End users

Area management

[S4-1]

The Group has identified an actual positive impact on users of its products through its wide distribution channels, which allow the physical product to reach consumers in smaller towns and be purchased in local stores. This impact has not been defined directly in any of the documents, however, issues related to the impact on product users are included in a number of regulations of the Śnieżka Group.

which defines understanding the perspective of customers and consumers as one of the four values of the undertaking. In accordance with the provisions of the Book, the Śnieżka Group analyses the needs of customers and consumers and the changing environment in order to adapt its activities and offer optimal solutions. The undertakings’ ambition is to use contacts with users to build relationships based on trust, respect and open communication. The Book obliges the undertaking to ensure professionalism, clarity of message and flexibility in adapting the offer to the expectations of customers and consumers.

in which the Group undertakes, inter alia, to comply with the principles of reliable marketing and advertising, to improve the quality and reliability of products and to pay particular attention to the health and safety of their use. In the Code, the Group declares that it will improve its processes and deliver products that are increasingly better accommodated to the volatile needs of users.

in which the Śnieżka Group emphasizes understanding the needs of consumers and other participants in the decision-making process.

comprehensive complaint handling in the Group is dealt by a separate organizational unit, Warranty and Complaints Service. Consumers can also take advantage of the hotline.

The regulations relating to consumers have been adopted by the Management Board of the Group, and the CEO is responsible for implementing their provisions. In the process of preparing the above documents, the content was not constructed based on material issues arising from sustainable development, and the documents were not directly consulted with stakeholders. Majority of the regulations affecting consumers are available on the Group’s websites. Additionally, the hotline is a channel through which the undertaking provides information on consumer service policies and processes.

The Śnieżka Group has not developed a policy that would directly address the material impact described above, which is the wide availability of the Group’s products. Currently, consumer and end-user policy documents do not include provisions on remediation actions for human rights impacts.

Issues relating to human rights relevant to consumers are regulated in the Code of Ethics, the Quality, Environment and Health and Safety Policy, the Respect for Human Rights Policy and the Sustainable Development Strategy. The Group considers the observance of human rights and ethical standards as described in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work or the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to be paramount, and therefore does not conduct additional dedicated cooperation and dialogue with consumers or end users in the above area.

The Śnieżka Group is aware that its potential negative impact on human rights may be caused not only by its direct activities, products or services provided, but also through established business relationships. Therefore, it undertakes to take remediation actions in the event of a violation (directly or indirectly) by any of the companies comprising the Group of human rights defined in international, universally binding documents, including, among others: The International Bill of Human Rights, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the UN Global Compact.

In 2024, the Śnieżka Group did not record any cases of non-compliance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work or the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises that would apply to consumers.

[S4-2]

The Śnieżka Group comprehensively strives to learn about consumers’ feedbacks on its products, which also results from the provisions of the Focus and Grow Strategy 2028. The Group conducts both quantitative and qualitative research, and the information obtained from it supports the operational and strategic decisions of the Management Board in the area of shaping the product offering for consumers. The undertaking’s structure includes a Customer Intelligence department, managed by a director reporting directly to the Management Board. The area of activity of this unit focuses on understanding the perspective of consumers and users. The Group companies conduct extensive research on the needs and expectations of consumers at various stages of product development and use, and their results constitute the undertaking’s trade secret. During the research, the Group does not in any way exclude consumers who may be particularly vulnerable or marginalized.

The Group assesses the effectiveness of decisions in the area of cooperation with consumers and users by analysing sales results against other industry entities in key markets and in individual distribution channels. The results of analyses at the level of individual town size classes constitute a trade secret.

[S4-3]

The Group did not record any material negative impacts of its products on consumers and end users. The undertaking’s general approach to remediation actions and the processes for their implementation in the event of such an impact being identified are regulated in the undertaking’s internal documents.

The Group enables consumers to raise their concerns and needs through dedicated channels:

hotline, the number of which is provided, inter alia, on product packaging,
direct e-mail contact (reklamacje@sniezka.com) provided on the website,
contact form at company website and the contact details provided for the administration, e-shop and Warranty and Complaints Handling unit,
Group’s social media.

Excluding the area of complaint submissions, the Group does not analyse the effectiveness of individual contact channels. The undertaking also did not have procedures in place to assess whether consumers were aware of and trusted the means of raising their concerns or needs. However, in accordance with chapter Area Management, (section on Channels for Raising Concerns), the Group provides open and transparent communication channels for raising concerns and needs, and guarantees no retaliation against those who use these channels.

[S4-4]

The Group does not have a single comprehensive consumer policy. It is not currently clear whether such a policy will be implemented in the future. The activities implemented in this area are based on the documents, instructions and policies disclosed above. The wide availability of Śnieżka products results from its business model.

Due to the lack of a comprehensive consumer policy, the Group has not planned any activities or dedicated resources in the area of managing consumer impacts and opportunities.

As of the date of this report, the undertaking is not aware of any material negative impacts on consumers and end users in the area scrutinized. Therefore, it took no action to mitigate or remedy them. It also does not conduct other activities aimed at providing additional benefits in the utility dimension of its products.

The undertaking has no known cases of consumers or end users being adversely affected as a result of its marketing, sales or data use practices, nor have there been any reports of serious human rights issues or incidents.

Targets related to consumers and end-users

[S4-5]

Śnieżka SA and Śnieżka ToC disclose their assumptions regarding sustainable development in the Sustainable Development Strategy document. This document does not contain targets directly related to consumers and product availability.

However, the Group adopted the objective of increasing sales of products with a low impact on the environment and the user, which, due to the current market and distribution structure, can be achieved by wider access to the Group’s products. Moreover, taking into account the specificity and maturity of the markets where the Group operates, one of the directions of support for the implementation of the objectives of its business strategy is the path of further boosting the availability of the Group’s products in all distribution channels. In the Group’s opinion, the adoption and announcement of the Focus and Grow Strategy 2028 is clearly linked to the increase in product availability.

The Group’s strategy defines and publishes a strategic goal related to the spontaneous awareness of the Group’s key brands, which is closely linked to building product availability. Concurrently, Śnieżka does not conduct dedicated monitoring of the effectiveness of its policies and actions taken in the analysed area, considering that the general measure of the Group’s effectiveness is market share in key markets and the results achieved in spontaneous awareness of key brands, which indirectly indicate the availability of products to consumers. The Group’s ambition levels have been defined internally at the business strategy level.

The sustainable development goals were not agreed directly with consumers and users, and therefore they were not directly involved in identifying lessons learned or improvements arising from the Group’s performance, nor in tracking progress towards achieving the goals. The lack of policies in the consumer area has prevented the Group from formulating impact and risk management objectives that take into account relevant sustainability issues.

Affected communities

Area management