In the past years, sustainability has become a main driver of the economy with more and more governments, financial institutions and corporates committing to the journey towards Net Zero. But how has the sustainability agenda been affected by a changing environment in the recent months? We asked the question to our expert speakers from BNP Paribas at our webinar on 12th May. This was the third event of the BNP Paribas Sustainable Future Series, launched a year ago, so now there was an opportunity to look back, what has changed since then, how our expectations became real and what to come next.

Alexandra Basirov (Global Head of Sustainable Finance, Financial Institutions Coverage) talked about how the energy transition is approached from investor point of view. Claire Iversenc (Head of Sustainability and Management Team member for Corporate Coverage EMEA) shared her thoughts about how the transition is viewed by the corporate side and how it appears in the client journey. Cécile Moitry (Co-Head of Sustainable Finance Markets) gave an insight into the Social element of the ESG indicators, which sometimes used to be in the background behind Environmental and Governance aspects, she advised on how to set KPIs and how to integrate the S-factor into the corporate strategy.

Our speakers agreed that a great challenge in energy transition is the speed of technology changes. Corporates and financial institutions might have difficulties keeping up with innovation, especially because they have to select relevant and viable projects to get the expected return. Moreover, the pace of the changes has to be quick enough to reach our climate goals, but not too quick, so that society can adapt and we do not generate a social crisis. Interesting to note that most of the clients of BNP Paribas have their transition solution until 2030. Together with regulators, banks will have to take an active part in the play, leading the corporates, educating their clients and employees, and acting in coalition within the industry. The recent stress test of the European Central Bank showed that climate change poses serious threats to the resilience of the financial system, therefore banks will have to make difficult decisions at some point.

To enhance awareness of ESG among employees, BNP Paribas’s experts recommend a top-down approach. Top management has to be active in the communication of the sustainability strategy of the company. The utilisation of a green financial instrument can positively resonate, employees noticing the realisation of the efforts. The learning curve of such a fundamental evolution implies that corporates have to make investments in training and upskilling their employees. With regulators forcing companies to have a better understanding of sustainability, more people within the organisation need to have thorough knowledge this topic.

Björn Claussen (Regional Head of Multinational Coverage at BNP Paribas Central Europe) moderated the event. The next session to be organized in the autumn will focus on Sustainability innovations.

If you wish to receive the recording of the webinar, or pre-register to our next event, please contact Zsuzsa Berman (Regional Head of Communication at BNP Paribas).

In response to new market conditions, Generali – celebrating its 190th anniversary – has set out to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As part of the EnterPRIZE Initiative, the Company helps SMEs with an educational webinar series, as well as a new SME Award. The categories of the award are employee welfare, environmental protection, and corporate social responsibility for micro-communities and the best of each category will be rewarded with a prize of HUF 3 million each.

Some 99% of the European Union’s businesses are SMEs, so the sector plays a significant role in economy. The severe impact of the pandemic, however, has set them major challenges to overcome. In order to maintain their sustainability and effectiveness, companies sought creative solutions and introduced new methods. The latest Generali study confirmed that leaders of local SMEs consider the use of digital devices and promoting digital transformation are more and more important in their journey towards a more effective way of working.

Having the results of the study Generali aimed to promote the economic recovery, revival and sustainable development of SME sector through its free program series. Considering sustainable development the topics of five-part webinar-series were defined on basis of the results of the study, so it responded totally to the specific requirements of SMEs. These online knowledge-sharing seminars, conducted by renowned professionals and business leaders invited by Generali, have shared best practices to prepare the SME sector specifically for the challenges of the future. The webinars covered sustainability, digitization, efficiency gains and also risks for management.

Besides knowledge-sharing seminars Generali launched its EnterPrize Award for which the company expects sustainable projects of SMEs in categories of employee welfare, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility for micro-communities. In the category of employee welfare, the Insurance Company rewards ideas which promote the well-being and development of employees or their families. Another key element of the sustainability programme is environmental protection. In this category, SMEs can apply with any idea which reduces environmental pressures, emissions of harmful air pollutants or covers initiatives aimed to protect nature through renewable energy sources, recycling. As SMEs can also have a big impact on community life in many cases, so in the category of corporate responsibility for micro-communities, applications may cover initiatives which help at local level, through charitable donations or by supporting sports and culture.

Sustainability and technical feasibility are priorities regarding evaluation of the projects. Submission period lasts until 26 May, after which winners will be announced in each category being rewarded with an award of gross HUF 3 million to support the implementation of the programme submitted in their applications. The best ideas will also be presented at the Company’s International EnterPRIZE Sustainability Award.

Last year, global retail e-commerce traffic stood at 22 billion monthly visits, with exceptionally high demand not only for everyday essentials , but also for discretionary items. Today, shopping is one of the most popular online activities worldwide and e-commerce sales are projected to grow to USD 6.54 trillion in 2021. But last-mile delivery is not only growing, it is also fundamentally changing and driving innovation in LCVs, thanks to three main trends:

1. Ultra-low emission zones: The implementation of ever more – and stricter – ultra low emission zones (ULEZs) in cities across Europe is continuously strengthening the business case for the eLCV, and driving rapid innovation in eLCV technology. Companies cannot afford to run the risk of being unable to enter a city centre to conduct their core business activities. Whilst today’s ICE (internal combustion engine) LCVs, which are cleaner than older diesel are petrol models, are still allowed in many city centres, the increasing speed with which new ULEZs are being introduced means that eLCVs are unquestionably the future.

2. Local and sustainable ‘city hubs’: The shift towards e-commerce, growing consumer demand for local products, and increasing pressure to cut emissions (due to widespread concern about climate change and related regulation) are all driving innovation in last-mile delivery logistics. In particular, we are seeing the emergence of new ‘city hubs’ – essentially distribution hubs based on the outskirts of major cities – from which products can be delivered to their final destination. In addition, these hubs increasingly offer opportunities for vehicle charging and act as a service point for the growing number of eLCVs in other sectors beyond last-mile delivery.

3. Big data and digital applications for an optimized delivery process: Real-time insights and information from the LCV are crucial to optimize last-mile delivery fulfilment processes. As a result, leading last-mile delivery companies are increasingly using LCV-generated data to perform predictive analysis as a way of improving their profitability and competitiveness. This is one example of a best practice that can be adapted by other sectors operating LCV fleets.

For more details and the full report about how online shopping boom transforms the industry of LCVs read our blog and download the report from here.

Germany/Egypt – Henkel and Plastic Bank have opened their first three plastic waste collection centers in Cairo. The project is part of Henkel’s successful and long-term partnership with the social enterprise. The partners share a joint vision: to avoid plastic waste in the environment while making a long-term social impact for the local population.

The opening of three collection centers in Egypt marks the first step of the commitment to deliver environmental, social and economic impact in the country. Working together, Henkel and Plastic Bank aim to steadily expand their engagement in the coming years and to reach a yearly collection capacity of 5,000 tons of plastic waste in 2023. At the collection centers, people can return collected plastic waste and exchange it for money. This prevents the plastic from entering the rivers and oceans, and at the same time Henkel and Plastic Bank support the local population by improving the lives of collector communities. Plastic Bank reprocesses the material and returns the so-called Social Plastic® back to the value chain – for example in Henkel’s product packaging. Henkel was the first global consumer goods company to partner with Plastic Bank in 2017 and has already launched first product packaging made from Social Plastic® in the market.

“Henkel’s commitment to sustainability is deeply anchored in our corporate culture, and an integral element of our strategic agenda for Purposeful Growth. The unique cooperation with Plastic Bank helps us to integrate more recycled plastic into our product’s packaging and contributes to reaching our ambitious targets for a Circular Economy and avoiding plastic waste,” says Carsten Knobel, CEO of Henkel.

“Plastic waste entering the environment is one of the greatest global challenges, and we are well aware of our responsibility as a global consumer goods company. Our collaboration with Plastic Bank is a fantastic example of the power of partnerships to make a positive contribution with both an environmental and social impact,” says Sylvie Nicol, member of the Henkel Management Board responsible for Human Resources and Sustainability. “We are excited to further deepen our partnership with Plastic Bank. With joint forces, we can drive social progress around the world and, at the same time, help to reduce plastic waste in the environment and foster a Circular Economy.”

“We are proud to be partnering with Henkel to expand recycling ecosystems while promoting sustainable packaging solutions,” says David Katz, Founder and CEO of Plastic Bank. “Since the beginning of our partnership, Henkel has helped to collect over 1.7 million kilograms of plastic waste, preventing over 86 million plastic bottles from entering the ocean. With our collection centers in Egypt, we are taking a significant step towards stopping ocean plastic and improving lives on the African continent.”

Turning waste into opportunities

Plastic Bank establishes recycling ecosystems in countries that still lack adequate waste management infrastructure. Collectors receive a premium for the materials they collect which helps to provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition or health insurance. The collected plastic is processed as Social Plastic® which can be reintegrated into products and packaging as part of a closed-loop supply chain.

In Egypt alone, Henkel and Plastic Bank aim to create 1,000 jobs over a two-year period which will directly impact over 4,000 Egyptian citizens through the establishment of a long-term recycling infrastructure. The companies will build on a successful partnership in Haiti, which began in 2017.

Henkel has already integrated Social Plastic® into several of its products. The Beauty Care brand Nature Box was the first cosmetic brand to introduce Social Plastic® as a packaging material for its complete bottle portfolio, with all bottle bodies being made of 98 percent Social Plastic®. And Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care Pro Nature cleaners have transitioned to PET bottle bodies that are made of 100 percent recycled plastic, of which up to 50 percent is Social Plastic®.

Commitment for a Circular Economy

The partnership with Plastic Bank is just one of Henkel’s many activities and initiatives to foster a Circular Economy and to promote sustainable packaging solutions. The company has set itself ambitious packaging targets to promote a closed loop for plastic: By 2025, all packaging will be recyclable or reusable* and the proportion of recycled plastic in the packaging of consumer products will rise to 30 percent. Already today, many product packaging already consists of 100 percent recycled plastic. To drive progress in the field of sustainability, Henkel is collaborating with different partners along the value chain and participates in many cross-industry initiatives. For example, the company is member of the New Plastics Economy and founding member of the global Alliance to End Plastic Waste.

* Excluding products where ingredients or residue may affect recyclability or pollute recycling streams.