Despar Nord launches the third edition of “Travel Sustainably and Win” with Wecity

Despar Nord has announced the results achieved by the first two editions of “Travel Sustainably and Win”, the initiative promoted together with the Wecity platform: more than 33.000 sustainable journeys, almost 160.000 km travelled using alternatives to private cars and more than 15 tonnes of CO2 saved.

A journey that continues in 2026-2027 with the third edition of the project, designed to encourage Despar Nord colleagues to choose, for their commutes, transport options other than the car, such as cycling, walking, scooters and public transport.

Registration for the new edition opened on 16 September, and the initiative will last for a full year, with the aim of encouraging not only the adoption but also the long-term consolidation of new mobility habits.

Gamification

The new edition confirms the use of gamification as a tool to encourage participation and continuity. Through missions and rankings, participants will be encouraged to maintain mobility behaviours with a lower environmental impact than using a car over time.

To make the competition as balanced as possible and allow those who live further from their workplace to participate, participants will be divided into three categories based on the home-to-work distance (short-medium-long). The third edition of the initiative introduces a model of progressive gamification, with missions and objectives calibrated to travel distances and personalised rewards, thus ensuring fairness for all participants, regardless of the distance travelled. At the end of the initiative, the top five participants in each category will be awarded a Despar Happy Card.

Wecity’s contribution

The project is supported by the technology developed by Wecity, which automatically identifies the means of transport used, measures the kilometres travelled and quantifies the CO2 saved through a proprietary algorithm certified to Iso 14064-2. Through the Wecity app, participants will be able to record travel methods that are alternatives to the car, monitor their achievements in real time and follow the ranking, which is based precisely on the emissions saved.

The comments

“Sustainability starts above all with the choices we make every day and our ability to turn them into genuine habits over time,” commented Angelo Pigatto, HR and Sustainability Director at Despar Nord. “The results achieved in the first two editions showed us how the direct involvement of our colleagues can generate a tangible impact. That is why we chose to continue the ‘Travel Sustainably and Win’ project, extending its duration and continuing to invest in tools capable of making virtuous behaviours simple, measurable and rewarding. Promoting more sustainable commuting means contributing to emissions reductions, but also fostering the wellbeing of our people and a better quality of life in the areas where we operate”.

"People change their habits when they can see the concrete effect of their choices. Technology enables precisely this: turning every journey into a measurable result and every result into motivation to continue," added Paolo Ferri, CEO and founder of Wecity. "Incentives are an important starting point, but the real goal is to create a new normal, in which choosing a bike, walking or using public transport becomes spontaneous behaviour. We are proud to accompany Despar Nord in this new edition too, demonstrating how ongoing programmes generate a much more lasting impact than occasional initiatives”.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.