2015 - BCSDH

Message from the President of WBCSD about COP21

This is an historic day. The Paris Agreement has been adopted, and it will change everything.

The news from Paris is a major step forward by all governments of the world to safeguard the future of life on our planet. After many years of discussions and negotiations, there is now no question: a low-carbon economy is inevitable.

Not only does the agreement support holding the increase in global temperatures to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, it includes a stretch goal to limit that increase to just 1.5 °C.

The agreement takes account of the many commitments from governments, business, cities and citizens; all of whom joined their voices in the call to action. In hearing those voices, the Paris Agreement heralds a new relationship between governments, business and other non-state actors to work together to accelerate the transition to a thriving, clean economy with equitable access to sustainable development for all.
Innovative collaborative solutions, implemented at scale, will be critical to bringing the Paris Agreement to life. Businesses around the world must now scale up to reduce emissions and lead the acceleration of the transition to our low carbon world.

You will hear much more from WBCSD about this as our focus turns to implementation in 2016, particularly through the Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi).
For now, I urge you to celebrate this moment. Thank you for your support in 2015. You have helped to achieve a monumental and important goal, for our planet and our future.
Peter Bakker,

President, WBCSD

16.12.2015

Pannonia Ethanol presented the WBCSD workgroup report on the Paris Climate Summit

Member News

Low Carbon Fuel Technologies is the way to go

Transportation accounts for some 17% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Low carbon transport fuels can replace 800 million tons of fossil fuel. The development of low carbon transport fuels is hindered by the lack of proper regulations and the absence of the appropriate legal environment. 11 leading companies of the industry joined forces under the aegis of WBCSD to provide a solution.

Pannonia Ethanol joined the initiative on the Paris meeting of the WBCSD LCTPi (Low Carbon Technology Partnership initiative) in May 2015. LCTPi covers a total of 8 fields and one of them had focused on the subject of second generation biofuels at the time. The syllabus changed to low carbon transport fuels thanks to a suggestion from Pannonia Ethanol and the field of activity has changed accordingly. Finally, said fields were taken over by two workgroups and the management of one of them was tasked to Zoltán Reng, the CEO of Pannonia Ethanol.

The group started to work on a guide this spring with the aim to summarize the solution plan of the industry’s 11 leading companies regarding a substantial reduction in the transport sector’s environmental load. The proposal contains an immediately available and complex action plan for the application of low carbon fuels.

The report is a result of 6 months of intensive work, which was started with the selection of experts, then conference calls were held at every 1-2 weeks. The working group also met in person after Paris in New York and London.

All the 8 fields of LCTPi completed its own reports which were presented on the UN’s Paris Climate Summit. As part of the climate summit programs, Zoltán Reng held a presentation about the most important messages and conclusions of the report on low carbon transport fuels on 5 December.

Additional information on the report

on Pannonia Ethanol’s blog in Hungarian>> http://zoldhullam.blog.hu/2015/11/24/az_alacsony_kibocsatasu_uzemanyag_lehet_a_megoldas

on WBCSD’s homepage in English>> http://www.wbcsd.org/low-carbon-fuel-companies-unite-to-present-opportunities-to-reduce-greenhouse-g.aspx .

10.12.2015

Coca-Cola HBC is the global beverage industry leader in sustainability for the second consecutive year

Member News

Coca-Cola HBC has announced that it intends to reduce water use intensity by 30% by 2020, compared to 2010 and direct carbon emissions intensity by 50% over the same period. The company’s new sustainability framework was introduced after Coca-Cola HBC was named beverage industry leader in the Dow Jones World and Europe Sustainability Indices for the second consecutive year.

Here in Hungary, we will be contributing to meeting these targets by implementing continuous water and energy reduction programs at our Dunaharaszti and Zalaszentgrót plants – says Valentin Tóth, communications director.

Coca-Cola HBC Hungary reduced water use per 1 litre finished product by 8 percent and carbon emissions by 11 percent in the period between 2010 and 2014. One of the largest water heat pumps of Hungary is operated in the Zalaszentgrót bottling plant. We have doubled the amount of recycled PET used for the packaging of our products, with the proportion of recycled PET raw materials amounting up to 30 percent. Our bottles also lost weight in the last four years, and thus we reduced PET in production by more than 700 tons.

For the first time in Hungary, we have introduced the first-ever fully recyclable PET bottle made partially from plants as the packaging for our NaturAqua mineral water.

03.12.2015

Telenor becomes main sponsor of KórházSuli Program

Member News

Telenor is committed to leveraging mobile technology to promote the safe and responsible use of the internet by children. We launched our corporate responsibility initiative Hipersuli Educational Program to further this goal and support the use of digital technology in the classroom. In October 2015, we decided to take the benefits of digital education to as many children as possible outside the traditional school environment. We signed a sponsorship agreement with the KórházSuli Program and agreed to donate cash and assets that will be used by KórházSuli to cover operating costs and reward the winners of a recently announced educational content development contest. The KórházSuli Program helps hospitalized children use part of their time for learning in an efficient and entertaining way. For program details please visit http://korhazsuli.hu/.

03.12.2015

Marcin Łapiński appointed Managing Director at Skanska Property Romania and Hungary

Member News

Following 1^st January 2016, Marcin Łapiński, currently Managing Director at Skanska Property Romania, will take the corresponding position at Skanska Property Hungary. Furthermore, Zoltán Linczmayer and Aurelia Luca will be nominated for the newly established roles of Country Directors in the company’s both Hungarian and Romanian units respectively. All these changes aim to strengthen the organization and synergy of Skanska Commercial Development Europe in Central Europe and grow the business in those two emerging markets.

Hungary and Romania are very important countries for Skanska in the company’s business plan 2020. The office market in both locations is growing in terms of space delivered to the market, volume of leased space and the quality of office offer. According to CBRE, one can expect similar results also in 2015. The office market in Budapest is promising as well. According to forecasts by JLL, new supply in 2016 can reach the highest volume since 2010. In both cities Skanska is increasingly active. It has already delivered six office buildings in Budapest to the market and the seventh – Nordic Light – is currently under development. Skanska’s Romanian project Green Court Bucharest is in high demand. The company has fully leased its first building and over 80% of the space within Building B. Skanska Property Romania has also acquired one plot of land in the Central-West part of Bucharest for the future office projects in the country.

Marcin Łapiński

“This is important step in bringing closer Romania and Hungary. It will create solid platform for utilizing cross-countries synergies and promoting more knowledge sharing. Both markets are very challenging but with high growth potential and showing strong signs of post-crisis recovery. Furthermore, both countries are eagerly selected by companies from the BPO/SSC/ITO sector for which Skanska is often a first-choice company.” comments Marcin Łapiński, Managing Director of Skanska Property Romania and future Managing Director of Skanska Property Hungary. “I would like to wish Aurelia Luca and Zoltan Linczmayer many successes in their new positions.

Zoltán Linczmayer

According to “CEE Investment Report – Rising Stars 2015”, launched by Skanska Commercial Development Europe, JLL, Colliers International and the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL), Bucharest and Budapest are recognized as ‘rising stars’ on the real estate investment transaction map of Europe. Both cities offer attractive return on investment along with huge market stability and low risk.

Important Country Director functions

Due to the development of Skanska’s office business in CEE, in particular in Hungary and Romania, the company extends its structures and establishes new positions of Country Directors in those two countries. Following 1^st January 2016, Zoltán Linczmayer, previously Managing Director at Skanska Property Hungary, will be appointed Country Manager in Hungary, while in Romania it will be Aurelia Luca, current Leasing and Marketing Manager. The Country Directors, together with Marcin Łapiński, will strengthen Skanska CDE’s presence in those two countries, which are perceived as with the first-rate potential.

“Just as synergy and exchange of knowledge among Skanska’s units in different countries is important on an international level, on a local level it is crucial to properly understand the needs of people and users of our buildings. In Skanska, we focus primarily on employees of the companies that select our projects. Our goal is to provide comfortable office space that encourages efficiency. We know that flexibility is important as well as the opportunity to adjust space to individual requirements – not only of each tenant but also of each employee. Furthermore, it is of crucial importance that our buildings fit in with the urban tissues and give the opportunity to handle business during work breaks and after work,” underlines Zoltán Linczmayer, future Country Director at Skanska Property Hungary since January 2016.

03.12.2015

BASF receives German Sustainability Award for resource efficiency

Member News

BASF was presented with the Special Award “Resource Efficiency” at the ceremony for the German Sustainability Award 2015 on November 27. With this decision, the jury recognized BASF’s Verbund concept that has set the benchmark in the chemical industry for resource and energy efficiency for decades. In addition to the recognition for efficient raw material and energy use, the development of innovative business models for sustainability, for example, the “mass balance” method, was acknowledged by the jury. This method uses renewable raw materials from the very beginning of the value chain in the existing Production Verbund. Savings of fossil resources are calculated for each product. BASF was also nominated in the category “Most Sustainable Large Companies” and was among the three leading companies. The German Sustainability Award recognizes companies which make significant contributions to sustainable development on a national and international basis.

30.11.2015

Telenor Sustainability Report 2014

Member News

In its Sustainability Report published for the seventh time, Telenor Hungary gives an overview of its economic, social and environmental sustainability performance in the calendar year 2014 based on the GRI G4 reporting framework. The report’s data-level and GRI G4 compliance has been verified by an independent third party.

The Sustainability Report presents Telenor’s environmental performance, its contribution to bridging the digital divide and boosting social growth through the use of ICT, its partnership with NGOs and its activities aiming to promote ethical business conduct and reduce the risk of corruption.

Telenor’s Sustainability Report for the year 2014 is available at the link below: https://www.telenor.hu/fenntarthatosag.

30.11.2015

Short Text Messages in Air Traffic Control

Member News

A new communication channel, CPDLC (Controller Pilot Data Link Communication) ensures a digital connection between air traffic controllers and pilots in the Hungarian airspace.

As one of its major technology development projects, HungaroControl upgraded MATIAS (Magyar Automated and Integrated Air Traffic Control System), its state-of-the-art air navigation system. As part of this upgrade, the CPDLC feature went live at the end of November 2015, following nearly six months of testing, approximately three years ahead of the deadline set by the European Union.

Beside voice communication currently used between pilots and air traffic controllers, CPDLC enables data interchange in the form of text messages.

”The objective of this development is to further improve flight safety and increase the capacity of Hungarian airspace by optimising the use of radio frequencies, which are becoming more and more congested due to the increase of air traffic.” – Mr Barnabás Kiss, HungaroControl’s Chief Technology Officer stated of the new service feature.

By using CPDLC, routine tasks will be faster, and the load on radio frequencies may be relieved, reducing congestion on voice communication channels. With the help of datalink communication, misunderstandings due to radio interference and fatigue-related mistakes can be ruled out, thus flight safety will be further improved.

Thanks to the introduction of CPDLC, information exchange may become faster than during normal voice communication, and air traffic controllers will be able to communicate with several pilots at the same time, which may significantly increase the capacity of the Hungarian airspace.

The go-live date was scheduled for November on purpose: the coming months are meant to leave air traffic controllers sufficient time to hone their CPDLC skills before the busy summer season in 2016.

HungaroControl’s development was realised as part of the MATIAS Build 10.1 project with the co-financing of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

Experience of Hungarian air traffic controllers may contribute to the safe introduction of CPDLC across Europe, and may further strengthen HungaroControl’s favourable reputation the company has built thanks to its introduction of services and tools well before mandatory EU deadlines.

30.11.2015

Business breakfast on Corporate Responsibility Reporting

Member News

KPMG organizes the business breakfast on International Corporate Responsibility (CR) Reporting practices on 3 December 2015.

KPMG, named Sustainable Firm of the Year by International Accounting Bulletin for 4 years, has been actively supporting the development of sustainability and transparency both globally and in Hungary for several decades. As part of this engagement, we have been conducting international surveys on corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting since 1993. Our latest survey was conducted in the summer of 2015, involving more than 4,500 companies in 45 countries.

At our business breakfast we will compare Hungarian practices with international trends, based on the results of this recent study, while the future prospects and development possibilities of CR reporting in Hungary will be covered in a panel discussion.

Date:	3 December 2015 (Thursday), 8.30-11.00
Venue:	KPMG Conference Center (1134 Budapest, Váci út 31.)

Programme:

08.30-09.00	Registration
09.00-09.10	Welcome by Michael Carlson, Partner, KPMG in Hungary
09.10-09.40	Presentation of the KPMG International Corporate Responsibility (CR) Reporting Survey results
09.40-10.30	Panel discussion on the prospects and development possibilities of CR reporting in Hungary dr. Beck György – Vodafone Magyarország Zrt., Chairman Jean Grunenwald – Nestlé Hungária Kft., Managing Director Magyar Henrietta – TESCO-GLOBAL Áruházak Zrt., Stakeholder and Community Relations Manager Martin József – Transparency International Magyarország, Managing Director Salgó István – Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary, President / ING Bank N.V. Hungarian branch office, CEO
10.30-11.00	Open discussion for all participants

This event is open to the media. The language of the event will be English, without interpreter service.

Participation is free but prior registration is required. Once received, registrations are valid upon our confirmation. Confirmation will be sent within 5 working days. Please register here by 30 November.
Username: kpmg2015@kpmg.hu	Password: Kpmg2015

25.11.2015

The business sector opened a new chapter

News

40 companies already joined the Action 2020 Hungary Program and 20 specific business solutions were already introduced for the most imminent sustainability problems.

Unemployment is almost 20 % among the youth, each year 1.8 million tons of food waste is generated and the 2°C warming up forecast for 2050 can already be sensed in Hungary. These are facts that necessarily incent companies adopting responsible and long term thinking for taking immediate actions.

‘The business sector already has solutions’. These were the introductory words of István Salgó, head of ING Bank and President of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Hungary (BCSDH) – comprising the leaders of companies that generate almost 30% of the GDP – to the new chapter of Action 2020 Hungary, held in Budapest on November 19, 2015.

‘The science is unequivocal and we are beyond the point of debate. The climate is changing. But neither business nor government can solve this critical challenge alone – we must work together. I believe business can take the lead and implement solutions that will help our society make the urgently needed transition to a low-carbon economy. Ambitious climate action is the biggest business opportunity for the foreseeable future.’– said Peter Bakker, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in his presentation.
It was his first time in Hungary, meeting with corporate leaders, spearheading the Hungarian program as change leaders. His visit in Hungary is especially remarkable now that the world keeps its eye on the Paris climate summit organized in December, where as chairman of WBCSD he represents the business world – more than 200 global companies and numerous local member councils – at the negotiations.

The short summary of the achievement of Action 2020 Hungary within almost 2 years: active participation of 150 scientific, NGO and corporate experts as well as CEOs, 10 expert workshops, 8 CEO roundtables, 20 macro level objectives, 77 impact measurement indicators and 40 formally joined companies, 20 business solutions worked out. The process has started, new companies join continuously and the scope of business solutions – inspiring other companies – constantly increases.

‘The Action 2020 Hungary program has multifold effects. Sustainability is not only fostered through the identified business solutions and the results of the practices of member companies, but through the process of the program itself which is based on dialogue, shared thinking, scaling up and continuously challenging ‘business as usual’.’– said Attila Chikán Jr., CEO of ALTEO Group and head of the Action 2020 working group.

BCSDH is convinced that effective sustainability solutions – initiated and implemented by these important change leaders – result in positive changes.

Five of them participated at the round table discussion held within the event:

Ágnes Fábián Dr., Managing Director, Henkel
Dale A. Martin, President & CEO, Siemens
Zoltán Gazsi, Managing Director, eisberg Hungary
Anita Simon, COO, Biofilter
László Török, Managing Director, Grundfos Hungary

They all agreed that joining the Action 2020 Hungary Program reflect both their personal, and their companies’ commitment towards sustainability, both externally and with regards to the companies’ employees.

Outlining the business solutions of their own companies, they all emphasized that developing solutions ‘going beyond business as usual’ takes substantial time and efforts, however it is rewarded as they bring about creativity and new solutions that definitely offer competitive market advantages to the companies.

More details are available in the publication handed out at the event introducing the Action 2020 program, as well as at: www.action2020.hu

Peter Bakker’s presentation: Hungary Final Version

Photos of the event you can find here.

23.11.2015