The Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH) has developed into a leading organization for corporate sustainability, now representing the top executives of 133 responsible companies in Hungary. At its general assembly, held at MOL Campus, member companies accepted the ‘Sustainable Business Management Guidelines’ thereby expressing their desire to lead by example as well as manage their companies accordingly.
The ‘Sustainable Business Management Guidelines’ comprehensively outline how a sustainable company should operate. Our aim in creating the Management Guidelines was to provide guidance for corporate leaders in Hungary in terms of sustainable corporate governance. The members of the BCSDH are responsible leaders of leading companies in this area, who, by signing the membership agreement, undertake to accept these guidelines and are committed to leading their companies in this direction,” said István Salgó, BCSDH’s honorary president, who oversaw and supported the entire process with his expertise.
‘The ‘Sustainable Business Management Guidelines’ were developed in line with the system of criteria of our parent organization, the WBCSD, based on our Recommendations for Business Leaders and as part of our Time to Transform 2030 program. To monitor the progress of our members in this process, we track their results annually through our maturity survey. Our goal is to assist them by identifying areas for development and showing them best practices that will help them achieve real change and accelerate the process,” added Irén Márta, the organization’s executive director, after approval of the BCSDH 2022 report.
The BCSDH has defined its goal for 2023 as supporting its member companies and the business sector to achieve climate-neutral operations, restore biodiversity, promote an inclusive, equitable, and diverse corporate culture and operations, and fully respect human rights in business. The organization also aims to promote the highest level of transparency.
“Now is the time for action. Along with our 133 corporate members, we believe that small steps are no longer enough, and immediate change is needed in poorly functioning systems. We believe that the corporate sector must lead these changes. Those who act earlier will clearly be less affected by external factors such as rising energy prices or supply chain disruptions. Transformation requires a mindset change that fundamentally alters business leaders’ short- and long-term thinking and decision-making. It is important for BCSDH to have a highly committed community of companies and business leaders, which is why the widespread adoption of the Sustainable Business Management Guidelines is a significant step.” explained Attila Chikán Jr., president of BCSDH.
This intention is supported by our professional short-term and long-term work. The Time to Transform 2030 program, which will define the decade, was launched to accelerate systemic transformation, including the Race to Zero initiative, which will help the Hungarian economy become climate-neutral by 2050, the Circular Economy Platform, which aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economic model, and the ESG working group, which will prepare member companies to comply with stricter regulations through knowledge sharing. The “Future Leaders” Talent Program, now in its tenth year, continues to lend support and is a much-needed program for ensuring that as many business leaders as possible understand the Sustainable Business Management Guidelines and incorporate them into everyday business operations.
