Castorama Foundation helps Ukrainians
Our foundation has started 13 projects for housing Ukrainian refugees; nearly 1,100 refugees will find a place to safe living once these are complete. Our staff are volunteering their help. One project that I’d like to talk about in particular – Modlin Fortress, which is enjoying strong engagement from Castorama colleagues. The 19th century fortress, just outside Warsaw, is being adapted as a shelter for up to 300 refugees newly arrived from Ukraine. The Castorama Foundation joined the project, donating funds for this purpose, as well contributing the labour of Castorama Polska employees themselves, who have volunteered for renovation and cleaning works.
Currently, various types of renovation works are being carried out in the area of the former defence barracks, refreshing the rooms, which will then still need to be equipped. The Castorama Foundation provided financial support to the Nasza Historia (‘Our History’) foundation operating at the Fortress for the purchase of necessary building materials to paint the rooms and install kitchen equipment, such as kitchen furniture, worktops, sinks and taps.
The Modlin Fortress campaign was met with great enthusiasm by Castorama employees. Volunteers from the company's headquarters and its Warsaw stores have been engaged in the construction work, while others have been busy in our warehouses, where supplies for those in need are collected. Volunteers dealt with sorting and picking basic necessities such as food, clothes, blankets, medicines and hygiene items as required. Parcels are currently being sent to Ukraine and also handed over to refugees arriving in Poland. After the renovation works are completed, these products will also be intended for people using the shelter in the Fortress.
As part of activities for Ukraine, the Castorama Foundation has already supported many projects, including from the Warsaw Cooperation Fund foundation or the Pogotowie Społeczne (‘Social Emergency’) association from Poznań – many more are under way.
Orchids for Ukraine
From 4 April this year. in selected Castorama stores, a limited edition of blue and yellow orchids was available. Income from the sale of flowers will go to the Castorama Foundation for activities related to supporting war refugees from Ukraine.
A sustainable store for a sustainable planet
On the weekend of 8-10 April, the spring 2022 edition of the Flowers for Electro-waste campaign took place in all Castorama, Castorama Smart and Brico Depot stores. Throughout the weekend, customers brought their broken electrical and electronic equipment to stores, where we replaced them with spring pansies!
The increasing amount of electro-waste and its negative impact on the environment is one of the biggest problems of the industrialised economy. The production of electrical and electronic equipment is constantly growing. Worn-out devices become waste, including old models, which are pushed out of the market by new technological novelties. Spring cleaning in every home reveals more and more household electro-waste that requires proper segregation so that it can be subjected to the appropriate process of disposal or recycling.
Waste electrical and electronic equipment is all unused, broken electrical and electronic equipment that used to run on electricity or batteries. Electro-waste contains numerous harmful substances, such as mercury, freon or asbestos, which, when released into the soil, groundwater or air, may pose a threat to the environment and our health.
Conscious segregation of waste electrical and electronic equipment reduces the amount which ends up in municipal landfills, and thus reduces their negative impact on the environment.
The Flowers for Electro-waste campaign aims to reduce the amount of hazardous waste thrown into municipal tanks by increasing the selective collection of used electrical and electronic equipment. Our partner in the campaign is AuraEko, an electrical and electronic equipment recovery organisation. During the event, all Castorama stores collect used home appliances and, in return, distribute spring pansies in pots made of 100% recycled and biodegradable materials that can be recycled, fully decomposing during composting
We create a good atmosphere together with Castorama
On 22 April, on the occasion of International Earth Day, Castorama reminds you that it is worth taking care of the planet not only on holidays. Through the Nasza Sfera (‘our sphere’) programme, Castorama encourages the creation of sustainable, economical and ecological homes and gardens – paying attention to specific solutions and products available in stores all over Poland and on the castorama.pl website.
With the present and future generations in mind, Castorama has created the Nasza Sfera programme to create a good atmosphere together. Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to maintain the right balance between everyday functioning and living in harmony with nature. Poland’s Number One home-improvement network comes out with a helping hand and proposes solutions that help find this balance and provide better, and therefore healthier, conditions for living at home and outside.
Nasza Sfera allows us to better understand the benefits of environmentally friendly solutions and new technologies available on the market. It helps in choosing products and materials whose properties we can enjoy for years. Being ‘eco’ simply pays off, and not only in money terms!
Each of us is an inhabitant of the Earth, therefore each of us individually, but also together with others, should take care of its good condition. Making even small changes to your daily habits and green solutions in your home and garden can help save our planet.
The newest Nasza Sfera Castorama TV ad draws attention to the products thanks to which we will be able to enjoy a nature-friendly home and garden. More solutions and tips on how to create health-, planet- and wallet-friendly homes and gardens can be found on a website specially prepared for this programme – Nasza Sfera in Castorama.