Social development

STRATEGY

WHL seeks to create lasting positive social impacts that matter to communities and local stakeholders. We aim to position the Group as a responsible and caring corporate citizen. The Inclusive Justice Initiative (IJI) ethos of ‘Inspiring inclusive growth for all our people’ informs how the Group shows up in the community and our strategy and approach to social development.

WHL acknowledges the positive role and impact the Group can have in the social development agenda of the countries where we operate. We believe developing relationships with local communities and stakeholders is vital to business success.

We strive to build thriving communities by actively investing in social development programmes that:

Align with our social development strategic pillars and the IJI ethos
Have sustainable long-term social development as their primary objective
Are acts of empowerment, not charity, enabling inclusive participation in the mainstream economy

Our social development strategy has four pillars that are informed by the UN SDGs and align with our overall business strategy. The pillars are also relevant to the national development priorities and key social issues in the markets where we operate.

WOOLWORTHS:

EDUCATION
Education is a national priority in many countries where we operate. We can only grow and sustain long-term profit in an inclusive, equitable economy that has a sufficiently skilled society and an educated workforce.
FOOD SECURITY
Millions of people worldwide are food-insecure, yet an estimated 30 percent of food produced globally goes to waste. As a food retailer, we recognise our role in achieving a food-secure future for all.
DISASTER RELIEF
Assisting communities in the face of national disasters such as fires and floods demonstrates our commitment to supporting our local communities.

COUNTRY ROAD GROUP:

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
A thriving and healthy community and workforce are crucial to the success of our business.

We encourage employee involvement in the Group’s social development activities. This enables our employees to make a difference in their communities and environment while enhancing our Employee Value Proposition.

We also engage customers in our social development activities through cause-related marketing and the MyDifference customer loyalty programme.

Employee and customer involvement enable the Group to extend its social development reach.

MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Tackling the world’s complex challenges requires deep insights and collective effort. The Group bases its social development approach on meaningful collaboration and partnerships that build capacity and supportive networks in our communities.

We tailor our approach for each country where we operate. Countries have different social contexts, and different approaches are therefore required to make meaningful contributions to local communities.

Woolworths’ social development activities are guided by our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Policy and governed by the Woolworths Trust. Established in 2003, the Trust is a legal entity managed by a Board of Trustees. The Trust reports to the WHL Board Social and Ethics Committee.

The CSI Policy requires us to assess potential initiatives with long-term sustainability in mind. We prefer multi-year interventions over once-off projects, and we consider relevance, scalability and potential for future expansion.

The CSI Policy also guides us in distributing the Trust’s funds. The bulk is allocated to several flagship projects, which receive a three- to five-year commitment. The remainder is allocated to matching funds for employee-nominated charities or smaller projects determined at the Trust or directors’ discretion.

In principle, Woolworths does not provide funding for:

Programmes or initiatives with political, religious, sport, recreation, or cultural intent
Endowment funds
Individual bursaries or scholarships
Individuals looking for donations or sponsorships

Country Road Group brands manage their own strategic CSI partners, relationships and campaigns. These focus on community resilience, particularly physical and mental health and wellness.