JYSK presents its first CSR report: By the end of 2024, all wooden and cotton products will be from more sustainable sources

JYSK, the Danish retail chain for home furnishing, today presented its first sustainability report for the Croatian market. The report, which covers the previous period for the 2023 financial year, highlights activities in the area of social, ecological, and economic sustainability, with an emphasis on activities that have had a positive impact on the environment and society.

Vesna Kukić Lončarić, Country Director of JYSK, emphasized that JYSK is an international, but also a local company with a very widespread network throughout Croatia.

– Therefore, it is important for us to make a positive contribution, both to local communities and to addressing global challenges, Kukić Lončarić emphasized.

Among the key achievements she highlighted are investments in people through a salary increase of over 20 percent, the payment of incentive bonuses, and more than 600 hours of training and education completed. Among the goals, she highlighted a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions within its own operations by 2030.

JYSK’s contribution to sustainability is most evident in the results in the area of environmental preservation. JYSK places special importance on this part of its impact. Namely, it has undertaken a series of activities to positively influence nature through its assortment.

– By the end of this year, all our products made of wood, paper, and cardboard will carry the FSC certificate, which means that we source raw materials exclusively from certified, environmentally friendly sources. There is no illegal logging, biodiversity is protected, fair compensation for labor is ensured, and it is possible to trace the path of the tree from logging to the final product. Also, all cotton products will carry the OEKO-TEX certificate by the end of the year, which means they do not contain harmful substances and are produced responsibly, said Ivan Protega, JYSK’s Head of Retail.

—

photo Sandro Sklepic

—

Products made from recycled raw materials were also highlighted, as well as achievements in reducing plastic.

– By replacing packaging with more sustainable solutions for bedding and sheets, we have removed 27 million plastic bags annually, which corresponds to a quantity of 475 tons of plastic, Protega emphasized, announcing the elimination of plastic films on pallets, which will result in an annual saving of 920 tons of plastic.

As one of the determinants of sustainability is care for employees, this was particularly discussed at the report presentation. The equal representation of men and women among employees and in management positions was highlighted, with women making up 59 percent of store managers and 43 percent of management positions.

Jadranka Čulo Petrovčić, JYSK’s HR manager, also presented numerous programs for employee development.

– Employees have the opportunity, after a successful introductory program, to advance within the company, from interns to store managers and regional managers to director positions. Every employee has the opportunity to take control of their personal development so that we can achieve the set goals together, emphasized Čulo Petrovčić.

In addition to employees, the wider community in which JYSK operates is equally important, so a whole range of activities is aimed precisely at encouraging positive changes at the local level. The initiatives through which JYSK encourages local positive changes were presented by Communications Manager Zvjezdana Sirk Novak.

Through the project ‘JYSK for my green city’, JYSK employees regularly participate in activities such as greening, cleaning, and planting in the cities where they operate, and when opening new stores, the company organizes a donation competition through which local associations whose activities are closely related to family, the educational system, environmental protection, and healthy living can apply.

Globally, but also locally, JYSK is an example of a company for which sustainable business is one of the priorities and permeates all spheres of its operations, which is evident from the achieved results, more about which can be found in the digital form of the CSR report, where the plans JYSK has for the future are also listed.

—

photo Sandro Sklepic

—