CSRD

green energy

investment

waste management

mobility

carbon emissions

interviews

CSRD

green energy

investment

waste management

mobility

carbon emissions

interviews

Portraits, interviews

Finance

Total amount of sustainable loans granted by Raiffeisen Bank exceeds €500 million

The total amount of sustainable loans granted by Raiffeisen Bank last year exceeded €500 million and the entire portfolio of green products for corporate customers reached €435 million, says Laura Mihăilă, Director of Marketing, Communication & CX at Raiffeisen Bank Romania. She talked to Green Forum about Raiffeisen Bank Romania's ESG strategy and the measures the bank is implementing to reduce the negative environmental impact.

Industry

Lidl Romania's mission is to act for a better future

Lidl Romania proposes to use more and more renewable energy sources, says Maria Mihai, Head of Corporate Communication and CSR. She talked to Green Forum about what ESG means for Lidl Romania, the company's current sustainability targets, and the measures that the company has taken regarding care for the environment, and reduced water and energy consumption.

Industry

Ariston Group sets specific goals to reduce its carbon footprint

The future of thermal heating relies on heat pumps and boilers running on hydrogen mixed with gas, says Cătălin Drăguleanu, Senior Director at Ariston Romania. He talked to Green Forum about the consumer expectations in Romania compared to those in other parts of Europe and the priorities of Ariston in terms of sustainability investments.

Finance

BRD wants to contribute to a transition that is both proactive and responsible

BRD has strengthened its involvement in financing the transition to sustainability with the total volume of new sustainable financing reaching over RON 1.2 billion (€240 million) in the first half of 2023, says Flavia Popa, Secretary General, BRD Groupe Société Générale. She talked to the Green Forum about the target regarding the reduction of water and energy consumption in the BRD offices and also about the social projects that the bank supports.

Environment

Romania's Minister of Environment: "We believe in a clean country"

At Romania's Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, priorities and challenges change from day to day, depending on events and issues, says Mircea Fechet, Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests. He talked to Green Forum about the environmental infringements that Romania currently has about the plastic pollution in rivers and about the plans for accessing PNRR funds.

Real estate

Romania keeps improving its position in environmentally friendly construction

A sustainable building, whatever its destination, can be 15-20% more expensive than an ordinary one, says Marian Ciupitu, General Manager of Terano Construct. He talked to Green Forum about the company's ESG strategy and about the advantages of a sustainable building. He also says that Romania is continually improving its position regarding environmentally friendly constructions, but compared to Western European countries, Romania is still far from being a role model in this aspect. Marian Ciupitu specifies that the company strives to develop sustainable buildings that reduce the impact on the environment, improve the lives of communities, and promote high standards of ethics and transparency in all operational aspects.

Industry

BAT aims to be carbon neutral across its own operations by 2030

BAT aims to be carbon neutral across its own operations by 2030, says Ileana Dumitru, Legal, and External Affairs Director for the South Eastern Europe Area at BAT. She talked to Green Forum about the role of ESG in BAT`s global strategy and about the company`s most ambitious sustainability targets.

Industry

Depanero sees growth in the refurbished phone market

People are no longer throwing away their phones when they break and prefer to repair them, says Irina Mincinopschi, General Manager of Depanero. She talked to Green Forum about the company's strategy in the area of sustainability, the types of CSR projects that the company supports, and the advantages of using solar energy. Many electronic products nearing the end of their life, like computers, TVs, printers, refrigerators, etc., can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. Irina Mincinopschi also says that, in 2022, the company reached a volume of 5 million repairs carried out.

Industry

Auchan Romania unveils its ambitious 2030 Climate Plan

By 2030, Auchan aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 46% compared to 2019, says Corina Dospinoiu, Sustainability Director Auchan Retail Romania. She talked to Green Forum about the 2030 Climate Plan and about the company's main sustainability targets.

Finance

ING Bank Romania aims for net-zero in its own operations

ING Bank Romania has invested €11 million in the past 11 years in environmental actions in Romania and €1.2 million were donated in 2022 alone for vulnerable groups' support, says Alexandra Maier, Sustainability Manager at ING Bank Romania.

Real estate

Architect Matius Ichim: "Lack of education in terms of ESG is the challenge"

Lack of education in terms of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and a poor number of good practice solutions are two of the challenges in the field, says Matius Ichim, Architect at Matius Studio and owner of the retail platform www.prioretail.ro. He talked to Green Forum about the advantages of a sustainably built commercial space. He says that 15-20% of the operating networks in Romania have started implementing ESG key principles in their fit-out design and close to 5% in full sustainable standards.

Industry

Nestlé aims for 100% deforestation-free primary supply chains

At the end of 2022, 81.9 % of Nestlé's plastic packaging was designed for recycling, says Irina Siminenco, Corporate Affairs Manager at Nestlé România. She talked to Green Forum about the company's overall ESG strategy and about the investment plans in sustainability.

Finance

OTP Bank Romania enhances commitment to sustainable financing

The banking sector in Romania has made notable progress in aligning its practices to evolving ESG standards and regulations aimed to support the EU's ambitious decarbonization targets, says Gyula Fatér, CEO of OTP Bank Romania. He talked to Green Forum about the role that ESG currently plays in the decision-making process at OTP Bank Romania.

Industry

Coca-Cola HBC Romania: "We are taking firm steps to reach net-zero emissions"

Coca-Cola HBC Romania is the first local company, in the FMCG industry to produce a sustainability report to international standards and among the first local companies to publicly present such a report, says Alice Nichita, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director at Coca-Cola HBC Romania. She talked to Green Forum about the company's ESG strategy and the company's current sustainability targets and the social initiatives that the company and its employees are involved in.

Energy

Nuclearelectrica avoids the release of 10 million tons of CO2 every year

Nuclearelectrica avoids the release of 10 million tons of CO2 every year by producing clean energy. 205 million tons of CO2 were avoided since the commissioning of the first reactor in 1996, says Cosmin Ghiță, CEO of Nuclearelectrica. He talked to Green Forum about Nuclearelectrica's ESG strategy and about the investment projects with a vital role in Romania's decarbonization. He also talked about the sustainable projects that the company ran last year and how Nuclearelectrica contributes to a sustainable future.

Energy

CEZ Romania appoints ESG Ambassadors from among its employees

CEZ is strengthening its ESG requirements stemming from the improvement potential, set according to reporting standards and financial institutions, says Ondrej Safar, CEO and Member of the Board CEZ Romania. He talked to Green Forum about the social responsibility and health projects that the company is preparing in 2023 and about the company's energy production projects from renewable sources.

Finance

Integrating ESG factors can be a daunting challenge for SMEs

At Romanian private equity fund ROCA Investments, ESG considerations are gradually turning into a critical part of the investment and portfolio management processes, says CEO Rudolf Vizental

Business

TeraPlast sets sustainable development as its strategic mission

TeraPlast, a Romanian manufacturer of construction materials, has pipes for external sewers made of 100% recycled PVC and uses approximately 20%-30% recycled material in the production of PVC pipes, says Alexandru Stânean, CEO TeraPlast. He talked to Green Forum about the company's key sustainability objectives and investment plans in 2023.

Energy

Clean energy is the key to securing a bright future for the next generations

Romanian state-owned company Hidroelectrica is focused on the development of energy production projects exclusively from renewable sources, says Bogdan Badea, CEO of Hidroelectrica. He talked to Green Forum about its plans for this year regarding sustainability and the social responsibility projects that the company is involved in.

Business

Over 80% of Kaufland Romania's suppliers are local

Over 80% of Kaufland's suppliers are from Romania, and this percentage is growing year by year, says Valer Hancaș, Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs, Kaufland Romania.