HalpaHalli shows that even a discount store can be responsible
Low prices must not come at the expense of nature or people’s well-being. For the over 50-year-old chain store HalpaHalli, this has been clear since the company had only one small shop in Kokkola.
“Creating long-lasting relationships with carefully selected suppliers, utilising solar power, and building new energy-efficient stores that can potentially halve our energy consumption – these are just some of the ways we build responsible retail at HalpaHalli while still maintaining our low prices”, says Mari Emmes, Communications Manager.
Although a lot has already been done for responsible retail at HalpaHalli, the work continues. As new regulations and directives regarding sustainability in the retail industry are introduced, many changes need to be made internationally.
“One of these new directives is the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). It requires HalpaHalli – and many other large companies – to disclose information about what we are doing to manage both environmental and social challenges. This means a lot of changes to our reporting methods”, Emmes states.
According to recent research carried out by the Finnish Commerce Federation, consumers favour sustainable products, but have become more sceptical about corporate responsibility communication.
“When companies use similar reporting tools and methods, information becomes more comparable and stakeholders, such as consumers, can better evaluate companies’ actual responsibility measures. This can prevent greenwashing, for example.”
HalpaHalli has recently joined amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) that helps retailers both monitor and improve working conditions in their supply chains.
“All members follow amfori’s code of conduct that is based on respecting human rights and building a responsible supply chain. We also have access to amfori’s quality tools, auditing services, and training, that help us at HalpaHalli develop our expertise in responsible retail even further.”
