Social engagement

Both close to and far from home, Unica demonstrates sustainable business practice outside its own operations and services in contributing to society.

The Unica Foundation is the most eye-catching example of social action. The foundation was established in 2007 at the initiative of Unica, with the aim of supporting technical aid projects in developing countries through the provision of knowledge and expertise in the field of (sustainable) technology. The structural and sustainable efforts in contributing knowledge to the people of Nepal have improved the living conditions of more than 40,000 people since the foundation was established. In 2022, the foundation celebrated its 15th anniversary. Although the Unica Foundation operates separately from the group of companies, many employees contribute their time as volunteers. Once a year, a sponsored run is organised from Unica’s head office, where Unica staff and their family take part to collect donations for the foundation.

Since 2022, Unica has been a partner of De Hoge Veluwe National Park. This 5,400 hectare park is the largest privately owned area of uninterrupted nature in the Netherlands. Unica’s social involvement with the park makes a contribution to nature, art and culture. The revenue generated from its partnerships is spent by the park on nature projects aimed at flora and fauna conservation and recovery.

Between 2020 and 2022, Unica helped make the Netherlands a more ‘heart-healthy’ country as a partner to the Dutch Health Foundation. A network of more than 45 Unica volunteers installed more than 150 AEDs during this period. The work of these Unica volunteers has helped fulfil the ambition of the Dutch Heart Foundation to create a nationwide network of these devices.

Every company in the Unica network supports social projects in their own region, ranging from sports clubs and cultural institutions through to teaching days and research projects. Unica Fire Safety, for example, made an end-of-year donation to the Dutch Burns Foundation in 2022. In the autumn, the Unica team in Oosterhout organised a mountain bike event to raise funds for the Unica Foundation. In this way, the Unica companies are able to demonstrate to the local communities of which they form an integral part their promise to always operate in close proximity to their customers. One other activity that deserves a mention is a fund-raising campaign for the victims of the war in Ukraine among all company staff. The campaign raised the sum of €30,000, which was doubled by Unica to €60,000.