The Chilean Standard NCh3262:2021 establishes the requirements that a management system must meet for gender equality and work-life balance, aiming to help companies identify and address gaps in these areas. It was created at the request of the National Service for Women and Gender Equity (SernamEG), and its structure is integrated into companies’ Human Resources management, enabling continuous improvement within the organization to develop and promote good labor practices.

For SMU, the parent company of Unimarc, Alvi, Mayorista 10, and Super10, respect and non-discrimination are fundamental aspects of its diversity and inclusion model, as well as a key pillar of its CERCA cultural identity. That is why, starting in 2021, the company began implementing NCh3262:2021, obtaining certification in 2022 for its Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance Management System under the standards of this regulation, making it the first supermarket company to achieve this certification. Likewise, in 2023, it received the Sello Iguala Conciliación awarded by SernamEG for obtaining this certification and meeting all established requirements.

Since then, in 2023, the company and its subsidiaries have continued advancing their certification process with the Lo Aguirre Distribution Center of the Logistics Division, which earned the company another Sello Iguala Conciliación in March 2024.

At the end of 2024, Alvi Mayorista certified its Las Condes store and is awaiting a new Sello Iguala Conciliación in recognition of this achievement, which has already been announced to the wholesale chain. Additionally, SMU continues working on the certification of its other subsidiaries this year.

“As key players in the labor market, we recognize our role in building a more inclusive society by promoting respect and non-discrimination. That is why we continue advancing the implementation of our Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance Management System (SIGIC),” stated Paula Coronel, SMU’s Corporate Manager of People and Sustainability, who also serves as the Senior Management Representative for the company’s Management System. To this day, SMU remains the only supermarket retailer with these certifications.

This initiative is complemented by other programs within the company, such as the Caregivers Program, Guides for Parents, Shared Responsibility Guides, and Violence Prevention Guides, which aim to provide guidance not only to SMU employees but also to workers of the company’s contractors with whom it interacts daily.