“While our mission has embraced corporate social responsibility and environmental consciousness since 2004, we recognize that the future of our business depends on the implementation of decisions that effectively and consistently drives a net-positive impact on society and the environment”
– Alaa Hashem
Founder and Chairman
Our priority issue, the elimination of child labor, which remains our core goal for action has not changed over the years. To that end, we have taken a comprehensive view on which we tailored our action plan to address this issue. The Plan is divided into a number of impact areas. These areas were identified through stakeholders’ dialogue about our most important impacts. They include goals in the areas of; Building stronger communities through women’s empowerment and other initiatives; access to health, education, and safe housing; the latest environmentally responsible practices in agriculture and industry; as well as sustainable sourcing of agricultural ingredients. In the last couple of years, we have made significant strides in achieving our sustainability goals some of our initiatives are portrayed in this calendar.
Our consumers deserve safe and high-quality products, and across the Hashem Brothers system, we work hard to meet the highest standards of product safety and quality. It is our goal to offer safe and innovative products to all of our customers. We follow stringent product and ingredient standards designed to ensure the safety and quality of each of our products. We depend on a socially and environmentally committed supply chain. By accelerating and embracing our investment in sustainable agriculture, our Company and our Stakeholders will benefit, along with farmers, employees, and their families.
At Hashem Brothers, our commitment to respect human rights extends across all aspects of our business conduct, including the ways we interact with suppliers, colleagues, customers, and communities. This commitment is foundational to the success of our Company, and we work diligently to uphold the fundamental principles of international human and workplace rights everywhere we operate
At HB we understand that the significance of Environmental sustainability lies in our commitment not jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is important for HB to address agricultural challenges and opportunities across our entire value chain. As a result of our core business we are closely linked to the agricultural community in Egypt. Aspects of agricultural sustainability, water stewardship, climate impacts and even human and labor rights are integral to our efforts and environmental sustainability. Diverse initiatives have been taken over the years which have proven to be successful.
Unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of women is one of the most powerful and enduring ways to help families and communities prosper. As pillars of their communities, women invest a sizable portion of the income they earn on the health and education of their children and in their local economies, creating a tremendous economic impact. Our recognition of both the challenges faced by women and their economic potential led to the development of a number of initiatives since 2006. We are committed to enable the economic empowerment of all the women within our direct working sphere through our value chain. Specifically, this means the small businesses that Hashem Brothers and our partners work with—from farmers and workers to retailers and artisans. By tapping into the community partnerships we have built, women in our programs are able to gain business skills and access to financial services, capital, peer networks and mentoring.
Unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of women is one of the most powerful and enduring ways to help families and communities prosper. As pillars of their communities, women invest a sizable portion of the income they earn on the health and education of their children and in their local economies, creating a tremendous economic impact. Our recognition of both the challenges faced by women and their economic potential led to the development of a number of initiatives since 2006. We are committed to enable the economic empowerment of all the women within our direct working sphere through our value chain. Specifically, this means the small businesses that Hashem Brothers and our partners work with—from farmers and workers to retailers and artisans. By tapping into the community partnerships we have built, women in our programs are able to gain business skills and access to financial services, capital, peer networks and mentoring.
Education is critical to people’s future prospects, yet many people living in rural areas of Egypt never even enter the education system. In Egypt a third of children never attend school, one in four adults are illiterate, and most qualified teachers are concentrated in urban areas. At HB our focus is to extend access to education and offer a positive and interactive learning environment for children and adults. Our focus is to provide, in addition to traditional, alternative learning venues with the aim of eradicating illiteracy and child labor through education. To that end, HB has partnered with specialist education organizations to expand new learning solutions and address those objectives in our direct sphere of influence.
As human beings, our health and the health of those we care about is a matter of daily concern. Regardless of our age, gender, socio-economic or ethnic background, we consider our health to be our most basic and essential asset. At HB we believe the right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights and of our understanding of a life in dignity. To that effect affordable and accessible healthcare is essential to the health of a community as a whole. With those principles in mind HB has worked to improve access to healthcare for people surrounding our manufacturing and sourcing areas .
Clean, accessible water is essential to the health of communities. It is critical to ecosystems and indispensable for economic prosperity. Today about 50 percent of the population in Egypt still lacks effective sanitation and good hygiene facilities. Diarrhea – linked to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene – kills an estimated 17,000 children under five in Egypt. Women and girls are most acutely affected by inadequate facilities and bear the burden of collecting water in Egypt. Tackling these issues in our surrounding areas HB has been able to achieve a fundamental impact for over 20 000 people by ensuring that our surrounding communities have access to clean water to drink, and building and maintaining safe toilets.
One of the pillars of sustainable development is the right to adequate housing. HB believes that it is the right of every woman, man, youth, and child to gain and sustain a safe and secure home and community in which to live in peace and dignity. At the core of this belief is the understanding that Home is the cornerstone of hope for those living in poverty. With a home comes protection from the elements, from disease, and from violence. A decent and secure home provides the foundation for health, education, and employment. HB has made its mission to provide the poorest and most vulnerable people with the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty by partnering with them to build their homes and communities.
One of the pillars of sustainable development is the right to adequate housing. HB believes that it is the right of every woman, man, youth, and child to gain and sustain a safe and secure home and community in which to live in peace and dignity. At the core of this belief is the understanding that Home is the cornerstone of hope for those living in poverty. With a home comes protection from the elements, from disease, and from violence. A decent and secure home provides the foundation for health, education, and employment. HB has made its mission to provide the poorest and most vulnerable people with the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty by partnering with them to build their homes and communities.
At Hashem Brothers, we believe our business is only as healthy and sustainable as the communities in which we operate. Our community investment priorities reflect the local nature of our business and focus on areas where we can make a unique and sustainable difference. On a local level, this takes the form of improving access to health services and education, taking part in urban development and environmental conservation programs, and helping create businesses and jobs. These actions are carried out in consultation with local stakeholders and our employees have an opportunity to play a role, through volunteering programs in line with the Group’s values.
Achieving our goal of sustainability requires expertise and partnership in order to actively stay on our continual improvement path. Our industry and nonprofit partnerships play a crucial role in achieving the changes we seek. Over the years we have worked with many organizations that have been instrumental in the achievement of our success.