Schneider Electric is investing €40 million in a new smart factory in Hungary. The factory will be net zero. Geothermal energy and rooftop solar will power the site, and Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure energy management solutions will maximize its energy efficiency.
E.ON Energie Romania and Oncos Transilvania have completed a smart lighting project of over €500,000. The classic lighting system in 45 company halls in Cluj and Sălaj counties was replaced. Energy consumption will be reduced by over 70%, and the carbon footprint will decrease by over 230 tons/year.
L'Oreal invests in a biotechnology company to develop plant-based ingredients on a large scale. The investment will contribute to the creation of new sustainable ingredients derived from living organisms. L'Oréal will replace traditional ingredients with organic alternatives, such as those obtained from sugars of vegetable origin.
BAT announces results in reaching its targets related to the strategic management of the water used in its production process. In 2022, BAT recycled 22.6% of the water volume used globally. BAT goals by 2025 include Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certification of all its operation sites, 30% of water recycled, and a 35% reduction in water withdrawn by 2025 vs the 2017 baseline.
Drugmaker Zentiva announces its commitment to plant 1 million trees by 2030. The company has reduced its CO2 emissions by 10% in 2022, following a 16% reduction in 2021.
Holcim Romania adopts an integrated decarbonization model and launches ECOPlanet PLUS, coated additive cement, with 30% fewer CO2 emissions. 7% of global CO2 emissions are generated by the cement industry. In more than 25 years of activity in Romania, Holcim has already reduced its net CO2 emissions by more than 25% and increased its energy efficiency by 25%.
The Romanian government approved the de minimis aid scheme for the construction of waste recycling facilities. The budget of the de minimis aid scheme is €26 million. The de minimis aid is valid until the end of this year.
For Romania, the production of batteries is a strategic imperative for the transition to clean energy, for modernization, and increase in the competitiveness of the industry, says the Minister of Economy, Florin Spataru. He states that the battery industry for electro-mobility represents a field that requires substantial investment both for production and for research.
The National Directorate of Forests - Romsilva to plant about 20 million forest saplings and regenerate 9,643 hectares of forest land, the public property of the state, during the spring afforestation campaign. The investment measure from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) - Investments in new areas occupied by forests, including urban forests and reforestation - has a budget of €730 million.
The European Parliament votes to reduce member states' emissions by 40%. All EU countries must reduce emissions by 2030 compared to 2005. Reduction targets for each member state are based on GDP per capita and cost-effectiveness.
Recovery and capitalization of waste stand out as a priority in Profi's strategy for environmental protection, says Gabriela Sirbu, Sustainability Director at Profi. She talked to Green Forum about Profi Romania's ESG strategy, the goals for this year and the investments in the community.
Chemical substances top the annual list of health hazards for non-food products, according to the European Commission. For the second consecutive year, toys and cars top the list of most notified product categories. Last year, cosmetic products had a significantly higher number of alerts related to the presence of recently banned chemical substances in perfumes and creams.
Arctic launches the Arctic Foundation to strengthen sustainability education among Romanians. According to a study published by the company, 4 out of 5 Romanians declare themselves willing to do more activities for sustainability, provided they have more knowledge in this regard.
Romania has 74 non-food products inscribed with the European ecological label, according to the National Environmental Protection Agency. The European Ecolabel is a voluntary system designed to encourage companies to market goods and services that are environmentally friendly.
EU to invest over €116 million in nature, environment, and climate Strategic Projects so that in Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and Finland reach their climate and environmental targets. These eight major projects in seven Member States will help Europe become the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and will enable entire countries and regions to successfully reduce emissions, restore nature, and ensure sustainable use of resources.
€159 million to be invested in the development of water and wastewater infrastructure in Iasi. The amount is financed by the EU Cohesion Policy funds within the 2014-2020 programming period. The effort is part of a vaster plan to improve water and wastewater infrastructure across Romania and in Iași County, it is complementary to the project completed in the 2007-2013 program period.
The Smeeni town hall in Buzău county was fined RON50,000 (€10,000) by the commissioners of the Environmental Guard, due to the randomly thrown waste. The same situation had been found at the last inspection, the remedial measures not having been carried out.
A new study finds an estimated investment gap of €6.7-8.6 billion must be closed to achieve Europe's pledged goal of placing on the EU market each year 10 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic recyclates in final products by 2025. Plastic packaging is the biggest contributor to the plastic waste problem and 25 companies are responsible for half of the world's plastic production.
Europe is looking for the magic solution for decarbonization, simultaneously with ensuring energy security, although the year started with a strong feeling of optimism for the energy sector at the global level, says Radu Puiu, Financial Analyst at the brokerage house on international exchanges XTB Romania. Amid recent negative factors, many countries have had to resort to fossil fuels and delay the transition to green energy.
In the last three months of last year, over 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions were reduced in Romania, through the packaging recycling activity generated by approximately 700 companies, according to Clean Recycle data. In 2021, Romania recorded a quantity of 79 million tons of carbon emissions from all industries, increasing by 5 million tons compared to 2020.
Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high last year, even as more clean technologies such as solar power and electric vehicles helped limit the impact of increased coal and oil consumption, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Scientists warn that energy users around the world must dramatically reduce emissions to slow the ill effects of global warming.
OMV Petrom continues the "Romania plants for tomorrow" project and announces that is supporting this year's plantings with €3 million. Over 330,000 saplings will be planted in mini-urban forests in 20 cities, including Bucharest, Constanța, Giurgiu and Craiova. "Romania plants for tomorrow" is the largest planting initiative financed by private funds in Romania.
Aquila has set itself the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2026. The company also applies systems to improve the electricity consumption of warehouses.
The company Sphera Franchise Group SA presents its sustainability plans and announces that it will implement energy-efficient lighting (LED lighting) in all its locations until 2024.
The European Union has reached a provisional agreement to reduce the scope and stringency of two major ESG regulatory frameworks: Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
Waldevar Energy has begun construction on two utility-scale photovoltaic parks for Doral Energy in Tudor Vladimirescu (Brăila County) and Ștefan Vodă (Călărași County), Romania. The projects will deliver 14 MWp of installed capacity using around 25,000 photovoltaic panels.
Lidl Romania has published its eighth sustainability report for the 2024 financial year, announcing accelerated progress in reducing environmental impact. The retailer has achieved its international 2030 target for transitioning to natural refrigerants, with these now used in 100% of logistics centres and 81.7% of stores, compared to the original goal of 100% of logistics centres and 40% of stores. The company has also increased its green energy usage to 80% of total consumption.
Global law firm Dentons has advised OX2 on acquiring three wind power projects totaling 235 MW in Romania from Future Power. The projects, located in Vaslui and Vrancea counties, are expected to be commissioned between 2028 and 2030, subject to permitting.
Romania is emerging as a key destination for Turkish renewable energy investments, attracting growing interest from industrial and financial groups. Real grid connection opportunities for projects, infrastructure modernisation potential, and investment framework stability make Romania strategic for Turkish capital as Europe accelerates its transition to sustainable sources and energy independence.
