Our goals
Our progress in 2022
At Żabka, our focus is on building a comprehensive system of ethics. We therefore operate to the highest ethical standards and make it a key obligation of all employees and franchisees to comply with the law, international standards and all adopted regulation including that relating to anti-corruption.
Training is mandatory, and 99.7% of our people received training in the second year following the implementation of our Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees. Any violations of the Code are dealt with by the Ethics Committee, which, if necessary, conducts an investigation and makes recommendations.
We have also shared our Code of Conduct for Business Partners with all business partners and 35% of our suppliers by turnover have confirmed they comply with our Code of Conduct or its equivalent. In addition, we have made it obligatory for our Commercial Team and supplier-facing employees to complete the Code of Practice online course.
It is a company priority that we respect competition law. Our business model is based on collaboration with many independent entrepreneurs, including partners, contractors and franchisees. We recognise that the number and range of relationships exposes us to risk in this area. As the obligation to respect competition law resides with all employees and associates, we have introduced several documents which collectively comprise the Żabka Group’s Competition Policy. This presents the basic principles of competition law and provides practical guidance on how to comply with the law and what to do in the event of a potential breach.
Ensuring cybersecurity is a key aspect of our digital-transformation process that is of critical importance to our company, customers and partners. In 2022, we included this our catalogue of compulsory training programmes, and to date almost 97% of employees have completed cybersecurity training.
In a closely related initiative, we aim to ensure our data is properly secure by using a system that’s compliant with the ISO27001 standard covering the creation, maintenance and development of systems to manage information security. This is our fifth ISO certification, alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22001 and ISO 50001 which all together created an Integrated Management System.
Selected activities
3.2 Resilient management
New policies for suppliers
We want the process of making products to have no negative impact on forests, soils, waters or animals, and that those employed in production are treated in a way that respects human rights by providing decent working conditions and preventing child labour.
We have taken steps to minimise the ecosystem impact of our own brand products, including coffee, tea, cocoa, soya, fish and seafood across our own brands ranges. Therefore, we implemented an Animal Welfare Policy and Policy of Sustainable Harvesting of Plant Raw Materials and Sustainable Fishing of Fish and Seafood. We have eliminated palm oil from our own brand products and in accordance with our Sustainable Palm Oil Policy – from 1 January 2023, 100% of producers brand products contain only palm oil from certified sources. We implemented Water Policy that sets out the rules relating to the reduction of water use and the protection of water resources and Waste Management Policy, by which we aim at reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. We are conducting an analysis of our own operations to limit the risks of operational activities in areas in close proximity to critical biodiversity of global or national importance, which will See our policies conclude as Biodiversity Policy in 2023.
3.2 Resilient management
Code of ethics and conduct for franchisees
We are concentrating on building a complex ethical system that covers all of our operations. In order to do this, apart from Code of Ethics for our employees and business partners, we have also implemented the Code of Ethics and Conduct for our franchisees. To date, nearly 97% of franchisees have signed it and more than 60% have completed the associated e-learning course. The document is aimed at supporting franchisees and their employees in making decisions that comply with the ethical standards adopted by Żabka. It therefore addresses aspects such as the need to operate in compliance with the law, respect for human rights, principles of fair competition, conflict of interest, environmental protection, working and pay conditions or relations with the environment. In order to check franchisees’ compliance with the Code, Żabka reserves the right to external verification. The franchisee is obliged to report any violations through the whistleblowing platform or in writing, by sending a letter addressed to the Żabka headquarters and in in case of any questions concerning the provisions of the Code, the Compliance Department is there for a help. We guarantee a full anonymity to a person who reports any violation.
Our Policies in this area
Code of Conduct for Business Partners
The Code of Conduct for Business Partners is a set of rules that shape the company’s relationships with its surrounding community. In addition to laying grounds for our cooperation and setting standards, it defines ambitions and directions of development that Żabka Polska intends to follow together with its business partners. The purpose of the Code is to build a sustainable value chain based on partnership and mutual responsibility.
Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees
The Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees is a tool that can support you when you are faced with a choice and want to make sure you are making the right one. The standards and guidelines set forth in the Code are to facilitate your everyday work and be a signpost for appropriate and ethical behavior, in line with Żabka’s values. The Code merely supplements the legal regulations which, of course, apply to every employee.
Responsibility Report 2022
