Corporate Citizenship

The Corporate Social Responsibility approach we adopt at Aromsa not only contributes to society but also aims to create holistic value that encompasses our employees, our environment and our business partners. We have determined our long-term goals as creating a lasting impact by integrating social benefit-oriented projects with sustainability principles, contributing to social development at local and global levels, and setting an example in our industry. In this regard, we continue our efforts for a sustainable future with long-term projects in a wide range of areas, from education to the environment, from culture and arts to sports and social responsibility.

During the reporting period, we continued to allocate resources to social development through volunteering activities, donations and sponsorships to support the Sustainable Development Goals.

We prioritize stakeholder engagement in all our work areas and have been conducting a Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS) periodically since 2015 to make measurements in areas such as reputation, social impact, prevention of discomfort and harm, protection of resources, etc. as part of our social development activities. The results of CSS serve as input in the identification of improvement areas and development of action plans. We direct our resources by preparing an annual ‘Community Activity Plan’ in line with the feedback from our stakeholders.

In order to reach a wider audience with our Corporate Social Responsibility projects, we raise awareness by publishing posts about our work through our corporate accounts on social media platforms. We ensure visibility regarding our activities by transparently sharing the social and sectoral events we contribute to and sponsor in magazines and press releases that we publish on our company website.

SOCIAL BENEFIT-ORIENTED VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITIES

In line with our Social Factory vision, we aim to offer our employees not only a safe and healthy work environment but also a culturally and socially productive living space by implementing projects that support individual and social development.

Our social clubs operate in various areas to support the personal development of employees and strengthen employee relations. While providing opportunities for employees to develop their creative and social skills, the social clubs also undertake various projects to provide social benefits. In 2024, we launched our Aromsa Volunteers brand to make volunteering activities more visible and sustainable within our company. We combined our vision of creating social benefit with the voluntary contributions of our employees.

EDUCATION

We support associations that carry out projects in the field of education, provide scholarships to students, provide educational materials to improve educational opportunities in schools in our region, and host technical trips to universities.

We provide ‘coaching’ to students studying at vocational high schools within the scope of the ‘Vocational High School Coaches Program’ in cooperation with the Private Sector Volunteers Association (ÖSGD). As part of our volunteer-based work, we provide mentoring support to female students who are facing challenges in university life, especially those studying or residing in schools in earthquake zones, through the My Sister Project, which we launched in collaboration with the Private Sector Volunteers Association (ÖSGD).

We continued the My Sister Project, initiated in collaboration with ÖSGD, during the reporting period as well. While our founder Murat Yasa passed down his knowledge to students in his classes, our senior managers carried out mentoring processes for university students. As part of the program that aims to create permanent collaboration models between companies and vocational high schools, we provide ‘Voluntary Coaching’ to 10^th and 11^th grade students.

We also provide an educational scholarship to a violist student at the Berlin Music School.

In collaboration with the Village Teachers Assistance and Solidarity Association, we provide educational materials such as tablet PCs and desktop computers to village schools in need every year, and we support students in need with donations of boots, coats, etc. At the end of each year, we donate all the books collected for the Sustainable Christmas Tree, which we create with books donated by employees, to children and youth libraries established in village schools through the same association.

We value equal opportunities in education, and as a Koç University Anatolian Scholars Program Donor, we contribute to the efforts facilitating access of successful and needy students to quality education.

In the 41^st year of our establishment (2022), we wanted to extend a branch of hope to our children, who are our future, and leave a little smile on their faces. This year, our little children in Ağrı blew their cake and got their toys. In support of the Hope Branch Project, we wanted 41 little children in Ağrı to welcome the winter more warmly by gifting them coats and boots. We are happy to be a part of such a kindness project.

During the reporting period, we also continued to support the education of GOIZ Tadım Jale Yücel Vocational High School students, for whom we had established a laboratory in previous years and provided training on the use of devices and technical issues.

The income from the autobiography book “Red Bricks” authored by our founder Murat Yasa, and published in 2023, is donated to the association in cooperation with the Association for the Support of Children with Visual Impairment to support visually impaired children’s access to equal educational opportunities.

This book, which includes sections from Murat Yasa’s life, his experiences in the business world, and his value-oriented leadership approach, brings together an inspiring life story with the readers. All proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to the association, and those who wish can also contribute to this meaningful cause by donating directly using the QR code on the book’s cover. By supporting this project, we also contribute to providing visually impaired children with quality and accessible education opportunities.

During the reporting period, we organised a signing day where our General Manager, Murat Yasa, met with employees.

Our Collaborations with Universities

As part of our collaborations with leading academic institutions in our country, we host technical trips for university faculty members and students, offering our young people the opportunity to observe the dynamics of the industry firsthand. During the reporting period, we reached out to more than 100 students at Middle East Technical University (METU), Yıldız Technical University (YTU), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Bilgi University, Topkapı University, and Haliç University to share our experiences.

We Are Here for Education: Library Support

We continue our work within the scope of our We Are Here for Education project to support the access of our children affected by the earthquakes centred in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, to quality education. In cooperation with the We Are Here Hatay Association, we established our new library at Kırıkhan Beyazıd-ı Bestami Secondary School in 2024 and put it into the service of our students.

Aromsa Chamber Orchestra

Since 2022, we have been supporting the Aromsa Chamber Orchestra, which continues its artistic activities under the management and coaching of Cihat Aşkın. We offer sponsorship support for the orchestra concerts throughout the year at Süreyya Opera House, aiming to provide young talents with stage experience and to train them as young musical leaders of the future. The Aromsa Chamber Orchestra, which we established to contribute to cultural development in our country, dedicates a special place to the works of Turkish composers in its concerts, keeping the national musical heritage alive while also introducing a universal understanding of music to its audience.

By offering invitations and enabling our employees to attend concerts, we contribute to cultural development while also enhancing employee motivation. In line with the vision of our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk of a “social factory,” we aim to create a positive impact on our employees, stakeholders, and the society in which we live. Art is one of the most powerful ways of making this impact.

İKSV Istanbul Music Festival Sponsorship

As part of our sustainable support for culture and the arts, we contribute as a Major Supporting Performance Sponsor to the concerts of the Istanbul Music Festival, organized by İKSV with the support of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY

In 2024, we sponsored the 5^th METU IFT R&D Competition organized by Middle East Technical University, the first and only student branch of IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) in Türkiye. At the event, our R&D unit managers served as jury members and evaluated the innovative projects of young people. Our human resources team answered students’ professional questions throughout the event and offered insightful guidance on their career journeys.