Tag Archive for: T2T

BCSDH ’Transform Talks’ 2024: ’Being human’ – Responsible leadership = integration of human values into systems

Rising inequalities are one of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges (alongside climate change and biodiversity loss). Oxfam’s latest Report states that globally, the richest 1% own 45.6% of global wealth, the poorest 50% just 0.75% in 2023. High levels and patterns of inequality have also become a systemic risk at global level, threatening entire nations and societies.

Inequality also directly affects the performance of companies: it limits productivity, consumption and growth, destabilises supply chains, and causes political and economic instability. The business case for tackling inequality is about mitigating these risks while contributing to the long-term sustainability of business. It is important to understand what business needs to do to drive systemic change and accelerate the process to reduce inequalities. The key to driving change is to ensure that people are seen as a value in companies’ value-creation processes.

This was the topic of this year’s BCSDH ‘Transform Talks’ CEO Roundtable discussion series, in which more than 40 company leaders participated and shared their thoughts on the topic, the events were led by Márta Irén, BCSDH’s managing director.

Corporate values and culture, openness, partnership, community building. Some key concepts that characterise companies that put people first. It was clear from the roundtable discussions that the participating companies have a strong commitment to their employees. Training and education, support for physical and mental health, and the creation of employment systems adapted to life situations are all priorities. Many company managers shared their positive experiences and good practices in these areas.

However, companies face significant challenges in attracting and retaining employees with the right skills and competences. Significant progress is also needed in improving staff mobility and health awareness. At the same time, it is clear that partnership and leadership by example are of paramount importance in this area. Companies are taking on increasing responsibilities in a number of areas, including the continuous training of their staff and increasing access to health services.

The concrete results of the ‘Transform Talks’ CEO Roundtable discussions will be presented at the BCSDH Business Lunch on 10th October, together with the company’s best practices.

Special thanks to the hosts of the events for providing the venue, the photo galleries can be viewed at the links below:

8 May – Host: Knorr-Bremse
9 May – Host: OTP
14 May – Host: MFB
22 May – Host: Zwack

Thanks to our Time to Transform 2023 sponsor!

28.05.2024

BCSDH ’Transform Talks’: Climate change is a symptom that nature is in trouble

News

The decline of biodiversity and climate change must be considered together, as they are mutually influencing processes. The resulting challenges have now become financial and operational risks. Therefore it is important to understand what the business sector needs to do to foster for systemic change and speed up the process in order to protect and restore natural diversity, as well as promote climate adaptation.

This was the topic of this year’s BCSDH ‘Transform Talks’ CEO Roundtable discussion series, in which more than 40 company leaders participated and shared their thoughts on the topic, the events were led by Márta Irén, BCSDH’s managing director.

The importance of the situation is shown by the fact that in December 2022, a historic agreement was reached at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal. The majority of the ministers and government officials of the 190 countries participating in the event agreed that the protection of biodiversity should be a priority.

During the round table discussions, it emerged that the companies have the commitment, but so far they are less aware of the areas in which they need to act in order to protect and restore nature. At the same time, there are already companies that consciously assess the effects and opportunities on nature resulting from their own operations, and there are forward-looking business solutions that are also exemplary at the industry level.

It was also clearly seen that the involvement of experts is especially justified in this topic, since it is a special area where the impact must also be examined in a complex way. The built environment also has many opportunities for climate-neutral operation. It is also an important lesson that in many cases even a small change or innovation can bring significant results, which does not require a large investment, and can even bring savings.

The concrete results of the ‘Transform Talks’ CEO Roundtable discussions and the business recommendations regarding biodiversity will be presented at the BCSDH Business Lunch on 12th October, together with the company’s best practices.

Special thanks to the hosts of the events for providing the venue, the photo galleries can be viewed at the links below:

30.05.2023

One hundred and thirty-three companies have expressed their high-level commitment to sustainability by adopting “Sustainable Business Management Guidelines”

News

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.

Related Galery

28.02.2023

It’s time for action – 73% of companies have a net-zero goal

News

We are already living in the age of climate change, but we have all the tools and opportunities we need to act. Everyone can do their part to avoid the worst possible consequences. Company leaders have a special responsibility and opportunity to make positive systematic changes. The only question is how. This was the topic of the BCSDH’s business lunch held on October 13, which focused on the Time to Transform 2030 program which is aimed at fostering systemic change, and the Race to Zero program, which is helping to achieve net-zero emissions.

At the event, which was hosted by BNP Paribas, outstanding managers, leading women, and business solutions in the field of sustainability were recognized in three categories with the ‘For a Sustainable Future’ award this year.

Budapest, 13th October 2022 – “Business as usual” is not only being questioned but has been disrupted. We still have a chance to make the world a better place, but we only have a short window of time to transform our companies, our dysfunctional systems, and our society. What is needed for these changes to happen? Who can lead this change, and how? At the business lunch of the Hungarian Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSDH), the framework of the Time to Transform 2030 program launched this year was presented in search of answers to these questions.

This year, for the sixth time, BCSDH – comprising 128 member companies which produce around 30% of Hungarian GDP – presented the ‘For a Sustainable Future’ award in the categories of Change Leader, Leading Women, and Business Solution.

Csaba Kőrösi, President of the UN General Assembly, joined in live via video link from New York, greeted the participants, and thanked the BCSDH for recognizing and certifying outstanding work for sustainability. In his thank you speech, he emphasized that we are at the beginning of a new historical era. It is necessary to put action onto a new track: to manage the crisis and implement transformation at the same time. To solve the challenges of water, climate, energy, food, and inequalities in a transformative way, which requires leaders of change. The management of the complex crisis must be based on scientific evidence.

Gergely Litkai, the founder and director of Dumaszínház, who as a climate activist is committed to the cause of sustainability, drew attention to the need for personal responsibility in his humorous yet serious performance: “There is an increasing chance that we will exceed 1.5^oC, and our current lives will surely change. We are not mentally prepared for this. Everyone must first clarify what they can change. We need to mentally prepare ourselves so that we don’t experience this change as victims, but act in the hope of a good life. We need to rethink our systems to see if the measure of success is really what we think it is now, and we need to find new values that are sustainable. And what we can do, we must do, because everyone has responsibility. Individuals must change first, because all systems are built from them“ – Gergely Litkai explained.

In his introductory remarks, Attila Chikán Jr., President of the BCSDH, highlighted: “Now is the time for action. The pace and extent of changes so far are smaller than expected. We have all the tools for avoiding climate catastrophe; we just have to use them. The current crisis cannot postpone these steps. We still have a narrow window of time for the basic and immediate transformation of our systems. As the president of BCSDH, it is clear to me that companies must be at the forefront of systemic changes. Those who act earlier are apparently less likely to suffer from external effects such as rising energy prices or disruptions in supply chains. Transformation requires a change in attitude that will fundamentally change the short- and long-term ideas and decisions of business managers. This is what our Time to Transform 2030 program, which defines this decade, is all about.”

Things have to change, but how? – this question was the focus of the CEO round-table discussion moderated by Irén Márta, managing director of BCSDH, in which Dr. Zsuzsanna Diószegi, managing director of EUROAPI Hungary Kft., Sándor Baja, managing director of Randstad Hungary Kft., and Rajmond Percze, managing director of Agroloop Hungary Kft. shared their opinions.

Based on the data from the BCSDH corporate maturity survey, in the case of 85% of the participating companies sustainability aspects are integrated into management at some level, but often to a lesser degree than the development of their visions – i.e., economic aspects still often override sustainability action.

Further, according to 2022 Towards Net Zero research, the proportion of companies targeting carbon neutrality has more than doubled (73%) compared to last year’s survey, and 79% of companies have some kind of emission-reduction goals, but only 60% have specific goals, and only 44% are measuring at least Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Main sponsor of Race to Zero program: Budapest Airport. Highlighted sponsor: E.ON, Denkstatt: Sponsors: Alteo, Buildext, Leaseplan, Unilever.

Sponsor of BCSDH’s carbon-conscious events: LeasePlan.

13.10.2022

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