SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 30th July (EUROPA PRESS) –
Mercadona has given over 12,600 tonnes of essential items in the initial six months of the year, amounting to more than 210,000 trolleys of groceries. Moreover, the corporation has extended its network of social organisations it collaborates with, both in Spain and Portugal, reaching a total of 785 by the end of June. This expansion has notably enhanced the structure of aid provided to the most disadvantaged communities.
In the Canary Islands, Mercadona partners with over 50 social organisations to which it has contributed 629 tonnes of essential items so far this year, corresponding to 10,500 shopping trolleys. A portion of these donations are the outcome of the daily supply of fresh products from supermarkets in the Canary Islands to various soup kitchens and charitable institutions. The Salvation Army, the Superacción Foundation, and the extended collaboration with branches of the Red Cross are the recent additions to this distribution network in the first half of the year.
Mercadona has also gifted a van to the Flora Acoge Canarian Foundation, with which it previously collaborated from two stores in Lanzarote, to streamline its distribution activities. Additionally, the corporation has given a thousand pairs of trousers to the Karuna Maspalomas Charity Association. Furthermore, Mercadona backs other projects organized by Food Banks like the Great Food Collection in November and the Spring Collection, the latter taking place from 24th May to 2nd June.
In the case of the latter, Mercadona contributes through monetary donations at the checkout “because it allows us to better meet the needs of the beneficiaries and simultaneously enhance our efficiency, as the funds given to food banks enable them to purchase the necessary products in suitable quantities and at the required times,” emphasises Laura Cruz, Director of Social Action at Mercadona.
Mercadona adheres to its own Social Action Plan, which it executes through direct cooperation with numerous social organisations of diverse kinds that cater to vulnerable groups with specific requirements, aiming to help enhance their circumstances and prospects. In this context, the company has been a part of the United Nations Global Compact Spain since 2011, an initiative by the United Nations (UN) that promotes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Its Social Action Plan aligns with this direction, along with other initiatives such as the Trencadís Project, which involves collaborating in the employment of individuals with intellectual disabilities who create decorative murals found in the fish section of the stores.
Another pivotal aspect of Mercadona’s Social Responsibility Plan is environmental sustainability. To achieve this, it maintains its own Environmental Management System focused on three primary pillars: sustainable production, circular economy, and decarbonisation. These three pillars encompass specific actions like optimising logistics, enhancing energy efficiency, promoting animal welfare, and reducing, managing, and recovering waste. In this aspect, it is notable that Mercadona, in conjunction with its suppliers, is engaged in the Sustainable Urban Distribution Project and the enhancement of urban air quality through the use of cleaner and more efficient technologies in trucks and vans.
Having sustainable customer mobility in consideration, the company currently provides 4,425 parking spaces equipped with Electric Vehicle Charging Points (PCVE) situated in the car parks of over 1,117 stores. Mercadona initiated the installation of these charging points in 2017, during the implementation of the Efficient Store Model, and plans to progressively increase this number in the forthcoming years. Additionally, it will persist in the installation of solar panels in its stores as a demonstration of its commitment to investing in renewable energy.
