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70% less plastic in the packaging of SPAR’s popular S-BUDGET pork mince

70% less plastic than before is used in the new innovative vacuum-formed film packaging of SPAR’s popular S-BUDGET pork mince. The saving on packaging also enables the Hungarian retail chain to reduce the consumer price of the product.

“It is a primary objective of our company to use less plastic in the packaging of our goods, while also complying with the strictest food safety and storage standards. With our environmental measures taken, we saved more than 550 tonnes of plastic packaging in 2022. This figure could now increase further as one of our most popular meat products, the 500g SPAR S-BUDGET pork mince is now available in INTERSPAR stores in film packaging with protective gas instead of the previously used plastic tray. Following the trial period until next February, we aim to switch to flow pack packaging for this product in all our stores, provided that customer feedback is positive,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.

The new flow pack packaging of S-BUDGET pork mince in 500 g packs, produced in the company’s proprietary Regnum meat-processing plant, now uses 70% less plastic and a protective gas film with absorbent paper instead of a tray. The volume of plastic used is less than a third of the previous packaging, only 4.95 grammes. With the new packaging, SPAR is able to sell this mince for 899 HUF instead of the previous price of 1049 HUF, now available in INTERSPAR hypermarkets.

Flow pack technology is safe, preserves the freshness of the meat and uses only packaging material that meets the stringent international quality assurance standards of SPAR. Since the S-BUDGET pork mince is one of the most popular products of the retail chain (with nearly 40 000 packages transported from the meat-processing plant and reaching store shelves every month), this innovative packaging allows SPAR to significantly reduce its environmental impact.

New BCSDH-member company: EY Hungary

Established in 1989, EY Hungary serves clients with a wide range of services, from accounting, auditing, tax and legal advisory, transaction and startegic consulting to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy, to initiatives to promote long-term value creation and reporting among business stakeholders in the context of promoting sustainability.

The company has been committed to the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals since 2009.

EY Global achieved carbon negative in 2021 and 2022 and has set a target of net zero by 2025.

This is to be achieved first by significantly reducing absolute carbon emissions and then by continuing to reduce and offset them year on year. To this end, the following measures will be put in place: Reducing emissions from business travel so that emissions from business travel are reduced by 35% by 2025 compared to FY 2019; reducing office electricity use, meeting the remaining demand from 100% renewable sources, and achieving RE100 membership in FY 2025; transforming our contracts with electricity suppliers to return more renewable electricity to the national grid than they use; using nature-based solutions and carbon-reducing technologies to remove and neutralise more carbon from the atmosphere than is emitted each year; equipping their colleagues with the tools to calculate and then reduce carbon emissions associated with client work; requiring their suppliers, who account for 75% of EY’s expenditure, to set science-based targets by the financial year 2025; developing services and solutions to help their clients create value from reducing their carbon emissions; and offering solutions to other sustainability challenges and opportunities.

Their global corporate social responsibility programme, EY Ripples, aims to make a positive difference in the lives of one billion people by 2030 in three key areas: supporting the next generation of workers; partnering with entrepreneurs who make a social and/or environmental impact; and accelerating environmental sustainability. In the financial year ending 30 June 2023, they have positively impacted the lives of 46 million people, and more than 127 million people overall to date.

Transparency plays a key role in the operation of the company: they support the transparency objectives of the European Union (EU) Regulation 537/2014 and Act LXXV of 2007 on the Hungarian Chamber of Auditors, Auditing Activities and Public Oversight of Auditors and therefore they publish their annual transparency report in line with these.

They work and operate in the spirit that sustainability is everyone’s business. Therefore, as an organisation, they form alliances and collaborations to achieve large-scale change. By joining the BCSDH, they also look forward to creating new opportunities to advance this common goal.

 

The need exists to transform our systems and ourselves.” – participants of ‘Future Leaders’ Talent Program 2023 received their certificates.

At the BCSDH business lunch on October 12, graduates of the ‘Future Leaders’ Talent Program for the year 2023 received their certificates. Alongside this year’s 35 participants, the Hungarian Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSDH) has seen over 300 young leaders graduate from the program’s previous 10 years.

“Our ‘Future Leaders’ Talent Program, celebrating its 10-year anniversary, has evolved significantly over time. Initially focused on recognizing and understanding issues, we now emphasize immediate action. I’m immensely proud that among our participants, numbering over three hundred, many have become business owners, CEOs, or board members. I trust that our graduates will become catalysts for change.“ – shared Márta Irén, Director of BCSDH.

The participants of the tenth edition, much like in previous years, come from various fields within the member companies of BCSDH.

Throughout the program, participants learn not only from recognized experts but also from practicing leaders about ethics, strategy, and sustainability within a diverse group. They also get acquainted with the mentor companies. Each year, over eighty mentors, including business leaders, experts from civil society and academia, support the participants in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities in the business sphere from multiple perspectives.

“Since this program deals with the future and leadership, it will always remain relevant. The more complex the world becomes, the more exciting it is to see how future challenges can be tackled with present tools. It stays relevant because it constantly evolves. The project work related to biodiversity this year brought forth several solutions that hold the potential for new practices applicable to our member companies.” – stated Zita Szederkényi, the Lead of Program.

In recent days, the BCSDH has been exploring each point of the “Sustainable Corporate Management Guidelines” delving into their theoretical backgrounds and corporate practices (Strategic Approach, Responsible Corporate Governance, Respect for Core Values, Environmental Responsibility, Partnership with Stakeholders, Ethical and Transparent Operations, and, for the past three years, the introduction of Sustainable Products, Services, and Innovation). The 35 graduates of the 2023 edition received their certificates at the BCSDH business lunch on October 12. Together with this year’s graduates, the program now encompasses 10 editions and over 300 young leaders, forming the ‘Future Leaders’ Talent Program Alumni organization.

Something new under the Sun: our new member company, Lanus Solar Ltd.

Created in 2021, the Startup’s core driver is to produce products that make a significant contribution to the shift to carbon neutrality.

They are working on an “Upgrade Spray-coating” solution that works by absorbing light that is not useful for solar panels and emitting it in a spectrum that the solar panel can use, thereby significantly increasing their energy production immediately after application. Their solution can also be applied to solar panels already installed.

Lanus Solar contributes to increasing sustainability by optimising the use of solar energy by increasing carbon neutrality, reducing the environmental footprint and increasing the uptake of green energy.

They join BCSDH to increase their sustainability knowledge, participate in professional programs, and meet and share experiences with the membership.

ALTEO wins Business Ethics Award

ALTEO has won the 2023 Business Ethics Award in the „Large Enterprise” category, the first company in the Hungarian energy sector to obtain an independent, international ESG certificate.
The recognition, which reflects fair and responsible business conduct, as well as awareness, social commitment and responsibility for a livable and sustainable world, is an important confirmation of ALTEO’s activities in this field. The award recognises our sustainability efforts and our focus on ethical business practices and ethical behaviour towards employees. This was also mentioned by Anita Simon, Deputy CEO for Sustainability and Circular Economy, who recalled the milestones of the company’s journey towards its sustainability strategy: the elevation of ESG to senior management level, the strengthening of the sustainable corporate governance system, the obtaining of the ESG certification, and the creation of the ALTEO Green Committee for the strategic coordination of sustainability-related tasks.

The deputy CEO said that ESG orientation is no longer a curiosity in Hungary, although undoubtedly it can currently – depending on the area – represent a significant competitive advantage. According to Anita Simon, in a few years’ time it will be a standard expectation, an expression of the full commitment of companies and even entire sectors to contribute to a liveable and sustainable future.

Hundreds of hectares of protected forest to be regenerated thanks to E.ON development

Power lines and poles to disappear from Natura 2000 sites in the Buda Landscape Protection Area

The Buda Landscape Protection Area, also known as the “lungs of the capital”, is crossed by the E.ON backbone network built in the 70s and 80s, which provides electricity to the surrounding settlements – Nagykovácsi, Máriaremete, Remeteszőlős, Solymár, Pesthidegkút, Pilisszentiván, Pilisvörösvár, Piliscsaba – and more than 40,000 consumers.

In response to the growing consumer demand, E.ON has completely renewed the Solymár substation, which serves these most energy-intensive settlements in the region, and has also started to dismantle part of the medium-voltage network in the surroundings and protected forests and replace it with underground cables.

In the context of the project, E.ON is removing and replacing more than 450 poles and 50 kilometres of overhead lines with underground cables in Natura 2000 areas and residential areas in the Buda Landscape Protection Area. The installation of an underground cable network will significantly reduce the exposure of the area’s electricity supply to the forces of nature, thus ensuring safer operation. The upgraded sections will eliminate storm damage and power outages caused by falling trees and will eliminate the need for felling in residential areas and continuous opening management in protected forests.

In addition to operational safety, underground cable is a major step forward from a nature conservation perspective. The dismantling of the medium-voltage network can significantly increase the area covered by trees by several hundred hectares, and the artificially straight lines of the openings can be healed by self-reforestation or by planting native tree species.

The complete renewal of the Solymár substation and the development of the electricity network with underground cables by 2025 will cost more than HUF 2 billion. The investment will be partly financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) with pre-financing and support from the Hungarian Government, and partly self-financed by the E.ON Hungaria Group.

E.ON is also taking sustainability aspects into account in the further use of the hundreds of tonnes of dismantled raw material: the 50-60 year old iron poles removed from their former locations will be cast in, the pole switches installed a few years ago will be reused, and the dismantled cables will be recycled as aluminium.

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Our services with ESG approach

We are pleased to announce that BDL Ltd, with decades of experience in LCC (Life Cycle Costing) and DCC (Dynamic Costing) and in the field of condition assessment, evaluation and design of water utilities and stormwater systems, is now offering ESG analyses to our returning and new clients, seeking new challenges.

We can provide a full technical and economic service to the design and construction industry, with special attention to operators in the water industry, and prepare them for the practical application of the circular economy and ESG approach. Our aim is to provide practical advice and analysis to the actors of the domestic economy, who increasingly hear the magic ESG acronym in their business decisions, supporting their everyday decisions.

Further information: https://bdl.hu/en/news/our-services-with-esg-approach

What should a company do about biodiversity? – Report on the BCSDH Communication Working Group meeting

How can an international company engage local suppliers? Does every company have a role in biodiversity? Are there domestic biodiversity projects? How can investing in soil-regenerative agriculture be a long-term climate solution for everyone? And what role does communication have in this? – The BCSDH communication working group, hosted by HEINEKEN, addressed these and similar questions on September 26th.

Eszter Varga-Nagy, Corporate Affairs and Communication Director at HEINEKEN Hungária Brewery Ltd., greeted the participants and talked about HEINEKEN’s global and domestic sustainability efforts and initiatives. She highlighted the Domestic Hop project, which supports short supply chains, local producers, and the local community simultaneously.

The rapid decline of biodiversity poses a greater threat than climate change. At several points, we’ve reached tipping points from which there is no return.

Every company is impacted and can influence biodiversity through its suppliers. ESG expectations and achieving net-zero goals are impossible without investments in nature and nature-positive ventures. These were the points discussed by Eszter Chikán-Kovács, BCSDH’s Communications Manager and leader of the working group, offering a preview of BCSDH’s annual publication coming out on October 12th.

Currently, there are few nature-positive projects in Hungary that could serve as tools for agricultural supplier partnerships or external companies to achieve net-zero goals.

This is why initiatives like NESTLÉ’s local LENs program are important and set a good example

Nestlé Purina’s factory in Bükk provides approximately 140,000 tons of raw materials, with 60% sourced from Hungarian farmers. This led the sector to initiate the introduction of the Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) program in Hungary, first in the region, adapted from the successful model developed by the consultancy firm 3Keel in the United Kingdom. This initiative aims not only to preserve the natural values of the region but also to ensure the long-term security of its suppliers and the ecosystem’s services. The program is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture in Hungary.

Noémi Csóka, Nestlé’s Corporate Communications and Shared Value Creation Manager, discussed Nestlé’s goal to source one-fifth of its key raw materials by 2025, and half by five years later, from areas managed using soil-regenerative methods. Through regenerative agriculture, the food industry can lessen its environmental impact during raw material production and contribute to the renewal of entire landscapes.

 

“A result of these interventions is the increased water retention and carbon sequestration capacity of the soil, enhanced biodiversity, improved water quality, reduced soil erosion, and carbon emissions from cultivation. Within the framework of the LENs Hungary program, we also support the establishment of a network of farms to facilitate direct sharing of experiences and knowledge related to soil-regenerative agriculture,” – stated Bálint Lukács, the Project Manager of the LENs project at Preferred by Nature in Hungary, during his presentation.

This is a well-trackable system that provides CO2 and Net Zero metrics, turning it into a genuine nature-positive climate solution.

And what is the role of communication in this matter? Genuine solutions can avoid greenwashing, and every area of a company can act as a catalyst for systemic changes.

 

 

 

Daikin releases its global 2023 Sustainability Report

Daikin has published its global Sustainability Report 2023. The report summarizes Daikin’s worldwide ESG data and outlines the fundamental strategy of the Daikin Group in advancing towards a sustainable society through its business activities. The English edition of the report by Daikin Industries Ltd. (DIL), the Japanese mother company of Daikin Europe N.V. (DENV), also covers the company’s fiscal 2022 results and plans for the future.

Brussels, September 2023 – In recent years, there has been a worldwide push to reduce carbon emissions. As a leading company in the HVAC-R industry, Daikin introduced its Environmental Vision 2050 back in 2019, a commitment to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across the full life cycle of its products and solutions. Its commitment to reach carbon neutrality is a key theme in the Group’s strategic 5-year management plan called Fusion 2025. In the plan’s mid-term review in May this year, Daikin introduced further actions in addition to existing activities. New objectives include establishing net-zero CO2 emissions at all its HVAC-R offices and factories by 2030, as well as supporting the adoption of heat pumps in the European heating market. Daikin is committed to pursuing the growth of the Daikin Group, while taking up its responsibility in building a more sustainable society.

Highlights from the Sustainability Report 2023

Information disclosure aligned with the TCFD Framework

The company endorsed the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2019, conducted an analysis of the risks and opportunities posed by climate change to its business, and reflected them into its management strategies and risk management.

During this fiscal year, Daikin made projections for the anticipated carbon tax in 2030, considering both 4°C and 1.5°C scenarios, and presented the resulting financial impact.

 

Reaching carbon neutrality with heat pumps

In contrast to traditional combustion heating methods, heat pump heating is gaining recognition for its capacity to substantially diminish CO2 emissions. This section of the report showcases key initiatives in Europe, where the market is experiencing rapid growth, and outlines forthcoming strategies for business expansion.

Human capital: advancing business transformation through digital transformation

Daikin established its Information and Communications Technology College in 2017 to cultivate internal talent for digital transformation. The report includes real stories of how alumni have played pivotal roles in different departments by harnessing digital technology, leading to the inception of new ventures and enhanced operational efficiency.

Outcomes of sustainability initiatives in the fiscal year 2022

The report presents a comprehensive account of the strategies, organizational setups, performance objectives, and outcomes pertaining to fiscal year 2022 for each of the ESG domains: Environmental, Social, and Governance.

Data

Quantitative data along with various philosophies and policies have been compiled.

More information

Starting with the 2023 edition, this report will be made available in PDF format on the Daikin website to enhance the accessibility of ESG information. Access is available via www.daikin.com/csr/report

Two Outstanding NGOs win the joint ALTEO and Civil Impact Christmas Open Call

As in previous years, this year ALTEO is celebrating Christmas with the support of charitable organisations. This time, two outstanding NGOs, the Menhely (Shelter) Foundation and the Tűzcsiholó (FireStriker) Association, won our open call for proposals for energy efficiency and alleviating energy poverty, in partnership with Civil Impact Nonprofit Kft, with a special focus on supporting NGOs with a national public benefit status.

As in previous years, the selected organisations will be supported by ALTEO’s Christmas Representation budget for its business partners. Our competition, focused on alleviating energy poverty, is ALTEO’s commitment to our future and our community.

 

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