Signs to make it easier to separate waste

Żabka was the first chain in Poland to introduce the labelling of private label packaging with icons to make sorting easier. The markings used are simple and intuitive. Based on the well-known symbol representing a man throwing rubbish into a bin, an additional colour identification was created, which is in line with the uniform colour system of the division into five waste fractions. By using the idea of colour-coded bins, every customer can read on the packaging which bin they should throw their used packaging into.

84% of Żabka’s customers say these signs make sorting easier

82% of customers say such labelling should be on all products, not just private labels – in all stores

The introduction of a simple and intuitive labelling system on product packaging is to encourage as many customers as possible to select waste properly. At the Żabka Group, we believe that it doesn’t take much to develop good ecological habits. All it takes is a small step – every day. The customer and our planet reap the benefits.

Recycling labels manual – download PDF 

We have eliminated palm oil

We want our customers’ nutritional choices not only to be good from the health point of view, but also favorable for the planet. That is why we have completely eliminated palm oil from our own brand products. As far as branded products offered by our suppliers are concerned, acting in accordance with the Sustainable Palm Oil Policy, all other products offered in Żabka stores will be allowed to contain only palm oil from certified sources by the end of 2022. The Polish Coalition for Sustainable Palm Oil has decided the RSPO is the best certification scheme currently existing on the market – it guarantees sustainability of crops and an adequate level of protection of the environment, animals, humans and their traditions. By the end of 2021, 87.6% of products other than own brand products sold in Żabka stores and containing palm oil, met the requirements of the policy we had adopted.

Nutri-Score labelling system

Nutri-Score is a color-coded food labelling system using scores of A to E. The score awarded depends on how balanced the content of healthy ingredients (fiber, proteins, vegetables, fruit, nuts) and substances whose use should be limited (energy value, sugars, saturated fats, sodium originating from salt). Products with the A score should be consumed more frequently, while the intake of those labelled with the E score should be reduced. The main objective of the Nutri-Score system is to enable customers to enjoy better balanced diets. Studies show that 90% of consumers understand the Nutri-Score system and 91% consider it helpful in making their purchases. Therefore, we strive to label all own brand ready-to-eat or readyto- heat products with a Nutri-Score value. In 2021, almost 16% of our own brand products had a Nutri-Score label on their packaging, and almost 12% had a score of A or B. Producer brands labelled with Nutri-Score are also sold in Żabka stores.

Plant Hunter – a 100% plant-based brand

In April 2021, we launched our first 100% plant-based own brand range known as Plant Hunter, actively pursuing our strategic commitment to increase the sales of plant-based products. Customers enjoy a choice of snacks, salads, lunch dishes, ready meals and sweets. In the lunch dishes, meat has been replaced by a GMO-free soy-based product. The recipes of Plant Hunter meals have been developed by professional chefs. The products contain no sweeteners, hardened fats and preservatives. Plant Hunter dishes are suitable for consumption as is, or , in the case of ready meals, after being heated in a microwave. They are a perfect fit with the modern convenience format, offering our customers a fully balanced, plant-based meal that may be enjoyed without long waiting times. The launch of the Plant Hunter brand has won us the second award in the 2021 Plant-Based Game Changer contest organised by RoślinnieJemy.org.

We grow together with our business partners

Acting together, we analyse the results of our cooperation, so as to make the necessary changes in real time. In order for this to be possible, we have introduced the Advanced Customer Insight Tool (ACIT) providing us and our partners with access to the same multidimensional data, based on which new solutions related to our cooperation are implemented. The work based on ACIT data is accompanied by joint workshops with our trading partners – 170 such working meetings were held in 2021. It is crucial for bilateral development to ensure that our partners are engaged in thinking about the strategic development of the Żabka Group. By presenting the Group’s long-term plans and regularly meeting for a joint review of the results achieved, we provide partners with the knowledge enabling them to build scenarios for the long-term growth of their own companies. Open dialogue and readiness to implement our partners’ ideas are important element of cooperation as well. The workshops are used to jointly identify the changes in the range of products carried by the individual companies, so that they are able to best respond to changing consumer needs. Our suppliers value the openness and cooperation characterising our relations. In 2021, they voted us the Retailer of the Year. We also ranked first in the nationwide NFS survey in which over 400 suppliers and 20 retailers participated.

We have adopted the Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees

The document supports our employees whenever they face an ethical dilemma. It is applied throughout the entire value chain, referring both to relationships existing within our organisation and to those with external stakeholders. Provisions reminding about ways of reporting any violations of the Code, as well as about other applicable policies and procedures constitute a key element of the Code. The strengthening of ethical standards is supported by two mandatory annual training programmes focusing on compliance issues and on the Code of Ethics. In 2021, 90% and 77% of our employees completed those programmes, respectively. We are continuing our efforts to increase the share of those trained in the coming years. By expanding our employees’ knowledge, we also ensure more efficient management of the whistleblowing process. In 2021, we received four reports about potential violations of the Code. They were all subjected to internal investigations performed by the Ethics Committee and were deemed justified. They Approximately 190 suppliers generating more than 30% of our total turnover are being assessed in the pilot phase of the project. In the process, we use the global SMETA platform, developed to exchange information on production standards within the supply chain. Suppliers are evaluated in five areas, and the verification results in an assessment of the risk of cooperation with a given company. included allegations of discrimination and corruption, but the investigations failed to confirm any of those accusations. We have taken steps to prevent the similar situations from occurring in the future, in accordance with the procedures in effect.

Electric vehicle fleet in the pilot phase

We are implementing a pilot phase of the programme under which heavy goods vehicles will be procured in partnership with two entities. Since 2019, we have been testing zero-emission commercial vehicles in cooperation with the Volkswagen Group. We use four electric ABT transporters and two e-Crafter vans. We have also invested in our own electric car charging stations at the distribution centres in Nadarzyn and Plewiska, and in our headquarters. In 2021, we started cooperation with Volvo Polska, testing a zero-emission refrigerated Volvo FL Electric truck. It is used for delivering goods to stores in the Silesia region. It is the first fully electric distribution truck in Poland that was for working in the city. We are also gradually modernising our fleet of passenger cars and are conducting tests aimed at replacing combustion engine vehicles with their electric and hybrid counterparts. New electric and hybrid cars reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise levels, so that they can be successfully used in clean transport zones.

Testing green solutions in our stores

Our store in the Warsaw’s Białołęka district serves as proving grounds for solutions aimed at reducing our environmental impact. We are testing solutions in the areas of green energy, transport, clean air and circular economy. The store uses photovoltaic panels, the quantum dots technology, a kinetic floor that transforms steps into energy and anti-smog paving bricks supplemented by a green wall absorbing dust and smog. Innovative cooling equipment and refrigerants with low greenhouse effect potential are used in the store. An EKOmat machine and an electric car charging station are located in front of the store as well. The store is 100% powered by renewable energy. Based on experience from pilot programmes conducted at the Warsaw store, we have introduced new solutions to our chains, including freezer cabinets with the zero-heating doors technology, adaptive lighting, as well as new refrigerators with lower global warming poten- By encouraging conscious food choices, we are also expanding the range of plantbased products as an excellent alternative to animal products. We have introduced products of such brands as Garden Gourmet, Dobra Kaloria or Alpro. In 2021, we also created our own 100% plant-based brand, Plant Hunter. tial. Thanks to the initiatives introduced, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,300 tCO2e, and we have also reduced electricity consumption by almost 261 MWh.

We joined the Polish Plastic Pact

The pact is part of the global Plastics Pact Network operated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. More than four hundred companies responsible for introducing 20% of packaging to the global markets, institutional stakeholders, non-governmental and industry organisations, as well as scientific centres and investors participate in the initiative globally. The aim of the Polish Plastic Pact is to change the current model of using plastics in packaging materials, to ensure that the principles of circular economy are followed. Members of the Pact shall take effort to increase the recycling rate and, consequently, reduce the carbon footprint. They also commit to initiate consumer awareness projects and contribute to increasing the level of correct segregation of packaging materials. The objectives set by the signatories of the Pact for the period until 2025 reach beyond the legal regulations in force in Poland.

We have implemented the Circularity Policy for Plastic

It allows our business partners to be involved in activities that maximise our impact on ensuring circularity of plastic use throughout the entire value chain. The policy will be implemented gradually, in cooperation with all business partners. It is based on the original green circulation model, which provides guidance on responsible resource management in seven areas: eco-design, resource-conscious creation, sustainable distribution, responsible sales, conscious consumption, efficient collection as well as comprehensive recovery and recycling. We have established a set of clear principles we follow in our endeavors towards circularity, and we are applying accountability rules to the entire process – from design, to ensuring a second life and revitalising the environment.

We have developed our Eco-design Policy

The Policy serves as a roadmap, presenting clear rules for designing and selecting suitable raw materials for the packaging of own brand products and for materials used in stores. It is based on four principles: loop, reduce, simplify and communicate. We reduce the weights and volumes, as well as promote reusable types of packaging. When designing packaging, we place an emphasis on the choice of materials and the use of recycled products. Components that are preferred in recycling processes are given priority as well. We simplify the form of packaging by ensuring its shape allows the product to be emptied. Using a system of pictograms placed on the packaging, we offer consumers advice on which fraction of waste should it be disposed of to after the contents have been used. In accordance with the Policy, we avoid contrast colours, soot-based pigments and solid, inseparable labels made of materials other than the packaging itself. All these measures make the packaging easier to recycle.

Eliminating plastic and foil packaging

We have replaced plastic coffee cup lids and shopping bags with their equivalents made of paper with the FSC certificate. Such an approach ensures that at least one new tree is planted for each that has been felled. The paper used in the manufacture of shopping bags and coffee cup lids decomposes naturally over the course of several weeks. Due to these changes, we have reduced the use of plastic by approximately one thousand tonnes per year. We are developing solutions with our suppliers to reduce the use of foil packaging in our products. Thanks to cooperation with Carlsberg Poland, we introduced to the market six-packs of beer relying on Snap Pack technology. Instead of wrapping cans with foil, they are attached to each with the use of adhesive. This reduces the consumption of foil by as much as 82% compared to standard packaging.

A new life for the returnable bottle

According to analyses carried out by beer producers, an average returnable bottle has between 15 to 26 times life cycles. So, in order not to waste glass packaging, the Żabka chain has initiated a campaign to return returnable bottles to over 8,400 stores across Poland. During the campaign, a customer returning a bottle in a store received a 50 gr discount on the purchase of beer in a returnable bottle.

“The campaign is primarily educational to remind customers that the returnable bottle system aims to protect the environment. But this is not the only advantage of the returnable bottle system. By returning such a bottle, customers also get their money back by receiving their deposit back. In doing so, they simultaneously reduce the waste going to landfills and also contribute to reducing the volume of production of new glass packaging. 

“As a chain that reaches several million customers across Poland, we can have a real impact on consumer habits and encourage the return of reusable bottles so that they can be used again. We believe that such campaigns are a good way to inform customers about how important even such small gestures as returning a bottle are for the environment,” says Jerzy Roguski, Director of Commercial Affairs and Trade Development at Żabka Polska. 

It is worth noting that some manufacturers mark reusable bottles with a special sign – these are two arrows – one above the other. Often there are also additional producer markings on the bottles – usually icons or the inscription “returnable bottle” to help consumers decide what to do with the empty packaging. Żabka points out: do not throw returnable bottles into containers for glass – it is more beneficial from an environmental perspective to bring a bottle marked as reusable packaging back to the store. By doing so, you give it a chance to be reused up to 20 times! Throwing such a bottle in the bin is not beneficial for several reasons: it will not be recirculated and the production of a new bottle requires electricity; and, with this, come greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. 

“The returnable glass bottle is a good solution twice over. On its own, it is made of more than half cullet, i.e. recycled glass, plus it is reusable packaging – glass does not age. All you have to do is return the bottle to the store from where it will go to the brewery, be washed and refilled. The returnability of the bottles has a very big impact on the carbon footprint of our packaging. We do our best to keep them circulating in the market for as long as possible. But it is up to consumers to decide how many “lives” – or refills – they will have,” adds Teresa Aldea, sustainability manager at Carlsberg Polska.

Withdrawing eggs from caged hens

Consumers’ awareness of the origin of food is constantly growing, and with it their concern for the planet and animal welfare. At Żabka, we listen to the needs and expectations of our customers and try to respond to them as quickly as possible. As a socially responsible company, we take a number of initiatives aimed at a sustainable lifestyle – for everyone and every day. For us, the decision to withdraw caged eggs from sale was a natural consequence of our earlier declarations – concern for the planet and animal welfare.

We were proud to join the ranks of retail and food chains that have stopped supporting cage farming, believing that by doing so, the fate of many animals could soon be significantly improved. In line with the principle that you can’t just think about the here and now, Żabka makes business decisions with an eye on the impact they will have on the future. 

Cage farming does not provide hens with decent living conditions. They have far too little space to move freely and to carry out their natural behaviour. This results in enormous stress. They are not free to build nests, sit on the perch, rummage around in search of food, have no access to fresh air or sunshine.  Cage farming of hens is a cruel practice that does not provide the animals with proper living conditions. Żabka appreciates initiatives to improve their living conditions and has great respect for the efforts of organisations like the Open Cages Association to improve the welfare of farm animals.

Żabka Eko Smart

Żabka Eko Smart is a continuation of a project carried out since 2020, when our chain launched its first 100% green energy-powered store in Warsaw’s Lewandów Street. The Warsaw location has the character of a laboratory, where Żabka – often the first company in the world – tests nearly 20 environmentally friendly solutions, showing the direction in which the future of commerce will develop. The next step was the launch of Żabka Smart on Półwiejska Street in Poznań in April 2022, where new technological solutions to improve the work of franchisees are being tested. Now, the chain is combining and enhancing both projects by developing a unique project – the first Żabka Eko Smart is located in Poznań at 2 Powstańców Wielkopolskich Street. This is the first location in Poland where we combine ecological issues with modern technological solutions to improve the work of franchisees and their employees. By presenting new solutions, we also encourage customers to have a completely different shopping experience. In this way, we hope to further seed their curiosity and encourage them to be environmentally friendly. 

Żabka Eko Smart features one of the world’s first perovskite installations, with this groundbreaking technology used to create so-called price tags and shutters with perovskite cells. The location is equipped with remote management systems for lighting and in-store equipment (Smart Shop Control), and at the coffee stand, tiles made from coffee ground have been laid. Lockable fridges insulated with hemp-seed mats save a lot of energy, as do the glycol-filled shelves in the freezer cabinet. Żabka plans to launch three more stores of this type soon in different parts of the country. 

Meet Żabka Eko Smart