SPAR Italy Partner Maiora has run a volunteer-based waste collection initiative in partnership with Legambiente, Italy’s largest environmental protection association. The campaign targeted public spaces in 12 coastal municipalities in five Italian regions. As part of the ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign, teams of SPAR customers and employees collected significant amounts of waste during the last weekend of September.

Maiora, the SPAR license holder for the Centre-South part of the country, has embraced environmental sustainability as part of its responsible retailing strategy. Across its retail network of more than 450 stores and more than 2,000 employees, DESPAR Centre-South has rolled out various initiatives to promote environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. These initiatives include the adoption of green technologies in stores.

The clean-up operations took place in the Italian regions of Apulia (Barletta, Corato, Trani and Giovinazzo), Basilicata (Policoro), Calabria (Reggio Calabria, Belvedere, Scalea, Vibo Valentia), Campania (Marigliano), and Abruzzo (Pescara, Silvi Marina).

The ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign was the first major environmental volunteering initiative in Italy after the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. DESPAR Centre-South partnered with Legambiente to send out a message of hope for a sustainable future in these challenging times.

Pippo Cannillo, CEO and President of DESPAR Centre-South, explained: “Environmental protection is a daily challenge for all of us. Energy efficiency, resource optimisation, and waste recycling play a key role in our daily operations. For some years now, we have rolled out initiatives aimed at protecting biodiversity and promoting environmental protection in Italy. ‘Clean Up the World’ fits with our responsible retailing strategy, which is described in our newly published second Sustainability Report.”

Source: DESPAR Centre-South Italy (Maiora)

Read more news from SPAR Italy.

About SPAR Italy

SPAR International first granted a licence for the operation of the SPAR Brand to SPAR Italy in 1959. The first store opened in the latter part of 1960 and with it, SPAR became the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in Italy. SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, licenses regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country.

The DESPAR Partners operate stores under three formats: DESPAR neighbourhood Supermarkets, EUROSPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Many of the larger format stores are company-owned, reflecting the scale of investment required. While the majority of the company’s turnover is acquired through these larger format stores, the independently owned neighbourhood supermarkets remain a key part of the business.