Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary
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A record number of exceptional submissions were received for the 2023 ’For a Sustainable Future Awards’. These awards were established to acknowledge outstanding corporate and leadership performance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and driving systemic change. According to the decisions of the professional jury, the winners in various corporate categories were IKEA, Nestlé, Graphisoft Park, Opten, and Generali Biztosító. Balázs Báthory (Market Építő Zrt.) received the Change Leader award, while Andrea Koncsikné Káli (BDL-Pureco Group) and Krisztina Schubauer (EXIM Magyarország) were honoured with the Leading Women award. The awards were presented during a ceremonial event at the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary’s (BCSDH) business lunch on October 12.
Irén Márta, Director of BCSDH and a professional jury member, explained, “The 2023 ‘For a Sustainable Future’ Award received an outstanding number of submissions for the seventh time this year. The business world and the world around us are changing rapidly, presenting continuous challenges to companies. This should further motivate us towards swift action and the sustainable transformation of our systems. The ‘For a Sustainable Future’ Award evolves in step with changes in the business environment and responds to current challenges. This year, the awards were focused on areas where companies have the most significant impact by transforming their systems. Reading the submissions, it’s heartening to see an increasing number of solutions that are bringing about real change, with companies integrating sustainability into their operations.”
The panel of judges, consisting of Dr. Gábor Bartus, Szilvia Krizsó, Irén Márta, István Salgó, and Prof. Dr. Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, selected the award recipients.
CHANGE LEADER AWARD:
Balázs Báthory
Deputy CEO Responsible for Innovations and Strategic Developments
Market Építő Ltd.
Balázs Báthory is an innovative, future-shaping, visionary leader who plays a prominent role in making the construction sector more sustainable and addressing numerous social issues.
Due to his absence, Balázs Báthory, he was able to “virtually receive” the award.
LEADING WOMEN AWARD:
Koncsikné Káli Andrea
Communication Leader, ESG Coordinator
BDL-Pureco Group
A committed, conscious, and responsible leader who plays a significant role in creating value for water and sustainable urban water management.
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Krisztina Schubauer
Executive Director of HR, Marketing, and Communications
EXIM Hungary
A motivating, value-creating leader who, with their innovative approach, contributes significantly to establishing a sustainable workplace culture in corporate and other positions.
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AWARD:
Circular economy category
IKEA – Second Life For Furniture
IKEA is effectively contributing to creating a circular economy by taking a leading role in extending the lifecycle of its products.
The award was received by Attila Bálint, the Sustainability Leader of IKEA.
Climate protection and adaptation category
Nestlé Hungária – Regenerative farming project
Nestlé’s regenerative agricultural program serves as a driving force for the complete revitalisation of the sector, with a critical focus on preserving and restoring biodiversity and climate adaptation at a domestic level.
The award was received by Anna Hőgyész, the Sustainability Leader of Nestlé, and Dr. Gábor Tompa, the Director of Corporate Communications and Government Relations.
Conservation and restoration of biodiversity category
Graphisoft Park SE – Natural Office Park
Through long-term, sustainable development and the restoration of biodiversity, Graphisoft Park has created a high-quality, nature-oriented office park in an urban environment.
The award was received by CEO János Kocsány.
Facilitating business transformation category
Opten’s self-developed ESG self-assessment tool promotes sustainability and strategic transformation among domestic small and medium-sized
The award was received by Dr. Hajnalka Csorbai, Strategic Director, and Gergely Ferenczi, Director of the Company Information Business Unit.
BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION AWARD
Generali views business transformation for sustainability as a conscious investment in the future.
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The award was received by Dániel Imre Orosz, Head of the Strategic Management Department.
Thanks for to the sponsor of this year:
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!
The decrease in biodiversity poses a more significant and immediate threat than climate change; immediate action is even more crucial. All companies are dependent on and affected by nature. Business leaders have a considerable responsibility and opportunity to achieve positive changes in this area. This was the focus of the BCSDH’s (Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary) business lunch on October 12, 2023, which emphasised biodiversity restoration and nature-positive climate solutions.
Budapest, October 12, 2023 – Life is intertwined with nature, and so is business, as nearly half of global GDP is directly dependent on nature and its services. How has biodiversity become one of the fastest-growing ESG topics? What role does nature play in achieving net-zero goals? What should companies do in this regard?
The Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH) presented a three-point recommendation at its business lunch to help the business world take steps in the field of biodiversity.
For a sustainable future, systemic changes are necessary. In addition to utilising the low-tech solutions provided by nature, it’s crucial to leverage the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. This topic was discussed by Greta Nagy, a member of the BCSDH Board, in a conversation with Dr. George Tilesch, an expert and consultant in artificial intelligence (AI) who works with various sectors and industries, primarily in the transatlantic region.
“The most powerful tool that humanity has been given, thanks to artificial intelligence, is also the best instrument to solve civilisational problems. However, this only works if we can make it human-centric. The one who can steer it towards socially beneficial results and manage risks correctly will achieve the greatest long-term success. We need to create alternative technological visions and paradigms,” explained Dr. George Tilesch.
However, technological solutions alone will not provide the answer; we need ecosystem services provided by nature. Nature accounts for one-third of climate solutions.
In his opening remarks, Attila Chikán Jr., president of BCSDH, emphasised, “The decline in biodiversity can pose an even greater problem than the climate crisis, as we are on the brink of [biodiversity] collapse. The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual report already lists the disappearance of biological diversity as among the most serious risks. Biodiversity provides important adaptation functions in the context of climate change, as the more diverse and varied a system is – including the business [ecosystem] – the more resilient it is to external impacts. It has a much better chance of survival or adaptation.”
The time for action is undoubtedly now. Within our Time to Transform 2030 framework this year, which addresses the topic of biodiversity, we have formulated the following three recommendations that can assist the business sphere in taking the necessary steps:
Conduct organisational impact assessments and set goals for preserving and restoring natural and biological diversity.
Identify relevant areas and implement strategic initiatives incorporating natural diversity into decision-making processes.
Adopt and apply a holistic approach and mindset throughout the value chain, fostering partnerships and collaboration.
“How to embark on this journey?” was the focus of the executive roundtable discussion featuring Gábor Décsi, CEO of Dome Facility Services Kft., János Mészáros, Deputy CEO for Strategy and Economics at BKM Budapesti Közművek Nonprofit Zrt., and Anita Simon, Deputy CEO of the ALTEO Group. The discussion was moderated by Irén Márta, Director of BCSDH.
This year’s highlighted sponsors of the Race to Zero program were Deloitte and E.ON, with additional support from Alteo, ALD|Leaseplan, and Unilever. ALD|LeasePlan was a sponsor of BCSDH’s carbon-conscious events.
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Dr. George Tilesch
An expert in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and senior executive and consultant, working primarily in the transatlantic space across sectors and industries, specialising in AI Strategy, Ethics, Impact, Policy, and Governance.
He is Founder and President of the PHI Institute for Augmented Intelligence with the mission of putting machine intelligence in the service of enhancing the human condition for all. As a global senior executive and strategy consultant, Dr. Tilesch has worked for 25 years with a wide array of actors: government leaders on all continents (the EU, the White House, the U.S. Navy, NASA, Dubai, New Zealand), for corporations (Microsoft, Ipsos, and other companies from the Fortune 50 Tech list), and international organisations and global think tanks (World Economic Forum, Club de Madrid), in addition to startups, scaleups and global social innovation leaders. He is the co-author of the 2022 World Economic Forum AI C-Suite Toolkit, read and implemented worldwide by big enterprise CEOs. Dr. Tilesch is also the co-author of the book Between Brains: Taking Back our AI Future, published in 2020. Dr. Tilesch has American and Hungarian citizenship and is based in Silicon Valley.
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:
Several new collaboration opportunities were identified at the latest meeting of the Net Zero Advisory Board on September 20th, aiming to harness synergies for the swift achievement of a climate-neutral economy. The event was moderated by Irén Márta, Director of BCSDH, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Advisory Board.
In his opening speech, Paul Fox, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Hungary, emphasized the importance of collaboration, as a lot of effort needs to be done to achieve climate goals. As part of the Green Deal, the EU Net Zero Industrial Partnership initiative can contribute to accelerating this, and he requested the support of the participants for this endeavor.
On the platform that brings together various stakeholders, Dr. Csaba Kandrács, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary and the host of the event representing the regulatory side, highlighted that since the launch of the Green Program in 2019, their primary goal has been to promote environmental sustainability. As a novelty this year, they have extended their efforts beyond the financial system to address the entire corporate sector.
He emphasized the need for professional collaborations, such as the Nature-Based Climate Solutions working group initiated by the Central Bank of Hungary, which has prepared a specific outcome: the publication titled ‘Nature-based solutions and voluntary carbon markets – Corporate Buyer’s Guide’. This professional material, presented to the Advisory Board, was created with the professional support of BCSDH and WWF Hungary, and with the involvement of member companies. Additionally, BCSDH has prepared a CEO Guide for this occasion, which signifies that this collaboration and work will continue.
István Salgó, Honorary President of BCSDH, emphasized the importance of action, which is also the primary goal of the Business Council. It is crucial that alongside climate efforts, due attention is given to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity because these two business risks are closely interconnected.
In connection with this, Anikó Juhász, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, reported on the Hungarian situation and possibilities of regenerative agriculture. She emphasized the importance of education and the presentation of best practices, as well as the creation of an environment where farmers can learn from each other in order to implement soil renewal solutions. Collaboration is also necessary here to take a step forward.
Gábor Szarvas, the new President of the Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC), participated in the event for the first time and introduced their Advancing Net Zero initiative, which can significantly promote the transition to climate-neutral operations in the built environment. As part of this, they have also prepared a Zero Carbon Recommendation this year.
The series of presentations was concluded by Andrea Nagy, the project manager of BCSDH, who outlined BCSDH’s annual activities in the field of biodiversity and provided a preliminary presentation of the professional recommendations proposed for the business sector.
At the event, Kárpáti András, the new President of the Future Mobility Alliance, introduced himself.
Participants agreed that the current collaboration can be further strengthened, with numerous related areas and synergies to explore. The next board meeting will focus on logistics as one of its key topics.
Participants of the Board Meeting:
- Zsombor Barta – Parlamentary Senior Counselor – Referee for International Relations, National Council for Sustainable Development
- Paul Fox – Ambassador of the UK to Hungary, British Embassy
- Anikó Juhász – Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture
- Dr. Csaba Kandrács – Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Hungary
- András Kárpáti – President, Future Mobility Association
- Kriszti Kocsis – Senior Policy Officer /Attache, Climate & Energy, Emerging Technologies, British Embassy
- Marcell Kovács – Managing Director (Masped) representing MLBKT – Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management
- Irén Márta – Managing Director, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- Andrea Nagy – Project Leader, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- István Salgó – Honorary President, Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH)
- Gábor Szarvas – President, Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC)
Please click here to see the photos.
The Net Zero Advisory Board, a comprehensive body representing multiple stakeholders across sectors, consists of representatives from the Hungarian industry and business leaders, government and associations. The Advisory Board was established in January 2021 as an initiative of the British Embassy and BCSDH.
Can net-zero targets be met without employee attitude formation and commitment? How do we reach different groups of workers? These were the main topics of our communication working group meeting on June 13, 2023, with a large number of participants hosted by Sió-Eckes.
Emese Szász-Bognár, Communications and Media Manager, presented Sió’s sustainability activities, highlighting the 6 pillars on which the actions are based. It was interesting to see their programme to protect bees and promote beekeepers, which is also about raising public awareness. Along the lines of the net zero targets set, important actions are being taken in the areas of water and energy saving, circular economy and recyclable packaging solutions.
The company plays an important role in raising public awareness. A Sustainability Education Day for employees offers an awareness-raising joint programme for physical and mental workers.
It was here that it became clear that reaching different groups of workers is not an equal challenge. Different tools for awareness-raising need to be used with these groups. Successful employee awareness raising is the key to getting all parts of the company on track to achieve net zero targets.
Csilla Dudás, Senior Communications Manager of Unicredit Bank, presented the bank’s overall sustainability strategy, highlighting their awareness raising programmes, which include many new tools.
Because of the multiplier effect of banks here, employee awareness raising can have a much wider impact on processes. An important finding was that companies can expect their partners and value chain to take steps that they have already taken themselves, so they can only be credible.
A thought-provoking and inspiring discussion followed the presentations.
The Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation (KBKA) will be organizing the PLANET Budapest 2023 sustainability expo from September 25th to October 1st, 2023.
The venue will be Pavilion A of Hungexpo, where, in addition to professional and experiential programs, 150 domestic companies will exhibit their sustainability innovations from the agricultural and food industry ecosystems.
For the first time this year, the BCSDH will also have an installation, similar to many of our member companies.
In addition to the exhibition, from September 27th to 29th, interested individuals can attend several specialized conferences for free, in the following topics, with the participation of several member companies:
- Green financing
- Renewable energies
- Nature-based agriculture
- Water management
- Sustainable packaging
Participation in the professional programs is free but requires registration.
The significance of the events is further emphasized by the fact that before the professional programs on all three days, János Áder, the chairman of the KBKA board, will engage in discussions on sustainability issues with political and economic key figures. Conversation partners are as follows:
- Wednesday: Zsolt Hernádi, CEO of MOL Nyrt.
- Thursday: István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture, and Balázs Győrffy, President of the Chamber of Agriculture
- Friday: Csaba Lantos, Minister responsible for energy affairs and the circular transition
Our member company IFUA Horváth is the professional partner of PLANET Budapest 2023.
Planet 2023 is the only exhibition where representatives of not just a specific industry but a complex and highly significant business value network and ecosystem present themselves. This year, the focus is on agriculture, as well as the food industry and trade, as these sectors are crucial not only for our self-sufficiency but also for the sustainability of our economy and the health of Hungarian society. However, we aim to showcase not only sustainable solutions for these sectors but also the leading solutions of related supplier and service industries.
Date: September 27-29, 2023
Location: Budapest, HUNGEXPO
For further details: https://planetbudapest.hu/