Our Manifesto

Yıldız Holding’s aim is to make its customers and others it touches happy. This is not just from the quality and taste of our products, it goes much deeper. Content employees are more productive and provide better customer service. Reducing our environmental impact and working within the boundaries of our ecosystems, keeps our planet happy. Implementing high standards for labour and human rights across our supply chain keeps our suppliers happy.

From the farm to eating our products, we aim to inspire our employees to ensure excellent supply chain conditions, efficient operations, healthier products and happier customers. Make Happy Be Happy is our framework and strategy to deliver value to our employees, customers, consumers and local communities as well as business growth. We invite you to help us create a positive legacy for the future.

Our world is changing fast. Digitisation, growing populations, environmental pressures and increasing expectations of us mean we must change fast too. Our founders were never afraid to adapt, to invest in the future and to develop, what has become, one of Turkey’s most successful groups.  What we do across all Yıldız Holding companies has big implications for our employees, our society and our environment. Make Happy Be Happy seeks to harness a common passion to do well, while doing good.

Launched in 2015, The UN convened governments, business, individuals and others to create a global vision for 2030 that responds to Society’s challenges. It is called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) or the Global Goals. They cover every aspect of our life including; health and wellbeing, economic growth, education, equality, justice and a clear environment. Make Happy Be Happy is our response to and contribution towards this global vision. Taking actions with a global outlook, will ensure our Group can continue to thrive in 2030 and beyond.

Our framework is ambitious, it goes beyond incremental improvement to transformation and renewal. We are aspiring to a new vision where business is an innovative, trusted partner that supports society’s development, fit for the 21st Century. Backed up by milestone goals and targets, this aspiration provides a clear direction of travel that everyone can support. To reach these targets requires new levels of collaboration – the SDG’s cannot be achieved without it or by any single organisation.

Make Happy is our challenge to do this. We are proud to be bringing people together to help make these global goals happen. We believe this will deliver business growth while improving society.

 

Tone of voice – Friends and colleagues, we will do this together. Your support will help us work out innovative new ways to meet society’s needs and to Be Happy. To Make Happy, we will commit time and resources and use our skills and expertise collaboratively. We want to inspire and empower you to be part of this opportunity. Focus is on ‘us’ rather than ‘you’, long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes. Together we can create a positive legacy for the future.

Recognising common challenges and the risks we all face, the tone should always be positive, opportunity driven and should emphasise that we are aspiring for a brighter future through working together. It is about transformation rather than incremental improvement. It is proactive rather than reactive. If we Make Happy we will Be Happy.

The SDGs provide the guiding direction for the whole program – a shared responsibility to address the most pressing societal and environmental issues we all face to create a future we all strive for.

Make Happy Be Happy is aligned to Goal 21, our business strategy to 2021.  Goal 21 is about closeness to markets, drive for complete quality, collaboration and leadership. It is about learning, experimenting, improving and raising our standards to be the best in everything we do. Make Happy Be Happy is about applying this thinking towards sustainability.

It is our aspiration to deliver business growth while contributing to the Goals – providing shared value to all who are touched by Yıldız Holding companies.

Road Map

Structured around the pillars of People, Planet and Product, it has a focus on three main themes, each with a far-reaching aims and clear interim objectives to help us achieve them:

EMPOWER: Our employees and partners make our business successful. We aim to empower them to funnel their passion, commitment and inspiration towards meeting the goals and our aims

RESTORE: We must protect and enhance the ability of our environment to deliver the resources and services we need to live our lives and for our children and future generations.

INSPIRE: Our customers and wider society expect us to play an active role protecting our environment, improving our health and wellbeing and supporting societal values that we hold dear. We need to inspire them with confidence, making them happy that we are doing this.

Keys enablers to meet our aspirations are; education, engagement, collaboration, innovation, and digitisation. We need to innovate to deliver the change we want to see, embracing digital and clean technologies enabled by an entrepreneurial mindset.

The whole framework is supported on the foundation of strong and transparent governance which ensures everything we do, by everyone in the company, is done ethically, transparently and with integrity.

Our aim: Make Happy Be Happy

2030 Aspiration

Our aim is to build on our success and do even better tomorrow, creating sustainable, profitable growth. We will achieve this by being innovative and focused and responding to the changing world and business environment around us. Business can no longer separate growth from the need to deliver value back to society. Across our whole Group we see growth and value creation as a connected aspiration. This includes across all the businesses in our supply chain and through our relationships with our customers and others we encounter on our journey.

We will grow by creating and harnessing the power of technology and digitisation, the passion and commitment of our people, and the development of new and improved products for emerging and existing markets. We will continue to invest in our people, our operations and our market presence and use the Sustainable Development Goals and our ‘Make Happy Be Happy’ strategy to provide the direction for sustainable innovation. Every decision we make should be tested to ensure it supports one of our theme aims. Are we happy it does? - if not, we should not do it.

Providing the Context

The world is changing fast and we must adapt with it. Although change brings uncertainty and challenges, it also creates opportunities for those who respond quickly and effectively.  We have strong brands and legacy and with that comes responsibility to address these challenges and take the opportunities. We understand that our planet is under pressure and society has expectations of fair and ethical behaviour and safe and healthy lifestyles. People expect Yıldız Holding companies to be proactive. Make Happy Be Happy provides a clear vision and commitment, an aligned but flexible approach, to adopt changes and to scale our impact for sustainable growth.

We play an important role in Turkey’s economy with a large predominantly agricultural supply base, extensive manufacturing facilities, retail and other operations as well as selling hundreds of products. Our influence also stretches far beyond our home borders, with international brands, operations, distribution and supply chains.  Through our value chain relationships, we can help enable positive change at the speed and scale that is required to maintain a healthy and safe environment and society that impacts on an international scale.

Sustainability perspective

Business cannot succeed in societies that fail. Our success is connected to the prosperity of the world that we work in. We can only reach our aspirations, thrive and be happy, if we work within the means of our ecosystem and within the bounds of a safe and fair society. Sustainability means using our potential to the fullest by developing new products in line with the needs and expectations of society.

Our approach seeks to align with the SDG goals with the following of most relevance; No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Wellbeing (3), Gender Equality (5), Decent work and Economic Growth (8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (9), Reduced Inequalities (10) Responsible Production and Consumption (12), Climate Action (13) and Life on Land (15). All built on the backbone of partnerships for the goals (17)

 

Our Make Happy Be Happy sustainability framework is structured under three building blocks that articulate our aspirations for the future: People, Planet, Products. We will now expand on each in turn. 

EMPOWER

We want all our employees and business partners to be engaged in and inspired to deliver our Make Happy Be Happy ambition. We need to live the change we want to see.

Our Focus on: People

2030 Aspiration

We aim for diverse, safe and happy employees and partners. Our success is dependent on their passion, commitment and inspiration. We strive to build an inclusive corporate culture and relevant systems to make full use of our employee talents in a rewarding environment and to treat our suppliers fairly and with respect. We understand global threats and opportunities and act locally to improve our performance.

Building on our Strengths

Our 56,000 employees work across a multinational and diverse organization. In that diversity lies our strength. We work with mutual trust and co-operation, deriving inspiration from each other through mutual support, including with our suppliers and farmers. Marshalling our individual abilities toward strategic goals, we move ahead into a shared future with a united vision. Our employee connections to the communities where we operate, our 5200 suppliers, 400 distributors and 2700 farmers, government agencies and others means we can deliver a multiplier effect, magnifying our potential and influence.

Providing the Context

People want to feel fulfilled and happy at work and traditional approaches, that separate business from society, have failed. Aligning our corporate position to common societal goals will help with skills development, talent recruitment and employee retention. Healthy, purpose-driven and motivated employees are more productive and work smarter.

A sustainable supply chain is central to our success. As a significant and growing purchaser of raw materials for our many products, we have a significant role in socio-economic development in rural Turkey and across the rest of our supply base. We therefore have a key responsibility to nurture and support our suppliers. Farmer welfare, health and safety and respect for human rights are fundamental drivers to security of supply, productivity and business success.

Sustainability viewpoint

Aligning to the Sustainable Development Goals provides an independent and legitimate vision of our common future. Buying into this independent vision strengthens our ambition and frames it in terms of a collaborative effort. It puts every employee decision and action into a broader context and enables checks and balances to be understood across the business. In particular, the SDG’s Good Health and Wellbeing (3), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8) and Responsible Consumption and Production (12) demonstrate the aspirations of the EMPOWER pillar.

Actions and Objectives

  •          Farmer welfare
  •          Socio-Economic development
  •          Celebrate and encourage diversity
  •          Empower women
  •          Ensure equality across business at all levels
  •          Respect human rights
  •          Engage to co-create solutions
  •          Ensure health and safety and wellbeing
  •          Train and provide opportunities

 

RESTORE

Restore is the recognition that our business success is dependent on the maintenance and restoration of natural capital, enabling our environment to continue to deliver the raw materials we need to sustain and grow our business.

Our Focus on: Planet

2030 Aspiration

Yıldız Holdings is an innovator of sustainable agriculture, which has a positive, restorative impact on our ecosystems. We have decoupled our growth from our environmental footprint and are happy our business is not degrading our environment. Packaging and other materials we use in our operations are part of a closed loop where they are reused or reprocessed back into packaging. We use this mindset to develop new business models, to drive growth and to create new market opportunities.

Our employees are ambassadors of change, advocating sustainable approaches to life and work that reach right through our sales approach, operations and supply chain. Our investors appreciate the risk management skills and growth opportunities that come from this position. Our reputation is strengthened and our ability to access markets has improved as we are trusted to do the right thing.

Building on our Strengths

Focusing on effective environmental management can deliver many business benefits including; improved efficiencies, reduced costs, lower risk, improved market access, greater innovation and enhanced reputation. Utilising our innovative skills to reduce environmental impact and to develop lower impact methods of product delivery and use is part of how we do business and aligns to the desires of many of our stakeholders. Reducing our environmental impact also supports the delivery of other goals such as improved human rights, better health and wellbeing and improved quality of life.

Providing the Context

Current business models typical operate in an unsustainable zone, drawing resources, using high volumes of fossil energy and creating significant wastes and other outputs unwanted by society. Good soil health, careful use of water resources and protecting biodiversity are essential for productive agriculture that delivers the ingredients for our products. The FMCG sector is in the spotlight for litter, one-way plastic packaging that ends up littering our streets, countryside and oceans. A broad coalition of stakeholders is working towards a transformation to sustainable, low carbon economies. Being proactive to become a restorative business operating within circular systems is an essential part of future business success.

Sustainability viewpoint

Our impact on the environmental SDG’s is apparent for Clean water and sanitation (6), Affordable and Clean Energy (7) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (9) Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), Climate Action (13), Life Below Water (14) and Life On Land (15).

Actions and Objectives

  •          Energy efficiency, reduction and renewables across operations and supply chain
  •          Regenerative approach for key ingredients (e.g. Soil health, cocoa in forests, palm oil)
  •          Food and packaging waste avoidance and reduction and improved material selection
  •          Green logistics
  •          Water management

 

 

INSPIRE

Safe, appealing products that inspire customer confidence and that can be consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Our Focus on: Products

2030 Aspiration

Our brands and extensive product ranges are our key touchpoint with our consumers and we aim to create happiness through their consumption and use. We take full responsibility to ensure that they have been produced to the highest standards, are transparently and clearly sold, so consumers can continue to enjoy them as part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

Our scope of influence, from the production of raw materials that go into our products through our employee’s work, to our customers consuming our products, means that clear information on the origins and impacts of them is readily available and understood by our customers.

Building on our Strengths

With some of the best loved brands in our markets of operation, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to continue to develop brand trust with our customer base. To maintain and grow this, we need to respond to changing knowledge and expectations. Our consumers want to be happy they can eat and drink our products and maintain healthy diets and lifestyles and be reassured that the environment has been looked after and our suppliers respected.

As one of the largest holding companies in one of the primary emerging economies in the world, we have enormous influence and are well positioned to do this. Our Research, Development and Innovation capability can use Make Happy Be Happy themes to drive innovation. In turn this will enable us to grow existing and new markets and will feed business success.

Providing the Context

Consumers are bombarded with information and can be confused about the impacts of products and how they can best be enjoyed. Healthy eating and sensible snacking is good for people and good for our business. It reflects some of the fastest growing categories. The regulatory environment is increasingly recognising this through labelling requirements, ingredient taxes and advertising restrictions, such as for high sugar products.

Consumers desire to understand more about where their food comes from is also high on the agenda. Traceability back to the farm and through the production process helps inspire confidence that food is well produced, safe and that farmer welfare is part of what is being bought. It is clear that single use packaging is creating enormous problems. However, making the right choices is not always easy for customers. Providing better information to them and guiding their choices is part of the solution to a more sustainable food system that we can be happy with.

Sustainability viewpoint

Good Health and Wellbeing is the primary SDG (3) that we impact on. Others of relevance, relating to our products, include Responsible Production and Consumption (12) Life Below Water (14) and Life on Land (15).  Partnerships for the SDG’s (17) is also important indicating how we have to collaborate with regulators, customers, consumers and others to ensure we deliver social value as well as business success.

Actions and Objectives

  •          Full product traceability and disclosure: origins of ingredients (meet the farmers)
  •          Full nutritional information in context of health and wellbeing
  •          Target new low income emerging markets
  •          Targeted nutritional improvements
  •          Training and nudging customers to select heathier options
  •          Inspired to collaborate
  •          Packaging waste reduction

 

 

Enablers: Education, Engagement, Collaboration, Innovation, Digitisation

2030 Aspiration

Sustainable innovation matters to us. It delivers the changes we want to see. It provides new opportunities and ways of thinking that empower our employees, strengthen our commercial offer and meet the changing expectations of society. Our healthy attitude to collaboration, risk and to failure means we know not every attempt to innovate will work, but we are willing to try where others may be more cautious. 

Engaging and learning with others; our customers, our consumers and our supply chains, enables us to improve our performance and better meet their needs as well as our own. We leverage the power of technology and digitisation to transform how we work.

Building on our Strengths

We can draw from our legacy of manufacturing innovation and vertical integration focused on quality and value and broaden its scope to meet changing market expectations. Our ownership structure means that we’re well placed to take decisions for the long term, and to invest where we believe we can make a real difference.  Our network means we can have a multiplier effect across our value chain and can seek innovative collaborations.

Providing the Context

As a learning enterprise we always strive to understand how we can improve. Education of our employees, partners and customers supports our journey. Understanding the challenges of sustainable development and how that impacts on job roles, consumer choices and investment decision making means we need to be well informed and lifetime learners.

Employees can be inspired, happier and feel more valued when encouraged to work together to solve problems and create solutions. An entrepreneurial culture encourages new ideas and solutions. As our operating environment conditions change and competition grows, innovation becomes more important for business resilience, development and growth.

Sustainability viewpoint

We have a huge opportunity to incorporate sustainable development principles such as; eco-efficiency, working within natural systems, circular economies, eradicating inequality and creating safe and healthy workplaces and products. The scale of economic transformation required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals is not well understood. Building sustainability considerations into R&D, design processes, investment decisions and company systems will ensure its effectiveness. The Make Happy Be Happy framework can inspire us to create new solutions, products and services that better meet our customer needs whilst protecting the environment and improving society.

Actions and Objectives

The Foundation: Robust Governance

2030 Aspiration

Effective and robust governance provides the foundation for Make Happy Be Happy. Accountable leadership, supported by appropriate structures, with every employee fulfilling their role, enables the organisation to act with integrity and build trust with all its stakeholders.

Building on our Strengths

Developing from a company with its roots in Turkey into a multinational enterprise means that we are committed to operating to internationally recognised corporate governance standards. It starts at the top with our leaders and managers providing the guidance and being role models for the rest of the organisation.

Providing clear accountabilities, robust operating strategies, effective management practice guided by our code of conduct and sustainability principles enables implementation. Our commitment to transparently publish our sustainability performance at a group and operating company levels builds confidence.

Providing the Context

Effective governance is not just about meeting legal requirements. It is a culture of integrity, openness and learning, focused on delivering business success within the context of societies and stakeholders changing expectations. We strive to go beyond the expectations of international investors, transparently demonstrating that our values are understood and lived across our sphere of influence and that Yıldız Holding is governed in a way that can deliver value back to its owners, shareholders and to wider society. We acknowledge that we are not always going to make everyone happy. By adopting good governance practices and operating with integrity, trying to Make Happy, we strive to do the right thing for society as well as the business.

Sustainability viewpoint

The digital revolution has made the world appear smaller, with the ability to share images and information almost instantly. This in turn has shone the light on practices which are not aligned to commonly held values of equality, integrity and human rights. Good governance follows shared, internationally recognised values as expressed in the SDG’s and provides a strong link to the wider, global agenda that can be acted on locally. The digital revolution has created opportunities for more efficient, improved governance practices.

Acknowledging when things don’t quite go to plan or when there are problems helps us to learn and avoid repeating mistakes. Humility can provide new opportunities for emotional connection and trust building. Inclusion, transparency and accountability are key to creating real benefits that are shared fairly across society.

Actions and objectives