food Donation System Improvement” from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and is signed for a period of five years. Pursuant thereto, a working group will be established that will prepare a Common Annual Report, where the involved signatories are obligated to submit progress reports.

On behalf of Fortenova Group and its companies the Agreement was signed by Marina Burazer, Director of Marketing at Fortenova grupa d.d., Uroš Kalinić, Member of the Management Board of Konzum, Tomislav Alagušić, President of the Management Board of Zvijezda and Slaven Ružić, President of the Management Board of PIK Vrbovec.

“Fortenova Group, with its companies engaging in agriculture, production and retail of food, is aware of the importance of preventing and reducing the generation of food waste. We have signed the Agreement in order to contribute to the reduction of food waste as well as to influence the raising of public awareness of this topic by way of concrete and measurable contributions. Each one of us, both personally and at company level, can contribute to a solution and I am pleased to say that our companies have since many years been systematically working in that direction – from efficient stock management, raising public awareness and promotional activities for customers to food donations. Konzum, for example, has for five consecutive years been holding the title of The Best Donor, having donated more than 1 300 tonnes of food. Such initiatives are good for the entire planet, as well as for individual states, companies and consumers – all in all, they are in the common interest of all of us and deserve to be approached with due care” – Marina Burazer stated on this occasion.

Fortenova Group signs Cooperation Agreement with Hrvoje Požar EI for its carbon footprint calculation study Social Responsibility

06.10.2022.

Fortenova Group and the Hrvoje Požar Energy Institute (EIHP) signed a cooperation agreement for the preparation of a carbon footprint calculation study for Fortenova grupa d.d. and its operating companies. The Agreement was signed by Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, and Dražen Jakšić, Director of the Hrvoje Požar Energy Institute.

The study to be prepared for Fortenova Group by EIHP will include a calculation of GHG emissions from Scopes 1, 2 and 3 and is intended for the Group to be able to systematically work on their reduction. Scope 1 includes direct emissions occurring at company locations due to fuel combustion in immovable and movable energy sources, production processes, use of land, changes in the use of land and forestry as well as from fugitive sources. Indirect emissions from Scope 2 occur outside of the company’s locations and are related to the purchase and consumption of electricity, heat and cooling energy. The calculation will also include other significant indirect emissions from Scope 3, related to input and output material and people flows required for the functioning of Fortenova Group’s business units.

The calculations obtained shall be the basis for defining short-term and long-term GHG emission reduction objectives and the preparation of the Strategy and Action Plan for the reduction of Fortenova Group’s carbon footprint.

It is business entities that actually constitute a major part of the solution to the problem of climate change and achieving neutrality within the deadlines envisaged by the Paris Agreement as well as the goals set in that regard by the EU, namely, to reduce GHG emissions by the year 2030 by at least 55 percent against the emissions from 1990 and for Europe to eventually become a climate-neutral continent by the year 2050.

„As the largest private employer in the SEE region we are aware of our impact on the communities in which we operate and consequently also our responsibilities when it comes to assuming the leading role in contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions; hence achieving our own carbon neutrality is the long-term goal of our sustainability strategy. This project that we have launched with EIHP is therefore not only key in calculating the current level of our carbon footprint and setting concrete objectives for its reduction, but also for establishing high sustainability standards in all our companies, regardless of the respective market on which they operate, the level of its development and the national regulations when it comes to matters of reducing the impact on climate changes” – commented Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors on the occasion of signing the agreement with the Hrvoje Požar EI.

“By providing expert support to the business sector in transforming their operations towards low-carbon, EIHP also accomplishes its own mission in contributing to the green energy transition. We are pleased that Fortenova Group has recognized us as a reliable partner in implementing its sustainability strategy and reducing GHG emissions. A detailed carbon footprint calculation, both at the level of individual operating companies and at Group level, is an important first step that will enable Fortenova Group to get to know the emissions structure and recognize those activities that contribute to the carbon footprint. The next step is the preparation of a strategy and action plan defining the measures for reducing emissions, the implementation whereof will be Fortenova Group’s significant contribution to achieving climate neutrality of the society as a whole”, said Dražen Jakšić, Director of the Hrvoje Požar EI.

The project in question will take place in several stages – from calculating emissions and presenting the results in accordance with the GHG protocol and ISO 14064-1 standards to preparing the carbon footprint management strategy, the action plan for reducing GHG emissions and analysing the conditions for achieving carbon neutrality.

Fortenova Group publishes its first Sustainability Report Social Responsibility

30.06.2022.

Fortenova Group has prepared its 2021 Sustainability Report and published it on its website (https://fortenova.hr/en/sustainability/ ). It is the Group’s first Report of this kind, whereby it has established its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) sustainability objectives, prepared in compliance with GRI standards – sustainability reporting guidelines devised by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

The Report provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the Group’s entire business operations in 2021, as well as insight in its strategy and key values and sustainability topics that are material for Fortenova Group and its stakeholders, i.e. those where the Group has the greatest impact.

It comprises seven key topics starting from the objective to build sustainability as a relevant criterion into the Group’s decision making processes, through reducing GHG emissions, waste management across the chain from food production to packaging, improving life quality by way of the quality of food, reducing the impact that the Group and its operating companies have on soil and waters, impact on improving the standard of living in the communities where it operates to continuing to encourage diversity and inclusion at all levels.

The Report features a lot of data related to the above topics from the Group’s 45 companies that have significant operating activities and actively employ. At the same time, the 2021 Report also includes selected initiatives that were launched in early 2022 to illustrate the current status of topics that are the most relevant for the Group.

Furthermore, given that some of the operating companies’ everyday activities comprised in the Report also include activities specified in the first two objectives of the EU Taxonomy – climate change mitigation and climat change adaptation – in order to act in accordance with its regulatory obligations for 2022, as a first step Fortenova Group disclosed the evaluation of eligibility for 2021.

Namely, the Taxonomy Regulation is the EU’s key document for the achievement of climate objectives and features a classification system that establishes a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities and aligns the criteria for determining whether an economic activity qualifies as environmentally sustainable.

„Everything that we have done over the last few years, and particularly in 2021, is part of the activities that have improved our social and corporate responsibility, while having a positive impact on the economic development of the communities in which we operate. This Report not only shows that we have timely accepted the responsibilities arising from the European Green Deal, but that in 2021 we laid the organizational foundation, as well as the foundation pertaining to activities required for sustainability to be integrated in our internal management system and become part of the Group’s long-term strategy. We have thus raised the responsibility not only to ourselves, but to our consumers, partners, suppliers, the environment and the society as a whole – to an even higher level” – commented Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors on the occasion of publishing Fortenova Group’s first Sustainability Report.

According to the assessment of the Expert Commission of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HR PSOR), Fortenova Group’s 2021 Sustainability Report is in accordance with the core level of GRI reporting and complies with the legal provisions of the Republic of Croatia in the area of sustainability reporting.

„ We as a Commission noted that Fortenova, as the largest regional company, has prepared a very comprehensive and thorough report with a lot of useful information that give us complete overview of all their operations. Even though there are some parts of the Report that can be improved, generally, considering that it is the Group’s first report of this kind, we found it very well aligned with the requirements of GRI. It is in our opinion one of the most complete reports to be published in Croatia in recent years and probably one of the finest sustainability reports in the region. We commend Fortenova Group for this accomplishment and look forward to their future work on sustainable practices and on the development of the reporting process itself“ – HR PSOR stated in its assessment of Fortenova Group’s first Sustainability Report.

Fortenova grupa d.d. receives the Family Friendly Employer acknowledgement Prizes and awards

25.02.2022.

Fortenova grupa d.d. has received the acknowledgement “Family Friendly Employer”, awarded for the fourth year in a row by the Central Government Office for Demographics and Youth to companies with best quality solutions in achieving a friendly atmosphere towards employees and their families, particularly taking into account the adjustment of the employers to employees’ families over the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2018, when it was awarded for the first time, this acknowledgement has established itself as an important public commendation to those employers whose relation to their employees stands witness to their socially responsible approach and also shows a diversity of solutions for creating a friendly and encouraging environment for employees and their families.

“At the company we have focused on our employees with children, by providing parents with certain benefits in those moments of life that are important to them. At the same time we are focused on the idea of projecting optimism, as we believe that the optimism that we build within our company also affects the broader society. Viewed in the context of the declining population, we think that what is missing in our society is optimism. It is important for us to support family life as well as optimism, because we believe that it is possible to create personal wealth, values and business success in our region and that people can feel good here” – said Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer, on the occasion of the award presentation.

Gordana Fabris, Fortenova Group’s Director of Human Resources, noted that the wide array of benefits at Fortenova Group ranged from employee health care by way of covering additional health insurance costs, thru a number of measures supporting parenthood – flexible working hours and four-hour workdays for parents of children with special needs, the possibility of gradual return to work following maternity or parental leave, use of days off for the child’s first day at school or kindergarten – up to subsidized sporting activities for its employees.

“Fortenova Group’s commitment to building a community that places the focus on family values has been recognized by the Central Government Office for Demographics and Youth, which has awarded us the acknowledgement “Family Friendly Employer” for the year 2021. We are exceptionally proud of this valuable recognition, which is also an encouragement to keep focusing on the welfare of our employees even more” – Gordana Fabris said.

Fortenova Group signs Diversity Charter Social Responsibility

17.12.2021.

Fortenova Group has today in collaboration with the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development signed the Diversity Charter for all segments of its operations and its operating companies in Croatia and across the region. The Charter was signed by Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, and Mirjana Matešić, Ph.D., Director or the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development. The signing follows after Fortenova Group recently formally joined HR PSOR and UN Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainable development and corporate sustainability initiative.

With today’s adoption of the Diversity Charter Fortenova Group has undertaken to publicly support and develop diversity in all of its work environments, operating companies and the business environment in general.

“It is important to note that today’s signing of the Diversity Charter is a logical upgrade on our commitment to sustainable development. I am particularly proud of the speed at which Fortenova Group has within very short time made key strides in accepting sustainable operations and its values; from our Code of Ethics and accession to HR PSOR and UN Global Compact, until today when we have signed the Diversity Charter. Sustainability and diversity are Fortenova Group’s fundamental values and a constituent part of our corporate culture” – said Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors on the occasion of signing the Diversity Charter.

Mirjana Matešić, Ph.D., Director of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development, stated on that occasion: “We are pleased that by signing the Diversity Charter Fortenova Group has publicly, on behalf of all its employees, accepted the responsibility to apply diversity and equal opportunities at the workplace in all of its companies. Diversity is one of the main tools for achieving innovativeness and creativity, required more than ever in order to realize our transformation towards sustainability”.

Fortenova Group joins UN Global Compact initiative Social Responsibility

15.10.2021.

Fortenova Group, comprising some of the most significant companies in Croatia and the region, such as Konzum, Mercator, Jamnica, Zvijezda, Dijamant, Belje, Tisak, Sarajevski kiseljak etc., has formally joined the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainable development and corporate sustainability initiative. Fortenova Group has thus become part of a large community of 18,000 members from 162 countries of the world that have committed to adhering to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. The principles comprise fundamental operating responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, based on internationally adopted declarations and conventions of the UN and constituting the normative authority for responsible operations.

UN Global Compact has, as a special initiative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, been mandated to direct and provide support to the business community worldwide in achieving progress and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030.

“Since it first commenced its operations, Fortenova Group started to live its fundamental values, with sustainable operations being one of the four key pillars of the culture of responsibility that we have been building towards our employees, the communities in which we operate, our consumers, partners, suppliers, the environment and the society as a whole. From the Code of Ethics that we adopted just a few months after our incorporation, to the development of a reporting concept in accordance with GRI standards that we shall already adhere to in our next operating report. Fortenova Group has within only two years raised its social and corporate responsibility to a very high level, creating the prerequisites for sustainable development in its environment. Given that we engage in food production and distribution, food safety systems are part of our integrated management system and among the initiatives and continuous investments in green and socially responsible projects, particularly worth being singled out are the recent projects carried out by our companies in reducing the carbon footprint of our packaging. Hence our joining this global initiative is but a natural step to round off all our activities in that direction, and because of everything that we have currently been witnessing – global climatic, health, economic as well as value challenges, the accession to the Compact is the more important for us” – said Fabris Peruško, Fortenova Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors, on the occasion of Fortenova Group joining the UN Global Compact.

Through operating strategies in all of its core businesses Fortenova Group has opted for sustainable development and efficient management in the long term, thus also driving a stronger involvement of the business sector in activities intended to progress towards sustainable development goals and achieving corporate sustainability in accordance with the principles of the UN Global Compact.

“It is my great pleasure to welcome Fortenova Group on behalf of the UN Global compact. By joining this initiative, the company has demonstrated its commitment to the sustainability goals set, while at the same time raising the already high expectations of its stakeholders. I am looking forward to the collaboration, with a view to the company progressing towards meeting those expectations” – said Vali Marszalek, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Croatia.

Fortenova Group purchases and donates half a million protective masks to the Civil Protection Directorate Social Responsibility

10.04.2020.

The protective equipment worth almost HRK 2 million is intended for users working in the field to implement health protection measures against the coronavirus

Half a million disposable protective masks were donated by Fortenova Group to the Civil Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. The protective equipment worth almost HRK 2 million, collected today from the Konzum warehouse, is intended for users who work in the field, implementing protective measures against the coronavirus.

Assistant Minister Damir Trut, PhD, thanked for the donation and said that it would contribute to increasing the safety of people taking part in activities related to fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic.

„The donation of protective masks will provide for safer work conditions and the protection of all workers, primarily in the health system, but also other operating forces in the civil protection system and I would therefore like to say thank you for this praiseworthy donation. It is only with joint forces that we can contribute to reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus and to increasing the safety of all citizens of the Republic of Croatia“ – the Assistant Minister said.

Despite the great challenge in purchasing equipment which is currently the most sought after product on global level, Fortenova Group managed to import a sizeable quantity thereof, part of which is intended for the protection of Fortenova Group employees, while the majority of the masks will be provided to those who currently need them most.

„Everything we get from medical workers, policemen, fire fighters and all the others who have over the last weeks non-stop been taking care of the safety and health of us all, is invaluable. At Fortenova Group we know this very well, as thousands of our workers have daily been taking care of the smooth supply of goods for the people in the region. This why we very much appreciate the value of caring for safety and health and the importance of investing in that safety at this point“, – said Fabris Peruško, CEO of Fortenova Group.

Fortenova Group companies in Croatia – Konzum, PIK Vrbovec, Jamnica, Zvijezda, Belje and Ledo – have since the beginning of the crisis been helping hospitals, the Red Cross and various associations taking care of those in need. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, countries of the region in which they operate, the companies have as well helped to a significant extent in providing the basic necessities in fighting against the coronavirus spread.

„With this most recent donation of protective masks the overall amount of Fortenova Group donations across the region to date has reached almost HRK 4 million in direct contributions to the communities in which we operate. This is also a way to show our gratitude to everyone who are in their workplaces daily, irrespective of the risks“ – Peruško highlighted.

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