On the first Friday of each month, SPAR Zimbabwe retailers take part in a clean-up in their local communities. This initiative further engrains SPAR Zimbabwe’s roots in the local community.

Monthly clean-up

SPAR Supermarkets take part in this clean-up alongside other stakeholders over a period of two hours. As well as keeping the local community clean, the aim of the initiative is to also teach staff and stakeholders about the importance of keeping a clean environment, as well as separating waste. The waste collected is split between recyclable material in green bags while other non-recyclable materials goes in black bags. For the last 5 years, SPAR Zimbabwe has collaborated with Clean and Green, a local not for profit organisation.

June clean-up

Each month, one SPAR Supermarket is selected to take part in a bigger clean up in partnership with various stakeholders. SPAR Supermarket Helensvale was the focus of the June clean-up, when SPAR Supermarket Sam Levy’s Village, Clean and Green NGO, the local town council, numerous local businesses and the Environmental Management Agency participated. For the month’s clean up at SPAR Supermarket Helensvale, placards were displayed to promote Plastic Free July, alongside the use of the hashtag #SmallStepsBigDifference on social channels.

Across 23 participating SPAR Supermarkets, over 1,860kg of black bags were collected, plus 640kg of recyclable material in green bags. At the SPAR Supermarket Helensvale clean-up, a total of 75 black bags and 50 green bags were collected.

Sustainability recognition

Last year, SPAR Zimbabwe was awarded the Environmental Champion of the Year Award from ESG Network Zimbabwe, recognising the efforts of the retail organisation in the area of sustainability, including its monthly clean-ups initiative. Clean-ups are not the only way in which SPAR Zimbabwe supports the environment, its responsible retailing strategy also includes social topics as a core focus including child rights and health issues.

Source: SPAR Zimbabwe

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About SPAR Zimbabwe

In 1967, Zimbabwe joined the SPAR network after a licence was granted to a local organisation by SPAR International. In 2015, an independent retailer took over the licence for the SPAR Brand in the market. SPAR Zimbabwe remains actively involved in the local community, helping to make a difference.