RAUL POP
Secretary of State at Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forests, Romania
LÁSZLÓ BORBÉLY
State Councilor, Department of Sustainable Development Government of Romania
2nd Edition • Inter Continental Hotel Bucharest • 9 June 2021 15:00-20:00
Sustainable business practices are the pillars of moving forward in a sustainable and viable
way for every company and this replicates all along the local economy. The decisions taken by businesses, investors and decision makers are the main actors to revise the unsustainable systems or bring about a resilient future with intersectional benefits for the environment and society.
In this context, The Diplomat – Bucharest organizes on June 9, SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS Conference, followed by the SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GALA, the first edition dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the performance proved by the sustainable initiatives, projects and leaders in cross-sectors of Romanian economy in the past 3 years.
The transformation landscape in terms of sustainable processes for all businesses and industry fields demand for a profound self-analysis, financial resources, implementation of digitalization and tech-based solutions. A sustainable company is the one whose purpose and actions are equally grounded in financial, environmental, and social concerns.
What is this year’s the corporate VALUE PROPOSITION for SUSTAINABILITY, LEADERS’ APPROACH and ACTUAL ACTIONS to meet the targets?
Meet us on June 9 and FIND INSIGHTS & CELEBRATE the leading experts and the most knowns specialists in the strategic industries, ACTING in the most pressing aspects of today’s economy landscape.
15:00 - 15:30
15:30 - 17:45
POLICIES, REGULATIONS, NON-FINANCIAL REPORTING
A view on the current regulation, non-financial reporting and policies status in the field of sustainability developed by companies in cross-sectors, with the aim of transparent communication and proficient aligning to international guidelines.
THE GREEN APPROACH
Conserving the resources became one of the main targets on the agenda of companies. Illumination, water, waste,
paper, different supplies are subjects of this trend. Programs developed inside the companies, solutions to answer the environment-oriented targets, UE compliance and fiscal incentives.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY SOLUTIONS
Look for energy efficient electronic products and use environmentally friendly settings on office equipment. Supply
selection, acquisition policies in place, reaching emission reduction
EVERYONE IS ENGAGED IN A GLOBAL WORK ECOSYSTEM
Development of sustainability policies and procedures to back up the efforts and enable the necessary frame in attaining the objectives. Sustainable third parties are part of the process.
EMPOWERMENT TO PEOPLE
People on board in the attempt of reaching the efficiency targets. Investment in training, enabling programs at the
level of all companies with engagement of employees, sharing resources and knowledge exchange.
ADDRESSING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INNOVATION
The main differentiator of people within the entire living landscape is the creativity. New times require new ideas and people are able to build something new and innovative on the old premises. This section is dedicated to sharing stories
and best practices.
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY AND PARTNERSHIPS
We need to start creating business policies that will allow companies to assign time and money to help the community
become more sustainable. Taking an active role in the direction the community goes and partnering up with eco-conscious groups create a sustainable business ecosystem.
17:45 - 18:00
18:00 - 18:30
18:30 - 20:00
The SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GALA is dedicated to the performance and commitment proved to development of sustainable initiatives, projects and leaders in business sectors across Romanian economy in order to highlight even more the paramount importance of acting in sustainable way no matter the industry or region.
The SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GALA aims at pushing in a strong manner on the economic stage the need to promote the leading companies, managers and projects as FRONT-RUNNERS IN SUSTAINABILITY.
For this year edition, the WINNERS will be elected following ONLINE Nominations and PUBLIC ONLINE VOTING.
THE SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS have been designated to COMPANIES, LEADERS AND INITIATIVES that have met the criteria of:
• Successfully meeting the sustainability objectives / targets
• The innovative and new approach of the project / initiative
• The commitment and perseverance of promoting and leading sustainable projects in th4 company and industry
• The scale up potential of the initiative / project at the level of company and industry
NOMINATION PROCEDURE
The Nominations for SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS GALA AWARDS, June 9, 2021 are OPEN until May 10.
The Nomination entries will be submitted to ONLINE PUBLIC VOTING between May 15 – May 31.
The winners for each category will be designated following the ONLINE PUBLIC VOTING and announced on June 9, during a prestigious Awards Gala
REDU is based on and offers a base for circular economy principles applied in the textile sector - collecting, reducing and transforming textile waste in order to produce a positive impact on the environment and in the communities. Clothes and accessories are interchangeable goods which at the moment are not fully used until the end of their lives. From an impulsive choice of buying something new, REDU is focused on changing behavioral patterns into conscious choices. In their studio, clothes lives are prolonged through reconditioning, new products are created from old materials which otherwise would find their end in landfills.
ENDAVA HELPS DIGITIZE THE ACTIVITY OF THREE IMPORTANT NGOs IN ROMANIA
The British software company established strategic pro-bono partnerships with Concordia Humanitarian Association, Hope and Homes for Children Foundation and Magic Association to increase their digital footprint in their day-to-day activities
Endava, the British software company present on the local market with seven delivery centres, developed a series of partnerships to digitalize pro-bono, the activity of the three most important non-profit associations in Romania, through the teams in the delivery centres in Romania. This is one way that Endava engages with the local communities and contributes to humanitarian initiatives to support education and social inclusion programmes. Digitalizing the three NGOs had seen an acceleration during last year when Endava implemented several programs functionalities to boost the communication between these, their beneficiaries, volunteers, and sponsors.
In the case of Hope and Homes for Children Foundation and Magic Association, Endava initiated an initiative to integrate the diverse forms of income (SMS, credit and banking cards, social platforms, and e-shops) in one platform based on the cloud functionalities provided by Salesforce. After this project, the two NGOs have easy access to various information about the donors, the volunteers, and sponsors. The Endava Salesforce team helped configure the apps, while the partners focused on maximizing the platforms' benefits. The new components will help better manage the implemented campaigns and the growth in the number of beneficiaries for the projects developed by the two entities. In regards to the Humanitarian Association Concordia, Endava built an app based on the AWS (Amazon Web Services), enabling the management of several complex pedagogical programs for vocational education. This solution allows for the program to adapt and expand using the online environment.
The projects to digitalize the three organizations will continue with implementing additional modules to enable automatizing the campaigns rolled-out, making better usage of the data available, and continuously improving communication towards all the categories involved in the projects: the beneficiaries, the volunteers and the donors.
All the digitalization projects for the three NGOs are implemented by the business analysis, software development and CRM integration from the delivery centre in Bucharest and are 100% pro-bono initiatives.
TenarisSilcotub has managed to achieve a degree of 100% recovery of iron waste resulting from production processes in its factories. TenarisSilcotub production in Călărași is 96% based on an infinitely recyclable material, namely scrap metal, collected and processed by the company in a quantity of approximately 500,000 tons per year.The concern of the last years was the recovery and capitalization of the by-product resulting from its melting, respectively of the slag. By finding mechanical processing solutions, the company manages to become an annual aggregate of 60,000 tons of slag, used for road construction.
In order to involve employees in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and their contribution to achieving the Group's goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 2030, Saint-Gobain is launching an internal Carbon Fund. First implemented in a pilot region, Northern Europe, it aims to accelerate the reduction of non-industrial CO2 emissions through the daily actions of employees and investments in workplaces.
Since 2018, Kaufland Romania has started to equip its store parking lots with automatic recycling devices for three types of packaging: PET (with a volume of up to 3 liters), glass and aluminum cans (with a volume of up to 1 liter).
The network has gradually expanded, and today almost all Kaufland Romania parking spaces have TOMRA recycling systems, the only hypermarket in Romania that has this infrastructure.
Digi launches the Digi CoRRRner service through which customers and users will be able to contribute to waste collection through the Digi network of stores.In approximately 25% of Digi’s units, spaces specially designed for the collection of this type of waste have been arranged, under the name Digi CoRRRner, and the project will be extended during the year to the 450 stores and regional offices.
Enel and its Dutch subsidiary Enel Finance International signed the largest ever sustainability-linked revolving credit facility for an amount of 10 billion euros and a maturity of five years.The Facility, which will be used to meet the Group’s financial requirements, is linked to the Key Performance Indicator (“KPI”) of Direct Green House Gas Emissions (i.e., Group Scope 1 CO2 equivalent emissions from the production of electricity and heat), contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 “Climate Action” and in line with the Group’s “Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework”, with Vigeo Eiris providing a Second-Party Opinion, both updated in January 2021.
Buzău is the first city in Romania to have a strategy and an articulated vision for the transition to a circular city. The strategy is the result of a collaborative project between the Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment "Ernest Lupan" and Buzau City Hall and it conceptualizes the transition steps to the circular economy and the intention to act beyond the known pathways of the linear economy. Buzău Municipality aims to become the first circular city in Romania with infrastructure that stimulates the use of renewable and non-polluting energy sources in order to facilitate a cleaner and more pleasant urban environment for residents. It also aims to encourage collaboration between companies and investments in innovation and creativity in order to generate new opportunities for the development of the city and its inhabitants by 2030. The results of this strategy are starting to be visible in the community: In the winter of this year, School no. 11 was inaugurated, the first circular school in which meteoric water is collected and reused, electricity is produced using photovoltaic panels, and waste is collected selectively..
TenarisSilcotub has managed to achieve a degree of 100% recovery of iron waste resulting from production processes in its factories.TenarisSilcotub production in Călărași is 96% based on an infinitely recyclable material, namely scrap metal, collected and processed by the company in a quantity of approximately 500,000 tons per year.
Philips announced that it has achieved the goals set in the "Healthy People, Sustainable Planet" program, which runs from 2016 to 2020.The main objectives achieved are: elimination of carbon from all operations of the company, the use of electricity from renewable sources in proportion of 100%, over 70% of revenues from green products and services, with 15% of sales based on revenue from the circular economy, 90% recycling of operational waste and ZERO waste sent to landfill.
Signify, the world leader in lighting, announce that it has achieved carbon neutrality for all its operations across the world as well as using 100% renewable electricity. Signify has reduced its operational emissions by more than 70% since 2010, having shifted to more energy-efficient technologies at its sites, to more sustainable modes of transport and optimized logistics planning, and to less travel in a more sustainable way. It also uses 100% renewable electricity, supported through two power purchase agreements, one in Texas and a second in Poland.
Currently in Romania, over 46% of the kids coming from rural areas under the age of 6 live in a constant risk of poverty and malnutrition; 60% of the families coming from rural sectors cannot afford their daily food; 4.5 million Romanians live with the risk of poverty. However, Romania takes the 9th place in terms of food waste as daily, around 6.000 tones of good food are wasted. On a yearly basis, 2.2 million tons of food is wasted and reaches the landfill while it could still be the source of a hot meal. This is why, with tremendous effort, motivated people and strong values, the Romanian Federation of Food Banks (RFBF) started their national work in 2020.
The aim that started everything is to have zero food wasted while there are still people who cannot afford a decent hot meal every day. Through this initiative, poverty and hunger are reduced among disadvantaged groups. Moreover, the federation is actively contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (Zero hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) among others.
In October 2020, OMV Petrom, launched the OMV Climate Neutral card in Romania, through which companies can become active in climate actions and contribute to offsetting carbon emissions resulting from fuel usage. This option, a premiere for the Romanian fuel market, is enabled through the cooperation with ClimatePartner, an international solutions provider for corporate climate action.
Any user of an OMV Climate Neutral card will be able to check, at any time, the volume of offset carbon emissions, on the ClimatePartner portal. The card can be ordered online through our virtual store on the OMV Romania website. Customers will receive a certificate confirming their contribution by offsetting carbon emissions. This mechanism for compensating the emissions is performed in accordance with the standards imposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Holcim Romania, the largest producer of construction materials on the domestic market, announces the launch of ECOPlanet green cement, Romania and Germany being the first of the almost 80 countries in the LafargeHolcim group to introduce this product on the market.
The Industrial Residue activation for sustainable cement production, project (“ReActiv”) in which ALUM, part of ALRO Group, is participating, as a stakeholder, providing appropriate samples of bauxite residue to be processed in the project, has as objective to create a novel sustainable value chain, linking bauxite residue, the by-product of the alumina production with the cement industry. Moreover, the ReActiv project represents an initiative aiming to reduce waste and CO2 emissions by transforming bauxite residue, the main by-product of the alumina sector, into an active material suitable for developing new cement products, with low CO2footprint. The ReActiv project will deploy new technologies that will transform the bauxite residue in a re-active material for low CO2 cement production, to substitute 30% to 50% of clinker, the main component of cement.
CUIB Restaurant from Iasi has brought to the Romanian market a novel concept in terms of how restaurants function. The story of CUIB has started in 2013 and ever since, more than 27.000 clients have happily tasted their customised products: zero-plastic water, meatless meals, locally extracted products, ethical coffee and tea types, natural juices, bio-wines, crafted beers and all in all, more sustainable alternatives to daily food. However, the quest of CUIB restaurant doesn’t stop here. They also have discounts for cyclists and promote zero-carbon emission transportation means.
TenarisSilcotub has managed to achieve a degree of 100% recovery of iron waste resulting from production processes in its factories.TenarisSilcotub production in Călărași is 96% based on an infinitely recyclable material, namely scrap metal, collected and processed by the company in a quantity of approximately 500,000 tons per year.
CEZ Group will plant 10,000 sqm of forest in Romania within the national program “Adopt a tree!”“CEZ Group in Romania together with the ViitorPlus Association, through the afforestation program ‘Adopt a Tree!’, will plant an area of 10,000 square meters for the rehabilitation of a plot of land in an area within the company’s area of activity. The afforestation of this area will be done with 5,000 seedlings of forest trees of species that will rehabilitate the degraded soil and improve the quality of the local environment and the living of the communities in the area,” said Andreea Croitoru, Manager ‘Adopt a tree!’.
To achieve the ambitious goal of becoming a green factory, innovative and sustainable with near to zero emissions and waste, in 2019 ALRO started the implementation of the contract signed at the end of 2018 with Rio Tinto Aluminium Pechiney („RTA”) to reline in the following 8-9 year all the electrolysis pots using the a new technology - AP12LE technology (Aluminium Pechiney 120 kA Low Energy). According to RTA studies, after the implementation of this project our Group will be positioned into the top-four performers from an energy efficiency perspective of the electrolysis area within our European peers.
One of these projects has as objective to increase the amount of recycled and re-melted aluminium scrap in the Eco-Recycling Facility and in the Cast-House and which in 2019 reached the level of 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap used since 2013. According to the Group strategy, their plan is to increase even more the activity of this eco-recycling facility to reach a total waste processing capacity of 100,000 tpa, to mitigate the risk of high energy price volatility knowing that aluminium recycling requires only 5% of the energy consumed to produce the same quantity of electrolytic aluminium and thus providing more natural hedging to LME volatility, as scrap is priced to LME.
Digi launches the Digi CoRRRner service through which customers and users will be able to contribute to waste collection through the Digi network of stores.In approximately 25% of Digi’s units, spaces specially designed for the collection of this type of waste have been arranged, under the name Digi CoRRRner, and the project will be extended during the year to the 450 stores and regional offices.
In 2020, OMV Petrom met its set-up carbon targets. They also analyzed the opportunity to establish new carbon targets in line with those at the OMV Group level, which is committed to the Paris Agreement (keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels) and the EU climate targets, pledging for the first time to become carbon neutral operations by 2050. OMV Petrom is the first Romanian company supporter of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Madalin Mihailovici, CEO of Veolia Romania: Reducing the environmental footprint in all activities we carry out, both we and our customers, as well as creating favorable conditions for preserving and restoring biodiversity are part of the Veolia Group's strategic plan to restore the balance of natural resources and to achieve sustainability by 2023.
As for us, we focus our efforts on the evolution of the organization both in technical and financial terms, with clear objectives present throughout the company: reinventing, streamlining and consolidating traditional activities, designing and developing innovative solutions or anticipating tomorrow's essential needs. , innovation and transformation through digitalisation. Veolia is committed to becoming an ambassador for ecological transformation, and efforts are directed towards good ecological management at its own sites, but also that of customers.
Specifically, the company conserves natural resources by reducing the use of water, energy and materials, applying the best technologies in the field.
we will step up our capacity to supply high-quality secondary raw materials that meet the needs of producers, and to generate energy from renewable fuels or waste incineration.
The parade of small cyclists is the largest national project dedicated to small cyclists and the green component.
In its sixth edition, the event organized by the GO4FUN Association and Reciclad`OR, in collaboration with Fiterman Pharma and with the support of APM IF (Ilfov Environmental Protection Agency), took place between June 1 and 30, 2020, on Facebook pages GO4FUN & Reciclad`OR and the Parade of Little Cyclists. The Little Cyclists Parade is an invitation to a
The Young Cyclists' Parade aims to promote safe cycling among children from an early age and aims to teach young cyclists the rules to follow when riding on two wheels, both individually, as well as in the platoon, familiarizing them with group bike rides.
Established as a long-term promise for the future of future generations, CEZ Vanzare launches the platform www.promisiuneaverde.ro which supports along with its customers, the education of children from disadvantaged communities, offering access to digital education: state-of-the-art tablets, internet for two years and digital training for teachers, parents and students. All a consumer has to do in order to take part in this promise is to buy CEZ Verde, a 100% renewable energy product. The project will be implemented with the support of Save the Children Romania, nationally recognized for its numerous educational, social protection and children’s rights promotion programs.
GreenPoint Management supported the City Hall of Sector 3 in the installation of 30 smart containers of Big Belly type in the central area of the Capital (Union Square - University Square), within a program to encourage selective waste collection. The results obtained after the first two and a half months since the installation of the containers were extremely encouraging and showed a very good response from the citizens, who used these containers in a very large number. More than 8.4 tons of recyclable materials were collected in the 15 containers dedicated to the collection of recyclable waste, this volume representing 64% of the total volume of waste collected in Big Belly containers.
Environ Association in partnership with Eco Synergy and Stratos launched at the end of 2020, "Sustainable Day by Day", a guide with practical tips for an ecofriendly lifestyle, which can be applied in home rennovation, travelling, organizing a party, buying and cooking food, educating the little ones and much more. The project receive very good reviews from the mass media, influencers, companies and general population.
The "Sustainable day by day" project is addressed to all those who are interested in a healthy lifestyle and with a smaller footprint on the environment. The guide is rather a collection of information that aims to help readers understand some basic principles of a lifestyle with minimal impact on the environment. Beyond PR or greenwashing campaigns, the mirage of products labeled bio or organic, fashion or design trends, sustainability is a lifestyle that is built every day through the conscious choices we make.
The NGO Ateliere Fara Frontiere asks SMEs and large companies from all over Romania to hand over to the association as soon as possible used IT equipment for scrapping to be reconditioned and donated to students without material possibilities who do not have computers and who thus do not have access to online lessons and resources while classes are suspended.
Kaufland introduced for the first time in stores a new system for collecting empty bottles of hygiene or cleaning products, which will be recycled to protect the environment.
To encourage eco-behavior, customers who bring empty packaging for recycling receive 50% discount coupons for the purchase of new care products, in partnerships established by Kaufland with FMCG brands. Another discount product category is active every month.
In December 2019, aerlive.ro was launched, the platform that measures air quality in Bucharest, a project funded by IKEA Romania. Starting with December 12, Bucharest residents can consult the platform that measures air quality through ten sensors located in key points of the city. The platform aims to reach at least 50 integrated sensors by 2020. Aerlive.ro is a project supported by the IKEA Urban Environment Fund, financed by IKEA Romania and managed by the Bucharest Community Foundation.aerlive.ro
aerlive.ro is also about the involvement of citizens in the process of measuring air quality. Through the online platform, the project team will distribute, starting with February 2020, individual sensors for measuring PMs to citizens who want to adopt a sensor, mount it and keep it in operation for a period of at least 18 months.
Airly and Philips Romania started the crowdfunding campaign "Romania breathes - We want fresh air!" for the installation of air quality monitoring sensors in as many cities in the country as possible.
During the campaign, anyone can get involved in purchasing a sensor in a city in the country through a direct donation, but also in choosing the areas in which it will be installed. The campaign takes place between January 20 and March 31, 2020, on the dedicated website, www.romaniarespira.ro, and aims to expand the independent Airly air quality monitoring network in Romania, which provides information on the level of suspended particulate emissions, PM 10, PM2.5 and PM1 in real time and free of charge, from the area where the sensors are installed, on the website https://airly.eu/map/en/ or in the Airly application for smartphones.
The number of separate collection points marked on the Recycling Map/ Harta Reciclarii has increased by 70% in 2020. The platform currently includes over 12,100 separate collection points across the country
Recycling Map, the national, interactive platform that allows the identification and location of separate collection points for recyclable waste in Romania, has increased by 70% this year, after both the project initiators and users registered on the site in the last year, mapped and added on the map over 5,400 points compared to those already existing last year. The platform was launched in May 2019 by the ViitorPlus Association, with the support of Coca-Cola HBC Romania and with the support of the Ministry of Environment.
Creating new social and economic value: Restoring the urban ecosystem: SPIRE will start in Baia Mare a long-term redevelopment through the co-development of new adaptive and productive landscapes, integrated into a circular ecosystem of cascading material and energy value chains.
SPIRE will activate a critical mass of stakeholders and open a Hub in the city centre for co-design and mentoring activities. A GIS Dynamic Atlas and a Remediation Toolkit will be developed to support co-design and implementation processes for renaturing and phytoremediation of the 7.15 ha pilot sites.
Carrefour Romania presents the results of the Punem Pret pe Plastic ("We Put a Price on Plastic") program, a circular economy program aimed at the intelligent consumption of resources and the reduction of plastic packaging, as well as the introduction of plastic and other resources in a responsible circuit, through reduction, reuse and recycling, for the period July 2019 - November 2020.
● Between July 2019 and November 2020, over 370,000 PETs were collected through the Payment with PET campaign in 14 hypermarkets in the country, offering in exchange 92 tons of Romanian fruits and vegetables from local producers. The campaign was carried out with the support of the City Halls of Buzău in 2019 and with the support of the City Hall of Iași in 2020, which joined the initiative through a wider strategic partnership, at local level. The non-governmental partners with which the PET Payment campaign was implemented are: Greenpoint Management - main partner in 2020 and Green Resources Management S.A., S.C. RER SUD S.A., partners in 2019.
● Between November 2019 and November 2020, over 160,000 liters of used cooking oil were collected in Carrefour hypermarkets and through Bringo, offering in exchange over 55,000 liters of fresh oil.
● The program will continue in 2021 by extending the concrete actions made available to consumers and Carrefour Romania partners, in order to protect, together, the resources and the environment.
Nestlé Romania has launched the campaign "Don't waste as much as you can love" / "Less Waste More Love", a social responsibility approach designed to draw attention to the importance of protecting the environment and natural resources.
Starting with June 8, 2020, which marks the International Day of the Oceans, Nestlé Romania is launching a series of actions dedicated to information and awareness on three significant aspects for sustainability, globally:
Consciously protect and use water
Selective collection and recycling of packaging
Reducing carbon emissions
The "Less Waste More Love" campaign is part of the Nestlé for a Waste Free World corporate pillar, which brings together all the actions through which the company aims to have zero impact on the environment by 2030 in all its operations. By 2025, Nestlé reaffirms its commitment to use 100% recyclable or reusable packaging and reduce the use of new plastics globally by a third, working with its partners to promote the principles of the circular economy and clean up plastic waste in the oceans. , lakes and rivers.
: Small and medium-sized enterprises are responsible for about 60% of all carbon dioxide emissions and 70% of all pollution worldwide. SMEs often have major problems in terms of environmental knowledge and ability to implement circular economy principles. This is why, since 2019, IRCEM facilitates the development of circular businesses in Transylvania by strengthening the capacity of social enterprises to operate in a self-sustaining manner, so that they can fulfill a social purpose by implementing the principles of the circular economy in various communities. Following numerous awareness campaigns and training courses conducted under the coordination of IRCEM, 24 social enterprises and and at least 42 new jobs that contribute to the well-being and development of resilient and sustainable communities were created.
This project is financed by the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020 / POCU / 449/4/16/126610, within the project ASIST- Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises in Transylvania.
The Coca-Cola company HBC Romania, in partnership with Paviani Eurocar and the truck manufacturer Scania, use for the first time a truck that works on the basis of compressed natural gas (CNG). This fuel allows a 15% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions generated in the atmosphere compared to those produced by a classic diesel-powered truck.
Through this partnership, the three companies have assumed a common goal: reducing the impact of transport services on the environment, by promoting technological innovation as a pillar of sustainability.
Enel X is partnering with Hubject to simplify payment solutions for the mobility industry. Enel X, through its payment solutions subsidiary Enel X Financial Services, has been selected by Hubject to enable financial settlement services between charging point operators and e-mobility service providers on Hubject's eRoaming platform, The world leader in such solutions. The service, called "intercharge SETTLEMENT", enables an automated B2B payment and billing solution, designed to reduce B2B processing costs and help improve the profitability of all participating partner companies. In addition, this partnership enables eRoaming to facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The service will be available in all euro area countries by the end of this year
Banca pentru Alimente: The Food Bank continues its partnership with CHEP for another three years: in Romania over 6,000 tons of food are thrown away every day. Brambles, the supply chain solutions company operating in Romania under the CHEP brand, has renewed its support for the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA) and its affiliated organizations for the next three years. more than 6,000 tons of food are thrown away, despite the fact that our country ranks second in the ranking of European Union countries with the highest level of risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Locally, CHEP is a partner in the Food Bank network — which operates in Bucharest, Cluj, Roman and Brasov — means logistical support, know-how, donations and the promotion of solutions to reduce food waste in retail and the goods industry. consumer goods (FMCG).
In December 2020, BRD signed another contract to support the transformation of education, with Asociația pentru Valori în Educație (AVE) (Association for Values in Education). The program aims to close literate disparities among children,by creating and implementing, for the first time in Romania, an instrument with methodological validation (similar to Pisa) which analyses writing and reading abilities of children from 70 schools, in 8 counties from the country, with a meaningful intervention and impact at the level of 16,800 pre-school and primary school children. The program proposes the recovery of children with reading and writing difficulties, difficulties which are enhanced following school closings due to the pandemic, and the decrease of the number of illiterate children, in the context where 42% of 15-year old children from Romania are functionally illiterate.
Lidl Romania, together with the MaiMultVerde Association, announces the continuation and expansion of the Clean Waters program, launched in May 2019 as a call for involvement in combating and preventing plastic pollution of Danube waters, addressed to members of communities and public authorities in riparian localities. with a series of arrangements, activities and community events in 10 Danube cities, and now extends to tributaries, in order to prevent waste discharges into the river and later into the Black Sea.
The Clean Water Program aims at both historical pollution, through actions to collect plastic already existing in riverbeds, and measures to prevent and combat future discharges.
Simple, green urban mobility for Orange customers: I’Velo and Orange have launched a new partnership in urban mobility designed to simplify the process by which mobile phone subscribers register when they want to rent a bicycle or electric scooter. Orange subscribers, individuals, can now register in the I’Velo application much easier, just by providing the phone number and entering a verification text message. Basically, in less than 1 minute, Orange subscribers who are individuals can rent electric bikes or scooters through I’Velo.
Mercedes-Benz Romania and ENGIE Romania announce a partnership, at national level, through which customers who buy an electric car or plug-in hybrid brand Mercedes-Benz or smart EQ will receive an Elvi EVBox charging station for home use. Elvi electric charging stations are produced by EVBox, a company owned by ENGIE, a world leader in the production of charging stations.
To make its leading medical services even more accessible, the company opened a virtual clinic in Microsoft Teams. Rolled out in a mere 10 days amid the COVID-19 pandemic and designed to aid access to quality healthcare, the telemedicine service has powered more than 130,000 virtual consultations within the first seven months. This has opened up a new critical healthcare lifeline, making it possible for Romanian citizens located in remote areas or even abroad to receive care from doctors and experts, no matter where they are.
In 2019, OMV Petrom launched in partnership with the Energy Policy Group, the “ROMÂNIA EFICIENTĂ” program allocating for the period 2019-2022, EUR 4 mn. The program will contain concrete examples and publicized works for increasing the energy efficiency of some public buildings, as well as public information-sharing actions, educational programs, training of specialized human resources and recommendations for public policy and energy efficiency measures. Educational programs on building retrofitting actions will be developed for increasing energy efficiency through the optimization of heating/cooling systems, ventilation, lighting, shading, etc., based on a handbook for retrofitted buildings that will be produced for this project.
Food Waste Combat is a team of gourmands and enthusiasts, all working as an NGO with the aim of tackling Romanian food waste. As improper food waste management means loss of resources and money, it also has a significant role in accelerated climate change and social inequity. So far, this initiative has saved tons of food - enough to have reached approximately 4.500 people in need, has held workshops in 16 schools where 1.000 students have come across this project on a 3 year span and through the message promoted, more than 500.000 online and 5.000 offline humans have been reached.
Food Waste Combat is actively involved in finding solutions for the communities around through 5 main areas: product type, environment, society, employees and business partners.
DRAXLMAIER and Pretuieste Viata: The Dräxlmaier company, together with the "Pretuieste Viata" Foundation, carried out the "Dräxlmaier, community partner" project, which aimed to support five educational institutions in Pitesti. Thus, with the help of the company's volunteers and the foundation's representatives, a kindergarten, three schools and a high school were helped to offer better study and recreation conditions for the talented and awarded children from Pitesti. Life Has Rehabilitated Five Educational Units In Pitesti.
MOL Romania si Asociatia Inima Copiilor: MOL Romania and the Heart of Children Association equipped the Giurgiu County Emergency Hospital with equipment worth 110,000 euros. 110,000 euros.
• The hospital will be equipped with a transport ventilator, 4 vital function monitors, a defibrillator, a C-reactive protein determination device, 2 vital function monitors for newborns, 2 neonatal resuscitation tables and 2 open incubators.
MOL Romania and Inima Copiilor Association sponsor the endowment of the Giurgiu County Emergency Hospital with medical equipment worth 110,000 euros, an initiative that will ensure an increased level of care and an extra chance at life for patients in serious condition. MOL also contributed to the construction of a heliport at the Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest.
High schools in 9 counties switch to green energy after installing photovoltaic panels. Almost 3,000 current students and teachers, but also the future generations from a high school in Arges, Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinti, Olt, Valcea, Teleorman, Caras-Severin and Constanta counties will benefit from green energy from March thanks to the CEZ Group initiative in Romania to install and donate a photovoltaic panel plant with a power of 15 kW each. The initiative is an investment with a long-term impact, worth 15,000 euros from each high school, funds provided by the CEZ Group in Romania.
Through the “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart. Restart One” campaign, the company raised the necessary funds to acquire and install seven defibrillators in public places from its hometown, Cluj-Napoca. The AEDs was placed by the local Emergency Medicine Service during 2020.
A new office of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations was inaugurated on the platform of the Azomures chemical plant in Targu Mures.
It will serve west of Tg. Mures, respectively the Mureseni neighborhood with the commercial area and the neighboring localities, including the entrance on the highway.
The intervention point is located on the Azomures platform, near the entrance gate, and will be equipped with a SMURD intervention ambulance and a fire and release ambulance.
Kaufland Romania inaugurated a social canteen. Some of the food comes from discounted stocks. The action is a premiere, a model of private partnership with civil society, which supports disadvantaged people and contributes to reducing food waste.
The social canteen officially opened its doors on Tuesday, February 2, inside the Griro Tower in Calea Griviţei no. 355-357, sector 1, Bucharest, after a test period of two weeks.
Every day, from Monday to Friday, approximately 500 portions of hot food will be prepared by specialized staff, which will be distributed by the representatives of the Chance Your Association to vulnerable people and to partner NGOs related to them.
Kaufland Romania will provide all the necessary products for the preparation of community meals. Some of the food will come from stocks in accelerated sales, and the daily menu will be established following the optimal use of all resources.
Lidl Romania, in partnership with the network of Bancilor pentru Alimente (Food banks), organizes during the Easter holidays, in 120 stores in the country, a new food collection to support vulnerable communities. In the last two editions of the collection campaign, organized in Lidl stores around the winter holidays in 2019 and 2020, Lidl customers got involved and supported vulnerable communities, donating a total of over 27 tons of food. Lidl Romania continues to support vulnerable communities and organizes, in partnership with the network of Food Banks, the third edition of the food collection campaign in 120 stores in the country.
In the two months since the beginning of the state of emergency, we have invested over 1.5 million euros in projects that combat the negative effects of the pandemic, either by offering social vouchers, food donations, contributions to emergency funds for hospitals or donations of medical and IT equipment. We have also adapted our Kaufland Romania and FDSC programs to help fund the annual NGOs in Good Condition and Start NGOs, in order to support NGOs that have mobilized during this period.
At Lidl, we always believed that sustainability and solidarity go hand in hand. We all know that there is no planet B. So how could there be any competition in sustainability if we all live on the same planet? In order to have a real impact and produce changes for the better, on the long run, we need involvement and collaboration between as many social actors as possible, whether we are talking about civil society, companies or authorities.
Climate change and energy transition: OMV Petrom is part of the solution The energy transition presents a set of challenges specific to each region, which we need to meet in a way that supports sustainable growth and economic prosperity. OMV Petrom believes the natural gas discovered in the Black Sea represents the fuel of choice to reshape Romania’s and the region’s energy system, providing the flexibility and security of the electricity supply with low-carbon energy solutions. At the same time, the company continued its investments for optimizing the production of low GHG-fuels. For example, in 2020, the company increased the blending capacity of bio-content in fuels produced at the Petrobrazi refinery. Also, in line with their commitment for climate change mitigation, in 2020, the company achieved a 26% reduction in carbon intensity (vs. 2010), which means they are ahead of progress on their target set for 2025 (-27% vs. 2010).
In the last years, BRD has implemented different CSR projects with an impact in the following areas: Culture - we invest in culture because we need leaders and projects that remind us where we come from; Education - We strongly believe that the main driver for a higher performance of the education system is the quality of teachers, that's way our majors programs are focusing on developing teachers skills; Sports - we love sports because they provide us with an exciting journey with some beautiful moments, hero's who win attract new fans or on the contrary struggle with difficult moments; Civil Society - Community investment is designed to build sustainable intervention mechanisms so that children and young people in difficult situation can develop their skills
The Vodafone Romania Sustainability Report is made around the three strategic pillars assumed, Digital Society, Inclusion for All and Planet, which define the areas where the company believes it can have a significant impact on society, and the changes or technologies brought by Vodafone Romania can improve people's lives. The objectives specific to each of the three pillars of activity, aligned with the overall strategy and mission of the Vodafone Group, are also pursued. The reporting process follows the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, the Core option.
Vodafone Romania will continue to focus its efforts to ensure a more connected future, in which digitalization supports people, contributing especially in the main sectors of society, such as education and health, and helping to rebuild Romania following the crisis caused by Covid-19
Having in view the important role of aluminium as a vector of decarbonization, considering it can be recycled infinitely without losing its features, which ensures its sustainable utilisation and extensive applications, ALRO Group represents a major player in achieving a more environmental-friendly global industry. The Group implemented important projects to increasing the efficiency and to lower its impact on the environment.
Mona Nicolici, after more than 10 year as Sustainability Manager at one of the most import company from Romania, where she managed important sustainability and CSR projects, started in 2020 a radio show, called "Misiunea Verde". The show is broadcasted every Sunday at Europa FM, and together with Toader Paun and also several specialists is explaining how the world we live is transforming from ecological perspective and what small changes each of us can make to have a major impact.
Because education and digitalization are among the priorities of the company's development strategy, Telekom Romania has digitized dozens of educational units through a Start Education initiative.
Also, Telekom Romania is a connectivity partner for the Red Button - the unique telecare and tele-emergency system for the elderly in Romania, which currently benefits more than 800 Romanians.
Through the Telekom Romania Foundation, the company has offered support to a wide range of causes, such as: people in difficult situations, children and adults diagnosed with serious diseases, talented students, humanitarian campaigns for victims of floods or other natural disasters.
The manufacturer of Arctic appliances has once again been named the leader in the sustainable home appliances industry. Arçelik has been named Industry Leader in Sustainable Home Appliances for the second year in a row in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which assesses the performance of the world's largest companies in terms of sustainability. “We have become neutral in terms of sustainability. concerns carbon emissions in global production in 2019 and 2020, thanks to the carbon finance project for energy-efficient refrigerators in Turkey.
Signify will have a carbon neutral footprint. Signify achieves carbon neutrality for all its operations globally and uses 100% renewable energy. The company continues to implement the remaining commitments for 2020, but is already launching a strategy for the next five years, which aims to double the positive impact on the environment and society. Signify has reduced the emissions of its operations by more than 70% since 2010, by reorienting towards energy efficient technologies, sustainable means of transport and optimized logistics planning, but also by reducing the number of trips. Moreover, the company uses 100% renewable energy, supported by two purchase agreements, in Texas and Poland.
In the 14th year of activity, pioneering and investing in Romania, the CEZ Group continued its digitalization projects and took the first steps towards creating the green generation. In 2019, CEZ initiated new projects, developed new communication channels and products for its clients, donated energy for the good of the community by investing 3,395,618 LEI in CSR projects and continued to provide electricity for 3.5 million Romanians.
Sustainability – the contribution of industry. Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and former CEO of Siemens Digital Industries, explains how sustainability shapes Siemens as an industrial company and how the company takes responsibility for future generations – also with the help of its industrial portfolio.
Sustainability is one of the defining challenges of our age. It’s about environmental efficiency, emissions savings, waste prevention – in short, ways we can keep a world worth living for future generations. But is sustainability really an important issue in the industrial environment? Yes. Because this subject affects us in two ways: as people who are part of this society and take care of it and as an industrial company, because industry contributes to climate change. According to the Joint Research Center of the European Commission, global industrial CO2 emissions in 2017 reached the value of approximately 7,900 megatons. The biggest polluter with CO2 emissions is still the energy sector – but let’s not forget that, according to the International Energy Agency, about 37 percent of the energy produced is consumed by industry. We therefore have a responsibility to future generations, from which we must not shy away. But what can we really do? The industrial sector can make a significant contribution: it can help mitigate or even prevent the consequences of climate change. To do this, however, we need to fully explain what climate-neutral production means: energy efficiency, the use of sustainable raw materials, optimizing the use of raw materials and reducing waste in industrial production
The internal sustainability program, "Reduce, Collect, Recycle and Breath" by the SG EBS teams in partnership with the NGO Ateliere Senza Frontiere (AFF).
Through this initiative, SG EBS has reduced its carbon footprint and improved its waste management strategy by selectively collecting unused equipment and re-including electrical and electronic equipment in the business cycle, while promoting sustainable behavior.
More than 10 tons of eWaste were collected (starting from 0 kg before), which was transposed by reducing the carbon footprint by 774 456.32 kg of CO2, the equivalent of the amount that can be absorbed in a day of 39 344 731 trees or 134,844 cars that do not travel in one day;
More than 2,500 IT equipment collected, repaired and donated to schools in vulnerable communities;
Reducing the carbon footprint by 7.2 tons / month and reducing by 36% the electricity consumption related to each employee;
Hidroelectrica collected 160 bags of waste from Subcetate Lake. The state-owned company Hidroelectrica, one of the largest energy producers in the country, announced on Tuesday that it has collected 160 bags of waste containing plastic and wood, each with a volume of 240 liters (about 38,400 liters total volume) in within an action of greening the Subcetate lake from Hunedoara county.
Enel publishes the study "Circular Cities - Cities of Tomorrow". Enel has published the third study on circular cities, entitled "Circular Cities - Cities of Tomorrow", which addresses how sustainable urban landscapes can be The study was carried out with the contribution of Arup, a global sustainable construction company, Intesa Sanpaolo Group, a pioneer in financing the circular economy, and the Future Food Institute, an NGO focused on future food challenges. in a circular perspective.
Michele Crisostomo, President of the Enel Group, said: “In cities, our society is throbbing with life and evolving. All cities differ in architecture, culture and history, but they were all created by the inclination of our ancestors to gather and form communities. Urbanization has accelerated sharply in recent years, as today's cities host more than half of the world's population and generate over 80% of global economic output, along with all the social, economic, environmental and, as we have seen recently, health challenges. . That is why it is essential to promote economic competitiveness, social inclusion and respect for the environment in our cities, taking these objectives into account in a vision that combines innovation and sustainability and is most effectively expressed in the circular economy. The transition to a more circular life and production is the best solution to the problems facing cities today and an essential step towards improving the quality of life in the cities of tomorrow. ” Enel was among the winners of the 2020 SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Business Sustainability Awards, which celebrate the leadership, transparency and commitment to sustainable business practices of global brands. Specifically, Enel was featured in the 2020 SEAL Organizational Impact Award category, which recognizes the overall corporate sustainability performance and represents the 50 most sustainable companies globally.
In particular, Enel’s recognition in the SEAL Organizational Impact Award was made possible by reaching the highest score (A / A) in the last CDP edition for the second consecutive year, and its highest ever score (89/100) in the CSA. Both ratings acknowledged Enel’s leadership in tackling climate change and fostering decarbonization of the global economy, promoting open innovation and responsible business management practices across its entire value chain.
Clariant gets the best score for innovation in the Dow Jones 2020 Sustainability Index. Clariant, an innovative and sustainable company focused on specialty chemicals, recently announced its listing in the Dow Jones 2020 Sustainability Index (DJSI), with a remarkable score in the category of innovation and very good performance recorded in all other sections.This is the 8th consecutive year in which Clariant is listed as one of the most sustainable companies in the chemical sector globally.
The Coca-Cola system in Romania, consisting of the companies Coca-Cola Romania and Coca-Cola HBC Romania, has made public the latest sustainability report: "Beyond the numbers:" Together for the future ". The report documents the activity and non-financial results of 2019 and provides an overview of how the two companies conduct their operations responsibly, out of a constant desire to be with the Romanian community.
For the Coca-Cola System, sustainability is a priority for the future and is an essential component in every aspect of business. The presence of Coca ‑ Cola at local level means: transforming the beverage portfolio to become the 24/7 beverage partner of Romanian customers and consumers, a strong sustainability strategy to contribute to a waste-free world, investments made for the community, but also involvement constant in team development. These are also the main chapters that lay the foundations of the new report, but also the main ingredients that this year brought Coca ‑ Cola HBC the title of The most sustainable company in Romania, for the 5th consecutive year.
OMV Petrom launches sustainability report for its 2019 activity: 13.5 million Euro for social projects. OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy company in Southeastern Europe, has published the Sustainability Report for 2019. Through sustained investments, the intensity of carbon emissions from operations decreased by 22 percent in 2019 compared to 2010.
“We respond to stakeholder expectations and invest in our communities: in 2019, we contributed 13.5 million Euro in social projects,” the company says.
It stems from the belief that corporations are socio-economic citizens and that their objectives have to be congruent with society’s goals. Today, they wield significant capacity to influence social issues, i.e. “power to do good”. This is a responsibility and must manifest in thoughtful and deliberate programmes, not in charity. These must reflect the same level of rigor and strategic thinking as in business initiatives.
Wipro believes it must try to, and can make (some) lasting impact, towards creating a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. The values of ‘Spirit of Wipro’ guide all our actions. Our values ‘Being passionate about clients’ success’, ‘Being global and responsible’, ‘Treating each person with respect’, and ‘Unyielding integrity in everything we do’ are the primary drivers of being a responsible business.Wipro has been recognized as member of Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) – World for the 11th year in succession. Wipro is also a member of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index.
The awarded WINNERS of SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GALA will be announced and celebrated on stage on June 9, during a prestigious Awards Gala.
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