Support associations

We support a number of associations, including SOS Children’s Villages, WWF and Emmaüs, that share our mission of “Making the world a better place to live in”.

At Schmidt Groupe, we believe that a strong and sustainable company is built with and for others. Forging robust ties with our ecosystem, whether associations, institutions or local stakeholders, plays an instrumental role in developing projects that deliver a positive impact in line with our mission.

Putting smiles back on faces with SOS Children’s Villages

As a family-run business that strongly believes in championing people-centric values and children protection causes, Schmidt Groupe supports the SOS Children’s Villages association.

Since 2009, the Group and its network of Schmidt and Cuisinellà dealers have been helping improve conditions for accommodating and hosting children in 20 SOS villages. This partnership also includes support for the Pygmalion educational programme, which guides 1,000 children towards academic success every year.

  • Nearly €2.5 million raised in 15 years for SOS Children’s Villages
  • 700 children: Cuisinellà has helped fit 145 kitchens in SOS Villages, with a positive impact for 700 children

Protecting forests and biodiversity with WWF

As a partner to the WWF France NGO since 2021, we support initiatives to preserve forests and biodiversity.

We also draw on WWF France’s expertise for its responsible sourcing practices, net zero strategy and biodiversity preservation actions.

The Group has also pledged its support to WWF’s Nature Impact Fund, which is dedicated to biodiversity preservation and carbon sequestration with various forestry projects in France.

Since wood is our main raw material, Schmidt Groupe has joined forces with WWF France to preserve this natural resource. What makes this partnership so special is that it combines sponsorship initiatives with support for Schmidt Groupe from WWF’s experts.

Our partnership features three types of collaboration:

  • Transforming the company: by defining net zero and biodiversity preservation strategies for the Group and leading a critical review into its wood procurement policy.
  • Raising employee awareness: through conferences and webinars on environmental issues.
  • Sponsorships: Schmidt Groupe supports the Nature Impact initiative to promote efforts to preserve and restore 15,000 hectares of the world’s richest and most endangered forests.

Tackling poverty with Emmaus

We support the local Emmaus community in Scherwiller.

The goal is to help people who are living in precarious conditions and who are struggling to gain access to decent housing and digital tools.

Since 2009, the Group has donated some of its returned goods (appliances, accessories, chairs and stools, etc.) to the association, which are subsequently sold at its sites across eastern France to raise funds. Schmidt Groupe has also been donating IT equipment to Emmaüs Connect since 2024 to tackle digital exclusion.

This approach enables Emmaus Scherwiller to grow its community and engage people in precarious situations as part of a back-to-work scheme. It also provides households with access to low-cost homeware.

This initiative has a triple impact:

  • Social impact, by facilitating access to rights, employment, etc.
  • Environmental impact, by contributing to the reuse economy
  • Economic impact, by creating jobs in supportive reconditioning sectors that employ people on back-to-work schemes

Total in-kind donations to Emmaus amount to almost €1 million a year.

Supporting indigenous peoples with their actions

Indigenous peoples represent 6% of the world’s population.

They occupy a quarter of the earth’s surface and protect 80% of the areas harbouring the richest biodiversity. As part of our commitment and determination to take action to preserve biodiversity, we support all those who have been protecting forests for thousands of years.

Schmidt Groupe supports two associations that are committed to helping indigenous peoples: Ligne Verte Terre de Paix, which organises the Indigenous Peoples Forum, and Tchendukua, which helps the indigenous peoples of Colombia preserve their ancestral lands. These enduring partnerships are based on long-term agreements.

In 2025, we welcomed representatives from the Kariri-Xocó people of Brazil and the Maya people of Mexico to our offices for an inspiring conference with our employees.