June 2020 - Page 2 of 2

SPAR decreases further plastic waste with more than 25 tonnes

From its establishment, the store chain is actively dedicated to environmental protection. Thanks to its sustainability strategy, plastic waste resulting from the operation of the company is decreasing which is further reduced with leaving the caps of certain own brand milks, the covers of sour cream and the polystyrene and plastic packaging of certain fruits and vegetables and changing the bottle of the own brand SPAR cooking oil. By the measure, more than 25 tonnes of less plastic waste is generated. The active environmentally conscious approach is also reflected in the paper usage of SPAR.

“In the interest of the sustainability of our environment worth living, besides material, technologies and workflows applied during its operation, SPAR encourages its customers to a more environmentally conscious behaviour. Our plastic-reduction strategy contributed with several steps over the years to that significantly less disposable plastic waste is produced. Eco-friendly packaging is becoming more important at all of the product types, this is what is happening now in case of certain own brand milk products and cooking oil and several fruits and vegetables. We pay similarly great attention to that we use recycled paper to our advertising flyers” – said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communication at SPAR.

A new important measure of the sustainability strategy of SPAR is leaving the plastic caps from the packaging of the own brand 1 litre S-Budget 1,5% and 2,8% UHT milks. The company reduces by this environmentally friendly measure the used plastic volume with more than 6.7 tonnes in terms of annual turnover. The environmental burdens can be alleviated with the very significant reduction, while the products continue to guarantee the usual quality, durability and taste.

From 1st March 2020, the company switched to not only in case of milk products, but also in case of the distribution without plastic cover of the 450-gram SPAR (12%) and S-Budget (20%) sour cream products. With this measure, the plastic volume is decreased further with almost 8 tonnes annually. The consumers can preserve the quality of the unfolded dairy products with the reusable silicone closing covers that can be purchased in the stores.

The store chain applies economical, alternative solutions not only in case of plastics, but also in case of the use of paper in its operation and in terms of information material and product packaging. It is rare in the domestic retail practice today that a business group produces its informative advertising leaflets mainly from recycled paper. SPAR can be considered to be a pioneer in this respect: 75% of its weekly flyers is made of recycled paper. The store chain prints its flyers onto eco-friendly paper. The used paper products have the Ecolabel certificate of the European Union (EU). The label is awarded on the basis of strict rules and criteria defined by product groups. According to the relevant regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council made on 25th November 2009, exclusively those products deserve the Ecolabel certificate which products concerning their entire life cycle burden only minimally the environment.

SPAR has already earlier reduced the quantity of plastic waste with the use of paper egg trays. The company prefers paper over plastic in connection with packaging for a long time. One of the alternative, eco-friendly packaging solutions is the application of recyclable pulp materials, for example in case of chicken egg trays, which materials are reusable, carbon-neutral and completely biodegradable. Based on sales data, SPAR calculates with significant amount of plastic load reduction by the use of recycled paper.

SPAR changes the previous plastic foam tray of the 4-piece tomato to paper boat tray. The store chain replaces even 235 kilograms of polystyrene in one year with this, and it offers already in the season of 2020 this product with the paper tray. The company also changes the packaging of the 3-piece sweet pepper and hot pepper. Knowing the last year’s numbers, the switch to the 100% degradable packaging means for the former product 660, while for the latter product 1015 kilograms of plastic saving.

The company reduces more and more the used plastic in case of other vegetables. The half a kilogram bio lemon is taken onto the shelves in environmentally friendly net packaging made of thread instead of net packaging made of plastic because of which almost 686 kilograms of less plastic is generated this year according to the plans.

Plastic material is also removed from the packaging of the 1-kilogram bio orange, thanks to which more than 152 kilograms of plastic saving develops in one year.

The company will save further significant amount that is 7.2 tonnes of plastic annually with that the 1-litre own brand SPAR cooking oil is filled into weight-reduced bottle that ensures the usual holding. The supplier reduced with this development together the size and weight of caps as well by using even less plastic during production that results based on the annual demand another significant plastic-saving.

During its activities, SPAR applies more environmentally conscious solutions and promotes them among its customers. The company offers reusable storage bags for fruits and vegetables in the stores from last year, and it contributes with further important steps to the reduction of the environmental burden such as replacing the plastic freezer bags to paper insulation bags or reducing the weight of PET bottles of certain own brand mineral waters.

08.06.2020

SOS 1.5: A new roadmap to action business commitments to deliver net-zero emissions

News

Today on World Environment Day, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released its new climate action roadmap to help companies reach net-zero carbon emissions before 2050.

Geneva, 5 June 2020: SOS 1.5: The road to a resilient, zero-carbon carbon future provides companies with a step-by-step framework and key actions to start and advance their journey to net-zero emissions – critical to keeping the world at a safe operating space for people and planet.

The severity of climate change is already a crushing reality for many people around the world. But it’s the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought devastation to millions of people that has delivered the whole world a stark reminder of our vulnerability to systemic risk. The COVID-19 crisis has shown us that the world cannot afford to return to a pre-pandemic normal. We have no choice. We must build resilience against all the interconnected crises we face, and the biggest of all remains the climate emergency.

Business has the responsibility to lead the charge to net-zero emissions before 2050 – and they know it. Today also marks the launch of the Climate Ambition Alliance’s Race to Zero campaign: a coalition of leaders from countries, businesses, cities, regions, investors and civil society – all committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at the very latest.

Raising the bar for climate ambition across the economy, this year’s World Environment Day shows that the real economy is moving to net-zero. But it’s not happening fast enough. Business needs to work together across sectors and value chains to pair their climate targets and pledges with science-based, transformative climate action in line with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.

Framework to accelerate a company’s journey to net-zero

WBCSD’s new science-based action roadmap for companies of all sizes and sectors aligns with the science and allows companies to decarbonize to net-zero carbon emissions before 2050. Developed with WBCSD member companies and the Boston Consulting Group, our framework provides six key steps and 16 actions which companies at any stage in the journey can follow to accelerate their journey to net-zero.

SOS 1.5 key steps for companies:

Ground ambition in purpose
Understand climate risks and opportunities
Set decarbonization milestones and targets
Build a climate program in line with company strategy
Mobilize resources broadly to deliver impact
Engage, disclose and communicate climate action

Business has the responsibility to keep the world within a safe-operating space of 1.5°C: creating green jobs, delivering economic growth and building a more resilient society. All companies must align with the science and implement climate action plans to reach net-zero before 2050.

SOS 1.5 supports all business commitments and initiatives to achieve the 1.5°C goal and provides a framework for companies to deliver and implement climate action to net-zero.

“To protect the employees, customers and the societies they serve and do no harm, business must act now – at scale—to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy where economic growth is decoupled from carbon and more than nine billion people are able to live well, within the limits of the planet by no later than 2050. It’s more important than ever that business starts to invest and deploy their solutions, especially now in an economic recession from COVID-19” said María Mendiluce, – Managing Director, Climate & Energy, WBCSD.

“Business has the responsibility to accelerate our transition to a net-zero economy and we need to act now. SOS 1.5 is an exciting venture for businesses at all stages of their climate journey to commit to the science and design and implement their action plan to net-zero. Beyond individual journeys, companies leading on climate action need to work together across sectors and value chains to scale the investments and innovations we need to decarbonize the economy. Unilever are happy to be part of SOS 1.5: bringing companies together to tackle the biggest barriers and speed up our transition to a fairer, low-carbon world” said Alan Jope – CEO, Unilever.

“Aligning business investments and strategy with a 1.5 °C scenario is essential to building a green recovery which creates sustainable jobs and leads to a more efficient, resilient and healthier world. SOS 1.5 provides companies with a platform and framework to start and progress their journey to net-zero faster: to collaborate and overcome the biggest challenges to scaling up investments in low-carbon solutions to accelerate our transition to a climate-neutral economy said Carlos Sallé – Vice-president of Energy Policies and Climate Change, Iberdrola.

“Shell is very pleased to be part of SOS 1.5 and excited about its launch today. SOS 1.5 will support businesses like ours define their roadmaps to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 through helping to bring companies together to collaborate on sectoral decarbonization and develop credible carbon sinks to enable the system change to keep the world within a safe-operating space of 1.5°C. No company can reach net-zero alone. SOS 1.5 accelerates the business path to net-zero by forging collaborations to overcome barriers” said Harry Brekelmans – Projects & Technology Director, Royal Dutch Shell.

“Climate momentum cannot be slowed down by the COVID health and economic crisis. Today more than ever it is clear that E,S and G go hand in hand: we need both socially and environmentally friendly stimuli and investments in a transparent and cooperative world. SOS 1.5 is a plan of action for those who are committed to contribute to net-zero, whether they are starting their journey or already well advanced. It is time now to move from pledges to actions and really decrease emissions without the support of another COVID crisis said Michel Fredeau and Esben Hegnsholt – BCG Climate & Environment.

05.06.2020

Second Integrated Report of ALTEO has been published: financial strength and commitment to sustainability are the priority focus of company listed on the stock market

Member News

In addition to the 2019 financial results, ALTEO’s second Integrated Report includes the company’s sustainability report as well. Thanks to persistent building of operations, ALTEO has become one of the defining players of the domestic energy sector in 2019.

The company continues to strengthen its position among so-called ESG companies who focus on sustainable mindset and keeps utilizing the business opportunities of the energy segment. (The abbreviation ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – refers in international practice to companies, investors and investment firms who place special emphasis on sustainability in their operations.)

The three-year investment cycle announced in 2016 has come to a close in 2019, during which the company realized in excess of HUF 20 billion investment and development volume, mainly focusing on renewable energy sources. The solar power investments in Monor, Nagykőrös and Balatonberény have been delivered, and with the purchase of the wind farm park in Bőny, an acquisition has also taken place. As a result, the power plant portfolio leaning on renewable energy has expanded to a total of 54 megawatts, which translates to over 50 percent of the entire power plant capacity of the company. The reconstruction of the hydroelectric plant in Gibárt was also launched in 2019.

The company has launched its Waste Management Division in the spirit of circular economy. In addition, reacting to the problem of energy storage, one of the greatest challenges of our time, ALTEO has – following a successful test operation in Zugló – unveiled its electrical energy storage facility with 6 MW capacity, one of the first in the CEE region and completed its integration into the company regulatory center.

05.06.2020

Nestlé-A national survey of the eating habits during the coronavirus pandemic

Member News

There is more time for family meals during the coronavirus pandemic – reveals the findings of a representative survey by Nestlé Hungária, examining the eating habits of Hungarian families during in quarantine. Also, Hungarian children participate in preparing food in 5 out of 10 households, pancake is the favourite when it comes to cooking together, families use the internet in most cases when searching for recipes, and the personal preference of family members is the top priority for setting the menu.

Many families had more time for eating together during lockdown and home school than before – found the representative survey made by Nestlé Hungária among Hungarian families in the scope of the Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme . The survey aimed to explore how eating habits change during the pandemic. One third of respondents regularly had lunch with their families during lockdown, what became the main meal of the day. 40% of respondents reported no change compared to times before the pandemic. These respondents are mostly men and almost two thirds of them live in the countryside.

In five families out of ten, children participated in cooking several times a week, although they helped less on a daily basis. Children decide on the menu in many households, so, albeit indirectly, but they also contribute to shaping the nutrition habits of the family. Pancakes are clearly No. 1 in Hungary when it comes to cooking together: almost half of the parents involve children in the process both in Budapest and in the countryside. Various sweets and pastries are also very popular, and children are ready to lend a hand in the preparations. Adults generally engage children in preparing dishes in various phases from choosing the recipe through breaking the eggs to preparing the ingredients. Only 23% of respondents said that children do not help at all in the kitchen.

“Children who help in food preparation at home eat more vegetables and fruit. They are more open to adopt healthier eating habits, have a more balanced diet. As a leading food company, we pursue to educate parents and children using all potential platforms, and also give them guidance on making healthier choices to prepare when they cook together. Supporting children in developing appropriate eating habits is key. That is why we launched our Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme in 2018” said Gábor Tompa, Head of Corporate Communication.

Parents use whatever help they can for choosing recipes, but almost 80% of respondents said that their children’s wishes are the key decision factors. The survey also showed that while most dishes for lunch are made according to the family recipe, in general people use the internet in the first place to find recipes. It is the family’s taste what matters most when selecting the daily menu: 72% of respondents cook meals everybody likes and making a healthy and nutritious choice comes only second. Somewhat more than half of the respondents said it was important for them to prepare lunch from ingredients available at home. All in all, parents rather cook than order meals: only 7% voted for ordering.

05.06.2020

Implementing sustainable supply chains has never been more important – the focus of Action2020 CEO roundtables was Food and Nature

News

Creating sustainable food systems is the key to maintaining the health of people and planet. The current system of industrial food and agricultural production is unsustainable, so changes both in mentality and in methods are necessary. The pandemic has highlighted the importance and vulnerability of these systems, and many steps must be taken to make them truly resilient and resistant, thus sustainable.

BCSDH held three exclusive roundtable discussions in May and June – virtual, due to the pandemic – with the participation of nearly 40 CEOs. The purpose of the discussions was to identify food- and nature-related focal areas about which BCSDH can formulate specific recommendations and activities for the business sector. The virtual hosts of the online roundtable discussions were three member companies of BCSDH, Nestlé Hungária Kft., SIÓ-Eckes Kft., and TESCO-Globál Áruházak Zrt.

Participants agreed that both an increase in the transparency and resilience of food supply systems and innovative corporate solutions will support the transition to a more sustainable food system. Significant steps towards this include the development of shorter and more diversified supply chains, the minimization of food waste throughout the whole value chain, and the implementation of methods and investments that serve to rehabilitate and preserve nature’s diversity.

“COVID-19 has also put food chains in a difficult position, drawing attention to the vulnerability of open systems, the problems of global processes, and the need for increasing the protection of biodiversity. If we can learn from our mistakes after the pandemic, building an energy- and material-saving and climate-friendly economy can contribute to building a more resilient economy. There is significant potential in having more flexible, shorter supply chains, and preventing food waste, moreover, also in the development of farming, that goes way beyond legal compliance and takes into account the protection of natural values” – said Attila Chikán Jr., President of BCSDH and CEO of Alteo Group, in his introductory speech.

The aim of BCSDH is to define recommendations and activities for the business sector regarding food and nature with which companies can create real impacts. Moreover, companies can introduce their business solutions on 8th October at BCSDH’s business lunch, and in the related publication, so that the latter can be adapted by others. The main sponsor of the Action 2020 program in 2020 is Nestlé, highlighted sponsors are Deloitte, E.ON and McDonald’s, and further sponsors are Alteo, Essity, Folprint, HungaroControl, HVG, MOL, Rossmann, and Unilever.

04.06.2020

Deloitte – Carbon Fast Forward online conference – 18 June 2020

Member News

Deloitte has partnered with Carbon Pulse to put together a one-day online conference, which examines the critical issues affecting companies with exposure to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the expanding global carbon market. This virtual conference brings in-depth insights to navigate the vast uncertainty cast over environmental markets by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hear from leading analysts, government representatives and industry leaders on how the global recovery is taking shape and what this means the EU ETS and other aspects of the European Green deal, the CORSIA aviation offsetting mechanism and corporate attitudes to tackling climate change.

Speakers include:

Mark Lewis Head, Sustainability Research, BNP Paribas Asset Management

Dirk Forrister President, CEO, International Emissions Trading Association

Ingvild Sorhus Lead Analyst, EU Carbon, Refinitiv

Yann Andreassen Senior Analyst, EU Power and Carbon, ICIS

Peter Vis Senior Advisor, Rud Pedersen Public Affairs

Jan-Willem van de Ven Head of Climate Finance, Carbon Markets, EBRD

Clive Lambert Founder, FuturesTechs

Andrei Marcu Executive Director, ERCST

Representative, DG Climate Action, European Commission *

Representative, Government of Hungary *

Akos Lukacs Service Line Leader, Sustainability and Climate Change, Deloitte Hungary

Louis Redshaw CEO and Founder, Redshaw Advisors

Ben Garside Director and Co-Founder, Carbon Pulse

* invited

For further information about the agenda and the registration, click here.

04.06.2020

Shell thanked the work of not-everyday heroes

Member News

In recent months Shell was offering free coffee to front-line heroes fighting coronavirus – doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, military, police officers, truck drivers visiting its filling stations.

More than 15,000 Shell filling stations in 30 countries joined the initiative globally. In Hungary, Shell thanked the work of the not-everyday heroes, who do their job tirelessly every day – with a total of 38,965 coffees. The cappuccino or espresso as a gift was just a small thing during these extraordinary days, but for those who travelled, worked even more because of the situation, it meant caring thoughtfulness.

Shell filling stations will continue to welcome customers well prepared for the epidemiological situation. The surfaces continue to be disinfected several times a day, a plexiglass is placed at the cashier desk, and staff of the filling station welcomes customers in mask and rubber gloves.

04.06.2020

Hungary adopts new climate law to reach net-zero targets by 2050

News

The Hungarian Parliament passed a new law that confirms climate-neutrality by 2050 as a legally binding obligation. The adopted legislation demonstrates Hungary’s commitment to tackle climate change in line with the European Commission’s long-term climate objectives, according to the Ministry of Innovation and Technology. Although the new act contains forward-looking elements, it has been criticised for lacking ambitions to effectively fight climate change.

Péter Kaderják, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Policy emphasised that along the policy measures set out in the climate strategies and action plans adopted by the government, Hungary can gradually become a climate-neutral country by the middle of the century without the transition jeopardising economic growth and social welfare.

Earlier this year, the government announced the launch of the Climate and Nature Protection Plan that set out inter alia a support system for the renewable energy production of small and medium-sized enterprises, a six-fold increase of installed solar capacity in the next ten years and new incentives for the procurement of low- and zero-emission vehicles.

Mr Kaderják stressed that by 2030, 90 per cent of the energy generated in Hungary will be carbon-free. This strategy is relying primarily on the combination of nuclear and solar energy, that will account for the majority of Hungary’s power supply according to the government’s long-term energy strategy.

Although the new legislation declared climate-neutrality as a long-term objective, opposition leaders and environmentalist groups voiced their concerns that the 2050 target is both too far and too general. They criticised the new legislation for lacking ambitions as they wanted to see a higher level of commitment to reduce emissions and to increase the share of renewables over the course of the next ten years.

Péter Kaderják argued that Hungary is at the forefront in achieving the undertaken emission reduction targets among the EU Member States.

“By 2030, Hungary will be one of the few Member States that will not only be able to meet the targets of emission reduction in the non-ETS sectors such as transport, building, waste management and agriculture but is expected to meet them even earlier,” claimed Mr Kaderják after the Parliament enacted the new climate law.

However, the Minister of State underlined that the costs of a climate-neutral economy should be borne by the major polluters, reiterating that Hungary opposes the reallocation of funds from the cohesion pockets to climate protection in the EU’s next long-term budget.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is reviewing the EU’s 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in light of the mid-century climate neutrality objective, exploring options for 50 to 55 per cent emissions reduction, a significant increase from the current 2030 targets that stipulates reductions of up to 40 per cent.

In September, the Commission is set to present an analysis, assessing the state of play and the measures presented by the EU member states are sufficient to reach the higher targets.

Yesterday, the Hungarian state also announced that it successfully issued its 1.5 billion euros international green bond for the first time, oversubscribed by five times. The issuer will use the proceeds from the green bond to finance and refinance certain green expenditures of the central budget in accordance with the Sovereign Green Bond Framework Program.

source: CEENERGY NEWS

03.06.2020

Building business resilience: How collective leadership will reverse nature loss

News

Organized by World Economic Forum, WBCSD, ICC, UN Global Compact, IUCN, Business for Nature

Monday 15 June 2020

Virtual event at: 7.00-8.00am New York (EDT) | 1.00-2.00pm Geneva (CEST) | 7.00-8.00pm Beijing (CST)

Event sub-titles provided in: English, Español, Français, Português, 普通话

How resilient is your business?

Join this first major global leadership event to discuss nature in a world rethinking how to emerge from the crisis of a pandemic.

Hosted by Paul Polman, Co-founder of IMAGINE, and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and news anchor Tian Wei, this event brings together inspiring business and world leaders to explore how making nature part of your decision-making is critical to becoming a future-fit business.

Healthy societies, resilient economies and thriving businesses rely on nature. Yet, more than half of the world’s total GDP is at risk from nature loss (World Economic Forum, 2020). Business and governments need to work together now to reverse nature loss in this decade.

Attendees will join a high-level, interactive discussion on what can be learnt from the interrelated emergencies of nature, climate, health and people.

Read the full speaker line up here.

Business leaders will:

Reflect on the current Covid-19 crisis and the lessons learnt in the context of the planetary crisis.
Explore how collective action is essential to building greater resilience.
Hear from companies that are including nature in their decision-making and accelerating progress towards a more sustainable future.

Nature is everyone’s business.

Space is limited.

03.06.2020

10 years of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan

Member News

Unilever launched the Sustainable Living Plan back in 2010. It sets out to decouple growth from environmental footprint, while increasing the company’s positive social impact.

The plan had three goals to achieve:

Improving health and well-being for more than 1 billion.
Reducing environmental impact by half.
Enhancing livelihoods for millions.

Unilever believes that sustainability and development are not contradictive terms. On the 6th May, the company held a global virtual event to report the achievements of the past 10 years. These achievements include:

Reaching 1.3 billion people through health and hygiene programmes.
Reducing the total waste footprint per consumer use of the products by 32% and achieving zero waste to landfill across all Unilever factories.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their own manufacturing by 50% and achieving 100% renewable grid electricity across all sites.
Reducing sugar across all sweetened tea-based beverages by 23%, and 56% of the foods portfolio now meets recognised High Nutrition Standards.
Enabling 2.34 million women to access initiatives aiming to promote their safety, develop their skills or expand their opportunities, the company has moved towards a gender balanced workplace in which 51% of management roles are held by women.

As Alan Jope, CEO said: „This is definitely not the end. Our journey towards making sustainable living commonplace for the world’s 8 billion people very much still continues.” This is why Unilever has developed a new, fully integrated corporate strategy: the Unilever Compass.

02.06.2020