Support for biodiversity protection and ecosystem regeneration projects

The “Serra do Açor Forest” project is a major ecological restoration and large‑scale reforestation initiative in the municipality of Arganil, launched in 2020 with the aim of recovering the areas severely affected by the 2017 wildfires. With a 40‑year timeframe and a total investment of 5 million euros, the project foresees the planting of around 1.8 million native trees – namely oaks, cork oaks and chestnut trees – across approximately 2,500 hectares, thereby contributing to the creation of a more sustainable landscape that is more resilient to wildfire risk. Since its inception, the project has ensured the planting of over one million trees, covering more than 1,000 hectares of intervened area.

The “Tatra Mountains Clean‑Up” project has been supported by Biedronka since 2019 and is carried out by the NGO Clean Poland Association. In 2025, Biedronka took part for the seventh time in this educational initiative held in Zakopane. The event combined environmental‑education activities with the collection of waste left along mountain trails. In addition to volunteers from across Poland, members of Biedronka’s Environmental Protection Committee also participated, collecting more than 100 kg of litter.

The “Bee Protection” project was launched in 2021, with the support of Ara, to protect and conserve bees and to raise awareness of their importance within ecosystems. During 2024, the Fundabejaz Foundation achieved significant results: it rescued 51 hives, delivered 33 recovered hives to beekeepers and farmers, and carried out 83 awareness‑raising campaigns involving 2,650 participants. Ara has also donated sugar as a food source for rescued swarms.

This project, launched in 2024 in Colombia to protect macaws, aims to rehabilitate and subsequently release birds that have been seized or voluntarily surrendered to environmental authorities and handed over to Fundación Loros. The initiative also includes awareness‑raising actions. The birds are rehabilitated in aviaries funded by Ara.

In 2025, Biedronka established a new partnership with Operation Clean River, an environmental river‑cleaning initiative active throughout Poland. Several activities stood out during the year.

• On World Water Day, the Company participated as the official sponsor of the main action of the campaign’s seventh edition, held in Sandomierz, with a stand dedicated to correct waste separation and the promotion of responsible consumption habits. The initiative mobilised 200 volunteers in the clean‑up of the Vistula Riverbanks, resulting in the collection of more than 3.5 tonnes of waste.
• World Oceans Day, more than 60 Biedronka employees took part in an action on the Wkra River, combining kayak routes and walking trails during which over 500 kg of litter was collected, reinforcing awareness of pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
• Biedronka also supported a clean‑up initiative at Lake Ukiel, called “Clean Ukiel: Caring for the Environment Is Our Common Cause”, organised in collaboration with the Olsztyn Green Festival. Around 150 volunteers participated, collecting 2,000 kg of waste. Biedronka’s support for this initiative made it possible to carry out several clean‑up actions throughout the year, involving 31,400 participants and resulting in the collection of 579,000 kg of waste across 960 locations.

The project, launched in 2011, developed and coordinated by WWF Portugal and supported by the Group since 2013, promotes the conservation of the Portuguese montado and the payment for the environmental services it provides. This initiative establishes a platform that connects companies to the conservation of the montado and the services that this ecosystem delivers. The landowners involved in the project apply good forest‑management practices across around 45,000 hectares of FSC^®‑certified areas, 30,000 hectares of which obtained certification after our support began. Throughout 2025, the project was evaluated and reformulated, with a consultation carried out among different stakeholders, in a process led by WWF Portugal, in collaboration with FSC^® Portugal and with the support of the Jerónimo Martins Group, culminating in a new format called “GHoC +”