Business | 9 May, 2023 at 4:02 PM
Romania ESG Forum 2023: Banks invest heavily in the green economy
The banking sector has a very important role in promoting the green economy by providing green loans and sustainable support.
The banking sector has a very important role in promoting the green economy by providing green loans and sustainable support.
One of UniCredit's priorities in Romania in 2022 is the implementation of the local ESG strategy, as the bank's report shows. Thus, the bank finances businesses in the area of green energy, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, and the green loan with mortgage intended for individuals continued to be one of the requested products.
An EY survey found that experts are much more likely to take concrete action by stepping up investment in sustainability. Nine out of 10 companies (90%) said they plan to increase their investments in sustainability. The survey also identified a key link between effective board sustainability governance and company business performance.
Globalworth analyzed its performance over 3 years and set its environmental target of reducing its GHG emissions intensity by 40% by 2030 compared to its baseline 2019 levels. About 90% of the group's commercial properties are green-certified and about 98% of the energy used in the portfolio came from renewable sources at the end of 2022.
Investors prefer sustainability to be measured in the case of commercial buildings too. Therefore new detailed rules will be elaborated and a so-called green passport for properties will be introduced, international law firm Baker McKenzie and CBRE reported after a special roundtable discussion in Budapest.
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.
The Echo-Archicom 2030 strategy is to follow a road map that lays out year by year how both companies are to decarbonize through zero-emission developments while further increasing the role of greenery in the group's projects and supporting appropriate city development.
Zuzanna Kurek, Investor Relations Manager and ESG Committee Member of One United Properties, spoke to Green Forum Forum about the ESG agenda of the Romanian developer and its role in growing the value of the company.
A study conducted by EY among 1,325 companies shows that 76% consider ESG to be a main or important investment criterion, and 5G investments are the most likely to involve ESG as a main objective. Responding companies show that emerging technologies offer a wide range of positive contributions to their sustainability efforts, with reducing energy consumption and improving sustainability measurement at the top of the list.
The Annual Water Report, based on over 13.5 billion liters of monitored water usage across 5,370 properties in 36 countries, reveals that 67% of properties experience water leakage yearly. With rising water scarcity, increasing tariffs, aging infrastructure, and stricter regulations, property owners are under growing pressure to better understand their water consumption.
Romanian developer Iulius has launched Europe's largest private bioremediation project, investing €29 million to clean 38 hectares of contaminated land in downtown Constanța. The project will transform the former Oil Terminal platform into an integrated urban regeneration complex worth over €800 million.
The European Union is at risk of missing a key United Nations deadline for submitting updated climate targets, as internal disagreements among member states delay a final decision on emissions goals for 2040.
Solar power has rapidly risen to become Hungary's second-largest source of electricity, overtaking gas for the first time in 2024.
Poland has moved up 49 places in the Climate Risk Index 2025, underscoring the increasing impact of climate change on the real estate sector. Heatwaves, heavy rainfall, droughts and floods are becoming a regular challenge for property owners and investors, according to Cushman & Wakefield.
