On 16 November, at our last Race to Zero Working Group this year, we got a better insight into the operations and long-term commitment of two of our member companies, and a definitive “yes” to the question in the title.

With the help of our host, János Kocsány, CEO of Graphisoft Park, we were able to learn about the history of the brownfield project, which is unprecedented in Europe. We chose this as one of the topics of the meeting because this year Graphisoft Park won the Sustainable Future Award in ‘Business Solution – Biodiversity‘ category for its forward-thinking solutions. Moreover, the park, with 60% green space, has an outstanding tenant loyalty index (15 years) and is not just building offices, but a cohesive community, with a special focus on nature conservation and restoration.

Graphisoft Park’s case study with results and inspiring thoughts so far is also available in the Business Solutions sub-page under Resources on BCSDH’s website, along with several other examples of companies promoting biodiversity and climate adaptation.

The presentation by András Zakar, Director General of FŐKERT Division for Urban Park Management of Budapest Public Utilities Nonprofit Plc. showed that the Főkert is responsible for the maintenance and protection of 6 million m2 of green space in 479 locations. In addition to the more familiar bee pastures, he talked about the Stockholm tree planting method, low-impact plant protection and the Miyawaki mini-forests, of which there are already six in Budapest. They have their own plant nursery and a strong focus on monitoring and testing, and then applying best practices based on the results. Sustainable operations are supported by a fleet of electric vehicles, and waste management is also a priority. The main tasks of Főkert are public, but they are also keen to help companies to protect natural diversity, either by working with them to develop or rehabilitate a new area, or by involving employees in voluntary activities. Education and awareness-raising are a priority in all activities, as they know that the only way to protect nature is to involve people.

Andrea Nagy, BCSDH’s project manager, briefly presented this year’s Race to Zero programme and the professional materials, films and presentations related to the 2023 biodiversity flagship theme, which can provide a good summary and inspiration for further strategic thinking. This was followed by the 2024 targets, where there will be a continued focus on showcasing good business practices and collecting business solutions. In addition to the traditional workshops, we will also visit external sites.

Finally, Dorka Veress, HR and PR Manager of Graphisoft Park, gave an unusual behind-the-scenes tour of the site, where we could see how an old forge is transformed into a high-tech office space, what an unused area looks like, and we also had the chance to see the Generator House. In the close-to-nature office park you can find a bee pasture, a wetland with lots of fish and plants, lots of trees and of course the Danube bank, in addition to 22 species of birds.

Many thanks to the hosts and speakers for their inspiring presentations and ideas, and to the sponsors of the Race to Zero programme for their support:

On September 20 the Race to Zero Working Group also focused on biodiversity conservation and restoration and the implementation of climate neutrality, with a number of good corporate practices and novelties.

This time, Szentkirályi Magyarország provided both a venue and an exciting topic for the meeting. In his welcome speech, Dániel Buzási, Managing Director, emphasized the strong commitment to sustainability at the ownership level, and one of the priority areas is the implementation of a circular economy and approach, in which the company wants to become a role model by 2025.

He was followed by Nikolett van der Wildt, Sustainability and PR Manager, who talked about the biodiversity project in the area of the factory in kékkút, emphasising that they had been inspired and partnered in a previous working group meeting. Among the many elements of the long-term programme are an artificial pond, a swallow wall and an insect hotel. The water resources of the Káli basin will be protected by monitoring wells and groundwater regulation.

Afterwards, Dávid Kovács, Marketing Director of Zwack Unicum, spoke about the sustainability goals and areas, and we learned, among other things, that between 2016 and 2020, the company achieved a CO2 reduction of more than 200 elephants (about 1200 tons) at the company level. He also gave a detailed presentation of the geothermal conversion of their plant in Dunaharaszti, the process and challenges involved. The half a billion forint investment could not have been realised without the long-term commitment of the owners, and the development, which was handed over this year, is already showing good figures: gas consumption has been reduced by 20% in 6 months.

Half a year ago, Daniella Huszár, HuGBC’s sustainability coordinator, spoke about the Advancing Net Zero initiative in the framework of the working group, and now she talked about the results and programmes of the period since then. It is very important to underline that the built environment has a huge role to play in reaching the 1.5 degrees target and halving carbon emissions by 2030. To help decarbonise buildings, a Zero Carbon Recommendation has been published under the programme.

Finally, Andrea Nagy, BCSDH’s project manager, closed the working group with the presentation of two new publications. ” Nature-Based Solutions and Voluntary Carbon Markets – Corporate Buyer’s Guide “, edited by the Central Bank of Hungary, was prepared together with WWF and other member companies as a result of the joint work of the Nature-based Climate Solutions Working Group. This publication is the first public, tangible product of the Working Group and is intended to help companies and anyone interested in the topic to find their way around the market in a clear and accessible way.

A “CEO Guide” has also been produced, which contains the main findings of the long publication, with an active link to the original document. This will also help managers to get a quick overview of the topic, and they can read the details in the Corporate Buyer’s Guide.

Thanks to the sponsors of the Race to Zero program in 2023: