Contributing to the wellbeing of society by aiding local communities in the areas where we operate is a crucial element of Almarai's sustainability strategy under the banner of "Caring for people." We have well-established and enduring community initiatives, either managed directly or in partnership with local organizations, which encompass educational, training, and developmental activities, investments, charitable contributions, sponsorships, and various other programs. This year we supported nearly 400 organizations who focus on helping those in need through health, sport, education, sponsorships, or other initiatives and this forms a key pillar in our Doing better every day strategy. We recognize the importance of contributing to the communities where we operate and aim to make a positive difference in society. We are dedicated to building and nurturing meaningful connections with these communities to generate positive societal impacts. Moreover, we are committed to assisting local communities in need by offering financial aid, resources, and services aimed at improving their quality of life.
Our total CSR spend in 2023 increased by 23% as compared to the previous year.
Community investment is a fundamental component of Almarai's sustainability approach. To effectively manage its community investments and initiatives, Almarai has developed a strategic framework. This framework defines our primary focus areas, including training and development, healthcare, sports, donations, and sponsorships. It reflects how Almarai intends to fulfill its community investment obligations. To better understand the potential impact of its community investment activities, Almarai conducted an analysis and created an approach for assessment. Going forward, Almarai will use this work to measure the outcomes of its initiatives in the coming years.
OUR STRATEGIC COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FRAMEWORKWe prioritize projects, organizations, events, and campaigns that align with our pillars.
We invest in our communities by dedicating resources and working in collaboration with partners across our pillars.
We support selected projects, organizations and events that develop skills, promote education, reward educational excellence, and empower young people.
Our flagship initiatives:
We support selected projects, organizations and campaigns that promote healthy eating and lifestyle choices and raise awareness on health issues.
Our initiatives include:
We support selected projects, organizations and events that promote sports.
Our flagship initiatives:
We support selected projects, organizations, events, and campaigns dedicated to creating a lasting impact in our communities through both financial and non-financial support.
Our flagship initiatives:
Almarai consistently extends a diverse array of donations as part of its social responsibility and ongoing commitment to support communities. Almarai remains dedicated to its Charity Support Program, established in 2021 as part of its community initiatives, with the primary objective of providing food assistance to families in need. This program is carried out in collaboration with various charitable organizations across different regions of the Kingdom. In 2023, the program distributed over 1,000,000 complimentary products to beneficiary societies across various regions of the Kingdom. Almarai has maintained longstanding support for many of these charities, citing the importance of sustainable partnerships, often broader awareness campaigns, national platforms, or supportive networks.
Almarai believes that it has an important role to play in protecting biodiversity and the wellbeing of others. To this end, Almarai has committed to donating part of its community investments to environmental protection initiatives. Almarai is strongly committed to safeguarding the health and wellbeing within its care, as this impacts not only the animal’s quality of life, but also the quality and safety of the food we produce. We obtained the certificate of conformance to Animal welfare policy in March 2023 which is a testimony that we believe that implementing internationally recognized principles for animal welfare is part of our license to operate as a leading food and beverages company.
Almarai continued to support the national afforestation campaign in partnership with the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. This campaign aims to plant 10 million trees to contribute to the Kingdom’s vision 2030. We have actively participated in this “Let’s make it Green Initiative” ever since 2021 when we donated SAR 8 million to support this great cause. Some of our quality makers have also taken part in this initiative by planting more than 100 trees in Thadig National Park as part of our social responsibility program.
In 2023, we also planted nearly 7,000 trees which majorly include Palm trees, Conocarpus trees, Shade trees and flower plants across our Al Kharj and Hail locations. We strongly believe that Planting trees is an effective strategy for improving and maintaining biodiversity. Our solar PV in Al Kharj offsets 8,100 T of CO2 each year, equivalent to planting more than 8,000 trees.
50 million SAR spent on CSR projects.
Nearly 400 organizations supported through donations and sponsorships.
Over 1,000,000 products donated throughout the year.
33,605 visitors through Almarai site visit program in 2023.
Almarai annually sponsors and supports nearly 400 charitable organizations working across our framework pillars:
Almarai is committed to the education sector and has been supporting initiatives such as training and rehabilitation programs with Food Industries polytechnic, the Transport General Authority and the Saudi logistics Academy for increasing localize jobs in the food and beverages sector in Saudi. We are also dedicated to empowering the next generation of females through creating more development opportunities for them such as adding females in the HSS committee as fore marshals and first aiders. During the year 2023, Almarai held an event “Success partners 2023” under the slogan “nationalization is a strategic goal” aiming to attract the Saudi youth, apart from this Almarai has launched several programs and initiatives to support Emiratization under the slogan “Emiratization is a strategic goal.” Almarai signed a memorandum of cooperation with Charity Orphans Care Foundation “Ekhaa” to support the beneficiaries of the foundation with Almarai's training, rehabilitation, and employment programs.
Almarai Provided Financial Support to Rheumatism Association
Almarai is committed to supporting health initiatives to ensure people lead longer, healthier lives. In 2023, we continued to support various health programs including health programs for our staff and communities, events, and awareness campaigns. We provided financial support to the charitable association for the care of Rheumatology patients to secure biological medicine for children with rheumatology within the “Rheumo Heroes” program of the association. We also provided financial support to Zahra Breast Cancer Association to support the “Zehra’s Lamsa” project which serves female patients and cancer recoveries in general and breast cancer in particular. We also Initiated collaborations with Ahyaha Association and friends of the Disabled Association to support cancer and disabled patients. These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to providing the best health care for our staff and communities.
Almarai recognizes the importance of sports in promoting wellbeing, inclusion, and positive impacts on human health. To this end, Almarai sponsors a variety of sporting activities each year, such as Hail Industrial Rally, Villaggio Equestrian Cup, 5th golf tournament, 6th Sports tournament for the disabled, ITTF Saudi Arabia para open 2023 and Riyadh running team on the Saudi national day. Through these initiatives, Almarai aims to foster the development and skill enhancement of young and junior athletes, encourage community engagement in walking culture, facilitate the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities, identify and nurture their athletic talents, enhance their quality of life, increase their involvement in community sports activities, and elevate them to become sports icons at both local and international levels.
As a socially responsible business, Almarai supports several awards in partnership with other organizations to reward achievement in society. The Almarai Academic Excellence Award, launched in 2006, provides support to students enrolled in the public education system in GCC countries. The Almarai Award for Veterinary Medicine, launched in 2010, works in collaboration with the Saudi Veterinary Medical Society and King Faisal University to support the veterinary profession and protect the general health of the GCC’s livestock. The Almarai Award for Ideal Mother, launched in 2017 in partnership with the Disabled Children’s Association, honors mothers who support their children with disabilities. Almarai participated as a platinum sponsor in the fifth edition of the Future Food Forum 2023, held in Dubai in September under the auspices of the UAE Ministry of Economy and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. We also supported 257 charitable organizations with food baskets from January – August 2023.
This donation follows through the directives of the wise leadership to provide relief to those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, and the company believes in the need to provide a helping hand to the people of Syria and Turkey who are living in tragic situations because of the natural disaster that struck the two countries. This donation also reflects the company's directions in supporting national charitable campaigns and various social and humanitarian initiatives that would help and support those in need
Goal/Target
Progress
Donate 2.5 million healthy servings by 2025
Educate 250,000 people through our site visit program by 2025
Improve the employability of at least 1,400 young people through the Food Industries Polytechnic (FIP) program by 2025
