Striving for both profit and continuity is perhaps the ultimate form of corporate social responsibility. After all, without our company our employees would have no jobs, our suppliers would have fewer customers, our customers would have fewer suppliers, our shareholders would have no shares and the government would have less tax revenue.

Our strategy in seeking to achieve our objectives is to be an attractive partner for our customers. The customer always comes first, because the customer enables all the other stakeholders to benefit. In our view, this strategy has to be combined with an attractive return for shareholders, corporate social responsibility and development opportunities for our employees. We enable our suppliers to grow sales of their products and introduce new items, in some cases in the form of partnerships. Society benefits from growing employment and rising tax revenue . We strive to reduce our environmental impact by taking full account of the environment in our purchasing procedures and agreements and our investments in equipment and buildings.

Corporate social responsibility is a key consideration in decision-making based on our strategy, not because it is an end in itself, but because it is essential in sustaining profitability and preserving continuity.

Some years ago, we set out our our vision of corporate social responsibility in a document entitled ‘From rational necessity to emotional preference’, in which we made it clear that, for Sligro Food Group, corporate social responsibility is not the former but the latter, based on many years’ striving to build long-term relationships with employees, customers, partners and suppliers.

We are still convinced that long-term relationships enhance the quality of cooperation, foster confidence and make working together more pleasant. Long-term relationships generate a high return and provide a strong basis for continuity. We believe that corporate social responsibility is an appropriate form of cooperation based on emotional preference. From rational necessity to emotional preference is also a theme that fits well with the stage we have now reached: the stage of consciousness-raising. As thinking about and wanting to make the right choices becomes second nature within the organisation, corporate social responsibility is assuming a permanent place and becoming established within the group.

Debate and dilemma
The debate on an issue that takes place before a decision is made often illuminates the different viewpoints from which it can be considered. What is good for the environment is not necessarily good in terms of hygiene regulations or working conditions. What is good for our suppliers is not always good for our customers. And – a hard but true fact – we have to make a profit ! Which arguments weigh most heavily and which decision do we take?