Our close relationship with surrounding communities gives us a clear perspective of how their social challenges evolve, especially in what concerns those experienced by groups at risk of social exclusion or marginalisation. This dialogue, focused on the protection and respect of human rights and centred on listening to those who work closely with local communities, helps shape our support strategy, seeking to enhance positive impact in the community through our products and activities.
Among the communication channels we use, we highlight proximity‑based mechanisms and interpersonal contact, such as in‑person meetings and conferences with beneficiary institutions, as well as remote communication tools, including a digital platform that directs support external requests to the sustainability departments of the Holding and the Companies. Additional points of contact are also available in regional centres, distribution centres and stores.
Engagement with legitimate community representatives of the communities of the areas in which we operate takes place in various forms. In the case of institutions with established protocols with the Holding, annual site visits are carried out to assess the quality of infrastructure and services provided to supported individuals. This dialogue is scheduled annually and reinforced via email or telephone whenever considered necessary.
Given our international presence and the diversity of our activities, there are several individuals responsible for engaging in dialogue with the supported social entities. We highlight the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Director at Biedronka, the External Communication and Social Responsibility Director at Ara, and the Sustainable Development and Local Impact Director at Pingo Doce, who oversees the Impact and Local Development area. In the remaining Companies, dialogue and engagement with the supported entities is carried out by the managers of those projects, which is why they are not individually listed.
In line with our Irregularities Reporting Policy, any individual or any person acting on behalf of a collective, including local or Indigenous communities who contacts us through the communication channels made available by the Group, is protected under the principles of confidentiality and non‑retaliation. One of the topics handled by the Ethics Committee, the Group’s principal open communication channel, is human rights, including the rights of local or Indigenous communities1. Additionally, as part of supplier social audits, criteria under the Ethics and Whistleblowing dimension verify the existence of accessible reporting channels that operate under the principles of confidentiality and non‑retaliation2.
The following subchapters describe the main initiatives promoted by the Group’s Companies to support surrounding communities and identify the corresponding engagement channels with affected communities.
1 During the reporting period, occurrences and interactions with communities that were potentially related to the policies mentioned above were recorded and analysed. Screening and assessment were carried out in accordance with applicable internal procedures and, where relevant, with reference to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO fundamental principles. Based on the information available and on the analysis conducted, no confirmed cases of human rights violations relevant to communities were identified or classified. Nevertheless, whenever appropriate, corrective and/or improvement measures were implemented, including enhanced communication with communities and process adjustments, followed by subsequent monitoring. For more information on our channels for reporting concerns, please consult “Stakeholder engagement and communication channels”.
2 For more detailed information on communication channels and the Group’s reporting processes, please refer to “Stakeholder engagement and communication channels”. To learn more about social audits and the due diligence process, please consult “Workers in the value chain”, and “Governance Information”.