Samy for Change,
a year of actions

Women in Business

This year, we launched a special episode of our podcast to commemorate Women’s Day, focusing on the narratives many women have grown up with and how these affect their work and emotional lives. We discuss topics such as the pressure to mature faster than men, the contradiction with motherhood and “available work time,” and the expectation of being a sacrificial ‘girlboss.’ All this is discussed with our Country Manager, our Chief of Operations, and the director of our PR agency, dlaundry.

This podcast not only served to commemorate Women’s Day but also to open a critical dialogue about the invisible barriers women face in the workplace, and how we can begin to collectively dismantle them.

Our goal was to bring visibility to and challenge these narratives, providing a space to reflect on the difficulties and expectations imposed on women in leadership positions. The outcomes were significant.

• #1 Rank most viewed episode – Youtube 
• 103 reactions + 8691 impressions – LinkedIn
• 174 likes + 4.8K views – Instagram 
• #3 Rank most listened – Spotify 

2NDSAMYLIFE MARKET

In Spain we held the first “2NDSAMYLIFE MARKET” event, a charitable initiative that encouraged the reuse of items in good condition. During the event, employees donated various items, from clothing to toys, tagged with prices for sale. All funds raised were directed to Caritas, a charitable organization that provides support to those in need.

This event not only promoted solidarity and reuse but also made a positive contribution to the environment by reducing CO2 emissions associated with the production of new products. Thanks to the active participation of the community, the “2NDSAMYLIFE MARKET” managed to generate significant revenue for a noble cause, while promoting values of social responsibility and sustainability.

SHARE Olympic Games Charity Fundraiser

On the 13th of June, we hosted a charity fundraiser event: ‘SHARE Olympic Games of 2024’. The chosen charity was My WiSH Charity, a UK-based charity who are dedicated to supporting and stimulating minds of those with dementia, a charity close to home for one of SHARE’s valued team member.

To take part in the SHARE Olympics fun, we asked people to donate what they could to the chosen cause. We managed to raise almost £500 for My WiSH!

Brighton Beach Clean

To celebrate World Ocean Day on the 8th of June, we organised a beach clean in Brighton. In support of Surfers Against Sewage and Brighton & Hove City Council, we took a stand against ocean pollution – collecting everything from large pieces of rubble to shoreline microplastics. 

Social Impact

This year, we launched our flagship digital project in collaboration with ESIC Business Marketing School, bringing together a panel of digital experts and influencers to discuss the impact of social media on mental health, with a specific focus on Gen Z users.

To enrich the discussion, we featured influencer Alice Wonderbear, along with two industry professionals, Beatriz Pérez Rico and David Garrido, and educator Laura Cuesta Cano. The panel explored both the positive and negative implications of social media and how they affect today’s youth.

This initiative provided valuable insights into navigating the digital landscape responsibly, underscoring our commitment to understanding and addressing the challenges faced by younger generations.

Koffiehuis - Donating Tote Bags

On Friday the 29th we donated +2k tote bags made from recycled bed linen and tablecloths to Koffiehuis in Amsterdam, a foundation that has been a safe haven for homeless or undocumented visitors for decades.

They offer work projects where the people receive coffee, lunch, and clean clothes. Also, they have a vintage and second-hand clothes store, and their proceeds go to charities in Amsterdam.

Our donation will help them reduce the use of plastic while giving a strong reusable shopper bag to the people they help, their teams, and volunteers. Plus, selling them to their customers at the store!

The Big Plastic Count

In March, we took part in the Big Plastic Count – a week long initiative to gather more, game-changing evidence that will push the government to take bold action on plastic.

To get everyone in the office thinking about how much waste we dispose of every single day, we stuck posters above our bins – and colleagues had to tally which products they were disposing of.

Where did our waste go?

• 12% Recycled in the UK

  Plastic waste that is sorted and reprocessed in the UK and then turned into new materials. Since The Big Plastic Count in 2022, the UK is reported to be recycling more domestically.

• 11% Exported

  The UK sends tonnes of rubbish to other countries every day, with Turkey the main destination. Since The Big Plastic Count 2022, the UK is reported to be exporting less. However, lots of UK waste is still being found abroad, so this figure is likely to be an underestimate.

• 65% Incinerated

  Burning or incinerating plastic releases carbon, toxins and pollutants into the air, presenting numerous health risks for local communities and contributing to climate change. More plastic waste is being burnt than ever, as a means to manage the sheer amount of plastic in our system.

• 12% Landfilled

  When plastic is buried in the ground at a landfill, it releases harmful gases into the atmosphere, while wind and rain carry microplastics into surrounding areas. The UK is now sending less to landfill than in 2022, as landfill sites are running out of space.

Swap ‘Til You Drop

As an extension to the IWD activities, we hosted a clothes swap.

We asked the team to bring in their favourite pre-loved clothes to either swap or donate to someone in need. 

Not only did people leave with new pieces to add to their wardrobe, but we also gathered over 5 sacks full of clothes to donate to charity!

International Women’s Day

In the lead up to IWD, surveys were distributed to all female employees at SHARE to gather their feedback on how we can improve as an equal employer, moving forward. 

On Tuesday 19th March, the whole office came together to discuss, collaborate and brainstorm subjects related to female equality in the workplace. Here’s an overview of what happened on the night:

• Female Employee Survey recap
• A Quiz to highlight how women’s rights have been restricted in the past and how women around the world still face daily challenges for equality
• Discussion in groups with post-it notes – answering questions together 

Helping the fire victims of Valparaíso, Chile

In February 2024, the Valparaíso region, specifically in Quilpué and Viña de Mar, was affected by a series of forest fires, which caused that many people to be affected and several to die.

This fire disaster was classified as one of the most destructive and deadly of the last decade.

To help the affected families, different collection points were set up where they received basic necessities.

Samy Chile did not want to be left behind and to help the families who suffered for the fire, a collection of money was carried out to buy cleaning supplies and other goods for those in need. In just two days, we raised the money needed to buy cleaning supplies for the victims. 

This initiative was carried out by María Jesús Garachena together with Jorge Charrasco in collaboration with @presachilena and BAR&VUELVE, in order to give it greater visibility.

Collaboration with “Bocatas Foundation”

Samy España, in collaboration with Bocatas.io, recently launched a meaningful initiative aimed at supporting individuals facing social exclusion due to drug-related challenges. This initiative took place in Plaza de Ópera in Madrid, focusing on providing essential nourishment and support to those in need.

Volunteers came together to prepare nutritious sandwiches and distribute them directly to individuals experiencing social exclusion. This act not only addressed immediate nutritional needs but also fostered human connection and empathy.

The initiative saw enthusiastic participation from all Samy España employees, highlighting the team’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and community welfare.

This initiative not only strengthened community bonds but also underscored Samy España’s dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive society, benefiting both the company and the broader community.

Women's Day at SAMY

With the goal of visualising different pain points of women in the workplace, we ran a social listening exercise to offer our global team a short study on women‘s professional expectations through the years, and shared it with them on March 8th.

We analysed the conversation on social media to understand the expectations, challenges, and limitations faced by women in the workplace. Through our research and analysis, we uncovered key insights that are valuable resources to keep promoting gender equality and creating more inclusive workplaces.

As a company with over 250 women, we want to do everything we can from our end to create a better, more equal future. We aimed to celebrate all women and all their effort to achieve their goals, and encourage them to keep going forward.

Unlittering

We do believe in the saying “practice what you preach”. If we want to have a healthy connection with our environment, we need to take care of it, and that is why we created the initiative Samy for Nature. This way we can also give an example of how easy it is to be part of a responsible community, to set a path that others can follow.

Basuraleza was our unlittering campaign, a space to gather up as a team, work together cleaning out trash to reduce pollution for nature conservation. To bring these words to action, we reunited more than 40 Samys in Spain and cleaned the garbage in 5 km2 of land, while it still worked as a bonding situation, what actually matters is that we put some effort together and helped our environment at the same time.

Earth Day

On April 222, and to show our commitment to environmental protection, we gathered more than 60 SAMYS to celebrate in a unique event: we took a trip to the mountains to reconnect with our planet and our team members, and finished our day by holding a meditation with The Holistic Concept.

The mission of this program Samy for Change is to have a significant impact on any cause we want to fight for, and it is always open to any proposal you want to bring to the table.

Better Together

It is always easier when we all participate, from our end and within our own possibilities. That was the case of our latest project that finished a few weeks ago, which was brought to us by one of our colleagues from Spain.

We got in contact with the pastor Gonzalo Ruipérez, who each month has served more than 60,000kg of food to Spanish families in need since the pandemic started. We ran some numbers and discovered that with a small amount per person, we could be able to create a great impact.

We accepted the challenge and started the donation rounds, and the results came really quick: it took less than 14 days of internal donations, and we raised enough money to feed 88 people in need during Christmas.

Ukraine

We acted as fast as possible to gather up all the help we could for our brothers and sisters from Ukraine as soon as the war started.

From internal and external resources and efforts, and in the span of a couple of weeks, we managed to send out more than 3 tons of donations, packaged in +300 boxes, full of food, clothing, medicine and equipment.

We all did our bit to help as many people as we could, but we know there is still a long way to go, so we will keep helping as we can, and praying for all this situation to end.