Corporate social responsibility is a company’s commitment to ethical business conduct, being aware of the impact of its decisions and actions on society and the environment, as well as voluntary initiatives that contribute to the well-being of society and its sustainable development.
VENDEN – the manufacturer of spring and natural mineral water – is a socially responsible Latvian company with a reputation of a stable employer and more than 200 employees in Riga and the regions, among which at least 35% have been working for the company for more than 10 years. Safety, health and satisfaction of our employees is one of the company’s priorities.
We are aware that taking care of both society and the environment is equally important in our daily activities. Therefore, in our strategy we adhere to a balanced approach that combines environmental protection, economic sustainability and social responsibility.
Learn more about the most important corporate social responsibility events and initiatives implemented by us recently!
VENDEN strives to be part of events that are important for society, facilitating the well-being of people, the development of culture and sports. Therefore, for many years now, we have been actively supporting various communities, social groups and children, and regularly respond to requests for help.
An active lifestyle and its popularization are the core values and driving force of VENDEN. We participate in sports competitions and tournaments, namely, we support events for people with special needs, children from crisis centres, social institutions, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres. Moreover, we always take part in cultural events that strengthen the sense of unity and social life.
One of our long-term partners and friends is the Stirnu buks race series, where for 8 years now we have been supplying VENDEN products to participants in all stages. We also support other sports events that promote an active and healthy lifestyle, such as the patriotic obstacle race Lāčplēšu kross, which takes place annually in Mezaparks and brings together hundreds of families and sports enthusiasts. Moreover, VENDEN actively participates in the events organised by the Latvian Sports Federation within framework of the European Sports Week and the European Mobility Week.
Particular attention is paid to children’s and youth sports and supporting events that motivate the younger generation to an active lifestyle. Among them is the Alfreds Krauklis Memorial Tournament, the largest basketball tournament for children and juniors in the Baltic States.
Every year we consider new initiatives and projects to support. Thus, in 2024, cooperation was launched with Trek Tours, which organizes large-scale hiking trips that attract thousands of participants from different countries.
By providing support to professional athletes, VENDEN not only recognizes their outstanding contribution, but also aims to convey such values as perseverance, strength and determination to a wider audience, inspiring everyone to further development and belief in their abilities.
In 2021 and 2023, we had the opportunity to become official partners of the Ice Hockey World Championship, and we hope to repeat this experience in the future. By supporting professional sports in Latvia, VENDEN closely cooperates with federations, clubs and associations representing various sports – hockey, volleyball, basketball, football, tennis, cycling and others.
VENDEN is also proud to cooperate with outstanding Latvian athletes and teams, including the women’s beach volleyball duo Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina, as well as javelin thrower Aneta Sietina, whom we supported on their way to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Moreover, for several years we have been cooperating with the women’s basketball club TTT Riga, the men’s basketball club VEF Riga and the football club FC Riga.
Caring about the future, we regularly support young talents on their way to new heights by providing VENDEN water for the Latvian open junior championships and other competitions in various sports.
VENDEN supports equal opportunities for people in various areas of life, including sports. Therefore, we are happy to participate in events aimed at people with limited opportunities and support parasports. Among them are tournaments organized by the Latvian Sitting Volleyball Federation, including beach and classic sitting volleyball, as well as standing para-volleyball tournaments, in which athletes from different countries participate.
In 2024, we supported the Para Sports Day in Sigulda, which brought together 400 participants and gave them the opportunity to socialize and find suitable sports, regardless of their mobility limitations, mental health status or other functional disorders.
Moreover, for several years we have been cooperating with the Vaivari rehabilitation centre, supporting its sports games With Sports to Health, as well as the charity football tournaments Seni Cup and other events organised by the TZMO association.
Supporting culture is a way to help strengthen an environment where new ideas are born, talents are developed and the creative potential of society is enriched. We are proud to contribute to the development of local music by cooperating with organizations that organize talent competitions and camps for young musicians, helping artists grow and develop professionally.
VENDEN supplies its products to various cultural and music events, including the Laima Rendezvous Jurmala festival, concerts and talent competitions organised by Inese Galante. Recently, we have supported the concert of the legendary band Livi and the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, cooperated with the Instrumenti group, the Latvian Operetta Foundation, supported events organized by the Art Management Group and other cultural projects.
Caring for Latvian society and the environment, VENDEN communicates both on and beyond social media, and participates in and organizes events that motivate people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. In our daily activities, we regularly talk about the importance of water and healthy nutrition for the human body and the value of natural resources. Moreover, we help develop the understanding of sustainable lifestyle principles, urging society to make choices in favour of more environmentally friendly solutions.
Our goal is to promote public awareness of the importance of health and remind us that change begins with each of us. Every step towards a healthy lifestyle makes our lives more fulfilling, as does caring for the environment, which directly affects our common well-being and future.
In honour of the World Water Day, which is celebrated annually on March 22, we have been organising the children’s drawing competition for several years now. Its goal is to draw public attention to the importance of water resources and the global crisis associated with their shortage, while developing children’s creativity. As part of the competition, we invite preschool educational institutions and institutions implementing preschool educational programs to send children’s drawings dedicated to the topic Water in our world.
Winners are determined in several categories – both by public voting and by an independent art jury. Moreover, one of the submitted drawings receives the VENDEN’s Sympathy Prize.
We have been organising the competition for three years now, and each time we see a positive trend – both the number of participants and the number of submitted works is growing. In 2024, the competition broke all activity records: 421 educational institutions took part in it, sending about 5,500 drawings in total. For the winning educational institutions, the competition became an opportunity to replenish their sports equipment or educational materials for a total of 6,000 EUR.
Educating the public on the use and preservation of water resources is not limited to events. We believe that this is a continuous and targeted activity that requires both determination and close connections with people. That is why we regularly share useful information on social media about a healthy lifestyle and the importance of water in maintaining it. To provide our audience with more valuable information, we collaborate with nutritionist Svetlana Aleksejeva, who shares useful tips. We also involve professional Latvian athletes in creating content, whose achievements inspire and motivate people to strive for their goals and lead an active lifestyle.
Moreover, VENDEN reminds its subscribers of the importance of caring for the environment and preserving natural resources, promoting the development of ecological thinking in everyday life. From time to time, we draw attention to globally relevant issues, such as climate change and the availability of water in the world.
We understand how important it is to support socially vulnerable groups of public, so we participate in and organize various charitable projects, providing assistance both on behalf of the company and its employees. Trouble can suddenly affect anyone, but by joining forces, you can help those who need it. After all, joint support of initiatives brings joy and satisfaction, even if the contribution of each individual seems small.
In the spring of 2024, we organised a charity campaign, during which for two months we donated 1 cent from each VENDEN product in a PET bottle sold to the Children’s Hospital Foundation. As a result, the donation amounted to 15,000 EUR, for which the Foundation purchased everything necessary for equipping 5 special heating beds for the Children’s Clinical University Hospital: special heated mattresses and related equipment. Moreover, VENDEN has been participating in the charity campaign Angels over Latvia for over 5 years.
Even a small donation can be an important step towards overcoming difficulties and creating a better future. By supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities Latvia, we contribute to the common mission – improving the health and well-being of children. One of the most important projects implemented by the organization in Latvia is Care Mobile – a mobile medical centre that provides medical consultations to children in the most remote regions of the country. VENDEN has been supporting this project for several years now, providing natural mineral water and small gifts to young patients receiving medical care and consultations at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Care Mobile.
After the outbreak of war hostilities in Ukraine, in solidarity with its people, VENDEN participated in a number of projects aimed at providing humanitarian and other assistance to Ukrainian citizens. An important area was the social integration of Ukrainian refugees. In this regard, we were happy to support the sports games for youth and families organized by the Latvian Council of Sports Federations within the framework of the project Erasmus+ We Play Together! Also in August 2024, in Vermane Park in Riga, we supported the event United for Ukraine, organized by the association Friendship of Latvia and Ukraine. To the best of our ability, we continue to participate in other projects aimed at helping Ukrainian refugees, facilitating their social adaptation in Latvia.
Strengthening our corporate ethics and culture is an important part of our values. We create conditions for our employees to participate in initiatives that provide support to those who need it most. This allows us to make a meaningful and practical contribution for the benefit of society.
VENDEN has been supporting the project Box of courage of the Children’s Clinical University Hospital for several years now. As part of the project, we prepare small gifts for the so-called box of courage, which helps children overcome their fears. The boxes are placed in each procedure room of the hospital, and a child can choose a toy from it as a reward for perseverance during a procedure. All children receive rewards if there are enough gifts in the box.
Moreover, for several years now, the VENDEN team has been gathering donations for animal shelters. For example, in 2024, we helped the shelter in Sloka by donating food, textiles and other necessary items for dogs and cats. When visiting the shelter, we take the time to walk with its inhabitants, if possible.
VENDEN actively takes measures to protect the environment and use resources rationally; the most significant initiatives of recent years are summarized in the VENDEN’s Green Declaration. Our goal is to minimize the environmental impact of production, while maintaining consistently high product quality that meets consumer expectations. We believe that an integrated approach to all areas of our activities is the key to long-term reduction of environmental impact.
Taking care for the environment, VENDEN actively participates in its improvement and greening. In the Gauja National Park, we monitor the condition and cleanliness of the Mezuli spring and its surroundings, observing water intake limits to preserve the natural ability of the spring to regenerate.
Since 2020, greening the cities where our branches are located has become an annual tradition for us. Since 2020, 62 trees have been planted in five cities in Latvia: Riga, Daugavpils, Cesis, Jelgava and Ventspils. We will complete the greening initiative in 2025 by planting trees in the sixth and final city – Liepaja. However, we do not plan to stop there and plan to continue this tradition in the future.
VENDEN is constantly looking for ways to reduce the use of plastic in production and use resources rationally. A few years ago, by slightly changing the shape of PET bottles and shortening their necks, we managed to reduce plastic consumption by about 39 tons per year. Moreover, we annually recycle about 65 tons of various types of plastic. We are currently continuing to work on additional measures to achieve more sustainable manufacturing.
To facilitate the recycling of resources, VENDEN Mezavots spring water is offered to customers in reusable containers with volume of 11 and 18.9 litres. Before each refill, the containers are thoroughly washed and rinsed, which ensures their safe reuse. Thus, the containers are used dozens of times – until they lose their performance properties, after which they are sent for recycling.
VENDEN products, bottled in PET bottles with volume of 0.37 to 1.5 litres and glass bottles of 0.25 and 0.75 litres, are marked with the Latvian deposit system sign, which allows you to return the containers to any package collection machine or deposit point.
For the rational use of resources, VENDEN applies the basic principles of energy management policy. One of our sustainable solutions is the innovative COOL TOUCH™ water consumption equipment, available on a rental basis. This equipment effectively maintains the optimum water temperature and is equipped with an energy-saving function, which reduces energy consumption beyond working hours. It is made of recyclable materials – aluminium and glass, which ensures their environmentally friendly disposal at the end of their service life.
Moreover, we implement energy-efficient technologies in our offices and manufacturing facilities, which helps optimize the use of resources.
*****
VENDEN believes that by setting goals and making decisions that have a positive impact on the environment and society, we create a solid foundation for a sustainable future, benefiting all stakeholders – customers, employees, partners and Latvian society in general.
Our task is not only to offer consistently high-quality products, but also to conduct business with respect for the environment, people and social values. By continuing to work on sustainable solutions, we look to a future where clean and safe water will be available to everyone, contributing to a healthy environment and improving people’s well-being.
