Unifree Duty Free backs sustainability at IGA Istanbul Airport

By Benedict Evans | Tuesday, 26 March 2024 12:50

Unifree Duty Free (Unifree) supports the project through the sale of knitted dolls, which are produced by women at Unifree’s stores in İGA.

Unifree Duty Free, which operates the duty free stores and retail area at İGA Istanbul Airport, is implementing projects in the field of social sustainability centred around gender equality, equal opportunity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

The From Women’s Hands to Children’s Heart project is being implemented for those within the scope of a larger Social Investment Program carried out by İGA Istanbul Airport (IGA).

Its stated aim is to increase the participation of women living in the neighbourhoods adjacent to İGA Istanbul Airport, improving their in socio-economic position, and contributing to quality and innovative production in the region.

From Women’s Hands to Children’s Heart was originally implemented in 2020 in cooperation with İGA and Unifree Duty Free (Unifree) and İGA has been investing in its Social Investment Program since 2017.

Ceren Tonguç, CCO of Unifree, commented on the project: “As Unifree Duty Free, we attach importance to sustainability and develop strategies that will touch many areas of sustainability. In particular, gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are among our core issues.

In this sense, we are very happy to observe the positive effects of the From Women’s Hands to Children’s Heart project on both the female entrepreneur who is the coordinator of our project and the women living in rural areas, and to be a part of this valuable project.’’

Social Impact

İGA recently conducted a social impact analysis for projects implemented within the scope of its Social Investment Program. Results showed a marked improvement in self-confidence, socialisation and emotional well-being of the women participating in the project.

Now in its fourth year, İGA plans to expand the impact area of the project by including women who were earthquake victims this year.

Orhan Gül, Sustainability Manager for İGA, noted: “We act by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the International Finance Organization Performance Standards in this award-winning work that we have implemented in cooperation with Unifree Duty Free and in which we support women entrepreneurship and similar activities for vulnerable groups.

We also closely monitor the effects of the “From Women’s Hands to Children’s Heart Project” on the participants with the SROI Social Impact Analysis. In this context, the most important change; We are very pleased to see that there is an increase in self-confidence, emotional well-being, and the opportunity to socialise.”

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